As senior Valerie Udovenko drives in her blue Toyota Yaris every day to school, she sees the quiet peaceful suburbs with similar homes lined up in her neighborhood. Eight years ago, she would be getting ready to go to school in her small town of Horlivka, Ukraine. Some days, even leaving her home would be a questionable matter because of the homeless who lived in her building’s hallways during the night, making it difficult at times to leave and reenter. All of that changed in September 2007 when she learned that she was moving across the world to start a new life because of her mother’s engagement.

“When I left, I didn’t realize how different everything would end up being,” Valerie said. “From the clothes to the food to the atmosphere to the education.”

As she passed by the oversized, glowing, golden arches, what she would later learn was McDonalds, she observed the strange attire of everyone around her and suddenly realized she wasn’t in her small hometown of Horlivka, Ukraine.

“Things were so different when I arrived to America, I was beyond culture shocked,” Valerie said.

Valerie left her town for St. Louis with her mother, to move in with her stepfather, Igor Lazarev. Because of his job, Igor lived in St. Louis since 2000 and had a long distance relationship with Valerie’s mother, Elena. Elena not only wanted to be closer to Igor, but also wanted a better future for her daughter and knew it was the right decision to move to America. Valerie arrived to Missouri in fifth grade, 5,640 miles away from the rest of her family. She quickly adjusted to her new life by meeting new friends and getting used to her surroundings.

“At the time, I really didn’t have an opinion on moving,” Valerie said. “I was just going along with everything that was happening to me.”

Surprisingly to Valerie, the school system was less strict and demanding from what she was used to. The curriculum in Ukraine required students to learn Russian, Ukrainian and English. School was a total of five hours every day and according to Valerie, the school food resembled a really bad home cooked meal. To Valerie, in the US, the teachers were more accepting, the learning atmosphere was better for students and there was a wider variety of school lunches. Her parents, especially her step father,

felt so strongly about Valerie getting a good education that they even relocated to a new school district when she began middle school.

“I believe education is very important,” her stepfather Igor said. “And although it’s not as good as it was in Ukraine, I’m still glad we relocated.”

In addition to getting used to the new school system, Valerie also had to get used to the environment outside. In Ukraine, leaving the house meant the danger of passing by the homeless and coming in contact with stray animals. In America, she was very surprised to find out the cleanliness and safety everywhere she went compared to Ukraine.

“In the U.S., there is much less crime and it’s much safer,” Elena said. “I’m not worried about my child going outside in America like I was in Ukraine.”

Even though it has been almost eight years since her move, Valerie and her parents still miss Horlivka, but enjoy living in Missouri more because of the inseparable friendships they have made, the opportunities they have received the past years they have lived here, and the life they have built for themselves.

“Although I liked Ukraine, I actually have a future here in America unlike if I move back to Ukraine, where there are no opportunities for me to succeed,” Valerie said