I Know What You Need To Succeed (eBook)

Chapter One:
Arrival

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” —William Faulkner

I took this quote to heart several times in my life.

One of them was when, after traveling at age 19, getting my education in two different countries, and working on a cruise ship, I finally decided to settle in the country that I imagined would become my home since I was 16 years old. It was the country of fewer stereotypes, big dreams, and unseen possibilities.

Born in Kazakhstan and raised in Ukraine, I always knew my place was somewhere else. It was strange for my family, as none of them ever traveled outside the country except to Russia to visit my aunt and cousins. None of them understood why I had this strange belief and urge to see the world and live on a different continent.

I packed my bag and asked my mother to purchase a one-way ticket to the United States of America. When I boarded the airplane, I was excited about my new life and a bit scared. Actually, I was terrified. I remember my mother asking me, “How are you not afraid to take this big step?” My answer was: “I am scared, but all I need to do now is board that airplane and let it take me there.”

When you are afraid, concentrate on the next step only. Don’t think too far ahead. Your brain will find more and more reasons not to take action. But one small step could be all you need to set everything in motion.

When It Rains, It Pours

On my way to the United States, my flight was late, and I had to wait for six long hours to board the next available flight to Panama City Beach, Florida. I was exhausted and had to sleep on my carry-on, holding my purse.

I had arranged for someone to meet me at my destination. Unfortunately, I didn’t have their phone number or any way to communicate that my flight was coming much later than expected. I knew they would not wait for me, but I hoped that they would get updates and still come to pick me up.

When I finally landed and went to claim my luggage, my eyes were desperately searching for a person holding a sign with my name. And to my disappointment and bad luck, I didn’t find anyone. I sat down on the bench, hoping that someone would walk in looking for me at any moment. I watched as every passenger disappeared through the exit door. And now it was only me and no one else. The airport staff came to ask if I was okay and if I needed help. They informed me that the airport was closing because there were no more flights until the morning.

I said to myself, Don’t panic. Think! Think, Kateryna. What is next? You’ve got this. You were in difficult situations before. There is always an exit. There is always a solution.

When facing an unexpected and stressful situation, slow down your thoughts, breathe in, and say to yourself: I got this. Then think of what you can do to fix it or make it better. Remember, worrying will keep your brain in a fog, and you will not be able to think clearly. What’s done is done, and you can’t fix the past, but you can take care of the now and the future.

So, I got my flip phone out. Yes, back then, I still had a flip phone, believe it or not. Maybe by the time you read this book, it will be back in style… like bell-bottom jeans. And I had some Ukrainian money on my phone plan, hopefully enough to cover roaming charges. I called my mom and woke her up at 5 am, asking her to reach out to the woman in Ukraine who had arranged my pickup from the airport in the US.

A few minutes later, which seemed like an eternity, my mom called me back and said that of course, the woman could not be reached so early in the morning.

I sat for a few more minutes, thinking, Okay, what next?

Then I collected my things and walked out, holding my courage with both hands, worrying that it would slip away.

To my LUCK (and I mean this time good luck), there was only one taxi left—like it was meant for me. As I mentioned before, the airport was completely empty. I hope you believe in God or something more significant and higher than us. I felt like someone, or something was watching over me at that precise moment.

I told the taxi driver that I didn’t know where I was going. I asked him to take me to a hotel in Panama City Beach. I thought I would get to the hotel, rest for a night, and then figure out in the morning what was next. He asked me how I had found myself in this situation; I said there was someone who was supposed to meet me, but they didn’t.

Now for the real miracle. The taxi driver asked me if I knew their name, and I responded with what I had. And he said:

“I know him. I will call him right now.”

Would you believe that? My jaw dropped!

I watched him dialing the number and asking someone on the other end if he was supposed to pick up a girl from the airport.

The response I overheard was, “Oh, sh___, I forgot! I am coming now. Where can I meet you?”

I Can Do Better Than That

If you were born and raised in the United States, I don’t think you will ever face anything like I am about to tell you. But this is my story, and I hope it could help another immigrant or anyone else who is planning to relocate to start from scratch.

I was brought to a one-bedroom apartment rented by an old man who slept in the living room. There was another young woman like me in the room and only two mattresses on the floor.

When you walk into accommodations like that, you really hope that you will be okay and that no one will take your passport away and make you disappear forever. At least that’s what I thought, seeing all that. But my roommate came back from working at the dry cleaner’s, and I asked her if there was anything suspicious going on. I was glad to hear that she had been living there for a month and still had her passport.

I was exhausted from 20 hours of travel, but I could barely sleep that night, hoarding all my important belongings under my pillow.

Morning came. I opened my eyes and checked that my passport and money were still there. My roommate was packing her things in a hurry, informing me that she was moving to a new place. It made me sad to know that I would be in that one-bedroom apartment with only the old man for company.

I cannot remember his name anymore, but I do remember that the old man in the living room ended up being a nice person. He fed me breakfast and asked me what I needed to do, go to the bank or buy some groceries? I told him I had some cash, and he suggested I didn’t keep it on me but instead go open a bank account and get a debit card. That is exactly what I did.

Later that day, I called my contact who was supposed to help me get my first job. The news wasn’t good. Because it was the middle of summer, all the positions he had were filled, and the only place he could offer me was that same dry cleaner’s. I knew I could do so much better, but he convinced me to go and have a look. A few days later, he picked me up to show me the potential first job.

When we arrived, I was speechless. It was 98 degrees outside and probably 150 inside of a huge commercial garage with tons of equipment and sweaty workers all from different countries. I remember saying to myself, NO WAY! I CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS.

The next month, I tried to grasp any opportunity I could for a better job. I walked for miles to ask for work at gas stations. Every day I called the person who was supposed to help me, asking if there was anything new.

I promised myself that I would try to get something better before I gave in and took what was available. I had enough money to survive for about three months.

If you have a chance to give yourself a little time to find something better, wait and keep looking. Sometimes if you settle for a less-than-ideal situation, better opportunities will close the door, and it might take you much longer to move on.

From time to time, I would pick up a few shifts here and there just to have enough money for food and so I wouldn’t spend all my savings. They were usually one-time gigs: serving at a large wedding, helping at an event to set up and clean tables, or covering a shift for a housekeeper that didn’t show up that day.

That was when it hit me, covering for a housekeeper. I met two women who opened my eyes to what I just told you about not settling. One was very intelligent and educated, with a doctorate degree in the arts from a Russian university. She spoke English—not perfectly, but not bad at all. She had moved to the US seven years ago, started at that job, and never left. And then there was another girl similar to her, who had been there for 10 years.

When I heard their stories, I told myself I didn’t come here for a life like theirs. I came for a better life and big opportunities, and I would keep looking until I found them.

But was I any different than those women? I had to prove it to myself first.

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