Family life from Minsk to Atlanta
A few years ago, a Minsk family, having won a green card, moved from an ordinary apartment in a panel high-rise building on the outskirts of the Belarusian capital to their own house in the suburbs of Atlanta. The new heroine of our cycle, Olga (name changed), tells us about how life and life are arranged in the American South and how much a large house with five bedrooms and five bathrooms cost there.
A few years ago, having won a green card, my family and I moved to the New World. Through relatives, we found acquaintances in America who were ready to meet us and help with the first steps in a new place. While still in Minsk, we agreed to rent a house and knew where we were going: the state of Georgia, a suburb of its capital and largest city, Atlanta.
I must say that Atlanta itself is a beautiful and clean city. It is also true that about 60% of the inhabitants are African Americans. The white population lives compactly in elite and expensive areas such as Buckhead in Atlanta itself, as well as north of Atlanta, in the suburbs. The Russian-speaking population here is about 100,000 people, and you often hear your native speech, “our faces” flash by.
(Total 37 photos)
Source: onliner.by
1. Beginners are easy to identify by the way they are dressed: scarves and boots with heels. It’s not very comfortable if here in early November the daytime temperature reaches + 18 ° C, and they still dress according to the autumn weather, like in our homeland.
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3. Atlanta and all its satellite cities are very green: cedars, pines, firs, magnolias and ivy sometimes form a solid wall that closes residential areas from the road, and gives the impression that you are driving all the time through a park or forest. From time to time only signs of congresses to shopping centers, restaurants and so on flicker.
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6. The first house we rented was 200 meters, with four bedrooms and 3 toilets. The adjacent 2 hectares of territory and friendly neighbors turned out to be a huge bonus. It cost us $1,000 a month, without utility bills. We really liked the house, but soon the children grew up, and it was time to send them to school. In America, public schools are assigned to the district, and it is strictly forbidden to change the educational institution, even if another school is closer to your home than the one you are assigned to. When enrolling in a school, everyone must submit documents certifying the address of residence.
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9. The well-being of homeowners directly affects the facilities and equipment of the school. Each home is taxed (1% of the price of the home annually) and a portion of the money is donated to the school district. Thus, the richer the houses in the area, the cooler, for example, computers in the classroom (the same Apple), interactive whiteboards, playgrounds equipped with baseball fields and tennis courts.
10. So, it turned out that according to the rating of our schools, ours had only 5 points out of 10. We urgently moved to another area with good schools, to a house half the size, with a small courtyard, and at the same time more expensive by $ 350. So we lived for several years. During this time, we unlearned, got a job and began to think about our home. Moreover, the economic situation in the country just contributed to this: low house prices, low interest on loans and a huge offer. We found a realtor who told us how to improve our credit history, on the basis of which the bank decides on our solvency and agrees to finance the purchase or refuses. For example, credit cards were opened in stores, banks for small amounts, and it was necessary to monitor the timely repayment of debts on them. This preparation took six months. Only after that we began an active search for a house.
11. A month later, we opted for a new, newly built house, in a beautiful area, next to a park and a bike path, with good schools. We have 2 swimming pools for several houses: one for adults and a separate “paddling pool” for kids. What about money? After evaluating our income, the bank reported the maximum it could lend. So, with an income of $ 8,000 per month for a family, the bank agreed to provide $ 230,000 for a house, while the annual percentage was 3.7%, and the initial payment was $ 11,000. The amount of monthly payments is $ 1,600. To these are added utility bills, which amount to about $1,800 ($500 electricity and gas, $100 water, $100 garbage collection, $110 internet and television, $200 car insurance, $315 three-line telephones, $50 lawn care). and so on).
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13. Our house is now a 3,500 square foot (about 325 sqm) living space with 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms with bathtubs and showers. In addition to the bedrooms, there are: a dining room, a guest room, the main hall is connected to the kitchen, an office on the first floor, a games room on the second floor. The parental bedroom consists of two rooms, separated by a fireplace on two sides, two dressing rooms, with a bathroom of 18 sq. m with bath, shower and toilet. Additionally, there is a garage for 2 cars, which is not included in the footage of the house.
Somehow we decided to calculate how many doors we have in the house? Turned out to be 36.
14. So, as they say, WELCOME.
15. When we enter the house, we find ourselves in the hallway. On the left is the entrance to the guest toilet and the exit to the garage. The door in the photo on the left is a dressing room. Between the garage and the hallway there is another small room called the Mud Room (a dirty room where children leave their shoes and school backpacks). To the right is the dining room and guest room - both designed to receive guests. As a rule, all American parties take place in this space: a wardrobe, a dining room, a place for entertainment and gatherings, and a toilet, of course. In the depths, the Family Room glows, or, in our opinion, the hall where the family spends their daytime.
16. Turn right.
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18. Mud Room opposite and toilet.
19. Guest toilet.
20. We return to the hall.
21. To the right is the kitchen. Americans cook little at home, eat at local eateries and on weekends in restaurants.
22. When you buy a house here, the kitchen is already equipped with appliances: in our case, an 800-liter refrigerator, a dishwasher, a stove with a self-cleaning option, a disposer (a grinder for leftover food in the sink). The kitchen and the hall are separated by an island - a granite table and a bar counter at the same time.
23. We go into the kitchen. View of the hall. Unfortunately, this house has a gas fireplace. On the left is the door to the study-office, a room with a toilet and a bathroom.
24. Breakfast Area (breakfast area) and exit to the site.
25. Backyard.
26. We go upstairs, up the stairs. Let's get into the loft, a playroom for children.
27. To the right of it are children's rooms.
28. The same room. The door to the room is a dressing room.
29. The second nursery.
30. Both rooms are connected by a "secret" passage with a bathroom, toilet and washroom for each child.
31. View from the hallway into the room with the washing machine and dryer. The door on the right is built-in wardrobes, there are several of them in the house.
32. Upstairs guest room, with separate toilet, bathroom, large dressing room with a window.
33. To the left of the loft is an adult bedroom.
34. The room is divided by another fireplace. A small corridor from here leads to the bathroom. Wardrobes to the right and left.
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36. This is how the bathroom of the owners of the house looks like with a shower, a bathtub and two places for washing.
37. Of course, you can't buy a house in Minsk for $241,000. But in Minsk they build differently, from brick or concrete. There is no winter here, the temperature in winter during the day rarely drops below -5°C. Snow falls at best once during the entire winter, and a state of emergency is declared. Classes at school are canceled, and many do not work that day, they simply cannot get to work. Winter tires are banned in our state, they ruin the roads.
Here they build from thin “beams” and sheathe everything with plywood, then comes insulating material, lined with siding and decorated with brick or stone. The service life of such a house is 50 years, then it will be necessary to do a complete restructuring. But Americans are often not tied to their homes. Few people plan to live in the same house for the rest of their lives. If an interesting job offer comes up in another state, they quickly pack their things and then rent out their house or even sell it. Our house is the first truly ours, and I want to believe that if we have to change it, then only for the best.
Keywords: Atlanta | House | Immigration | USA