From Poor to Rich: How Russians Live in Miami - ForumDaily
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From Poor to Rich: How Russians Live in Miami

Sunny Miami and its surroundings have long been home to many immigrants from the former CIS countries. The hot climate, the sun, the ocean next to the house - all this allows you to enjoy life, even if you do not earn a lot of money. Before the political crisis in Ukraine in Miami, “wealthy”, mostly wealthy middle-aged people from the former CIS countries “heated themselves” After 2014, the Russian community became very heterogeneous. ForumDaily talked to the Russian-speaking residents of the most popular resort in Florida and learned what has changed in the thousands of Russian diaspora in Miami in recent years.

First wave

Now Sunny-Ails Beach is called Little Moscow because of the abundance of Russians, and Svetlana Postemskaya-Neirnsey arrived in the city when the skyscrapers on the embankment were only in the project of construction companies, and there were so few Russians. hugged at the meeting.

Svetlana flew to Miami in 1996 on a work visa - a Russian company invited her to be a vocalist in a local restaurant. For the next 7 years, she performed with the Kalinka ensemble in restaurants in Miami and Miami Beach.

Initially, Svetlana wanted to work a little in the USA and return home, but in the end she and almost the entire team stayed - the employer liked “Kalinka” so much that he agreed to issue green cards to all team members in order to continue working with them.

“Half of my life was spent in Sunny Isles. When I arrived, I was only 26 years old. There were no Russian shows at all in Miami - the owner of the establishment where we performed was a pioneer. There were very few Russian speakers in the area. If we met someone who spoke Russian, we hugged like good friends. Over time, the Russian-speaking diaspora, of course, has grown,” the Miami resident shares her memories.

Svetlana was paid at that time $ 35 per evening, plus tips from the guests of the establishment. In addition, they provided free food and accommodation. However, in order to postpone something, Svetlana and the children from the ballet had to earn money in the same hotel where they lived. The girl cleaned the rooms, and the ballet dancers worked as waitresses at the buffet.

“Salaries seem small, but at that time prices were much lower: gasoline cost about 80 cents per gallon, apartments could be bought for $35-40 thousand. For $35 you could eat at the restaurant all evening. Everything was cheaper and more accessible,” says the singer.

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Over time, some members of the Kalinka group left or stopped performing, and Svetlana sang in a group with other musicians. Photo: from the personal archive of Svetlana Postemskaya

Over time, the team fell apart. The participants of “Kalinka” began to start families, some flew home. Svetlana also met her prince - the Englishman Roland. They formed a relationship, then a child was born, but the girl did not forget about her performances. Now Svetlana sings at private events for Russian speakers. Thanks to her work, Svetlana met Russian pop stars in Miami and even performed on the same stage with Igor Krutoy, Philip Kirkorov, and Leonid Agutin.

Svetlana says that the first wave of immigration to Miami was the most friendly. Together with the Russian-speaking community, they survived many major hurricanes: “The electricity often went out, there was no water. And Russians, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Belarusians, Jews have always helped each other. Everyone was shared. Among “our Soviet Union” everything was amicable!”

Little Florida Moscow

Russian-speaking immigrants have always chosen the best places to live in the United States. In South Florida, this is the Miami suburb of Sunny Isles Beach (translated from English as “beaches of the sunny islands”) with luxurious skyscrapers on the first line. It’s difficult not to recognize this town: when entering the main road of Sunny Isles, Collins Avenue, an elegant pedestal with the inscription Sunny Isles Beach: Florida`s Riviera and, of course, high-rise hotels and condominiums catch your eye.

Sunny Isles Beach is absolutely not like Brighton, where only Russian speakers live, who have created for themselves the atmosphere of Soviet reality. In the suburbs of Miami, an atmosphere of luxury and presentability has been created. There you can meet residents of various nationalities, but a considerable percentage of them come from the countries of the former CIS.

The fact that Sunny, as the locals call it, has a lot of “ours”, can be understood if you turn from Collins Avenue to one of the squares with shops and cafes, park and look around. Here is a Russian clinic, here is a shop with a popular Russian name, a Russian kindergarten, a shop with Russian books and magazines, and then a Russian restaurant and cafe.

Sunny Isles is called “little Moscow,” not least because of high real estate prices. Russian celebrities were among the first to create demand for luxury housing. Singer and composer Igor Nikolaev bought an apartment in Sunny Isles Beach more than 20 years ago. Then Alla Pugacheva, Irina Allegrova, Philip Kirkorov, Angelika Varum with Leonid Agutin and many others followed his example.

Sunny Isles Beach has become a home for pianist, producer and founder of JB Artist Booking Art Agency Elena Yurova, who has been living here for 16 years and organizing concerts of Russian and world stars. Once arriving from Canada for a vacation in Miami, Elena left her heart here forever, so she bought property in the very first high-rise building in Sunny and finally moved here.

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Elena together with Julio Iglesias Jr., Igor Nikolayev and Igor Krutoy. Photo: from the personal archive of Elena Yurova

“I love Miami. It's warm and comfortable here. The main reason I moved here was the ocean. I start and end my day with a swim in the ocean. This ritual gives me a positive charge for the whole day,” admits Elena.

She states: since the 2000-ies, Sunny Isles has changed dramatically, and for the better. Previously, around her house there were many small motels in which the disadvantaged segments of the US population lived, which caused a lot of inconvenience.

“In the motels, loud African-Americans or young people would stay in groups of 10 people in one room and make so much noise that I often had to call the police. Now in Sunny there is a completely different audience - wealthy, intelligent,” says Elena.

Elena's social circle consists mainly of Russian stars who live in Miami - she has been friends with many for a long time, with some she began her career as a pianist. He also communicates a lot with Spanish-speaking artists, with whom he actively collaborates. Including with Julio Iglesias and his sons, for whom he organizes concerts.

Elena leaves her beloved city only because of business trips to other countries and cities. In winter and autumn you have to travel often - the producer brings world and Russian stars for private events that take place all over the world.

Elena Yurova with Donald Trump. Photo: from the personal archive of Elena Yurova

Elena Yurova with Donald Trump. Photo: from the personal archive of Elena Yurova

“I work with artists of any size, such as Jennifer Lopez, and many popular Russian stars,” admits the producer. She also did not stop being creative. She recently recorded her instrumental album with jazz saxophonist Michael Lington and went on tour throughout the United States.

However, life in the sunny city is not for everyone’s liking.

Russian singer, composer and photographer Alexei Lebedinsky, known under the pseudonym Professor Lebedinsky, moved to the US in 2014 for political reasons: “I could no longer see my country being taken away and killed. But with this power, nothing can be changed alone. That left. "

The artist has temporarily settled in Miami, because he opens a photo-video-agency here and is engaged in other projects, but does not like the city and tries to leave whenever possible.

“I don't like Miami. It's either too partyy or too boring. There is no pleasing old architecture, mountains and hills here. Nature in Miami is a complete swamp. The people are all slow from the stuffiness and heat, uninvited, but friendly. Apart from the ocean and the opportunity to wear shorts and flip-flops all year round, there are no advantages to Miami,” says the singer.

Alexey claims that he happened to be in Miami by chance and thinks that he will not live here. Boston and Chicago like an artist much more, but first he wants to travel all over America to understand where it is cozier.

“For now, I miss Europe all the time and at the slightest opportunity I go there!” Alexey Lebedinsky shared his feelings.

Housing problem

Natalya Fedorenko from Sunny Isles Beach received her realtor license in Florida. According to her, real estate in the Russian region is very popular. Both for purchase and for rent. "Apartments in Sunny are popular not only among Russians. And we must keep in mind that Sunny Isles Beach is not a cheap area to live,” says Natalya.

She gives the example of the famous apartments in Porto Bellagio. Renting an apartment with 1 bedroom there will cost from $1700 per month, with 2 bedrooms - from $2500. If you want an apartment on the first line, then you need to prepare at least $3500 per month. Per purchase a condo on the first line of Sunny Isles Beach will have to pay at least $750 thousand. At the moment, the agency where Natalia works is selling a large apartment with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms in the Ocean IV condominium. The price is steep - $990 thousand.

“If you move at least 5 miles from Sunny, you can buy apartments much cheaper,” Natalya clarifies.

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Natalia decided to become a realtor and sell real estate in Miami. Photo: from the personal archive of Natalia Fedorenko

She herself moved here with her husband from Kiev. Natalia studied in Miami, so they went to where friends and acquaintances were already. Now her family lives in the Russian area of ​​Sunny Isles Beach, and Natalia assures that because of their area of ​​residence, it is difficult for them to integrate into the American environment. Everywhere I can hear Russian.

But photographer Lena Kukhareva, despite the fact that she often works with Russian speakers in Sunny Isles, did not want to live here - she and her husband bought a house in another town. “We have our own home in West Palm Beach. In Miami or Hollywood, we would not be able to find land at such an adequate price, since everything is much more expensive there!” says Elena. In addition, most of the good schools are located in the town of West Palm Beach, and you can only go to school where you live.

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Elena Kukhareva did not want to live in Sunny Isles Beach, despite the fact that her friends and clients live there. Photo: from the personal archive of Elena Kukhareva

Mama America

In the Sunny Isles parks in 9 of 10 cases you will hear Russian speech. There, pregnant women who came to give birth in Miami and are awaiting their day X, and moms with strollers or older children love to walk.

Marina Kuznetsova arrived 8 years ago, at first she lived and studied in New York. During a vacation in Miami, she met her future husband, and in 2012 she moved to the sunny city. By now, Marina has lived in Florida for 4 years. In the Russian community, Marina is known as the founder of the Facebook community - Russian Miami Moms for Russian-speaking moms in Miami.

“When my first child, daughter Masha, was 9-10 months old, I noticed how afraid she was of other children. I decided that she needed to communicate more with her peers, and began to look for Russian-speaking mothers on social networks in order to gather with them and their children for joint meetings. At first, 10 people came to weekly meetings, then 20, then 40, and so our club grew to 150 people in the first month,” says Marina.

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Meeting Russian Miami Moms. Photo: from the personal archive of Marina Kuznetsova

“Over time, the mothers got to know each other, became friends with each other and divided into their own groups based on their interests. We organized many different events for them. Now the group has more than 1000 mothers. This year I gave birth to my second child, and I still don’t have enough time to organize meetings,” she admits.

Marina, living in Miami and communicating daily with a large number of people, says that since 2012, the Russian community has changed dramatically.

“Miami before the dollar crisis in Russia and now are two completely different cities. Until 2, people came to give birth, relax, and then left. After 2012, with the opening of numerous forums and childbirth companies, Russian-speaking tourists began to come and stay. Especially after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the fall of the ruble. There are a lot of Russian speakers in Miami,” shares Marina.

The girl notices that in recent years, finding a job in a sunny city has become more difficult, and wages have remained at the same level as 5 years ago. Immigrants are willing to work for the minimum wage, just to feed the family.

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Marina gave birth to two children in Miami. Photo: from the personal archive of Marina Kuznetsova

“Surprisingly, there are a lot of low-income families living in Miami. To help such families, in 2015 Elena Kom and I created the “Mutual Help Club” on Facebook. For two months we collected things for those in need, washed and sorted them. It turned out 60-70 packages. Everything was distributed in literally one week. 90% of those to whom we gave old things were newly arrived immigrants from Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan,” says the girl.

The Mutual Aid Club group still exists, and Elena Kom continues to collect things - adult and children's clothing, bed linen, towels, any furniture, dishes. “People are on the verge of poverty, but they will not return to their country, it’s even more difficult there,” says Marina.

Rezeda Moita, who moved to Miami from New York, also believes that relations among the Russian-speaking diaspora have improved in recent years - many Russian-speaking families have arrived, people have become friendlier to “theirs,” and many communities have appeared where you can meet and communicate.

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Rezeda and his family stroll through the Plaza in Sunny Isles Beach. Photo: Photo: from the personal archive of Rezeda Moita

“When I came to Miami, there was nothing like that. The Russians were wary of newcomers, and that is why I tried not to communicate with them. People who lived in Miami for a long time apparently thought this way - I suffered, now you can suffer too. Or “pseudo-harassed.” Now it’s really easier for immigrants to settle and put down roots. You can not be afraid to make friends with people from the countries of the former CIS or write to thematic support groups with any questions - they can be found on social networks,” Reseda shares her feelings.

Its among their

Unlike many immigrants who come to live in Miami, Natalia Dmitrieva and her husband decided to come to Miami on vacation, but shortly before the flight they found out about the upcoming replenishment in their family. It was decided not to change anything, because of the births in Miami Natalia heard mostly positive reviews.

“I was very lucky with the doctor and the hospital where I gave birth - Memorial Regions Hospital. I thought that my birth in Moscow went great, but giving birth here seemed like a real resort to me. I recovered quickly, and after 3 weeks I returned to my favorite job. I photograph newborns - this is my profession and passion! Several years ago, I specially trained to be a photographer with just such a specialization. Firstly, I am good with children, and secondly, I enjoy it,” she says.

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Natalia gave birth to her second child in Miami. Photo: from the personal archive of Natalia Dmitrieva

Natalia's husband also decided not to do nothing. He opened a small computer repair and network maintenance company, as he had extensive experience in the field of telecommunications and information technology. The business is actively developing, and they hope that it will grow into something more.

“We decided to follow the path of business immigration and essentially started all over again, but this has its advantages. You should never be afraid to start all over again!” Natalya says optimistically.

“My clients are predominantly Russian-speaking, so my assimilation into American society is going slower than I would like. For my husband, it’s the other way around—from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., he only interacts in English- and Spanish-speaking environments, which undoubtedly helps him improve his knowledge of English, which was already at a good level. Fortunately, Americans began to notice my work. Just the other day I spoke with an expectant mother who wanted to do a photo shoot with me,” Natalya rejoices.

Since the political and economic situation in the former CIS countries is not improving, one can be sure that Russian-speaking immigrants will come again and again to Miami with the hope of finding their home here and starting a new life under the sun on the ocean.

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