Question: Where are you from?

Answer: I am from Odessa, Ukraine.

Q: How long ago did you arrive?

A: I arrived 25 years ago and I immigrated through Italy.

Q: How was that experience for you?

A: After arriving in Italy I had to find a job because we were there for three months. It was very hard for me and my family because we did not have a lot of money and did not speak the language.

Q: What happened once you arrived in New York?

A: Originally we were supposed to leave from New York to Ohio because my wife’s brother lived there. We ended up staying in New York and moving to Brighton Beach because we liked the Russian community that we saw forming there.

Q: What was your first job?

A: My first job was sweeping the streets in front of restaurants and buildings. It did not make me a lot of money but it was enough for me, my wife, and my son to eat a little something.

Q: How did you get your current job?

A: As I was sweeping the street, they fired some man who was cutting the meats and cheeses right in front of me and saw me sweeping in front of the restaurant. The man asked if I knew how to use the machine they had and I lied and said yes because I know that the job paid more. I began working that same day and the woman already working there showed me how to operate the machine.

Q: How was life?

A: It was very hard, but now I had a job and my wife enrolled my son in school and began working as a home attendant for the elderly. The woman who I worked with showed me how to take some of the extra meats and cheeses left over after the day ended and it helped to feed my family. I also took home any stale bread they had left over.

Q: How long have you had this job?

A: I have had this job for 22 years.