Posted by Ihor on August 10, 2000 at 01:54:10:
In Reply to: Re: opinion posted by YAROSLAW on August 10, 2000 at 00:40:02:
Maybe it's because I live in Canada and Ukrainians there are different, Yaroslav, but I disagree with you.
: I am happy for you as well. I have lived in US for past ten years and you are hundred percent correct about not counting on Diaspora. Besides endless conversations about what they think people in Ukraine should do, they are useless.
Um... why MUST they help you anyway? I am a new immigrant too (2.5 years), so don't consider me one of "them".
: I was lucky, my immediate family here was exceptional and they helped me a great deal, for which I will be thankful to them for the rest of my life. What they did was way beyond what I could have ever imagined.
Exactly. Your close relatives will probably help you, but count on something from completely unknown people? The best filosophy is "I'll use help, but I'll be fine without it".
: Your remark about the fact that old immigration wants new immigrants to suffer as they did, 50 years ago, is also totally correct.
That is completely stupid, Yaroslaw, rather than correct, sorry. Why would you think they want you to suffer? Because they will not want to share their toothbrush with you? Or because they don't give you a new BMW right in the airport, like Yanko said?
:It seems like you have a very good source. The first question that you will be asked, the first time you go to Church here, is “when are you going back?”
Um.. I don't know what kind of church you're describing, but I attend Ukrainian Church in Toronto (both Catholics and Orthodoxes go there, even though it's officially Greek Catholic, but no one sees a difference) and have never been asked anything like that. Moreover, I'll tell you a story of how this church helped people they've never met before. Ukrainians from Odesa were sailing on a yacht to Canada (I think they wanted to stay, eventually). They've stopped in US and lived there for a month or so, when their little daughter fell off a bike broke an arm. It was serious and they had to pay about $10 000 since they had no insurance. That was all they had. Well, the church collected $6000 and gave it to them.
: Yanko responding to your opinion mentioned that you should not expect the new BMW as welcome present, but no body is expecting any welcome presents, only a little help in finding jobs and some useful advise.
Useful advise - sure. Only it's difficult to advice anything. Different people have different situations, for some it will be easier to find a job, for some it won't. Some will follow your advises and fail, and then guess who they'll blame? Some people will not believe you when you'd be advicing them to do something, only to later realize how right you were. People that come to Canada (to US too, I think) expect too much and their dreams get ruined, not momentairly, but week by week, month by month.
: When I bought my first car in US, shortly after I came over, this one old guy said that it took him five years to buy his first car, fifty years ago. Beside the fact that they do not like to help, they are very jealous when you do well.
I'd say they are only happy for you.
:I am sure that there are some exemptions, and I truly hope that you make it here. Good Luck.
: P.S. Be aware that in US (I am not talking about Diaspora here) everybody wants to screw you, especially immigration lawyers.
That is a philosophy of a raped person, sorry for such a comparison. After they get raped they think and tell others all men (women??) want just that and nothing else. I mean, c'mon, if you're in US legally and you are willing to find a good job and to pay taxes, why the heck "everybody" would want to "screw" you?