Meet another travel lover – this is Alice, who moved with her husband and dog from Russia to the city of angels – Los Angeles to the state of California. Travel and tourism are her life, she reboots while traveling, draws new ideas and a charge of energy, which, after returning to normal life, lasts for several months. Based on her experience, Alice told about some moments of life in America: how to get US citizenship, is life in the states expensive, what kind of work is there in America for Russians and what attitude Americans have towards Russians — read about all this and not only in the interview.
– Tell us a little about yourself.
— My name is Alice Lebedintseva, I am 29 years old, I was born and have lived all my life in the city of Moscow. For 12 years now, my life has been connected with tourism, despite the fact that I am an environmental engineer by education. Tourism is not a job, it’s life, so I can safely say that I live by traveling, exploring new resorts and countries.
At the moment I manage the American company “Golden Star Tour”. This is a tour operator for the reception of tourists in America. We conduct group bus tours, individual tours, book hotels, rent cars and fully support the client during his vacation with us.
— How long have you lived in the USA? Why did you choose this country?
— I have been in the USA quite recently, a year and a half ago, my husband, my dog and I finally came to America and stayed here. I chose this country, or rather the city of Los Angeles in California, 4 years ago on my first visit, then I studied English in this country. The city is close to me in spirit, you can do anything here, there are no borders, barriers and stereotypes, and there is eternal summer here.
– Russians live in the USA. Why do they choose this country?
– Russians live everywhere, but I think the USA has the largest Russian-speaking communities, and these are not only Russians, but also people from CIS countries. What is so attractive about the life of Russians in America? Honestly, it’s hard to answer, everyone has different reasons for moving: someone got married, someone was invited to work, someone because of childhood dreams, and someone has relatives here.
— How to move to the USA?
— There are many nuances of moving to America. The main thing is English, you need to know it, or at least for someone close to know it. And then the documents for renting housing, the availability of funds in stock and much more. But if someone wants to move to the USA, then there are no serious obstacles, the main thing is to delve into all the issues in advance.
— How do I get US citizenship?
— There are many ways to obtain US citizenship: get married, family ties, get or win a Green Card, by naturalization, military service, investment, live in the country legally for at least 5 years, after which there is an opportunity to apply for American citizenship.
— Has it become more difficult for Russians to get a tourist visa to the United States?
— I would say that it has become longer for Russians to get a visa, the main thing is to make an appointment for an interview in Russia or in other countries. That’s the problem, and the bounce rate hasn’t increased.
– The attitude of Americans to Russians.
— If we talk about cities like Los Angeles, New York, Miami, then “local” Americans don’t care who you are and where you come from, there are a lot of emigrants in these cities, and so to speak, Native Americans are already used to having people from different countries around. Therefore, the life of Russians in America is quite calm and free. Only here in California everything is on the “chill”, perhaps in the central states we, like other nations, have a special attitude, but I don’t know what. I know for sure that after the election of President Trump and the stories about Russia’s participation in this, they began to talk more about our country in the news, discuss it, but Americans clearly separate politics from people living in the country.
– Expensive life in America?
- If you convert prices into rubles, they seem sky-high, especially for housing, but salaries are different here. At the same time, utilities are sometimes cheaper or the same as in Russia.
- For example, we pay $ 100 a month, in Russia I also paid, sometimes even more, but I know people who pay $ 50, it all depends on the area of residence.
- Rental housing depends on the state, if we talk about California, in particular Los Angeles, then housing here is on average from $ 1,500 per month.
- Food prices in the USA: the average trip to the store, if you compare, for example, the number of products in Moscow and here, then in the USA it will be $ 40-50, and in Moscow — 1000-1500 rubles. For example, 10 eggs cost $ 2.5; 1 liter of regular milk – $ 1.5; a loaf of bread – $ 2-3; fresh seafood (1 kg of large shrimp) — $ 20-22; red fish (0.5 kg) – $ 20.
- In restaurants and cafes, the average cost of a dish is $ 10.
- As a result, judging by Russian standards, food prices in the United States are higher than in Russia.
According to statistics, in all of America, the most expensive life is in New York, San Francisco is in second place and Los Angeles is already in third.
– Work in America for Russians.
— First of all, everything depends on the knowledge of the English language, documents and, of course, on the person himself. Work in America for Russians, as for everyone else, is estimated by the hour. For example, the minimum wage in Los Angeles is $ 13 per hour, and the salary in Sephora (like Rive Gauche in Russia) is $ 2000, with 2/2 work for 10 hours a day with covered insurance. A good salary is considered $ 5,000, while specialists receive $ 10,000.
— Why do the locals love the USA and why do you love this country?
— I will answer briefly – for freedom of speech, choice, tolerance and quality of life.
— What do you get from traveling?
— During my stay in the USA, I have traveled only in the USA and Russia. Travel, tourism is my life, I reboot when traveling, I get new ideas, I get charged with energy, which after returning to normal life is enough for me for several months.
– Your advice and wishes for those wishing to move to another country.
— The first and most important thing is that if you really want it, then do it and believe in victory. The second is English. I recommend watching Dmitry Petrov’s polyglot lessons.
Insta: @alisa_lebedintseva
www.GoldenStarTour.com
Olga Avrakh was talking
Alice’s photo
.
