Quest 9. What to buy

As I mentioned before, if you're bringing a laptop from Russia, buy an adapter for an American outlet somewhere at the airport (or at a layover=). So, you've bought it, meaning you have internet. Now you need a mobile phone. It will cost about 60-70 dollars with an unlimited plan for a month. Generally, calls cost 10-20 cents/minute, and incoming calls, naturally, are paid. Therefore, considering how much you'll be calling to find housing and work, it's better to get the $50 unlimited plan right away.

Upon arriving in Myrtle (or, I suspect, almost anywhere else), the first thing you do is buy bikes. You can buy one for 20-30 bucks at the student center, for 15-20 from people selling stolen bikes, and for 70 at Walmart. Strangely enough, it's better to get one at Walmart because they give you a month (actually, three) of warranty service. Bikes break every week, so this is an incredibly useful thing. I don't know a single person who has gone without regular breakdowns. That's the standard of quality of life here)).

Quest 10. Where to live or "Please take me in"

We look for housing (and later, a car) on craigslist.com. The main classifieds site in the USA. That's why you need internet from the very beginning. Before that, you can check into a hotel for a couple of days or (if you're lucky) stay with acquaintances. For the first few days, we ride bikes in the 40-degree heat and look at what we found online to see what we like. You'll definitely find something by the 3rd day because you get tired of riding around very quickly)) Also, check out topics in VK groups for Work and Travel. Maybe someone is renting out something cool. Eventually, we move in.

To get a job, you need a Social Security card. This is the local tax ID and, at the same time, an ID card. Ours was made in a town nearby with the cute name Conway at the local branch of the Social Security Administration. To get it, you need documents from the sponsor (DS-2019 form, all that stuff), your passport, and a place where you live, because they send it by mail. Without a Social Security number in Myrtle, practically no one will hire you a priori!!!

However, you don't necessarily need to have the card in hand, just the number is enough. The number becomes known about 2 days after you submit the documents. So, after these 2 days, we go back to that office and ask what number has been assigned to you. This way, you'll save up to two weeks without work!! (Although, I think if you have an offer, you might not need this).

We look for work by driving around to all the establishments within a couple of km from home. I knew a guy who drove 20 km. In 40-degree heat and 85% humidity, he would arrive at work as if he had been felling trees in Mozambique in particularly difficult areas. Although, that was just because there was no work closer, speaking of the impact of the crisis...

So, we drive around, fill out applications, where we leave our American phone number. We make up work experience if we don't have any, but we try to make it clear in the resume that you don't need to be taught and that you already know everything. If they hire you, they will teach you. Definitely insist on a meeting with the manager. Out of 400-500 applications, we got one call. The rest of the jobs were found through personal negotiations. If you like a person, they will remember you and won't give the spot to someone else.

We found work exactly 2 weeks after arriving, when we had already started to lose heart, due to eating on 3.5 dollars a day for three people for a week)))) At that moment, we had 81 cents left))

Quest 11. A person lives by faith and truth)

As I already mentioned, if you meet Russians in America who offer you housing, or work, or something else, it means they are definitely getting something out of it. Regardless of whether they are employees of the sponsor or just regular guys from our neighborhood. Russians have the highest markups on housing (well, only Egyptians or Iranians with Armenians can argue here), for job placement they pay you a dollar less than what the employer thinks, and they will palm off a car on you, be sure, not from the bottom of their hearts.

There is a special type of Russian living in America. They walk around the store, speaking Russian with an accent, and when you ask, "Fellow countrymen, where are you from?", they proudly and contemptuously declare, "We are from New York, we are Americans." They boast about their citizenship where they can and where they can't. Especially pleasing are the immigrants from Ukraine (more often Western). Tenacious, narrow-minded, not at all intellectual, and very greedy. The guys broke through, building a business here, keeping Mexican workers, paying meager wages, and being proud of how they are still cooler than the "fools who stayed." In general, it's a nightmare that lies in wait for you everywhere.

However, those Russians who came via Work and Travel and another small part of those who live here, who chat with you just because they want to chat, they are safe, useful, and pleasant. Just like yogurt.) We made quite a lot of friends among the guys from Russia. And it couldn't have been otherwise. Romantics who came not for money, but for the spirit, freedom, travel, and whatever else, they are looking for something, and you are lucky if you find them first) Through our guys, we got a second awesome job (40 dollars an hour), someone gave someone housing, we often gave guys a ride in our car to another city, etc..

Selfless support from our guys there significantly expands the possibilities and the joy of life. So don't shun your compatriots, just understand who they are.