Ok, Svetlana. Before during more than 20 years we needed to survive in Ukraine: my Mom, me and two my daughters. I don't have other relatives. My father died 15 years ago, my ex-husband died from overdose.. We don't have any help. I worked, worked, worked... When I had flu or other diseases with high temperature I never stayed at home, I went to work in any condition. But I had the main purpose: my children need to leave Ukraine. Now my elder daughter with her family is living in USA, younger daughter with her family in Finland. I didn't plan to leave Ukraine but I couldn't find job last time in Ukraine. I couldn't have any medical observation. When I had medical observation in Kiev before interview in November 2016 they said me: You are sick. Welcome to America! I don't have medical insurance here. I had some consultations about this in their offices. It will be more than 1000$ per month for me. My wages is only more than 300$ per month.
I got tetanus in Ukraine from dentist and lost all my teeth. So I can't smile. I got vaccine in Kiev before I came to USA. But it was valid only 1 year. So April and June of this year were terrible for me. I wanted to recover my vaccination. They refused me. So I treated myself without any doctors. I went to work in very bad condition. Sometimes when I came back from work and in my work I passed out often.
I have place for living here because I take care about one old person with dementia who often stays aggressive and his big house without money. So my life here isn't sugar.
But I need to control myself all the time and hold myself in my hands (I translate Russian expression). I try to prove that proverb No man is an island is not true for me 😉
Of course, I try to be an active members of different sites and communities. I am a member of Archeological and Paleontological communities of Colorado, our Polish community. I learn not only English but American laws, too. I need to know my duties and rights here especially for immigrants. I am a Green card holder. I need to survive here as I survived in Ukraine, to adapt. I have a good school of surviving, economy, living without money.
I don't have abilities to languages. I forget Ukrainian and began to forget Russian because I don't have conversation in Russian only to read... sometimes. But I can recover my native language Polish when I visit Polish community here.
My grandfather was American so when I came to USA I felt that I came back home. Yes, I was born in Ukraine but my family is mix Polish, German, Spanish and Italian people. So all my 48 years living in Ukraine I felt myself an immigrant in this country. We have very big difference from Russians and Ukrainians. But here I am one of Americans. They are understandable for me. I have the same principles, mentality, point of view. I don't remember myself before and my world view so I can't compare. My classmates from Ukraine wrote that I changed at all, they can't recognize me when they wrote my letters.
I try to explain. I don't know can you gotcha me or no but I don't have other words