I realized immediately after joining Work and Travel USA—a program I didn't want to be part of six months ago—that you should never say never. But it happened. And it also happened that in this America, there is the police, also known as cops, or the 'pigsty.' It all depends on your social group. So, here are our encounters with law enforcement..

Quest 13. ..protecting us..

The police there are the best I've ever seen. Extremely polite, competent, and most importantly, they seem to want to avoid giving you a ticket even more than you do) However, it depends on your luck. In any case, try not to get into trouble, but if you do, playing the fool helps) We were stopped and detained:

• for missing license plates (when they threatened to shoot us because you can't get out of the car, and who knew that?)) - we chatted, they found out the car was ours, and let us go, asking us to stay safe)

• for not wearing seatbelts about 4 times, fined once for $25, the other times they let us go

• for speeding (many times, each time saying 'come on guys, we're just worried about you,' and letting us go)) Although once there was a ticket for 200-something (I don't remember, as we threw it away and didn't think about it again))

• on suspicion of attempted murder and pimping (a denunciation=). After 5 minutes, it turned out that a crazy neighbor was taking revenge on us for walking too loudly and keeping him awake. The policeman laughed and went to deal with the neighbor.

• and one more time to escort us home, as a gang of robbers was operating in Myrtle, beating up our guys and girls

• to escort us on the road (a couple of times) in California, so that we, poor students, could have a smooth ride))

• for theft (not exactly us, but a friend who was traveling with us for a while), so we will share our experience in the next Quest))

Quest 14. What's lying around..)

I don't think anyone plans to steal in America initially. It just happens) I also stole, I confess, but it was a matter of principle (maybe an excuse, but it counts=)). I only stole food and only at a price I considered unfair. Because with all due respect, potatoes at Walmart cannot cost 200 rubles per kilo.

Given that I have an economics degree and understand the profitability levels of retail chains, for me, it was a kind of fight against global imperialism. I didn't steal clothes or anything like that. But my personal opinion is that basic necessities should be priced fairly. Anywhere. By the way, we have the same story with retail, only the shortages are deducted from the employees' pay, so I don't steal here. Although, I repeat, in my opinion, it's piggish, just like the housing situation. Anyway, I got carried away, let's get back to the topic)

You can steal. Not in the sense of it being legal, but in the sense that it's possible.) Legally, you can take a 70-inch plasma TV, a Sony 3 console, play with them, and return them with a receipt after a month (people did that). So, if you need something for a while - don't be shy, go ahead and return it (a camera, a kettle)) If you decided to actually steal (appropriate, acquire), then..

Take a backpack, go into a store (for example, Walmart), and stuff it if you really want to. The cameras there (in Walmart) are somehow faulty, they don't see anything, at least not what we did. Friends even wheeled out brand new bicycles from there)) Don't take very expensive items (there might be a security tag), don't walk too fast, don't look around, in short, don't get caught - that's the main rule.

Most of our people steal there, one way or another. Americans also steal if there's an opportunity (the same as with traffic violations - if they are sure there are no cops, they will definitely break the rules). If you decided to take clothes or accessories, here are the methods friends told me about (some of them stole about $7,000 worth of stuff, which I personally strongly disapprove of) (from all corners of the USA, including Beverly Hills in LA=))

• You can put everything on yourself in the fitting room. But only if they don't check at the exit

• if they do check - try to go in with as many items as possible so the missing ones aren't noticed

• the girls walked with bags and stuffed things into their bags in the fitting room. They didn't get caught, it seems. You can also stuff things in the aisles, but there are cameras there

• it's useful to talk to the salespeople, they are friendly and pay less attention

• you can also buy something and stuff something else into the branded bag (it doesn't matter if it's from that store or not)

• buy something at the register periodically, don't arouse suspicion

• If you really want to, but it's risky, friends stuffed things into their underwear. And indeed, no one dared to check there

• But there is one BUT that outweighs everything. If you get caught - a fine ($1000 in S. Carolina) even for a stolen piece of gum. Court, tears, jail for up to 30 days, and very likely a visa denial for the next year, or even longer, since they take fingerprints at the station. So think with your head before doing anything.

I'm writing this in bold because a girl who traveled with us was caught stealing (she was stealing clothes) on the last day before flying home. She took perfume but didn't pay for it at the register. Someone was watching the camera at that time and caught her. It was in Chicago.

Bottom line. Frayed nerves, a $200 fine, and court problems regarding coming back the next year... Before that, she had been caught stealing in a Jewish swimsuit store, having handed over one more hanger than the number of items during the check. Back then, they paid the Jews $300.

Although, as she said, on that last day everything was against her stealing, she had to try very hard to get into that store and well... Fate works, that's what I'm getting at. In the end, you need to go to America for something much bigger than clothes. You just have to reach that point.