The summer of 2017 was my second summer traveling to the wonderful America through the Work and Travel program. Interestingly, every participant in this program has their own unique and unrepeatable experience. Even if you go with a friend to the same place, your perspectives on everything happening around you will be your own, which means your impressions will be different...
In the summer of 2016, I went to the distant but wonderfully beautiful state of Colorado. I don't want to say much about that year's experience because, overall, it wasn't as successful for me as the experience I had this year. On the very first night, when I flew into Denver and headed to my small town in the mountains, the state captivated me with its starry sky. I had never seen such a sky before. And in the morning, just stepping out of my cabin, I saw a picturesque scene: a bright blue sky, fluffy white clouds, a deep blue lake, and majestic mountains surrounding me everywhere. I was absolutely enchanted by this place and would undoubtedly advise everyone to visit it. However, throughout the summer, I realized that while I love nature, I am not ready to endure a long separation from civilization without difficulty.
Yes, I am sure that people fall into two types: those who adore nature and are ready to spend time in it forever, and those who also love nature but, after prolonged contact with it, start missing city life, full of entertainment: cinemas, theaters, cafes, restaurants, pubs, and bars.
Also, I cannot say that I was very lucky with my boss. We often had disagreements because she didn't warn us about our days off in advance and didn't give them to us when we wanted. Housekeeping work is quite difficult, and working without days off was hard; by the middle of the summer, my health had deteriorated (due to an allergy to the chemicals we had to work with). However, our sponsor helped us solve all these issues and problems; they are always in touch, and you shouldn't be afraid to reach out to them.
Another factor of discomfort for me was the lack of social interaction, as only one other J-1 student lived and worked with me—a cheerful Turkish girl named Ayjem. Although we found common ground, we often wanted to spend time in a fun group of people like us. But we couldn't manage that, as we lived far from the nearest town where, by the way, there were many J-1 students. However, we were lucky with our American colleague at work, who turned out to be a wonderful person. This girl was so kind to us; she often drove us to get groceries in her car, invited us to her home, lent me her bicycle for the whole summer, and once, after a hard day at work, she even cooked and brought us pancakes for breakfast! In general, if I talk about the pros of my trip to Colorado, they are two wonderful new friends, the aesthetic pleasure of the beauty of wild nature, and, of course, the improvement of my English, which is undoubtedly important for me as a translator, because during all the time I spent there, I didn't meet a single Russian-speaking person and communicated only in English—what can I say, by the end, I was even thinking in English.
Therefore, I advise you, first of all, to choose states that suit you in all parameters, to choose only the work in your application that you are mentally and physically ready to do all summer, and in case of anything, don't be afraid to ask the sponsor for help in resolving disputes.
Since I was lucky enough to get a visa for the second year in a row and go to a different place, now I have something to compare. And by the way, being an incorrigible optimist, even despite the overall picture of the summer in Colorado, half a year later, I found something positive in that experience that didn't satisfy me. After all, at the embassy interview, the consul said to me, "I'm sorry... that you had a bad experience last summer, I hope that this summer everything will be completely different. I approve your visa!" And he was absolutely right! :)