Gargždiškė Inga (name changed) left for the USA in 2004. A young woman who grew up in Gargždai was going to see her husband. Later, her son came to her, and a few years later, her mother. The house and father’s grave remained empty in Gargždai. Inga’s sister fled to Greece. Now the house, which has been empty for many years, is waiting for new owners.
Strong mathematics in engineering studies
The woman who emigrated to the USA immediately began to study. It started with English. And since she studied industrial engineering at the Kaunas University of Technology for three years before leaving, she hoped to finish her studies in America and receive an engineering diploma. Unfortunately, it turned out that he will have to study mathematics at the hospital for at least three more years. In the US, a very high math score is required to graduate with an engineering degree. If you get threes or weak fours in the ten-point system, don’t expect a well-paid job.
The woman tried to retake the mathematics exams she passed with high marks in Lithuania, but her knowledge was rated as a weak four. Most of her classmates are newcomers from all over the world. During the exams, they solve such tasks by heart that Inga had to wonder where such a memory came from. Usually, teachers focus their attention on them and choose tasks that match their mentality. For less talented players, such as threes, it is a pain to match them.
Inga realized that she would hardly finish her studies and would not get a well-paid job as an engineer. He chose finance and accounting studies, which lasted four years. “When I was studying plowing, I used to help my son as a young man,” the woman remembers. The son chose to study criminal law. Unfortunately, they were soon discontinued. Like many young people, he was convinced: if you have a job, you don’t need to study. “I’ll be working overtime and I’ll be getting a similar paycheck to getting a college degree,” he explained.
After the studies, health got worse
Now, after many years spent in the United States, the woman approves of her son’s choice. As soon as she arrived, she really wanted to study, work hard, earn money and believed that the diploma she received would guarantee this. Unfortunately, due to constant stress and tension, Inga suffered a heart attack and high blood pressure. So, after completing her studies, she faced serious health problems. If they started all over, they wouldn’t be learning so much now. I would just choose easier studies. For several years, she worked in an accounting firm where a degree in finance is not even necessary. Later, he delved into investments, but he experienced even more tension while working. Finally, at the urging of her husband, she decided not to work, to take care of her health and home.
Inga assures that education in the USA is important for young people. Those who come to this country in their forties or older can live well without education. Inga wanted to study and completed her studies with 96%. on average, although 80 percent is also considered a good result. out of 100. The woman is happy that she learned to speak and write English flawlessly. It was only while studying that it was unexpected that no one thought of copying or cheating during the exams. Here, it is customary to study not only for a diploma, but to accumulate as much knowledge and competences as possible.
The house in the hometown will be sold
“Living abroad, you can learn and experience a lot of interesting things, but it takes a lot of effort to adopt the lifestyle and traditions of the locals, to create a good life outside your own country,” Inga says today. Now that more than 18 years have passed in a foreign country, the former Gargždi woman is preparing to sell her house in Gargždai. She doesn’t hide it: she loves the Motherland, misses her hometown, but she has no plans to leave the USA, where her whole family is, in the near future. During major holidays, he meets the Lithuanian community, travels a lot in the USA, cultivates flower gardens and a small vegetable garden near his home. She and her husband recently purchased land in Florida. They intend to build a small house there and spend their old age. Now helping to furnish his son’s house in Washington state, where the whole family currently lives. Inga also has to take care of her aging mother. And she does not feel as well in a foreign country as in her native Gargždai. She is survived by her brothers and sisters, childhood friends and stairwell neighbors whom she misses very much.
The plan is to live in Florida
In a few years, Inga’s husband will retire and it is likely that he and Inga and her mother will move to Florida. There, next to the ocean, where there is a lot of sun, warmth and life is boiling. In sunny Florida, you can have a good time all day long: swimming, fishing, diving. Inga is going to plant banana, papaya, and mango seedlings near the house, which grow quickly and bear fruit. And tomatoes. The latter do not require a greenhouse in Florida, and are harvested twice a year.
Inga does not rule out the possibility of returning to her hometown in old age, if her spouse left this world before her. Gargždiškė keeps remembering the words spoken by her grandmother: where we live – there is a house, where we die – there is a grave.
Vilma SREBALIUTĖ
Associative photo
2023-04-25 00:00:00
#Gargžda #America #dreams #effort #needed
