My first year in America
by Anna El'perin (Bun)
Our first year in America was great and full of surprises. Almost
everything was new to us and different from what we were used to. It began
on July 2nd 1996. I was very excited and nervous waiting for our flight
from Moscow's Sheremetievo-2 Airport. We were leaving everything we were
used to, our country, our home, our friends. We didn't know what was waiting
for us and what our life would be there, across the ocean. From Moscow we
flew to New York, then to Cincinnati and finally to St. Louis.
Many things impressed us in our new hometown - lots
of trees and flowers along the streets, swimming pools, tennis courts and
no tall buildings in the suburbs where people live. The tall buildings are
downtown only. Another thing that surprised us is that you can't go anywhere
without a car. In Russia there are a lot of buses, trolleybuses and you
can go anywhere you need to. We were amazed by how many choices we had when
we went to the grocery store.
We like St. Louis very much. There are lots of places to visit in St. Louis - The famous St. Louis Arch - when you go to the top of it, you can see a really beautiful view - the river, and the whole town. There are lots of museums here - history museum, St. Louis Art Museum, Science Center, etc. There are also a lot of parks in St. Louis, and huge and beautiful "Forest Park" in downtown. Also there is the St. Louis Zoo - fun for kids and adults. We have great botanical garden. I have never seen such a lovely place before. There are many beautiful flowers and trees there. When we have free time, we always go to visit some places of interest. I invite everyone to visit the many beautiful places in St. Louis.
Two weeks after arriving in
the US, I went to camp at St. Louis JCCA. I couldn't speak very much English
then, and could barely understand, but I met some Russian girls, and they
helped me. Then I went to school. It is very different from the school in
Russia. It was difficult at first, but I soon got used to it. The most difficult
class was "Modern American History." Partly because of my English.
For winter break, Leah Bergen (Bun) was so kind to invite my brother
Eugene and me to visit her in Florida for a week. It was a great vacation!
For the first time in our life we enjoyed swimming in the ocean. We also
went to Lion Country Safari, ate out, etc. Leah spent a lot of time with
us. Wow, did we have fun and we want to thank her once more for this great
vacation and for everything she did for us.
This past summer my brother and I went to camp Sabra. It was our first time at a camp outside of St. Louis and away from our parents. I liked it! We did a lot of interesting things like horseback riding, sailing, canoeing, rafting, swimming, wall climbing, etc. There were two girls there from Russia (besides me) and we had a lot of fun.
In conclusion, I want to thank Art and the whole family for their concern and interest in our progress. We welcome all our relatives to St. Louis.
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