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Music and Art at the Ukrainian Institute of America
Posted by Marina on August 12, 2002 at 13:39:10:
In Reply to: In reply on message posted by Ihor on 08.05.02 posted by chalykoosha on August 07, 2002 at 20:18:59:
I totaly agree with Ihor's point of view.
I also liked the saying I heard here in US:
"You are where you are because of the decisions you make". It is so right... Just think about it.
As for "artificial" people - you will find them everywhere....
When I got here first American courtesy smiles really irritated me for some reasons when their faces were changing as soon as you have passed them, I am talking about people working for Airlines and so on ... But then I guess I stopped noticing that and maybe other smiles seemed more sincere...I figured this was the way they were taught to behave themselves.
Personally I got more really good friends here in US. Back home in Ukraine wasn't lucky to have a lot of well-meaning people among my friends so to say. But that's just me.
As for immigrating to US and complaining... I know some Russian women here in US married to American guys and some of them even stay at home but still complain... not good enough when they are all taken care of... so I would also ask them the same question "would you come if you knew how it is going to be here?", I bet this is where complains would stop. I met here more jealosy between Russian people to one another than among Americans that I know here, and no Americans asked me what I have and what car I drive and where I work, but Russians did trying to figure out whether they were better than me or not according to some only known to them scale...
I don't want to know people like that here... I haven't missed that attitude that I also met in Ukraine at all! We have lived in 2 states and were lucky to have great neighbors and friends (who were Americans).
There are a lot of people who immigrated from former USSR to US and I have noticed a slight change in attitude of Americans who met our immigrants before when I told them that I was Russian. They asked me why some people who immigrated from there were so hostile and unfriendly and I told them that was just the way they were but I also told them that they will meet more friendly ones... I really hoped so. Because when I came here nobody was hostile to me, most of Americans that I knew were trying to help.
By the way, I love their Christmas, there is something magical about it, I love their Christmas songs very much! I get tears in my eyes when I hear some of them. But again, that's just me.
Best wishes to both of you!!!