| One of the first problems that your fiancé will | | | | community on familiar roads, how to take public |
| encounter will be shopping. In Russia, choice in | | | | transportation, how to register for school, how to |
| products is usually limited. When she walks into a | | | | take books out of the public library, and function in |
| grocery store in America for the first time, it can be | | | | our society. |
| overwhelming. | | | | Your fiancé has not had the benefit of living |
| How does she decide which brand of the sixteen | | | | here for twenty or thirty years to learn these things |
| types of toilet paper to buy? | | | | over time. She must learn to live in America by taking |
| I began by teaching my wife about 'sale items' or | | | | an accelerated course. |
| discounts and coupons. I taught her how to | | | | Even household appliances like washers, driers, |
| comparison shop. Sometimes it is difficult to | | | | microwaves, and dishwashers are not common in |
| understand how the prices are listed for the | | | | Russia. Plus, in America, all the instructions are written |
| products. | | | | in English! After a few months, she will be able to |
| As we began our shopping excursions, I also taught | | | | whiz around the house like she had been raised with |
| her about brand names and quality. As you know, | | | | these things. |
| you may not buy certain items even when they are | | | | You must get her a social security card. You must |
| on sale because their quality is perceptibly lower. | | | | take her everywhere until she can learn to drive. |
| With some products, quality may not differ much or | | | | You must be patient with her while she learns English, |
| matter much, say with salt or sugar. With other | | | | while she learns her way around America's consumer |
| products, quality may matter such as with laundry | | | | society, while she learns how to drive and finds a job. |
| detergent or ice cream. | | | | After one to two years, you will be amazed at how |
| You must also show your wife about your | | | | well she excels at these things. |
| preferences. And as she buys things and tries things, | | | | She is most likely highly educated and has a good |
| she will develop her own preferences. | | | | profession in her home country. However, because |
| I taught my wife about stocking up on meat, | | | | of her limited English and because her credentials may |
| chicken, or fish when they are on sale. She knows | | | | not be valid in America, she may have to go back to |
| now which cuts she likes and has mastered this | | | | school to find a career in America. |
| technique. | | | | If you wish her to work right away, she can |
| We live in an area that is an agricultural produce | | | | probably get the kind of job that most immigrants |
| center. We have excellent fruits and vegetables at | | | | can get when they first come to America. She can |
| very good prices. Your fiancé will have a | | | | clean houses, work in restaurants, day care, or any |
| much easier time with evaluating fruits and | | | | other jobs where English speaking ability is not a |
| vegetables, because she is used to that from her | | | | requirement. |
| home country. | | | | One alternative if her English is limited is to try to find |
| However, she may not be familiar with some types | | | | a place where other Russian-speaking people are |
| of fruits and vegetables available here as they are | | | | employed. |
| not common in Russia. Avocados and artichokes for | | | | You may want to enroll your wife in a local free |
| example. | | | | school such as adult school or other community ESL |
| My wife loves artichokes, but she is rather neutral | | | | program to improve her English when she gets here. |
| about avocados. At any rate, get her maximum | | | | Community colleges are the next step once her |
| exposure to shopping and she will be a pro in about | | | | English has improved to a sufficient level. |
| three to six months. | | | | Many Russian women are attractive and many retail |
| Most Russian women are natural shoppers. They are | | | | establishments hire them for that reason. It's also a |
| skilled at looking for bargains. One of the things I | | | | good way for them to practice their English. |
| have had to teach my wife is that with big items you | | | | However, your fiancé will need a certain |
| want a good price, but you want good quality first. | | | | minimum level of English to work with the public. |
| You first shop for quality, then try to get a good | | | | I advised my wife to pick a career path that she |
| price for things you are going to have to live with for | | | | wanted to follow, and to go to school to educate |
| a while: televisions, cars, even clothing. | | | | herself in that career. It may take a few years until |
| Fortunately, my wife now understands and agrees | | | | she is working, but she will be able to find a job |
| with my approach. | | | | where she will make a much higher income in the long |
| Russia is a cash economy. Your fiancé is | | | | run than if she continues to work at low paying jobs. |
| unfamiliar with checks and credit cards. She may or | | | | One idea is to find a niche for your wife teaching |
| may not understand about bank accounts. Those are | | | | Russian at the local high school or community college. |
| things you will have to teach her. | | | | You can approach the administration of the school on |
| One of the difficult things about bringing your wife to | | | | her behalf and convince them to try it on an |
| America is that you must teach her all the things that | | | | experimental basis. Of course, she will need a working |
| it took most people thirty years to learn and | | | | knowledge of English in order to be able to |
| accomplish. She must learn these things in a matter | | | | communicate with the students. |
| of months or a few years. | | | | Russian women are resourceful. They are usually |
| We learned about shopping through trial and error. It | | | | highly educated and intelligent. They have developed |
| took us years to get educated, learn to drive a car, | | | | tremendous survival skills that they learned in their |
| get a checking account, buy a house, learn to pay | | | | own country. |
| bills, become familiar with insurance, cable television, | | | | Be patient and help her find her way. It will take a |
| cell phones, microwaves, and computers. | | | | few years but she will find her niche and you will |
| We know how to find our way around the local | | | | settle into a comfortable family life. |