In October 2011 at Newark airport, New Jersey, landed Lufthansa plane with my family on board (model 2 + 1). We packed to suitcases a bit of our lives and we went to the American adventure. Me and my boys, my husband and our then four-year-old son Miki. Exploring the continent was to last only a year, but it’s the third one in the US!
To Pennsylvania
It all started in the Romanian land of vampires. We spent there summer holidays. Our rest at the Black Sea was interrupted by a sound of a phone. I looked at my husband trying to read the range of his faces. End of the conversation and then the question: „Are we going to the US for a year?!?”. We went! My husband to work on an international project and I and Miki as companions. We settled in Pennsylvania on the suburbs of one of the three largest cities of the state. Our quiet town, surrounded by mountains, forests and lakes, we got to like it very much. This is how we live in the colorful melting pot of cultures and nations, in an attempt to combine Polish traditions and the American lifestyle.
We left with the awareness of one year-long adventure. I was very excited and ready for new challenges. I did not think then what I was leaving behind, because I was supposed to come back to it very quickly. Although the reality verified my assumptions, it was not a major issue to me. During the first year in the US we were visited by many friends and acquaintances. Our home is very open and we’re glad about every visit, and if it lasts a little longer than one evening, it is even better.
The first steps on American soil
Our trip was coordinated by an international corporation, which sent my husband to the project implemented in the United States. Everything was very well organized. First, we flew with my husband alone for a week. It was a trip to gen up on everything. We were assigned an attendant, who almost led us by the hand through all the formalities. 70 years old Lucy proved to be excellent, helped us find an apartment and school. She amazed me with her vitality and energy. She picked us up from the hotel and drove to all the necessary places. She showed us also the closest grocery stores and advised how to spend free time in the area. That was when I discovered how different life pensioners can have, and how much satisfaction professional work can give. Unfortunately, I regret to say that it is almost impossible for a person over 65 in Poland to find a job, whatever job. And the one that would give joy – forget it. In the US, people work a lot and very long. In libraries, offices, receptions very often you can meet elderly people, smiling and helpful. Upon arrival we settled in an already furnished apartment, in a quiet well-kept neighborhood. Two weeks later Miki went the first time to the nursery, which we earlier chose for him. My four-year-old knew how to say „good morning”, „restroom”, „water.” Now, after almost three years Miki is bilingual, fluent in English and doing really well at school as a first grader. Our son is perhaps the main beneficiary of this trip.
Circle of relatives and friends
The project which my husband was invited to attracted to the US people from almost every corner of the world, we were all the same. Far from home, on our own. Therefore, our first relationships centered initially around the company staff, with whom we went for trips, walked to dinners and had picnics in the park. The first closer acquaintance I made with the mother of a boy who went with Miki to the same group in the kindergarten. Carolina is a Colombian living in the US for 14 years. Although the ways of our children slightly diverged, we’re friends to this day.
I currently have a stable circle of friends whose origins only confirm that the US is a multicultural and multinational country. Three weeks after our arrival in the United States my mother flew to us. She helped me in those first weeks, and her presence soothed longing for the rest of the family. We spent our first Christmas in the US together. Thanks to Mom on our Christmas Eve table there were twelve dishes, as at home.
Putting down roots in the suburbs
Arrival in the US opened my eyes to the world. Previously, we traveled quite a lot in Europe, but there we felt everywhere as at home, only the food was changing. America from the very beginning was completely different. I will not be the first one to say that in the US everything is bigger: roads, shops, cars, hmmm, people too, but this is maybe not that good … My hometown seemed so tiny. Being here I could really notice the cultural differences and it made me realize how much I am attached to the Polish tradition. When I think about Poland, I have very mixed feelings. I feel the sentiment, I miss the wildness of Polish meadows and forests. Here, everything has its place and is arranged. I am writing it from the perspective of an inhabitant of the suburbs. The neighborhood in which we live is characterized by broad, smooth streets, evenly trimmed lawns, well maintained gardens. Thinking about all of this I kind of regret. Seeing how people live here, I realize how much still is to be done in Poland. I do not know whether the quality of life of an average Pole is the effect of the history or mismanagement of the modern state. But I do know that you can live in a different way. A better, calmer one.
Thanks to modern technology, keeping in contact with the loved ones is much easier than it used to be. In the morning I often drink with my mom afternoon tea. We talk on Skype almost every day. I use instant messaging mainly to catch up on family issues. With my colleagues and friends I exchange emails and text messages and talk through social media, most commonly Facebook.
In my surroundings there are not many Polish people. There are no cultural events, such as the ones in New York or Chicago, organized typically for the Polish audience. The first Pole, who I met was a houseman supporting the housing estate where we live. He came a few days after our arrival to ask if everything was okay and hearing my name smoothly switched to Polish. Later, for a long time I didn’t meet any Pole. Currently I make friends with only three Polish families, whose stories could be material for a very interesting documentary.
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