Journelism

An Immigrant’s Journey: Highly Accomplished Russian Tatiana Moskatova Begins Life from Scratch in the United States

Many immigrants come to the United States with an intense drive for self-improvement, a willingness to work hard, and the kind of dreams generally not possible in their home countries. For Tatiana, gratitude and humility are natural byproducts of these personal goals, and inform everything she does.

The summer of 2006 saw Tatiana come to America knowing virtually no English; arriving at New York’s JFK airport, she was shocked by the relentless and incomprehensible activity, and had to learn very quickly to stand on her own. Her extensive education in economics, jurisprudence and geography—combined with tangible career success—did little to prepare for life away from her homeland. During those initial weeks, she did not know that she would stay, as her love of Russia was (and remains) palpable. She and her daughter simply brought two small bags with necessities.

America did not impress her at first. Everything seemed casual, with a surface quality that revealed little depth. Yet she became continually surprised by the relationships she witnessed between people, their genuine respect for one another, and how many would volunteer without expectation of payment. She found herself deeply moved and decided to stay in America.

Two months later, Tatiana came to the Delaware County Literacy Council upon a friend’s recommendation. Reflecting an ardent devotion to their mutual cause, DCLC Executive Director Madeline Bialecki spent one of those initial days in Philadelphia with her, providing critical assistance with all the necessary paperwork. Tatiana, in turn, was more than surprised at the level of assistance and compassionate care she found through the Literacy Council and beyond.

She saw necessity as a prime motivator, and one of the favored words in her adopted language is ‘must.’ Its myriad meanings provide a credo for this young Russian-American: self-improvement, adaptability, language acquisition and daily sustenance are all ‘musts’ that lead to tremendous personal growth and quiet satisfaction.

Toward the end of 2006, Tatiana wrote a letter to Ms. Bialecki about her work experience in Russia, and asked for a volunteer position at the DCLC, which was soon arranged. She realized the difficulty of working with everyone, but they demonstrated selfless care and patience in what turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to work in an American office and to speak English daily.

Those of you reading this article can be forgiven for taking the ability to read for granted; surely, that is among the birthrights of the world’s people. Six, seven, then eight months passed before Tatiana began to feel somewhat comfortable with the language. Without full understanding, though, she became afraid to do things in the wrong way, or not properly understand her rights. She did not feel equipped to speak up even when she knew something was wrong, and relates a touching story about buying a television set, for which she equates learning English with learning life itself:

“It was a really good deal: 0% for 12 months. We were very happy. Every month I got a bill and paid it on time. But after a while I realized that I was paying extra money every month, for a “Debt Cancellation” charge of 1% from every payment. Nobody had told us about this charge when we made the agreement. My first thought was that I couldn’t do anything because I would not be able to explain about my disagreement. But later, I decided to show this bill to my tutor and he suggested that I write a letter with my complaint. He helped me to make this letter more powerful. I sent it and was sure that it would not work in my situation. I couldn’t imagine that in three weeks I would get a letter from this company, a very kind letter, with apologies and a promise to return to me a sum more than I expected. I was stunned, and couldn’t believe my eyes. I felt so happy. In this letter I found my voice. It was not just money, it was much more.

At that minute I realized that I’m not silent anymore, that my perseverance had given me the first real result. I understood how important it is to go to classes and work with my DCLC tutor. They are not just regular classes about adjectives and nouns; these classes are about real life in the United States. My homework sometimes looks very unusual, like how to order a pizza by phone or listen and then explain idioms from a TV show, but it is the best example how we can learn English and be involved in American life.”

Tatiana applied for and received a job at Marshalls department store as soon as she got her work papers (she continues in that job once per week, at this point primarily because she loves her coworkers). And, just over a year after her arrival, the DCLC offered Tatiana a 10-hour per week job as a data transcriber, her first real employment in America. She was thrilled to become a part of the DCLC team and could not imagine her good fortune.

____________________

A conversation with her reveals a high level of English proficiency coupled with intense gratitude. She demonstrates unquenchable curiosity about American culture and people, and loves studying the language. Influenced by her years in America, her perspectives are now far different; she realizes that people are the same everywhere, with similar needs and aspirations.

Family remains an essential and devoted part of Tatiana’s life. Her two parents still live in Russia, and she travels back for loving reunions. She is now married to a childhood friend, and her daughter is a scholarship winner at Temple University.

These days, Tatiana works part-time at the DCLC (where she has demonstrated an extraordinary work ethic), learns English with her tutor twice each week, and attends a conversation group. She considers herself blessed, and expresses her “thanks to my favorite school and all the people who work here. They do the best job in the world because every day they give a chance to everybody to find their way in this country. We, immigrants, can’t be lost in this country while we have such a school as this.”

Tatiana considers the DCLC referral as the best advice she has ever received; its people have made it her second home. She always reads true love and care in their eyes, and remains charmed by the relationship between staff and students.

Tatiana does not know what the future holds (who among us does?), but one of her firm goals is to help people believe in themselves, and not to give up. She wants to do all she can, a desire reflecting a genuine need to give back for all that she herself has received.

The reality of her own dreams bears out this faith. She will become an American citizen in less than two years, oceans away from that fateful day in New York when she first stepped off the plane into a rich new life, impacted with the kind of satisfaction possible only with hardship experienced, hardship overcome.

Tatiana’s example is a realistic inspiration to all who come after her, and an elemental illustration of the DCLC’s vital, life-changing work.