"Everything Started With The Smell Of Freedom": I Left For America

It's almost 20 years since I've moved to America, and I'm smiling when I remember my first impressions.

People often wonder why I went to America and whether I like it. I cannot give you a clear-cut answer.

I left, because could not stay here. In 1996 I managed to be an engineer at the Metal Powder Research Institute, a literary director of the "Alternative Theatre, a scriptwriter of two feature films and a film director of quite popular "Stolitsa" TV program first released by World TV and later by Svoi Krug. I was engaged in many affairs... before ill-fated elections of 1994 and the referendum of 1995. After that work in mass media turned into hell. However, it happened to every sphere. At least, for me.

There was censorship in Belarus. To be more precise, it remained as the heritage of the Soviet past. Now someone may say that everything was fine before Lukashenka came in power. This is not quite true. There were bad times before Lukashenka: corruption, racketeering, lawlessness; but things got worse under his reign. Especially, it's true about creative minds.

Censorship ran high. People, I often knew, were arrested and later they were gone missing. The young and pensioners were beaten on the streets. Protests were brutally dispersed. Tele and radio channels closed down without any reason. It made me lose heart. It looked disgusting. Many my colleagues left for Russia or Ukraine. Some of them managed to compromise at the place. That was not the shape of my heart.

I did not leave my house for a year. I earned money by writing so-called "screennovels". Later I got an opportunity to move to the USA; there was no second of hesitation.

It's almost 20 years since I've moved to America, and I'm smiling when I remember my first impressions. First I was extremely disappointed. I expected to see huge buildings of glass and concrete, but instead of a three-room apartment in a brick house I found myself in a tiny two-room apartment with walls of flake boards; there were streets with no sidewalks but with numerous potholes. Even people I was surrounded with were commonly speaking Russian. It took much time and mental efforts to start seeing the outworld in a different way.

Everything started with the smell of freedom. It's true. Actually, there was no smell at all. Freedom does not have it. At all! As soon as I stepped on the American land at JFK, I was impressed how pure the air was there. And it was in great New York. When I got to Rochester I resided at for more than twenty years, I came up with a thought that even that air of New York was not as transparent as there. Streets did not smell of fuel, dirt and garbage. People had no odor either of sweat or a perfume. They had no smell of great money or its absence. Many people were dressed in similar clothes: light shirts, shorts or jeans. I met people wearing suits and dresses much later. But they also smelled of freedom. Freedom to earn and manage money and no necessity to share it with someone. Those who had no chance to earn money due to some reasons were not doomed to life in poverty. The society found many ways to help those in need.

As for houses made of flake boards. First, they were comfortable enough; second, in the rush to have their own place Americans can live in houses made of cheap materials. Ill people or people with low income live in high brick houses. Almost all working people can afford themselves a house or a townhouse. That's why Rochester with a million population occupies much more place than Minsk. It is mostly covered with small houses.

And the last thing I'd like to tell about is attitude of Americans to people of former Soviet Union. We are all "Russians" here, Ukrainians are the exception. Americans know about Ukrainians. But they have no idea about Belarusians; when we say that we come from Belarus, Minsk (there are lots of Minsk dwellers in Rochester), Americans nod their heads as a sign of respect and you have to explain that it locates between Poland, Ukaine, Russia. You can mention the Baltic states. However, they have no idea about them as well. Americans treat "Russians" positively. Many of them know that Putin is evil, some people even know about Lukashenka. It's great they do not draw parallels between them and common "Russians", because they also do not identify themselves with their presidents. Their real life stands apart.

Americans are friendly and open-hearted people; they feel no hate or any other negative emotions about "Russians". Do not believe things you see on TV screens. I believe you will like it.

Evgeny Rutman, especially for Charter97.org