June 4th... I have already started working. At first, it was hard to adapt to the new environment and the job. In Hyannis, during the first week, we lived with some Spaniards, which an acquaintance had found for us. The house was very far from work, and the conditions were not particularly satisfactory. We planned to move out before the deadline, and the third girl was supposed to arrive the following week. One day, I suggested to Malika that we look around, knock on doors, and walk through all the houses located near work. We asked our Spanish landlady to drop us off near Dunkin Donuts. We started knocking on all the doors, asking if they had any space or if they knew anyone renting out rooms. It was fun. The Americans took it all well; some apologized and offered us to come in for tea. If a dog started barking in any house, we would immediately run away, as we didn't plan on living with pets at all. I am afraid of them. We didn't find anything. We sat down to catch our breath near a service station when suddenly some Black man started calling us over. "Hey, listen to me, come here, come here," and he started explaining that he had an apartment with a free pool in the back, a PlayStation, laundry, a treadmill, internet, and that he didn't really rent out rooms, but he needed to consult with his girlfriend. We exchanged numbers, and a few hours later he picked us up and showed us the house. We liked everything. The next week we moved in with him and started living with Jamaicans. The rent wasn't very high, considering our conditions.
Gradually, I started getting used to everything and felt the desire to find a second job. At Dunkin, I worked from 5 AM to 3 PM, and the rest of the time remained free.
Dunkin Donuts is a company that sells donuts, coffee, sandwiches, shakes, ice cream, etc. I mainly worked at the cash register. Plus, there were tips.
June 12th... I had a day off. I found out that in the neighboring town of Harwich Port, J1 volunteers were organizing a dinner in honor of all international students in the evening. All J1 students from all countries came, got to know each other, played games, prizes were raffled off, there was delicious food, and they talked about road safety rules. It was a lot of fun. In June, they hosted two such big dinners. The second time was June 24th, and luckily for me, I was off that day too. Americans are a very friendly, smiling, and kind people. I couldn't believe my luck and that all this was happening to me. At the dinner, I met Catherine and Matt; they helped all the students when help was needed, spent time with them, and went for walks. They became very close to me and called me their daughter, "Our beautiful daughter." We went to Wrentham Village together (a paradise for shopaholics). At the second dinner, I rode with them to help with the setup and food, and in the van, I met two girls from Aktobe, Sam and June. Those were their American names. It turned out they lived not far from me with Mr. Richard, who had one big and one small dog, and a huge cat. I became friends with them, and they started inviting me over. We cooked beshbarmak and borscht. They would lock all three pets in the bathroom when I came over. Soon, Mr. Richard and I became very good friends. At the end of the summer, we went to an open-air cinema together; it was magical. We still talk on Skype every day, and he recently sent me a package.
In our town, there was a special free club for students from Russia and Kazakhstan, where you just had to show your passport. On June 29th, we spent time at the club until 3 AM, and at 5 AM we had to be at the station for the earliest bus to go visit our friends Jeff and Denise in Orleans. They had cool public transport; for $2, you could travel around the entire neighboring town. And so, in 2 hours, we arrived. Jeff met us in Orleans and took us to his home in Wellfleet. All the towns were basically not far from each other by car. You can look at a map of Cape Cod; I also had no idea where I was going when I left. But when I found out, I was glad that I was lucky enough to come to this historical place, where the first English settlers arrived. They took us to all the historical sites of the Cape. We stocked up at the supermarket and went for a picnic in a park in Provincetown. A different atmosphere, beautiful nature, pleasant company. This day is one of the happiest days of the summer...
July 1st... I started my second job at the Stop and Shop supermarket, as a bagger (putting all purchased groceries into bags at the checkout, not such a difficult job). I had been looking for a second job for quite a while. I searched alone, went to stores, and rode my bike all over the city to every place. I was right to set myself up in the beginning to find a second job near home so that it would be faster to get there and I could sleep 5 minutes longer. I was lucky; I lived 8 minutes (by bike) from home to the first job and 2 minutes from the first job to the second. From 5 AM to 10 PM, my day was packed, except for Tuesdays and Fridays. Despite all this, we often went out for walks after work and had fun until late, and in the morning we got up early for work again. But I didn't feel a bit of fatigue. I was happy; I was living my dream.
As I said, Americans are a kind people, or maybe I only met such ones; I had good human relationships with all the regular customers. I knew all their orders by heart. How much sugar, which flavor. That's how I met Mr. Jim. We also went to neighboring towns; he took me to try shooting at a "Shooting club." A good man, he always loved to joke and every time he asked: "Will you come next year?!", "Will you write letters?!" That's how my circle of American friends expanded.
At the second job, there were few Russian speakers; in my shift, there were practically none, which played into my hands. I could practice my English. I talked with guys from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Jamaica, etc. Working together at the checkout, I got along well with Payden. We were the same age. She worked two jobs; the second job was as a lifeguard at a pond (a small beach). Most people had 2-3 jobs, as I noticed. On weekends, I went to visit her and swim at the same time. Once, I asked her what Six Flags was because we had discount coupons for this place at work. A place where adrenaline and a good mood for the whole day are guaranteed. It's roller coasters and attractions. We immediately agreed that we definitely needed to go together.
July 25th... She invited me to her home in West Barnstable, and the next day we went to New England. It was awesome. There wasn't a single roller coaster or attraction that we didn't try. I will never forget this day. I still thank her for it.
On weekends, my American parents would pick me up to take me to their place or for lunches and dinners. They took me to Boston twice; the second time we went just to see universities, like Boston University, MIT, Cambridge, etc. My American daddy was very well-read and smart. He tried to explain everything and tell stories. He repeatedly asked about my impressions of America, our traditions, and my country; he was very curious and always wanted to know what I didn't like and what I liked about this country. I know I'm writing about many small details, but I'm trying to write about the most important moments and am shortening it as much as possible, but I really want to share everything with you. Thank you to the IEC for such an opportunity; I couldn't sit down and start this story, even though I kept an electronic diary every day in the States. I photographed everything and every minute. I will be glad if everyone likes my story and it remains in history in honor of the 25th anniversary of the IEC. Thoughts of writing a book have visited me; I hope I will still carry out this idea, and this will be just a small part of a big story. Now, one of my big goals is to make a film about this fairy-tale life, which was my dream.
One long-held dream came true: to celebrate an unforgettable birthday in the USA. And so, on September 4th, I celebrated my twentieth birthday in the States. My American parents gifted me a dinner at a restaurant in Dennis and a souvenir made by my mom herself. For Dad's birthday, I made a surprise; I arrived in Sandwich without telling him and gifted him our huge photo against the background of the flags of Kazakhstan and the USA. The whole summer was fairy-tale-like. All these sensations, the feeling of fear, uncertainty, joy, and happiness. New friends, a different environment. And our Kazakh students often gathered in the evenings, but to be honest, I rarely hung out and didn't stay long with them. I didn't see any point in coming to the States and speaking my own language. And at Dunkin Donuts, 80% of the students were from Russia and Kazakhstan; there was no practice. And I felt it was necessary to communicate more with my American friends. Not a single minute or second was spent in vain. We also gathered with friends from Couchsurfing in cafes, went to listen to live music, and gathered in bars. Charles is my friend whom I also found on Couchsurfing. He had his own farm; he invited me over, and he had a film of Kazakh production that we watched together.
