They didn't know each other before winning the Green Card Lottery
Young people lived in the same city, but never met. They first met in the USA, when both won the Green Card Lottery. And before this incident, they did not even think about moving to America..
Oleg confesses, that I never planned to win a green card, giving the right to move to the States. He and his friends walked around the city, when I saw the advertising stand, inviting to make an application. He spent on her 10 dollars, but did not expect a win. Therefore, I was very surprised, when six months later he received a letter, announcing his victory.
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Igor also did not strive to become a US citizen. He helped a friend from university fill out a Green Card application. Then he himself wrote a questionnaire for the company. And six months later I received the same letter, like Oleg.
The guys first met in San Francisco
By chance, both Belarusians flew to the same city – in San Francisco. There they got their first job.. Igor got the position of a security guard. Oleg had a harder time, he did not know English well, therefore worked as a builder in a company, created by emigrants from Ukraine.
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They met by chance, but quickly became friends. Still, it's more pleasant to communicate with a compatriot, than with unfamiliar foreigners. When they gradually settled into a new country for themselves, the guys began to think about moving. Igor didn't like the weather in San Francisco, he dreamed of Los Angeles. Then he invited Oleg to move, and he immediately agreed.
“At some point, an American uncle came with an American flag and an American constitution, asked me to raise my right hand and swear, that all the information, set out in the questionnaire, - true"
I do not know, how does it go with other people, but I spent as much at the embassy 5 hours. Then they called me to the window, then I sat and waited, then they asked to show certain documents ... At some point an American uncle came with an American flag and an American constitution, asked me to raise my right hand and swear, that all the information, set out in the questionnaire, - true. I do not know, what was it for, but I had to do.
Also, in the process of all these procedures at the embassy, it was necessary to pay the consular fee for a migration visa - 300$. Then, if everything goes well and you are approved, even before entering America, you must pay the consular fee for the green card itself.
After the interview, the answer is usually given in half an hour.. My Israeli police clearance certificate turned out to be incorrect., so I had to send them a new one, and only through 2 months (in February) after that a courier called me at the door and handed over a package of documents with a migration visa and all instructions, what to do next.
I flew to the USA 10 Martha. 12 March closed all airspace and began a pandemic.
They never thought to give up such an opportunity.
Young people confess, that never thought about, to refuse to move. All that remained was to find money for a ticket to America. Oleg had to sell a new car, which his parents gave him. I also had to give up my business.. At first he hoped, that he can do it from the USA, but nothing came of it. Across 3 months after the move, the business had to be closed.
Igor had to face objections from his mother. She insisted, so that he graduates from university first. But the guy was determined: he dropped out and borrowed money from friends, to buy a plane ticket.
How much does the move cost
Ирина с мужем искали разные варианты перевезти необходимый минимум вещей. We decided so: купили одно место в самолете и на него взяли багаж, а часть вещей отправили обычной почтой. По цене это выходило как раз как перевозка дополнительного багажа самолетом, но зато хоть часть вещей не придется тащить на себе от самолета до дома. А ведь семье еще необходимо было добраться от Лос-Анджелеса до Сан-Диего.
За билеты семья заплатила 53 000 rubles. Можно было бы купить и за 45 000 — такие были за неделю до покупки, но путешественники не успели их приобрести. One ticket was partially paid with miles.
В итоге семья перебралась на другой конец света всего с тремя чемоданами и книжками, delivered by mail.
A pandemic: “At some point, it even came to that, that some hotels were closed to tourists and opened as a haven for the homeless "
At the airport I was sent to a special window for emigrants. There are re-fingerprints (first time - at the embassy during an interview) and check, where will you live, - this is mandatory and very important information, because they fix this address and then send a green card to it. She came to me through 3 weeks. Although I know people, who were waiting for 2-4 months.
It happened, that I flew to New York with some plans, but because of the coronavirus it all collapsed. Sister far away, in California, and air traffic was closed even between the states. As a result, I ended up alone in a foreign country, where everything is closed due to the pandemic. And if there were the gates of hell of the coronavirus on Earth, then it was in New York, where the largest number of infected.
All April I could not sleep at night, because an ambulance with deafening sirens ran under the windows every 2 minutes. Plus I was very lucky, that my father's friend in New York has his own vitamin store and he took me to work. On the other hand, this store is on the list of essential businesses, and every day huge streams of people passed through me, which, like before the apocalypse, tried to buy everything. You can say, what am I, like the doctors, was on the front line. AND, while the whole world was resting at home in quarantine, I worked so much, what did you think, die.
I didn't even have the opportunity to go somewhere to have fun - in the first place, I didn't know anyone, and secondly, everything was closed due to a virus. At some point it even came to that, that some hotels closed to tourists and reopened as shelters for the homeless. There are a lot of them in New York, and, so that they do not spread the infection, they decided to remove them from the street.
