Months ago, even the thought of this would make me emotional. Now, I think I\u2019ve found ways to cope with it, and I want to share that.<\/p>\n
I am about to graduate from my doctorate program, and even thinking about it makes me feel sad. Because this journey changed my entire life.<\/p>\n
I came to Austin in August 2020, risking everything, starting my life from scratch with two children, moving from Astana. I left a well-paying job and chose to apply for a Ph.D. program.<\/p>\n
Just for clarification, committing to a Ph.D. is not only about classes or research. It\u2019s your entire life. Your lifestyle changes. Your habits change. You cut expenses for four to five years. You accept being financially limited\u2014willingly.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s bad. But with two children, it\u2019s challenging, especially if you’re used to a comfortable life.<\/p>\n
When we first arrived, I didn\u2019t adjust right away. I bought a car, put premium gas in it like I used to, ate out with my kids, and bought things I didn\u2019t need, until I realized the money was disappearing.<\/p>\n
I felt stressed<\/a> out, and I became wildly angry because the money was so limited; I didn\u2019t know how to manage it or even how to cut back on basic things. But at the same time, there was something familiar in it. Coming from the former Soviet Union, I had already experienced periods of scarcity, so I knew how to switch into survival mode.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not necessarily a good or bad thing, but I learned how to pull myself together, shrink my needs, and focus only on what was essential.<\/p>\n The timing made it even harder. I planned to come in 2023, but I got accepted in 2022. I applied in May, got accepted in August, and had to be in Austin immediately. Before that, I had invested all my money into property back home, not expecting this move.<\/p>\n So I arrived with very little money, but thankfully, I had friends who helped me.<\/p>\n Everything was new. Living alone in an apartment, being recently divorced<\/a> after 10 years of marriage<\/a>, and doing everything by myself was new to me.<\/p>\n I had only three days to find a place to live.<\/p>\n I arrived with seven suitcases, two kids, no credit card, an international driver\u2019s license, and cash.<\/p>\n We barely managed to rent a car. I had to speak with the supervisor, who gave us a car at the airport. I put all our suitcases inside, my kids got in, and it was already getting late.<\/p>\n By the time I set up my new SIM card, it was around 8 p.m.<\/p>\n