Hello, dear friends!
Many of you already know us from the YouTube channel Home in Russia: Big American Family in Russia! and the Telegram channel HOME IN RUSSIA.
For those we haven’t met yet—my name is Josef. Our big American family—my wife, our six children, and I—made what might seem like a radical decision: we left the U.S. and moved to Russia. Many ask: Why? Why did we choose a country we were taught in America to fear and despise? Why leave our homeland and start all over again?
The America We Lost
In recent years, our family increasingly asked ourselves: What is happening to America? The values our country was built on are crumbling. Freedom of speech? Freedom of religion? Family values? All of it is under threat.
As traditional Catholics, we suddenly became “enemies of the state.” Our churches were surveilled, the FBI labeled us “extremists.” People were fired for their beliefs, banned from stating obvious truths like “a man is a man, and a woman is a woman.” But the final straw was new laws allowing children to be mutilated in the name of ideology.
That’s when we realized: We had to leave.
Russia—The Discovery We Never Expected
Russia always seemed to us like a country of “grayness, corruption, and repression”—at least, that’s what American media told us. But as we researched the real situation, we saw a completely different picture.
In February 2023, I visited Moscow. I expected gloomy streets and dangerous people… but instead, I found warmth, decency, and strength of spirit. The city was thriving, the streets were clean, and the people were kind. Where we were taught to see a threat, I found tradition, culture, and genuine respect for family.
That’s when we made our decision: We’re moving to Russia!
Life in a New Country: Fears vs. Reality
On September 16, 2023, we landed in Moscow. Ahead of us lay a new culture, a different language, and unfamiliar people. Were we scared? Yes. But reality turned out better than we could have imagined.
- People were incredibly kind. They helped, supported, and explained things—especially to our children.
- Prices were lower than in the U.S. We were pleasantly surprised by the affordability of quality food, healthcare, and education.
- A sense of safety. Unlike in America, we don’t fear for our children when they play outside.
Of course, there were challenges—language barriers, adaptation, bureaucracy. But none of it mattered compared to the feeling of home we found here.
Why Russia?
We didn’t leave just for material benefits. We were searching for a place where we could raise our children with traditional values—a place where we wouldn’t be forced to renounce our faith, where family is sacred, and truth remains truth.
We found that place.
Today, we are an American family that has chosen Russia as our home. And looking back, we realize: It was the best decision of our lives. Now, our family has grown—in the summer of 2024, our seventh child, our little son Misha, was born.
Subscribe to our channel if you’d like to see life in Russia through our eyes!
