Life is not always better for immigrants in the United States. Some move back to Russia, and some spiral into depression and drug abuse. When immigrating, many leave their families behind and must always think about whom they left back home. They also do not know the language so obtaining a good education or job is difficult. This creates stress on the immigrant and some turn to drugs to relieve that stress, increasing drug addiction and HIV/AIDS rates. It is lonely coming to a new country without your loved ones and is also a high pressure situation if one has to send money back home to help provide for their family. One woman from Moscow spoke of her experience:
“When I got here, the first place I saw in Brooklyn was Brighton Beach, and I was shocked. It was dirty, a lot of garbage, the bad smell… And this is the first time in my life when I got really scared… it was hard for me because I didn’t know the English… I was depressed, I wasn’t sure about my future, I wasn’t sure if I made mistake to come in this country.”
But, for many, like Mrs. Babot-Goldberg, life is better in New York City. When asked if she thought her life would be better had she stayed in Latvia, she replied with:
“When I think now, even though they were more welcoming to Jews, they really didn’t like Russians so from what I know now, Russian language is not allowed there whatsoever, where it used to be the number one language before, and we did not speak Latvian, we spoke Russian, so I do not think our life would be as good now than it used to be.”
