About 15 years ago, when I was just a little kid, it was a family tradition to watch Home Alone on the eve of Christmas. There was a festive mood, and the true spirit of Christmas completely captivated the mind of a small child. The air was filled with the scent of tangerines and a fresh Christmas tree, lights twinkled mysteriously, and a blizzard raged outside the window, dispersing the cold in the area, from which my huge pajamas, oatmeal cookies, and a mug of warm milk served as my only protection.
Do you remember that feeling? On that magical night, my mom and I, sitting in an armchair and wrapped in a warm blanket, watched Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The eyes of a little boy lit up at the sight of the incredible height of the skyscrapers, the number of which seemed limitless, the crowds of people bustling in the pre-holiday rush, and the bright shop windows filled with toys, the variety of which boggled the imagination. "Mom, one day I will visit there!" the boy said. "Of course you will, the main thing is to believe in yourself and cast aside your doubts," my mom told me. That night, a big dream was born in the heart of a little person who longed for travel. Everyone knows that if you want something very badly, the whole Universe will conspire to make your wish come true. That's exactly what happened to me!
It's hard to believe now that just a year ago, as a first-year student, I only dreamed of seeing life in the epicenter of the Big Apple, and 9 months later I was already standing in Times Square surrounded by souls burning with the same dream!
I found out about the program quite by accident, hearing a story from a friend whose acquaintance decided on such a trip. His story inspired me, and casting aside all doubts and fear, I firmly decided that it was time to turn my dream into reality. A couple of months pass, I get my visa, and I buy my tickets. Happiness overflows my heart. In such moments, you feel that everything you do makes sense. And it is for such moments that life is worth living.
June arrives. My family and friends come to see off the guy who dreamed of the Big Journey. And today, the hour has struck when dreams begin to come true. I jump on the train. 10 hours on the road and hello, Moscow! Another 2 hours and I'm already at the airport, waiting for my flight. People are running around here and there, in the distance a family runs by with a huge number of bags and kids who are constantly looking for adventures. After 3 hours, my flight is announced. My heart beats faster. You are already going through passport control, checking in your luggage. A couple more minutes pass, and you are already boarding the plane, your "steel angel" for the next 10 hours of flight. 3-2-1. We take off. And this takeoff marks the beginning of a new stage on the life path of yesterday's "boy in pajamas." From now on, everything will be different.
During the flight, I took many photos from the porthole, and here is one of them :)
After 10 hours of flight, the captain announces that we are approaching New York. Goosebumps ran down my skin from the realization that the dream was about to come true. You sit there, your heart beating joyfully, your head is simply euphoric from the work you've done, and this feeling pulses from within, as if reminding you that if you have a big goal and a dream, the whole Universe will contribute to making your wish come true.
15 minutes pass. Jay Z feat Alicia Keys – New York is playing in my headphones. And after long years of waiting, numerous skyscrapers appeared on the horizon, among which the Empire State Building majestically towered, shrouded in sun and clouds; in the distance, that very Brooklyn Bridge was visible, yachts and ships were racing along the water below, and a couple of miles away from us, a plane was just taking off, leaving white trails behind it in the sky, pierced by rays. Hello, New York! :)
After passing passport control, I head out to meet the unknown. "Everything will be different now," I told myself. And so it was. Not a single familiar soul nearby, I don't know the city, I had no connection, and the language barrier hadn't gone anywhere yet, and there was nothing left to do but pull myself together and act decisively. Even before my departure, I contacted a good friend of mine who agreed to put me up for the night. By the way, prices in New York are simply astronomical! That's why people here work constantly, which is why the movement never stops, neither by day nor by night!
I decided to trust my intuition and logic, and not knowing the exact place where the express to Manhattan departs from, I moved forward with the crowd. And I didn't miss! Half an hour later, I was already sitting on the express train that was rushing to Manhattan. There were countless people of all different nationalities and religions on the train, everyone was talking about something, discussing something. By the way, there were many Russians :) We traveled for a very long time, which speaks to the unimaginable size of the Big Apple. I looked at the subway lines and was confused because each station has the name of a specific street. Because of this, I finally had to gather my strength and try to break the language barrier by talking to a stranger. In my still broken English, I asked for help, showing the address I needed on my phone. The guy laughed and said he was going my way. Phew, lucky me. We got off at Lexington Avenue and, saying goodbye, he wished me "not to get lost and good luck in my travels." I moved on in search of that very 51 West. Around me are countless skyscrapers, crowds of people, that very yellow taxi which is the calling card of New York, countless bars and cafes, the smell of the ocean wafts in the air, a huge number of sounds merge into one, creating a symphony of delight, but at the same time a little tiring :) Manhattan is very noisy, and life there does not stop for a moment.
At about 8 pm, I had already reached my destination, and after dropping off my things, my friend and I went on an excursion despite the wild fatigue after the flight. The first place we headed to was the very core of Manhattan, if not the whole world – Times Square! Even many, many streets away, you could tell which direction it was in by the lights in the sky. When I first got there, an explosion occurred in my head from the huge amount of light, sound, and tourists who were constantly taking pictures of everything. I did the same! :)
The next day, we rushed straight to Central Park, renting a couple of bicycles. By the way, if you want to explore Central Park but your time is limited – renting bikes will be the best option! The guys who do this business are on absolutely every street and will find you themselves and give you advice if you need their help.
Central Park is unrealistically large and cosmically beautiful! A lot of people go for a run early in the morning, some do yoga on the lawns, horse-drawn carriages ride along the paths, in which anyone can take a ride for a couple of dollars, and in the distance, children play baseball on a specially equipped field!
Again, there are a lot of tourists here, and you are constantly asked to take their picture. How can you refuse when you are the same yourself :)
After a wonderful walk through Central Park and the streets of Manhattan, it's time to move on to my final point – Long Island! It was sad to say goodbye to New York, and yet I knew that I would return here again soon.
It's exactly 2 o'clock, I'm on the train straight to the Island, to Greenport, where my employer was already waiting for me. "Everything is going too easily," I thought. And at that moment, apparently, life decided to show me that lightness is only an illusion of what is in reality. Our train is suddenly stopped at Ronkonkoma station. My 30 dollars for the ticket go up in smoke. We are dropped off who knows where. There is no transport nearby, not a single living soul. To say that I was in shock is to say nothing. I stood at the end of a frustrated and simultaneously enraged crowd, where everyone who could was trying to swear about the train stop. But in the crowd, the voice of one guy stood out, who was many times more dissatisfied than the others. His name is Muff.
When the crowd dispersed, willy-nilly, we were left alone. We found a common language immediately, despite the fact that I barely understood his accent :) Muff is an African American with a pronounced accent à la New York gangster. A bandana on his head, huge muscles with tattoos on them, and a perpetual smile on his face, which betrayed the good nature of this, at first glance, serious guy. It's hard to believe that we spent the next 4 hours together, trying to get home. He needed to go to Riverhead, and I needed to go a couple of miles further. In search of buses, we walked 7 miles on foot, asked a dozen strangers. 5 stops, 3 transfers, and a bunch of stories about American life from his lips and about life in Russia – from mine. By the way, he constantly asked if it was true that some of us have bears at home, and in winter we love to swim in an ice hole. "Muff, is everything different for you?" I replied jokingly. He laughed.
After 4 long and at the same time interesting hours, we arrived in Riverhead, where Muff still lives to this day. The first thing we saw when we got off the bus was a seagull eating a burger and French fries from McDonald's, which, apparently, was not to the taste of one of the bipeds. America, what can I say :) Muff helped me get to the right stop and waited until the bus came. A stranger spends the whole day with you, a Russian who barely meows in English, and asks for nothing in return, except to tell the story upon returning to Russia about how a black guy helped a white guy, without demanding money or anything material at all. This person left an indelible mark of humanity and kindness in me – those qualities that truly deserve the highest reward. Thank you, Friend!
I continued my journey alone. 40 minutes later, I was already standing at the IGA supermarket in Greenport, trying to catch Wi-Fi to contact George, my employer. It was already quite late, about 9 pm, everything around was illuminated by the dim light of street lamps, bars were visible in the distance, and music was humming. I headed there.
I wanted something tasty :)
Damn it, how beautiful it is here! Huge three-story yachts are moored near the shore, restaurant and bar signs hung with garlands shine from all sides, a children's carousel with horses is located opposite the shore, which constantly take kids in circles to music, teenagers ride skateboards, roller skates, some on bicycles. Loving couples stroll to the romantic chords emanating from the Claudio restaurant, the smell of the ocean wafts in the air, and a warm breeze envelops you from head to toe, as if welcoming you into its halls. For a minute, I felt like I had already been here. As if I had returned home.
After some time, I got a connection and sent a message to George that I had arrived with great difficulty. 10 minutes later, I was sitting in the Big Boss's car. Meanwhile, he was telling me about what a wonderful team we have, whom we were going to meet. They take me into the restaurant and start introducing me to everyone in a circle. At that moment, it looked like something like a hurricane to me, into the epicenter of which I was placed: everything is boiling and hissing in the kitchen, music is playing, the team is working, shouts are heard that someone's table is in a hurry to catch the ferry, and they can't wait any longer – in a word, a disaster :)
Over time, the situation calmed down, and people who were already dear to me began to get to know me one by one. They fed me the most delicious Beef Gyro I've ever tasted, gave me instructions for the first time, and took me to my new home.
Our Greek bar :)
In the house, I met a person of extraordinary strength of spirit and sense of humor, whose aura constantly made me smile and live, despite difficulties and hardships. He was and is for me an example of diligence and cheerfulness. A person of extraordinary spiritual height and at the same time short stature :) His name is Michael. Michael is the cousin of George, my boss, and at the same time owns more than 60% of the restaurant's shares, that is, in fact, he is more of a boss than George. However, he never liked the nickname "boss." Michael always told us that he was our friend, and we were his "children," whose safety was entirely his responsibility. He really protected us like his own children, constantly organized trips around the island for us, karaoke and movie nights, jet skiing. And at the same time, he didn't ask for anything in return, which is why my soul was always restless, because you always want to repay a person for kindness with kindness in return!
Our cozy corner
Big Michael :)
Summer was developing at a furious pace :) Soon all the guys arrived at the House. We organized a barbecue evening to get to know each other better. Wonderful guys, amazing people, whose aspiration and perseverance, courage and determination can be envied by adults. Each of us decided on this brave and at the same time exciting journey. We crossed the Ocean, flew half the globe in search of our dream, and in the end, we are all here. We found each other, becoming one big multinational family not just for the summer, but for the rest of our lives!
Symbol of our house! :)
Throughout the whole season, we worked shoulder to shoulder. There were unreal ups and small downs, disagreements, disputes, intrigues – and all this only strengthened our relationship with each other.
We visited the ocean, surfed its huge waves, conquering the unconquerable, spent nights on end under the stars, staring into infinity, swam at dawn, saw flocks of dolphins and an endless number of wild deer grazing in endless fields filled with fireflies, rode bikes in the pouring rain, threw wild parties until the morning, and in the morning, tired and at the same time happy, we went to work :) While you are young, you need to enjoy life, and not let it pass by under the pretext that the time will come and you will have time to live. The best moment to start living has already arrived. Use it!
Summer flew further and further, like a hurricane sweeping everything in its path. A wave of emotions overwhelmed us every day. Something was always happening. I will never forget those conversations until dawn, lying in a hammock under the stars. I will always remember how we walked barefoot along the road into the unknown, surrendering to the freedom and lightness that the night brings. Goosebumps run down my skin from memories of our trips to the ocean, about the trip by ferry to New England. This summer gave me a new life, changed my thinking and ideas about true friendship. America taught me many vital lessons.
The season was imperceptibly coming to an end, which was accompanied by a certain sadness in the voice of each of us when we mentioned it. However, the time for travel was also approaching! :) We worked hard all summer. It's time to rest a little before returning to the native walls of the university to fulfill another dream from your long list. One of my dreams has always been the desire to see Niagara. Guess where I went next? :)
Having packed the necessary things in a bag, I and the guys jump on the Hampton Jitney straight to New York. I promised myself that I would return there! :) Already 2.5 hours later, we were standing on 53rd Avenue, planning our further route. We needed to get to Brooklyn to stay overnight at Uncle Chris's, my friend with whom we traveled. We had plenty of time, and we decided to walk around the very heart of the Big Apple. At night, the city is transformed, life is bubbling in it thicker than usual. There are countless traffic jams of cars around, people are constantly bustling, rushing somewhere, in a word, hello, New York!
Having had a snack and gathered strength, we took the bus to Brooklyn. The story continues.
Just recently, I couldn't even dream that my foot would step on the Brooklyn Bridge. And as we already know, dreams tend to come true :) Driving along it, we could observe Manhattan from the side, its endless lights and incredibly high skyscrapers piercing the clouds. A mesmerizing sight.
It was time to leave the bus. The most interesting thing began: the search for that very house. We spent a total of 3 hours on this. 3 long, exhausting hours walking around Brooklyn at one in the morning. We walked it up and down. We took a taxi 3 times, once I talked to a police officer, sitting in his car and entering the route into the navigator. By the way, I always wanted to ride in a police car in America! :) Everything looks unreal cool from the inside. The officers pointed us the way and wished us luck in our search. A couple more taxis and we are there. Finally!
It's 3 am. Three guys tumble into the house of Chris's poor uncle, who, not yet fully recovered from sleep, does not understand what is happening at all. We, exhausted, say hello to him, simultaneously wishing him good night and running with a wide stride into the embrace of a warm blanket for an early date with sleep. To our regret, the date turned out to be too short.
The alarm clock rang at 6 am. A Uber driver was already waiting for us downstairs. By the way, be sure to download this application to your smartphone – it will help you more than once in an emergency! We got into the car and moved towards Chinatown. A local radio station was playing in the car, the female driver asked me about Russia, what it's like there, and how we had the courage to cross so many thousands of miles and travel at such a young age alone without parents. Courage conquers hearts!
In the backstreets of Chinatown
At 7 am, we were already sitting at Dunkin' Donuts in Chinatown, finishing donuts with aromatic cappuccino, waiting for our bus going to Niagara, passing through Philadelphia and New Jersey along the way. A long journey, but all the more exciting for it. 40 minutes later, we are already sitting on the bus. Let's go!
Over the course of 8 long hours of driving, we visited Philadelphia, New Jersey, walked through the majestic hills of Pennsylvania, touched the rocks of Watkins Glen, visited Corning, Buffalo, and finally arrived at that very cherished point – Niagara Falls! It was already late, and we were forced to stop at a hotel for the night. In the morning, we headed straight to the waterfalls.
An incredibly beautiful sight: endless streams of water, whose power makes you just admire, beat against the rocks with furious force. Water flew in the air, around countless tourists were constantly taking pictures with children in raincoats. At night, Niagara is transformed: operators turn on the lighting, which makes the water look magical!
We had a chance to swim under the waterfalls themselves, fully feeling its power! An unforgettable feeling! Having visited Niagara, out of the corner of your eye, you can simultaneously see the appearance of Canada, which is located just a couple of hundred meters away: we were separated only by a water stream, symbolizing the border between the two countries. It is curious that during a yacht trip under the waterfalls, we still crossed this border and, in fact, also visited Canada! :) Ontario at night looks unusually beautiful and at the same time calm from the outside, and Canadians are very friendly! They kept waving their hands at us from the shore.
After walking under the waterfalls, we headed to Fort George to partially touch American history. In America, you need to gain experience in everything possible! :) From the end point of the fortress, you could see the mysterious Toronto in the distance, whose skyscrapers were covered by fog created by the king-ocean.
The next morning, we got up early, had a hearty breakfast, and started packing our things for departure to New York. The suitcases are packed, the gadgets are charged, and so are we :) Time to hit the road. Again, 8 long hours of driving, a stop in New Jersey, a light snack – and we arrived in New York!
It was already late. We realized with horror that we had missed the last bus to Greenport. And yet we understood that inaction and panic in this situation would only lead to an aggravation of our position, which was already, to put it mildly, not very good :) And just a couple of minutes later, we were happily holding train tickets to Ronkonkoma, from where our friend Pablo was supposed to pick us up!
An hour later, we were sitting in a large red jeep and rushing along an empty highway towards the unknown at a speed that awakened adrenaline in our blood. We rushed straight to the house at the speed of light and, saying goodbye, exhausted, we went to sleep without even taking off our clothes. Tired and satisfied with ourselves.
Our journey has come to an end. It's time to pack our suitcases and say "bye" to all those people you've already managed to get attached to. A terrible feeling. You are simultaneously filled with joy that you will soon see your family, but at the same time with sadness because you are about to have to leave your "second" family, no matter how much you don't want to. In three months, I have acquired not just friends, but a family, a huge family. We are not related, we have different stories, different pasts and lives, and at the same time, we have become one whole. That very magical invisible thread that connects people's souls has appeared between us. This is the most wonderful feeling in the whole Universe. And its name is Love. Family, I will always remember you! Thank you for this summer!
It's time to go back home. I'm going to New York again, but with the realization that this story is coming to an end, and a new stage of life is beginning, a stage of rethinking priorities and life values. America in such a short time has fundamentally changed me and my ideas about adult life, taught me to appreciate what I have, gave me a lot of lessons from which I extracted invaluable experience. America gave me these wonderful people whose names will forever remain in my heart.
In this life, you need to take risks, throw yourself headlong into this seething whirlpool of events to become better than you were yesterday. This chance is given by Work and Travel to everyone who dares to accept this challenge. This is a school of life. Accept it with enthusiasm and a slight tremor in your soul. And may all your dreams become reality! :)
America, thank you for everything!
