University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 5, No. 2/1996 ALUMNI PROFILE: Language specialist says 'Da' to dream job Sitting in a McDonald's restaurant in a big city far from his native Newark, Del., Jim Wolynetz, Delaware '84, is animatedly chatting about his recent career move. Like many of his peers, Wolynetz has landed his "dream job" after a decade of interim moves and advances. Around him, the fast-food restaurant is packed with diners munching on Big Macs, eating fries, sipping soft drinksand speaking Russian. Yes, Russian. Wolynetz, a Russian major at Delaware, recently moved to Moscow to work for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (I.N.S.) as a language specialist. He spends his days at the American Embassy interviewing Russians who wish to immigrate to the United States as political or religious refugees. "I use my Russian every day and get paid for it," Wolynetz says. "What more could I ask for?" Using his language skills professionally has been his goal since graduating from Delaware with majors in international relations and Russian. Along the road to Moscow, Wolynetz held various marketing and research positions at Marine Midland and Chase Manhattan banks in Wilmington. In his spare time, he volunteered with such organizations as Delaware Jewish Family Services, the United Mennonite Church of Delaware and the Delaware Council for U.S./ U.S.S.R. Relations-activities that helped him maintain his command of Russian. In 1991, Wolynetz decided it was time to pursue his dream more directly by returning to Russia for hands-on language study. Along the way, he was stranded in Prague for eight months waiting for his visa, so he took the opportunity to add Czech to his growing language repertoire, which also includes German and French. He finally made it to St. Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad, where he lived for four months. These experiences led to a career breakthrough in 1992 when Wolynetz landed a job with Statistica Inc., a Rosslyn, Va., contractor that conducts background checks of Russians who apply to become refugees, the step prior to gaining an interview at the American Embassy in Moscow. With his experience at Statistica, Wolynetz was a natural for his current position at I.N.S. On a typical day, he meets with a dozen families-immigration candidates who have already been screened for eligibility. Since the interview is the last step in a long process, Wolynetz is able to approve about 80 percent of the candidates with whom he meets. "I'm interviewing some of the same people whose cases I set up in the States," he says. Having gone through an 11-month process to gain security clearance for his new job, he better understands the paperwork maze a potential Russian refugee must navigate. "My own three-month background check was agonizing. I could not have even entered the American Embassy without the top-secret security clearance," Wolynetz says. While his new job is an enviable one for anyone with an interest in world affairs, the position is not without its drawbacks. The Moscow location is considered a hardship post by the State Department because of the potential for instability within the country. That potential hit close to home in September when a rocket grenade pierced the embassy two-and-a-half floors above Wolynetz' office. The only casualty, however, was a copy machine. "For anyone working for the federal government, Moscow is the place to be because of all of the changes," Wolynetz says. "But, when I first got here, I was worried about crime, which has skyrocketed since Perestroika. Most of the crime, though, is Mafia-related, organized crime. I'm not worried now." Wolynetz knows firsthand how much Russia has changed in just the last 10 years. In 1983, he took a semester-long language course at Leningrad State University, while Russia was still under Communist rule. "It was a helpful semester, but not as helpful as living here independently away from other English speakers," Wolynetz says. While living in St. Petersburg, he experienced severe food and heat shortages, among other typical "horror" stories of life in Soviet society. He also learned more than he wanted to know about communal living by sharing an apartment with two other families. "It was the worst way to live, but the best way to learn the language," he says. "Life was rough in 1991." In sharp contrast to those difficult times, Moscow, St. Petersburg and other major Russian cities today are dotted with kiosks that sell everything from soup to nuts, bread to wine, shaving cream to candy bars. Many comforts of home, including Pizza Hut, are readily available. Wolynetz lives in a Moscow neighborhood about 40 minutes from the embassy via the city's subway system. And, this time, he has his own place. "I work with Americans all day long," he says. "It's nice to have personal contact with the locals on my time off. Although most Russians are rather standoffish at first, once you break the ice, they're quite warm and friendly." Wolynetz misses family and friends, but little else about life in the States. (A little Dewey Beach sunshine would go a long way during the long Russian winter, though, he says.) "I'm so excited to be here," he says. "I'm not even thinking of being at home." -Robert DiGiacomo, Delaware '88 Friends can reach Wolynetz through e-mail at 72642.734@compuserve.com