We had a day off at the hotel, so Sonya and I decided to head to Rio Grande. We thought about doing some shopping (I desperately needed to buy a decent bath towel) and going to the movies. We decided to sleep in. At least I did; I think Sonya even went for a run in the morning. We ended up getting up around 11, had breakfast, and checked the bus schedule.

We're getting around on our own.

The next bus is in 20 minutes. Not wanting to delay, we got ready in a flash, hopped on our bikes, and reached the bus terminal in about 3 minutes – it's right nearby (at the intersection of New Jersey Ave and Andrews Ave). There's a bike rack next to the station. Inside, everything is simple and clear: ticket counters, benches, and vending machines for drinks and snacks. There are also schedules for all buses passing through Wildwood, Atlantic City, and menus for many restaurants. We bought a $1.50 ticket to Rio Grande.

Before this, we had been there twice: to the Social Security office and to Walmart. Both times, our landlady Trish drove us.

At 12:00 local time, two buses arrived, both going through Rio Grande. The difference is that one goes to Atlantic City, and the other to Cape May. The one to Cape May doesn't stop at Walmart—a big supermarket like our Auchan where you can buy everything (groceries, clothes, hardware, cosmetics, home goods). The Cape May bus stops near the ShopRite supermarket (which is smaller and more expensive) and then goes straight to Cape May. The Atlantic City bus turns left after ShopRite and passes by Walmart (map in photos). However, we took the first option. That bus was emptier. We arrived, went into ShopRite, checked the prices, and decided not to buy anything for now.

We walked to the movie theater. It's not far, we got there in 10 minutes. We walked along the same highway—I think it's Rio Grande Ave. At the fork (where the bus turns toward Walmart), we turned slightly left and saw the sign for the "Save-A-Lot" supermarket (not very big, and we didn't save much there). Last time, Trish drove us there, and we saw the cinema.

We figured out the cinema quickly. It's exactly the same as back home. Above the ticket counters, there's a board with current movies. We had a choice between 2 movies and one cartoon. We chose the latter; the language is simpler. The cartoon was Epic, a standard plot—a mix of Tangled and Arthur and the Invisibles. But it was very interesting. We understood almost everything and were very pleased with ourselves. True, it's not a new release, and there were only about 6-7 other people in the theater besides us.

While waiting for the show to start, we noticed the ads; almost all of them here are social, everything boiled down to some public cause.

After the movie, we tried to find Walmart, but due to my mistake, we went in the wrong direction (we didn't know exactly where it was yet). We went into Family Dollar (this supermarket was recommended to us earlier)—and didn't find anything there; it was expensive and the selection was small. We had to go back to ShopRite, where I bought a beach towel for 5 bucks. On the way back, it came in very handy—it was freezing cold on the bus.

I had about 1.5 hours left before work. The girls, Sonya and Anya, were making soup, and I made myself an omelet to grab a quick bite. In the end, as always, I took way too long getting ready. I thought, I'll just ride fast and make it. I completely forgot that I had agreed with Vitya (who also works at my restaurant, just as a dishwasher) to go together. Usually, we meet at 5:40 PM at the intersection of New Jersey and Rio Grande Ave. Only when I saw a missed call from him did I jump out of the house. In an attempt to call back, I couldn't keep a grip on the bike handlebars and crashed into a wall. The impact hit my phone and sunglasses, and only a small scratch remained on my forehead. That was the bike's first introduction to its owner's clumsiness. While I was coming to my senses, another 5 minutes passed. In the end, I raced with all my might. This has somehow become a habit; I need to change something. There are more and more cars, especially on weekends. After July 4th—the official opening of the season—there will be traffic jams, so I need to get used to riding carefully. Even yesterday, at the intersection of New Jersey Ave and, I think, 15th St, a car cut me off. The woman behind the wheel didn't yield to me.

I dashed into the restaurant exactly at 6. Andrew always greets me the same way: "Hi, Olga." Today, looking at me, he asked if everything was okay. On the way to the bathroom, I shouted "yes" without turning around. Later, I thought that was kind of rude. It might pass in Russia, but here I should have at least said, "yes, thanks." Not to mention a reciprocal "and you?" Especially since he's the chef.

Around 6:10, I started working. There were 3 tables occupied at the time. But people kept coming in. Not "busy," as they say here when there are many customers, but not bad either. Andrew didn't let anyone go home early. Today I worked with Lauren again. We chatted in our free time, joked around...

I promised to write about the other guys.

Tim is such a big guy. On the first day, he told me some joke about Putin and Obama. I didn't really understand the point, but it was nice that he talked to me. He also told me that there is a Viktor—also from Russia. On the first day, when we were splitting tips, or rather after that (I didn't get anything then), Tim called me over, gave me 10 dollars, and explained why. As I understood it, these weren't tips, but he sort of topped me up to the minimum. It was very nice then! Those were my very first earnings! In general, Tim is a decent guy (though more of an uncle), and he likes to joke.

Hillary is just cool, responsive, positive, and a very simple woman. It's easy and pleasant to work with her; she'll always help. Probably most waiters here are like that. She always smiles, asks how things are, but in a genuine way. She knows well everything that needs to be done.

Eric is an experienced waiter. He's 35. He's super polite. He always apologizes, but he does it in a special way, also somehow genuine. He jokes and laughs a lot. I've noticed with many Americans that they laugh unnaturally at any joke, even if it's not very funny, as if on purpose—"hahahahaaa"—like real horses. Exactly like horses. So, Eric is a typical American. BUT I quickly got used to his laugh, and now it brings a pleasant smile to my face. What I like about him is that he's easy to connect with. If you need something, he'll explain everything. If something is wrong, he'll tactfully correct you.

Murphy works at the bar. It seems like she's always incredibly happy to see me. She smiles with all 32 teeth. Very unnaturally, but apparently, it's normal for her, and it's not a hostile grin. She always offers something to drink and asks to be informed if I need anything. When I see her, I always remember the movie Coyote Ugly. Actually, fragments of this movie were spinning in my head from the moment I found out I was going to New Jersey. The next sign was on the way from New York to Atlantic City. We were passing through "gates." I don't know what that is, it was very interesting to watch. Probably the roads are toll roads and that's how the count happens (there was such a shot in the movie, and more than once). And here is Murphy standing behind the cocktail bar, making shakes coolly, and pouring water from a gun! Just like in the movies! Tea is also poured from a gun. When I went to her for water for the first time, I really felt like I was in an American bar. A lot of things here are like in the movies.

I worked well. And I got $26 in tips. That's cool, especially for a weekday. True, I forgot to declare them. Always, before going home, we are required to count our tips and let the system know. Only for some reason, we don't enter the full amount, but only 75%. So yesterday I forgot about it. Now I'm working on Monday, I'll tell Andrew, I hope it's nothing serious. And also, an important event happened for me today—my first paycheck! I received 82 bucks in CASH. Andrew explained that as long as I don't have a Social Security number, he will pay me in cash. So, I'm sort of working unofficially. On Monday, I'll have to fill out papers, and he'll be able to pay me with paychecks.

We rode home together with Viktor. It just so happened that whenever we work together, he walks me home. We went in for some tea. Almost immediately, the neighbor from upstairs came over—Dima from Lipetsk. I spent the first 4 nights in that apartment on the second floor while these apartments here weren't ready. Dima had been planning to stop by for a long time, and he arrived just in time. Then Vitya's friend, Fedya, arrived; we went to see crabs together. And the girls from work came. We all sat together, drank tea, ate cookies, and chatted. The girls from Yelets (who live in the room next to us) and Dima from Lipetsk found the most common ground. They are studying at the linguistics department. We had a very good, calm time. We dispersed around one o'clock, since everyone had to work in the morning.