The United States of America. Our first day across the ocean was unforgettable. Due to the time zone difference and the long flight, day blended into night; we didn't know what time it was or which time zone to follow. One long, endless day. But we didn't feel like sleeping at all.
Manhattan greeted us, as expected, with incredibly tall skyscrapers and relatively narrow streets. You think Moscow is noisy and hectic, with people rushing about their business without noticing anything around them? Ha, think again! In New York, you can see a hundred people of different nationalities, skin colors, styles, and languages in a single second. You feel like a little ant among other fellows and the huge structures around you. But that adds charm to the city.
Our first three days were spent in this very heart of American life. At first, we were just shocked by the different mentality, the number of African Americans with their signature "What's up, maaan???" to passersby, and the lack of regular grocery stores (every day, returning from a walk, we clocked kilometers around Manhattan in search of something edible that wasn't fast food). Returning to the topic of African Americans, I remember the first person we saw in the States was an impressively sized African American lady at visa control, who was running along the line of tourists chatting on their phones, shouting with a look of combat readiness: "Shut it down, man! Shut it down!" That stuck with us for a long time.
In New York, we faced a big disappointment on the very first day. We arrived as translation students, thinking we'd quickly figure everything out, start understanding Americans, and knock out the Work and Travel USA participants. Not so fast! We didn't understand absolutely NO-THING. In New York, as I already mentioned, all sorts of dialects and pronunciation quirks are gathered. I remember at first we didn't even understand the greeting "Hey, how are you doing, guys?". New Yorkers diligently swallow every sound they can and can't, leaving 1-2 syllables and a couple of letters. Try to guess that you weren't being told off, but wished a nice day.
After seeing the Statue of Liberty and taking 100500 photos with it in the background, we didn't quite successfully head to Chinatown. After wandering around for an hour with 10-20kg suitcases, we found the right bus to Virginia Beach and set off.
