It's been a month since I last wrote. A long time. Honestly, I wouldn't even be writing now if it weren't for what happened to me today. But first things first.

Work isn't a wolf...

Working is good. Especially once you get used to it and settle in. Both in the country and at work. It's easy to tell when you've settled in—you stop feeling like you're 'living in a movie' and the constant smiles don't make much of an impression on you anymore. Besides, not everyone here smiles or says hello. Getting used to work happens, but it depends on the type of job. I got lucky with my job because at the very least, I get to talk to Americans, which is definitely a plus. On the other hand, I have to run around a lot with food, orders, etc. Being a waiter isn't bad at all, but I couldn't do it for the rest of my life. We have about 5-6 waitresses, mostly immigrants from different countries, who work at the restaurant full-time. It's not fun, let me tell you. But as a seasonal job, it's great. You need good English for that, at the very least...

Now, closer to the smiling Americans and a bit more about the USA, and then to today's events.

The Dark Side of the Moon

People are the same everywhere. Whether in Russia or the USA. The only difference is that if you smile at everyone everywhere in the USA, it's normal. At work, it's actually very encouraged. In Russia, nobody cares. I don't know how people will look at me on the subway when I get back home, but the thought of it just makes my smile wider.

A little American note.

Actually, here in Massachusetts, even though people smile much more often than in our vast Motherland, there are plenty of individuals you don't even want to look at. In particular, one American cook at my restaurant—all the world's sorrow is reflected on her face EVERY DAY. I don't know how one can live with a face like that :) In general, Massachusettsans (if you can call them that :D), and all other New Englanders, are considered stuffy and hypocritical by all other Americans because they don't smile as much. Maybe it's a stereotype, maybe not.

I also went to Boston—a beautiful, calm city. It was nice to be there after the American countryside. A beautiful park, people sunbathing—a smaller, not a copy, but rather the 'mother' of Central Park in NY. Boston Common—the Boston park—is the oldest public park in the USA.

We walked around Chinatown a bit, felt like we were somewhere between China, Japan, Korea, and Thailand :)

There are a lot of monuments in Boston—to the founding fathers, those who died in the Civil War, those who died in the War of Independence.

It's interesting to see how old buildings sit next to huge skyscrapers.

Near Boston is Cambridge (not the Cambridge in England, but the Cambridge where Harvard is located)—it's a separate world. A world where there are few cars and a lot of bicycles. Where it's quiet, where students gather in cafes in the evening, where old buildings built in the 17th century sit next to new, ultra-modern buildings, where musicians play guitars on the streets. Here you feel that this is the place where you would want to study. Honestly, I was wildly jealous of the guys and girls playing volleyball in their dorm courtyard (there was even a pool!). Who wouldn't be jealous, right? :)

We wanted to go into the Harvard museums, but they were already closed—it was too late.

After saying goodbye to quiet Cambridge, where squirrels were running brazenly through the park along with people doing their evening jogs, we got on the subway, which is called a 'train' here because it comes to the surface, rode to South Station, which is a 3-in-1 here—subway station, train station, and bus terminal, and left, but I will definitely come back here again—for the sake of the museums and for MIT.

Don't let it get to you

Now directly to what prompted (or rather, who prompted) me to write this page.

Today was my first (and last) day at my second job. According to the official version told by my manager, this job just isn't for me. Of course it's not for me, I'm not planning to spend my whole life arranging sauces and bottles of mineral water on supermarket shelves like he does. I didn't tell him that, of course. Although, in my opinion, he's just an a**hole. The owner told me that maybe he just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Or maybe he has some problems in his life. And whose fault is that, mine?

It's really strange. I had a paid orientation that lasted 2 hours before this. And today I only worked for 1 hour. This is absolute nonsense. A normal person, knowing how much time was spent on orientation, could have given at least a second chance. Anyway, I earned my 25 bucks without much effort. And, for a more objective view, I'll add: I wasn't hired alone, but with a guy from Kyrgyzstan, he worked faster than me. I thought it was me because the manager said I needed to work faster, but they fired both of us. Sad, but everything happens for a reason.

P.S. While I was writing this, I ate some very delicious ice cream—chocolate with caramel and fish-shaped chocolates, mmm. Actually, I need to talk about the food separately and in more detail. There is delicious food here, but it's a bit unusual. But more on that later.