Pursuing Your Dreams to Go to America

Going to America wasn't just my goal - it was my dream. Even before I realized it was a goal, I was moving toward it all the time on a sub-conscious level.

I started studying English in the fifth grade, which was obligatory for me, as for all other Russian students. For some reason, I liked it very much, and the teacher, seeing me as a hard-working student, put the idea in my head that my future should be connected with English. As is common, my rural Russian school could not provide the necessary level of English teaching, so I often had to study on my own.

After graduating from school with excellent grades in all subjects, I had no doubts which university to choose. I entered the English Language Faculty at the Khabarovsk Teacher's Training University in Russia to become a teacher of English. During my first year at the university, I learned about the Youth For Understanding (YFU) program almost by chance. I saw an advertisement at the university with an invitation to pick up the application forms at the International Office. The program offered the opportunity to study in the United States at a community college. I decided to give it a try, without much hope for success. That is why, several months after the necessary forms and documents had been sent, it was a wonderful surprise for me to learn that I was chosen to take part in the second part of the competition: the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). I didn't have much time to prepare for it – only a few days.

I took the test, but wouldn't learn the results for a few months. During that time I got the chance to visit the United States for the first time, to get fitted with a prosthetic leg at the Shriners Hospital in Utah. I couldn't get an appropriate prosthesis where I lived, both because of the type of amputation I happen to have and the low level of technology and individual attention available to patients at the local hospitals. A family from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsored the trip, and I am very grateful to them. Since it also gave me the opportunity to further master my English skills, it was a nice experience both in a personal and professional sense.

My stay in Utah was coming to an end when I found out that my TOEFL scores and application essays had qualified me as a finalist for the YFU program. I received another package of documents to complete, but it was just a formality. On my way back to Russia, I already knew that in several months I would return to the country I had fallen in love with.

Now I am in the United States, studying at Iowa Lakes Community College. I am pretty self-sufficient, so I haven't needed many disability-related accommodations during the program. When needed, I always find people very willing to help. I've received assistance both from people who coordinate the program and from nondisabled students who have traveled with me. For example, during the program orientation in Washington, DC, we went on a tour to the National Cathedral. Everybody else had to walk there, but the staff made special arrangements for me to be taken by car.

While in the United States, I continue to notice many differences in the lives of disabled people here in comparison to Russia. It is generally known that people with disabilities in America are mostly treated as equal members of society, who have a right to be included in everyday life. This philosophy of equal access allows many people with disabilities to not only earn their own living, but also make valuable contributions to society. As more people with disabilities socialize, find their place in society, and simply get out and participate in everyday living, a better understanding of disability is formed in the minds of nondisabled people.

I have to admit that in Russia the situation is completely different. I have a lot of friends there who are disabled, some of them wheelchair users. I am very sorry to see that some of them just stay in their apartments. Almost nothing is wheelchair accessible, even in cities. People with disabilities cannot easily pursue a profession or go to work, and hence have to survive on small monthly payments from the government. I know that Russia is experiencing hard financial times now, but I also know that until the importance of change is realized, little will be done.

I have tried to share my knowledge and experience about the lives of disabled people in America with people in my country, but I soon became aware that their minds were not ready for this. However, I do think that if I were not alone – if there were other people with similar experiences abroad – we could influence the situation and make some positive changes happen. I want to encourage other students from Russia and countries like Russia to take part in exchange programs, and not be afraid of new experiences, because it is one of the best ways to develop a strong personality and achieve a better perspective of themselves. For me, being in the United States is an important experience, and I am sure it will contribute greatly to my future career as a teacher or a translator.