We are proud to present an immimentary* about an immigrant who came to America looking for success and found it in sunny Miami.

Hello, my name is Vlad Kamenko, and this is my immigrant story. You know, in the United States, every conversation starts with the question, “Where are you from?” I always say I am from Regal, Latvia. This is very close to the truth, even though I was not born there. My parents came to Regal when I was 2 years old, maybe a little more than two, around two and a half. I grew up in a private house; it was a big house but without amenities by today’s standards.
One very important feature that had an influence on my life was the fact that the house had a huge vegetable and fruit garden. I figured it was maybe 6 to 2 acres altogether, something like that. By the way, I did work as a kid, planting and harvesting in the garden. It was all organic, even though nobody used that word at the time.
From what I remember from early childhood and what my mother told me, I always liked to be outdoors and spend time outside the house. The only exception was from late September until early May, when it was super cold, rainy, wet, and miserable, that’s life in Latvia. I didn’t like it, by the way.
Our neighbors next door had a crude homemade ping pong table, and when I was about seven or eight years old, I started going to those neighbors and playing with the older kids. I liked it, and it was also good exercise. On the other side of our garden, or rather the fence, was a junior high school that was a boarding school. They had their own soccer field, so when I climbed over the fence, which I did often. I played football with the other kids there, played games, or just hit balls for practice. Those were good times and the early days of my childhood.
Another important thing to mention is my father. My parents were quite significant in my life. My father was a very skillful tailor, and he also worked at home, which was not legal according to Soviet laws. There were issues with that, but he was a very good bread maker as well. My mother took care of the house and looked after me and my two older sisters, who were quite a bit older than I was.
When my father had customers who came to see him, they would sometimes wait for him while he worked. They would bring chess sets and play chess at home, and I would watch and be interested. So, I started learning the game at home, asking my mother questions and checking different things. Eventually, my mother started taking me to what is called in Russia the Palace of Pioneers.
They had chess masters who would teach kids and young adults how to play, not just moving pieces, but learning the basics. My mother would take me for a couple of years. It was a trip into the city, and God bless her, not only for that but for other things as well. The truth is that playing chess as a kid had an influence on my thinking process for the rest of my life because it’s such an interesting game for the brain. I have to say it was a popular game in Russia in those days.
By the time I was maybe 9 or 10, I thought I was pretty good at ping pong. Ping pong is for amateurs, and tennis is for those who play professionally, so to speak. When I was 10, I started going to a local sports club where there were professional instructors, and I switched to table tennis full-time. I was pretty good at that, and within a couple of years, I started winning big tournaments in the city. Rīga, the capital of Latvia, had about a million people living there, so it wasn’t a village.
By the age of 13 or so, I was a member of a junior team in Latvia and started traveling throughout the Baltic states and into the European part of Russia. It was interesting, fun, and a professional sport at that level for table tennis. It wasn’t overly strenuous physically, but it still required effort, and I really liked it.
In school, I have to say I was a pretty good student, especially in the subjects I liked, which were history and geography. That’s how life was moving along until 1966, I would say.
My father and his brother who lived in the United States, they didn’t know about that since they lost connection at the end of World War II. They found each other through the Red Cross, and my parents began traveling to Poland for family reunions and, pretty much right away, for special medical treatments for my mother because she had a very weak heart. They would go not for a couple of weeks or so, but for months at a time. The first time was for six months.
What was interesting about that was that my older sisters were out of the house, so I was left to manage on my own. I became the king of the house, which is very unusual for a young guy or teenager in the Soviet Union to have his own place. The result of that was that my friends and I started having parties, drinking, and inviting some girlfriends. It was fun and games, as teenage years often are, due to the circumstances.
Very soon, I started receiving items from my parents when they would come back or even from Poland. They would send packages from the United States from my uncle, things that were not available in the Soviet Union. I was able to resell them and make extra money, which led to more parties and more fun.
In addition to that, I got involved in what was called the black market, meaning I would go to the port of Rīga, which was a big port in the country, and meet foreign sailors to buy some items from them and then resell them for a serious income. It was dangerous, but you know, money doesn’t just fall from the trees or the sky. That’s how it was going on for quite some time.
A few years later, I met a lady, and we fell in love. We got married, and in 1971, my daughter was born. Her name is Gabriela.
About a year or two later, something happened: certain minority groups in the Soviet Union were allowed to immigrate. My parents had already left in 1972; by the end of ’72, they were on their way to the United States, more precisely to Miami Beach, because my uncle had retired there. Luckily, that happened because when I eventually came to Miami Beach, I’m jumping ahead, I loved it. It was so different from Rīga in many ways, not only because it’s a different country, but also because Miami Beach is something very different from the rest of the United States.
I was really inclined and ready to leave, and I started making preparations. However, my wife at the time was not interested in leaving her mother country and her extended family, so we got divorced. By the end of ’73, I had a visa and was ready to go. I left in the early days of January, taking a train from the Soviet Union to Austria, and then from Austria to Rome, Italy, where I spent two and a half months processing my documents and all of that. It was interesting, but with no money and no language skills, it was difficult to communicate, which made things complicated during transit.
I was 25 years old at that time, and I thought that was a good chunk of my life. That’s why I always say my life, at least my second life, started when the plane from Rome arrived in Miami. My parents met me at the airport, and we got into a taxi, riding to Miami Beach. I made two observations during that trip from the airport to Miami Beach that have stuck in my mind forever.
The first was that when I got on the plane in Rome, I was wearing a wool suit, a wool sweater, and a very warm undershirt. By the time the taxi arrived in Miami Beach, I was sitting there in just a T-shirt.

Because in early April, you know, it’s 80°F or whatever it is; it’s hot, it’s warm, no wool clothes are allowed. So that’s one thing. The other thing is that we took the McCarter Causeway; I learned that name later. We were going along, and in the middle of the causeway, I saw a big sign that said, “Welcome to Miami Beach: Year-Round Vacation Land”. I understood that, and if I spoke enough English, I thought, “Oh, that must be true! How nice, Year-Round Vacation Land”. I remember that, and I tried to get a minute, an hour, or a day as often as possible to stick to that principle of Year-Round Vacation Land here. But, you know, it’s not so simple; you need to start living a different life.
Very early on, I realized that without serious knowledge of the English language, you’re not going to get very far. So I started taking some classes here and there, and I began working low-level jobs to make some money. I got my first car and learned how to drive, moving around town. After maybe a year and a half, I knew enough English, so I started looking for a job. I got into driving a taxi, but at the same time, I thought that wasn’t enough English for me. I managed to get into an Intensive English Program at the University of Miami. I had a car, so I could drive; this was maybe six or seven months after I came here.
I went five days a week for five hours a day for about four to four and a half months. It was an excellent program designed for foreigners who were interested in attending American universities afterward. Even though it wasn’t easy with time and everything, it was an excellent program. I was driving a taxi at night and going to school during the day.
Then I stopped driving a cab and got to work at a brand-new luxury high-rise condo in Miami. I was working in the health club there as a spa attendant. I don’t know what moved me to do that, but it was good. There were very fancy patrons who came from the building, and I learned how to communicate with that kind of crowd. From there on, I thought, “Wait a second, let me see if I can learn some kind of skill that would help me get a professional job”.
About a year and a half after I came to the country, I went to trade school and studied massage therapy to become a massage therapist. It was a year-long program. I found it interesting because I had been a professional athlete in Latvia and had received specific treatment therapies in preparation for big tournaments, which were only for elite athletes. I remember the quality of those treatments was pretty good, so I was able to incorporate that with what I learned at massage school.
When I graduated, I started working here and there in different clubs on my own. It was interesting, and it seemed like I was pretty good based on the responses from those with whom I worked. They told me I had special skills in the field.
And then one day, a friend of mine from massage school called me because he had so much work he couldn’t manage alone. He asked if I could help him at the place he was working, which was called Doral Country Club. It was a unique luxury boutique hotel for people from around the world who loved golf. They came especially during the winter season, which is from October to April, and they would stay for several weeks to play golf.
The spa there was run-down but functional. Sometimes, when my friend would take time off, I would be there working by myself. Luckily, one day, the owner of the hotel, a very wealthy family from New York that owned a few hotels in Miami and Miami Beach, came to the spa to get a massage. I didn’t know who he was, so I did my regular routine, taking care of the place and the people there. When you’re alone in a spa, the quality of service is particularly important.
The next day, I received a call from the general manager of the hotel, who said, “Look, we want to offer you the opportunity to take over this business. You will be in charge”.
I guess the owner really liked what I did and how I did it, so of course, I said yes. I was looking for more work, but I mentioned that the place didn’t look very good. They said, “No, no, don’t worry about it; we are going to fix it up”. So, they closed it for a few weeks, made improvements, and I became the boss, it was my own business.
That was about six years after I came here. I went through different experiences as far as work and other things, but now I had my own business. I hired people, and during the winter, I worked my ass off, seven days a week, long hours. But it was great! I was making very good money and met interesting people from around the world who came to play golf.
In the summer, I would take off for a couple of months since there was nothing to do. I used the steam room almost every day; that became a part of my life. I played tennis there and enjoyed great facilities, including a very large pool that was not only for the guests. They provided me with a lot of perks, and I did the very best I could. I guess the guests loved it, management loved it, and I loved it. What could be better?
At some point in 1979, I felt like I wanted to get some more education, so I started taking full-time courses at Miami Dade College, which I finished in two years. I was working at Doral Country Club during the day, and you know, here in the States, you can take courses whenever you have time.
Still, you know, I was living alone, going out, and enjoying jazz and healthy eating. Because of my background from 1977 and what I learned about the human body, I became a very strict vegetarian, eating seafood as well, but no junk, no butter, and no sugar. Of course, it was an important change in my life because it helped me to, well, not right away, but very soon to feel great, to feel that I am okay today and I will be okay tomorrow. And 47 years later, I continue with the same lifestyle, and I keep my fingers crossed and only thank myself for that.
Then I have to say that sometime in the early 1980s, I was already attending Miami Dade College. I was about to start that business at Doral, but my mother got sick with her heart condition, and in September of 1980, she passed away. However, she knew I was no longer driving a taxi, and she was very happy about that, that I was going to school and that I was getting into business. Of course, it was a difficult experience because I was living with her, and my parents had divorced after 40-some years of living together.
It happens; life goes on. I have to say that many times. Then, sometime in 1985, I thought, “Let me see if I could organize a trip,” and I did. I got a tourist visa and went back to Russia to see my family, to spend time, and to reconnect with my daughter. By the way, from the time that I left, I had been providing some financial help for her. But when I came to the USSR, the rules and everything felt so different because I was no longer a Russian citizen; in my head, I was an American all the way. It was strange for me to have that feeling coming back there.
You know, it was almost three weeks, but the experience of seeing my family was still very rough. Everything was different, and I realized that it was not the same as it used to be. I have to say, anyway, around the same time in 1985, my father, who was my only living relative here, really, because I didn’t get along with my uncle, was diagnosed with cancer. I was the only one to take care of him.
But prior to that, when I graduated from Miami Dade, I thought that wasn’t enough, so I went to the University of Miami to study political science and world history because I liked those subjects. I thought that one day, when I graduated, I would go to law school and get involved in international law. However, that would require me to move out of Miami Beach because there weren’t really any top law schools there. I graduated with almost the highest honors, so I thought I would get into one of those schools because I spoke both Russian and English and graduated well.
But I really liked Miami Beach, so I wasn’t super anxious to leave. Anyway, my father got sick and passed away a couple of years later. While I was taking care of him, there was no way I would leave Miami Beach, so law school had to be put not even on the back burner, but completely out of my mind. That’s how life was going on, it was some fun and games, some short-term and long-term girlfriends. I was living here by myself and pretty much enjoying a healthy life. I was very much into playing tennis, swimming, and eating healthily.
Miami Beach in the summer can be very difficult, but you know, it’s all air-conditioned, cars and everything. In what they call winter, there’s never snow; it never really gets cold, so you don’t need a fur coat or anything like that. It’s an interesting life, but sometimes I think…
In 1990, I met a Puerto Rican woman. Well, she was born in Ohio, and we got along well and soon started living together. It wasn’t easy; Puerto Rican women can be tough. But look, life goes on, and we are still together after 25 years.
Also, sometime in the early 1990s, the Soviet Union fell apart, no more communism, nothing like that. All those countries became independent, and my daughter, who was about 23 in 1994, came to live with me. I was able to get her a green card so she could start her life in the U.S. because she didn’t have anything other than her family and no future in Latvia.
When she came, we were living together, and she got a job in a restaurant. She learned some special skills, like being an assistant chef, and she was not bad at that at all. She also learned some English, but other than working, all she wanted to do was drink and party, which was not okay with me. This created some difficulties between us.
Truly, after a year and a half, she had to pack her bags and move back, not to the USSR anymore, but back to Latvia. She had a tough time there and didn’t come back for 10 years, which meant that she lost her green card. It was very sad, but our relationship became sour and nonexistent for a long time.
Then I have to say that what I was doing was that the new owners of Doral, the Young family, decided they wanted to build a huge, very luxurious hotel with its own spa. They would operate it and make all the money, unlike what I was doing before. It was my own business, and it was great, financially great too. I made quite a bit of money, was able to live well, and even put quite a bit of money away.
However, when they built their own hotel, I said no; I didn’t want to work for anybody. I started working for different medical doctors, including orthopedics, doing physical therapy. I was not licensed, but I had the knowledge, and under their umbrella, I could do that. I worked not only in their offices but also with their patients at home, which meant cash, good money again, and some satisfaction from helping people get well. I did that for about 10 years or so.
By 2010, things became very difficult because not only the doctors where I worked but also other doctors realized that they could make more money from Medicare and similar programs by charging for physical therapy and everything else. Of course, they had to use licensed professionals, and I wasn’t one of them. I think their desire to make money drove this change, and so that chapter of my career was coming to an end.
I started investing some money in fixing up old properties, buying them, renovating them, and renting them out. In 2015, I officially became a “retired” citizen of Miami Beach. I mean, I’m joking, but I did retire a couple of years earlier.
Because of my background, I created a very healthy drink based on ginger and a few other nutritious ingredients, with ginger being the main component. By chance, I met a guy who was very knowledgeable in the beverage business, and he helped me. We created a company and started the production of my drink called Gingerona.
In early February of 2014, I became a salesman, marketing agent, and delivery guy, all the roles that needed to be filled, because it was a small company, and the owner didn’t want to spend much money. That became a problem later. I did everything; I was traveling around Florida and beyond, visiting big stores and doing demos. I enjoyed it.
There is no money when you first get into a business like that; it takes years to see a profit. But I drove around and met a lot of people in those health stores. They were looking for something to help them in their quest for a healthy life, and I enjoyed teaching them. I explained that it’s not only what you eat but also what you drink. Although I also drink wine and beer, only with dinner, for many years, I avoided junk food. I was happy to explain to them why Gingerona is number one for their well-being.
I saw people of different ages buying it and then buying it again. We were also selling on Amazon, which was cool. The only issue was that there was no money, and my partner was too difficult to work with. I eventually got another person involved, but by somewhere around 2019, we ran into some production problems and had to change the place where we made the drink.
And then COVID-19, the pandemic, came, and we were out of business, and still are out of business, I have to say. But recently, I have been looking for all-organic ingredients for glass bottles and thinking that we can restart making different products based on Gingerona, which I still don’t see anything equal to in the American market or in any health food stores. So let’s see what happens with this.
Recently, because of my perseverance, maybe luck, I don’t know why or how it happened, I was able to get approval for my daughter’s immigration visa, and now she’s waiting for her visa at the U.S. Embassy for her green card. Maybe she will be able to come whenever she wants to, which is unheard of, to get a green card a second time. Now she has a very good business where she lives, but we’ll see when she comes. I’m hoping for that, and she’s hoping for that too, without any trouble to be able to come to the United States for as long as she wants.
We’ll see, and that’s how my life is proceeding now. I spend more time trying to find rundown properties, buying them, fixing them up, and selling them, no more hassles with tenants and all that. I’m getting too old for that. But look, life is, after all, a mix of pluses and minuses. Life is good, especially here in Miami Beach.
I want to thank you and wish all of you good luck. God bless the United States. Thank you!

*The term “Immimentary” is a combination of words “immigrant” and “documentary”.
IMMIMENTARY is a film production company and a series of documentaries that feature interviews with immigrants from all walks of life. Stories told by the immigrants themselves.