Initially, the most considerable difficulty was the language. They worked hard to learn English the previous year but still had trouble communicating. Another hardship was leaving her family, friends, and home. Thankfully, she could still return home to visit her family. Soon after they came, Yekaterina's husband, Alexis, who she married when she was 18 years old, also left his home and family for a new life. Once they got settled in, they opened a Quiznos, a fast-food sandwich shop. She and her husband worked very hard to make money and manage their own business, noting that "it is a 24-7 job." She now wishes that she was not self-employed when she initially came. The most significant difference in the culture she noticed was how important education is in this country. She feels that you can live a good life as long as you are nice to people, work hard, and get a good education. After about five years in Texas, she and her family decided to move to Boston. They felt that Texas wasn't the "America" they came for. The moving process started when Boris took a trip to Boston and saw how rich the Ukrainian and Russian culture was. This appealed to them greatly since they could now connect with people they share the same heritage with.