Wherever and for whatever reasons people move, adaptation to a new place will take time - from a year to several years. The family of the author of the book “Anya Here and There,” Maria Danilova, experienced this firsthand when moving from Moscow to New York. And if the parents had any idea what emigration was, then their seven-year-old daughter was faced with a completely unknown phenomenon.
Anya had a wonderful life in Moscow: a full complement of caring grandparents, friends, her favorite city, trips to the dacha, trips to buy blueberries and everything so native, familiar, predictable. But the parents decided to go to the States to study and took their daughter with them. The new house was not just without toys - without furniture, no one he knew, an American school, different people, rules, atmosphere - it was not easy for the little man. But not fatal. English quickly began to turn from gibberish into intelligible speech, friends were made, pajama parties and Halloween took a place in children’s hearts, the Museum of Modern Art replaced the Tretyakov Gallery (although bears with heroes are still preferable to naked women in a round dance. But there is something to compare with!) - in short, you can live in NY!
Ana’s experience will be useful to readers who have recently moved or are planning to obtain permanent residence in another country. The example of this girl convincingly demonstrates that difficulties are temporary, life will definitely get better, the language barrier will disappear, and loneliness will not last forever. And soon, soon the cool sides of the new life will begin to be discovered. (But in America, children are not forced to wear hats when it snows! And instead of soup for lunch, they feed them peanut butter sandwiches! And the teachers have piercings, tattoos, pencil in their hair, and they don’t yell at the children!)
But not only fresh emigrants - this book will be of interest to everyone who has more than one home country. Even if your family moved a long time ago, or your children may have already been born on the American continent, but you still have a close connection with the country of origin in the form of relatives, trips, culture, language, this book is for you too, because it is about you and you will recognize yourself in it: Russian schools on Saturdays, Santa Claus at the matinee, the locals have already thrown away their Christmas trees, and you haven’t bought all the gifts for the New Year yet.
And finally: how wonderful it is that you can feel at home in two countries. How great it is to compare and not make a “better/worse” verdict, but simply accept the “different” concept.
Anya here.
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