Traitors or happy people (19 pics + 1 video)

Writes one Russian, who moved with his wife to the United States. And he tells how he now began to live.



 
A year ago, my wife and I left Russia for me last year was perhaps the most interesting and happy life. During the year we have five times moved, lived the first six months in the heart of Vancouver, and then moved to the piece. Washington, in the village of Redmond. At Microsoft, I have the most interesting job of my career and salary, which allows not to think about money. My voluntary retirement savings 401 (k) for the shortest possible time exceeded the retirement savings in Russia, which were selected by the government to force all the previous years. As corny as it sounds, but today I have a feeling that my future - in my hands, while in Russia it was the constant feeling of uncertainty. I have no desire to go back. On the contrary, any short chat with the realities of the motherland quickly dispels any hint of nostalgia. From the metropolis to the countryside about life in Vancouver have the most pleasant memories. As it turned out, there is a very easy way to check how much you like a certain period in life. Put a new tune on the alarm clock, and a month later the old listen. About Vancouver I wrote a lot (http://tebedam.livejournal.com/tag/Ванкувер) - a beautiful, well-maintained and modern city, which is not for nothing is on top of the rankings for quality of life. But expensive and very high taxes, so it is necessary to come to the already rich, or very young - there is a great nightlife and stunning University. Ambulance, fire and police without exaggeration come for 3 minutes. However, the reverse side - the constant noise from the sirens and walked youth, from which I woke up three times a night. Therefore, after the next move we decided to live in a quiet village and yet were quite. Repeat favorite photos:













Rights and roads of the disadvantages in Canada, I note the difficulty of obtaining a driver's license. Rent something they can, but if there is time, then ride the first couple of years, especially not work, because of the many restrictions imposed on novice drivers. Those. The system is aimed at teenagers who sit behind the wheel for the first time in 16 years, and these restrictions are understandable, but for immigrants without the driving experience is not very suitable. Interestingly, in the case of failure in the exam Canadian officials take your family (Russian) law and return only for the departure from the country, or as long as you still do not pass their exam. As a result, in Canada, we are behind the wheel did not sit down. But in America, this is much easier. Wife I had brought into the exam, she left the car and went to work, saying that she will surrender - then in his car and go home myself. I gave up and went. No bribes, or even hints, any local will tell you that it is impossible to buy right here. Donating is possible though to manual box, though on the machine and on any machine on request. His wife handed over on our new BMW with all the bells and whistles, like the circular review, etc. The process of issuing temporary identity takes exactly one minute (including photographs), and these rights come later on in the mail. Everywhere competently organized electronic queue, takes you on the right, you get there SSN or expect visa at the embassy.



In America the cheapest cars in the world, low-interest loans, a minimum of bureaucracy in the design and excellent roads. I called the bank, came into the cabin, painted on pieces of paper - went home. I do not need to explain that in Russia, I could never afford such a machine. Furthermore, in St. Petersburg I did not have any desire to buy a car, so this car is my first. The loan I took a 3.49% per annum, by local standards, much as I have no credit history. Insurance for new road car, two drivers time and no credit history somewhere in the $ 1,500 a year. Six months later, and the credit and insurance cheaper for us. Of interesting - you can ride along the ocean coast, is considered a highway. After riding the car smelled of the sea a week. As additional advantages of living in the village - is much easier and more comfortable to drive, because in the streets there are no pedestrians, no parked cars, perfect roads and no parking problems. At first, you do not even realize until a month of such a life is not You go to Seattle, where he immediately starts on both sides of parked cars, paid parking, the crowds of pedestrians and cyclists, plus periodic holes in the roads. Wife in Seattle did not even drive risks. Nature British Columbia, Washington and I are somewhat similar in nature Karelia, especially spruce forest. Here on the ocean coast cool even in summer, but in winter there is no snow, and at the end of March to St. Petersburg standards already coming summer. Rumors about the incessant rains greatly exaggerated, sunny days more than in St. Petersburg, and with native Norilsk is not necessary and to begin to compare. We really like the fact that there are often planted ornamental cherries in Vancouver - all over the city of Seattle and the Redmond less often, but too often. In Peter cherries grow only people in the cottages, plant in the city of why it is not accepted.







In general, travel in nature - this is our favorite way to a weekend.





About the snow, I cheated a little bit. Winter is here, but optional. If you really want, you can go to the mountains, in a radius of a half-hour drive there are several ski resorts. A couple of times I was here for snowboarding and realized that this activity over the last twelve years I still tired.





Microsoft I'm a little sprouted in the corporate hierarchy, and now I even have two subordinates: Indian and Hindu. We are working on an interesting project, details of which can not yet disclose. On the whole, I can only say that my work is in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Distributed Computing at the local supercomputer. One area is called the Named Entity Recognition and Disambiguation, abbreviated as NERD, someone will laugh, yes. Our division is headed by a man who recently wrote a sensational article Why I resigned from Google and, accordingly, the subsequent Why am I back at Microsoft, however, and yesterday he left us somewhere up on the rise. The most favorite thing in the - parking because it is necessary to steer the sixth or seventh on the underground floor. So I really love when night comes after me and the wife is waiting in the square near the fountain (in the bushes on the left):



In general, Microsoft - is its state within a state, about which it is necessary to write separately. It is anyone interested? It is necessary to make a separate post? Homeland Suffice it to say that last year the longest of all, I defended the Russian Consulate in Seattle. And judging by the news from Russia - last year was one of the most vile in modern history: the hysteria with adoptions, repression against members of the protest movement, the introduction of an idiotic censorship in RuNet, limiting the work of charitable organizations (NPOs), the return of defamation in the Criminal Code, the medieval process over Pussy Riot and other series of repressive laws. Actually, what else to expect from the criminals forcibly retain power? Russia is probably the only country in the world where arrested for dancing, not only in the church, but even on some shitty old snow littered the tank, because the Second World long ago turned into a regular cult. Children tried for harmless flashmob Harlem Shake, who danced all over the world, wherever you can. But only in the Russian dance - a criminal offense.

A couple of weeks ago we were in the company of Ukrainian couple in Point Defiance Park and talked to each other in Russian, it is going to hear a number of children and shook hands with us. We first thought that it was another family of immigrants since Here you hear Russian speech every time we leave somewhere in the nature. It turned out that the two boys were adopted from the Ukraine a couple of months ago. Look at the family and try to guess who they own, and who had been adopted.



You guessed it? Hardly. Small - its. And two boys 10 and 11 years - from the Ukraine. They said to me: We are just a regular American family. They do not even consider it something special. The difference between Russia and the United States that there are tens of thousands of families willing to adopt children from different countries, ages and even with severe illnesses. In Russia there are tens of thousands of assholes who on orders from the top going on Puting against the adoption of children. Like, 650 thousand. Orphans in Russia is not enough, it would be necessary to bring at least a million. In Canada and the United States I always need about an hour to file for the desired document, and a week later to get it in the mail. It took me a few minutes to clear them through customs in Canada, freight from Russia. But I have to wait for more than three months to update their native Russian passport, and without warranty of any maturity. A year stay abroad, I have never met such a disorganized queue, as in the Russian consulate and so miserable process works officials. In the best tradition, each new scoop entered the room a few times a man must shout loudly, "Who is the last ?!", while appropriate officials around the world a long time ago introduced the electronic queue. Just look at the official websites of the Russian consulate in Seattle and the US consulates in St. Petersburg:





The difference between these sites as a whole illustrates the difference in living standards between Russia and America. Note that the text is moved down and crazy colors - this is not the main thing in the misery of the Russian site. And the fact that the links do not work under the content - this is not the main thing. The main thing is that even the information presented can not be trusted, and the phrase "Here you have a website it is written ..." you can get an answer, "Do not read what is written there!". At the same time be informed by the call depends solely on spiritual goodness and mood picked up the phone. One day you will answer, and the other on the same question - no. Frankly speaking, free to live a rich country with the appropriate officials much nicer back and does not want. From a Russian passport can be expected unless additional problems and the next crazy laws, such as a new requirement to translate all get here paid to an account in a Russian bank, if he stayed in Russia even one day of the year. Well, now living abroad compatriots has even less reason to call in Russia, nothing good will come back there to live. Most now I would like to get a second citizenship, so that you can not even respond to the next inadequate news from the motherland.

Source: tebedam.livejournal.com

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