Our first day of work arrived. I was very nervous because, to some extent, this was my first work experience, and in America of all places. I never even thought such a thing was possible! The hotel team welcomed us; everyone turned out to be friendly and tried to teach us everything they knew. Housekeeping work is hard, let me tell you. You can get tired easily! And they demand speed from you! We handled that easily. Our first paycheck, as our employer said, was supposed to be exactly in a week. We forgot all about it, immersing ourselves in American life. We also arrived just in time, as we were told later. Throughout the following week, our employer hosted various barbecues for the hotel team. That way, we got to know everyone better, and it wasn't in vain—now we knew who could be trusted and who couldn't. During that week, we spent time with the team, eating fried bacon, delicious ice cream, and we even had a pizza day. One day we went to a cafe where we ordered a bunch of American goodies; luckily, we didn't have to pay for it, although we wouldn't have minded.
We didn't live in a very crowded place, that's a fact, but we weren't disappointed at all. Yes, living on the coast is cool and fun; we saw all of that. Dancing, magic tricks, singing at bars—it's all wonderful, a huge plus. But we had a plus too. Not far away, in Norfolk, we went shopping at a mall; it has everything, absolutely! There was no need to wait for a big city to buy clothes or souvenirs. Moreover, the state tax in Virginia is lower than, for example, in New York. On our days off, we usually went to the beach to swim or to Norfolk. Soon, another girl from China joined us. And it was with her that I discovered American movie theaters. Going to the movies for $7 to see the new Transformers? Why not! I was in America, I could do whatever I wanted. Especially since I was earning money and could afford such a pleasure. By the way, we didn't find assigned seats in the theater; we just walked in and chose a comfortable spot in the hall ourselves. I like this better than in Russia; I was even a little surprised by such a difference. Sometimes in Russia, you pay more for a comfortable seat in a cinema, but here... everyone is equal. And also, for some reason, I didn't see sweet popcorn in their theaters, which is very strange.
Every day we discovered new horizons. This included supermarkets like Walmart. Ours was a forty-minute walk away. And honestly, it was our physical exercise. We walked there and back with backpacks and hands full of bags, returning to the hotel. Sometimes even with a cart—yes, that happened too! We could spend hours in that supermarket. They sell so much stuff, even bicycles. By the way, a bicycle would be a budget-friendly means of transport if you didn't bring your driver's license, as I did. Sometimes we heard Russian speech in that same supermarket.
In Virginia Beach, there are actually a lot of Russian speakers. These are students, tourists, and those who moved there a long time ago. You can spot tourists right away, for example, on the beach. They talk very loudly in Russian and think that no one understands them; I witnessed it myself. And if you are really afraid to speak English, there will always be someone who understands you and will help.
A significant holiday for Americans was approaching—Independence Day. Oh, how I waited for this day. I desperately wanted to feel the atmosphere of the holiday, the general joy. But this holiday was slightly overshadowed. All festive events were moved to July 5th because of Hurricane Arthur, which hit the East Coast. Since we didn't live on the coast, we were luckier. We were only hit by heavy rain and gusty winds, but by evening, the weather improved, and the mood lifted again. The next day we went to watch the fireworks; of course, it didn't go without a couple of purchases and pizza. A huge number of people went out to the embankment to dance and witness the holiday with their own eyes. An amazing atmosphere of general joy and pride for one's country. Patriotism is felt immediately, regardless of whether it's a holiday or an ordinary day. Will you see a state flag on a house in Russia? In my city, I definitely haven't seen that anywhere except for administrative buildings. But in America, you can see the American flag on every house. On Independence Day, there are even more flags. And at the end of the day, the fireworks were a great gift. It's great to just lie on your back and watch the shimmering lights in the sky. No one bothers you, and you enjoy every minute spent in this wonderful place.
Virginia Beach will forever remain in my memory as a cozy place where I would like to return to relax. It is the place where I first tried crab, learned to be independent, started earning money, and managing my budget wisely. The experience of a lifetime! The work that seemed difficult to me became automatic. And I won't say that working as a housekeeper, I didn't speak much English. It varies; everything depends on the person. By the way, I celebrated my twentieth birthday in America. It's strange when there are no loved ones nearby; my loved ones were my new friends Ilona and Nazym, girls without whom some things would have been simply unattainable! I was incredibly happy to celebrate my birthday in the USA. When I arrived in America, I already understood that I would spend my birthday here, and I wanted to make it memorable; I wanted to light two candle-numbers on the cake and make a wish, just like in childhood—perfect! In Virginia Beach, I discovered a bookstore called Barnes & Noble. I love books; I love not even buying them, but just seeing a huge number of books in front of me, and in English too. It's a pity that my bag couldn't hold more than three books.
