Workdays have begun: hotel in the morning, restaurant in the evening. My American life has taken on a certain shape, a kind of routine has started! If only money were being saved and earned, it would be wonderful! So far, I get tips almost every day, but I've only had one paycheck, and that was for 80. Since all the income isn't systematized, it's hard to calculate. My roommates have already bragged about their earnings - $488 for the week - that's very, very cool! But they also work a lot. I hope I'll be talking about the same numbers soon!

Today, those same roommates, Natasha and Nastya, have the evening off. A dinner party hosted by them in our living room. As expected, Dima (the neighbor from upstairs) and Max (the girls' former neighbor) will be there. Dima and Maxim are studying at the Foreign Languages Department in Lipetsk and are entering their 5th year. They even sit at the same desk.

There are many guys from Lipetsk here, including my Sonya.

Kolya and Artem came with them. I tried to meet Kolya at an American party, but I didn't know he was Russian back then. I saw Artem briefly when I was still living with the guys upstairs (I slept in the living room).

All the guests work together at a restaurant on the boardwalk. The girls prepared dinner, and the guys brought something from the kitchen. We ate, drank tea, and the boys had beer. All the guys are repeaters, they came to the US again. Last year they worked at the same restaurant, and their boss promised to raise their salary this year. Apparently, that didn't happen, so the guys were actively discussing what they should do: stay, leave, and how to stand up for their rights...

We had such a soulful and calm time! We laughed and talked seriously. As one of my acquaintances said, it's worth going to the USA not only for the Americans, but you can also make excellent friends among your compatriots! Now I absolutely agree with him. Moreover, "in a difficult moment of life, sadness crowds the heart..." There are situations when you want to speak only Russian, and you can't express everything in another language. No foreigner will understand or support you. Especially Americans – people with a radically different mentality! The atmosphere of a Russian kitchen, tea, and therefore conversations past midnight will never be accessible to those for whom a cool evening is just weed, beer, and a party! We know how to enjoy different levels of relaxation!

We were at an American party with all these guys, but that interaction was different. Now, we were sitting and joking, teasing, and sharing experiences in a purely Russian way.

For me, in turn, it reminded me of long dormitory gatherings. I missed this. We need to play something next time.

Every J-1 Visa participant here has difficult situations and problems. Many of us came here alone, but found support among the same students. The Russian community is when you are all different, but you are together, and if something happens, I know who can help me!