How I Stayed in America (Part 29)

Life in Utah was incredible. Calm, comfortable, balanced out… Furthermore, Las Vegas was only 48 minutes away by plane, and Los Angeles was 1  hour and 20 minutes. It is not by chance that I quote  these figures. After all, there is some charm to it: you live in a very convenient place, and for the weekend you can fly to nearby states for a change of scenery. I have traveled a lot in America. Moreover, we practically never parted with our first son. When our dad flew away on a work trip, we either flew with him or somewhere else. Therefore, my children are accustomed from birth to the routine of staying in line at airports; travel has never been stressful for them. As a matter of fact, over the course of time, I regularly received compliments from flight attendants and airport employees that my children are very organized and polite.

Life in Utah taught me one thing — to feel comfortable with myself and with close family members. At times, we do not fully realize how much time we devote to our family. However, “attention span” is a crucial concept. So, Utah made sure we are aware of the latter. This hockey coach I know once used the “skating volume” expression and claimed that this is exactly what makes one a great hockey player. When compared to actual life, “family volume” is something that rolls up quite easily in Utah. There are no distractions and, as it turns out, there is no more valuable alternative than family.

The lack of good restaurants, shopping, theaters, and showrooms in Utah can be seen as a big disadvantage. Nonetheless, I was able to see only the advantages to this. My friends always lamented: “How do you manage to live there? Don’t you get bored???” I am a strange comrade though, I am never bored! Even having friends in Utah is different.

There are no feasts, get-togethers after midnight, no kitchens, no teas, and no cakes. Friends go to lunch or dinner, they do not sit somewhere for a long time, and instead prefer to lead an active lifestyle together.

For example, my friends and I used to go hiking together (of which

there is more than enough in Utah), do yoga, and hang out with our children at the playground.

Why did I decide to stay in America? To be frank, I didn’t plan on leaving it. I did not miss Russia, nor did I miss my relatives or friends. The place where my family is has become my home. My children and my husband. This is what Utah taught me: to value my family, take care of it, strengthen it, nourish it, and stay together as much as possible.

By the way, my two sons made me extremely happy, and we knew that we wanted another child. A year after the birth of Stepan, we began to collect documents for the adoption of a baby from Russia.