From Russia With Love

Remembering my past, my grandmother would say, “When Julia will be living in United States…” We do not really remember what it was about at the time, but we knew she was repeating that phrase multiple times, yet we did not understand.

Let me tell you a story about my American dream and the dream of a little girl who was living in a big city in Russia her entire life and then moved to Fayetteville, Texas, in 2025.

During my college years, about 2010, the daily conversations were about people moving from small cities to large ones. In Russia, the best opportunities for education, work, and life are in the big cities, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg. Ten percent of the Russian population lives in Moscow, and more people are coming every year.

While I was working for a US company in Russia, I was able to visit the US many times. My then-boyfriend, now husband and his family live in Texas in differing cities, so I was lucky to spend some time there; and I fell in love with it. Do you know the feeling, you land and you feel that you are home? That is how I felt each time I landed in the United States and traveled to Fayetteville. I never had that feeling in Moscow, as strange as it may sound, since I was born and raised there.

At some point, I started talking with my friends about moving to a small place far away from the large cities. Most of them were surprised. They were saying that going to America sounds great, but in their minds, it sounded very awkward since many of them left small cities to live in Moscow. They couldn’t understand how you can leave a big city for living in the country. I’m sure they were wondering if I was out of my mind; but I loved it here.

In February 2025, my dream came true. I was able to leave my job and move to the United States (at least for a while). Did I know what I was stepping into - no. But I was curious, a little crazy in love, and ready to learn whatever I needed for the new land and experience.

Everything was totally different: the people, the culture, land instead of an apartment, and the language with its idioms and slang. That was a life I was not really prepared for when I arrived after having been in the US many times as a visitor. My husband and I have a little farm as we call it- three plus acres. In Russia it would be call a farmstead, like homestead. Your neighbors are near, you know where, but you do not interact with them much. They are not behind the next apartment wall from you like in Moscow. My husband jokes that the entire population of Fayetteville is smaller than the number of residents in the apartment building where I live in Moscow.

Little farm, an old house, a big garden, some acreage that requires a lot of cleaning. Before, my husband was working overseas for three years, so you can probably imagine how much work it required when there was no maintenance the entire time he was abroad. When you do not take care of the place for three years it needs a lot of attention. Regardless of the demands, I was curious, I wanted to know what and how to live in the country away from the city and its issues. I didn’t know much about living in the quiet country and its appeal after having lived in 450-600 sq. ft. apartments. That life doesn’t prepare you to live on a farm or the country at all.

Right now, I am back in Moscow and I feel like a trapped animal back in my small apartment as my husband and I navigate visa processing. I’m looking forward to when I can return to the country life and continue a much more quiet and healthy life living my dream.