Somewhere out there, far, far away on the boundless expanses of the Universe there is a special place where dreams are born, which, when they ignite, like stars, illuminate our life paths and sometimes even in the toughest moments give us strength – and sooner or later they come true. And when your dream comes true, it is comparable to the coolness of rain in the middle of an endless scorching desert.
Allow me now to tell you about my dreams, dear friend :)
Until Christmas there were only a few hours left. I, being a little five-year-old boy wrapped in an enormous, yet very roomy and soft pajama that served as protection against the treacherous cold, was sitting by the sparkling Christmas tree on a fluffy rug strewn with soft toys. The light from the fireplace slowly spread along the walls, leaving a mysterious trace, the air was filled with the scent of a fresh fir mixed with tangerines and candies, outside a blizzard whistled cheerfully, and from the kitchen came the aroma of my mother's freshly baked oatmeal cookies and hot cocoa with milk – all this created the atmosphere of real magic, that holiday which, like the striking of the clock, made my little heart beat faster and faster with extraordinary joy.
That evening, after watching "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," a huge dream lit up in my little heart to visit the place where people live in countless skyscrapers above the clouds, where the streets, full of shop windows of cozy souvenir and toy stores, glitter with millions of lights, where you can hear all the languages of the world and feel the goosebumps running across your skin standing on top of the Empire State Building in the very heart of the Big
Apple – majestic and so alluring New York!
Sometimes something distant and unknown seems to us unattainable, and yet the Universe is arranged in such a way that any sincere wish will eventually find its ship in the Bay of Dreams and along the Starry
River will find its way to you.
Now it is hard for me to believe that it was already two years ago that I first learned about the program from my friend and decided, casting aside all fear and doubt, to trust my heart and cross the ocean to make that brightest dream come true, the one that had been burning in the heart of a five-year-old child for almost fourteen years! And, you know, the realization that so many years of waiting and constant longing are about to come true makes your heart beat faster, and the skin repeatedly gets goosebumps in anticipation of what lies ahead – words in the whole world are not enough to describe the feelings I experienced at that moment.
And now for the second time fate has arranged it so that I am flying again on steel wings across the entire Atlantic Ocean to meet the city that has forever left its fiery mark in my soul, which will warm me even in the coldest winter and fiercest frost, which will remind me only that any wish will sooner or later come true, because it has to be so. And your dream, my dear friend reading this story, will come true any moment now!
Flying over the expanses of snowy Norway
After 10 hours the captain announced readiness to descend in 15 minutes, and immediately my heart began to beat faster, because it knew that in a few moments I would see again those places that had already become dear. We begin descent. Sun rays pierce the clouds like arrows, below us an endless blue ocean, along which yachts with captains glide, and in the distance he appeared, majestic New York with its endless skyscrapers that seem to reach for the sun, striving to soar to the stars.
Hello, lovely New York, I’ve missed you so much! :)
This time the language barrier was many times easier:
last year's practice was simply crazy, so now I started a conversation with strangers without difficulty when I needed help.
And now I rush on the express to Manhattan through the endless subway tunnels, to 44 East, not far from Times Square, from where a bus should pick me up to the final destination: my beloved Greenport, located in the state of New York, where I worked last summer. After grabbing my favorite cheese pizza, which, by the way, is simply unreal in taste, and also very cheap, only 99 cents, which automatically puts it on the Must
Try
List!
After a hearty snack I jumped on the bus and raced towards my dreams. Such a short meeting, New York, but soon we will see each other again!
Hello again, Greenport!
Upon arrival I was very warmly welcomed by my dear friends. How I missed you all!
It is hard to convey in words the joy I felt at that moment. Having seen everyone and after a veeeery hearty dinner, I headed towards my home and, arriving there, the guys decided to throw a party in honor of my arrival! I met new people who are truly incredible! Radvile, if you are reading this, know that you are one of the coolest girls I have ever met! :) It was a very warm and at the same time crazy evening, full of adventures. It was time to go to sleep, and believe it or not, as I was falling asleep I felt the warmth of home comfort, so familiar and close that it seemed as if I had never left. It was hard to believe that a whole year had passed. And here I am again.
This is how a warm sunset welcomes me in Greenport :)
Walking through the backstreets
And time keeps flying like a rocket :) Day after day we spent time together with the guys, becoming closer and closer to each other, like a family, a single whole. Endless beach barbecues by the ocean under the starry sky, music, karaoke nights, trips together, ups and downs – we were always together and even now, being far from each other, we are all until the end of days connected by an invisible thread that cannot be torn. Almost all of us were from different countries, spoke different languages, and yet we were united by that inner fire that once ignited a dream in us and gave us the courage to follow it.
With my American family
Watching the sunset on the shore of Rocky Point beach
After a hard day's work we share the night looking at our dreams
This summer was extraordinary! I felt what it means to be a yacht captain, thanks to my friend Robin! We saw the endless ocean waters where a pink sunset shimmered, we were blown by a warm salty sea breeze, and high in the sky the stars were our guides. My friends and I crossed an entire state by ferry to reach Boston, which simply captivated our hearts. My childhood dream to visit Harvard finally came true. Boston, you are simply unreal, thank you! I visited
New York many times, as I promised. This time there was no place I did not visit :)
The grandeur of Boston's skyscrapers is impressive
Somewhere on the streets of Boston
A walk in the yard of legendary
Harvard! So happy to finally see it in person!
The famous city library in Boston looks more like Hogwarts
We stood at cloud level
For the first time in my life I attended a Mets baseball game.
Adrenaline, drive and genuine emotions. Simply indescribable feelings!
Exploring the expanses of New York
I am always hungry for adventures. And this year I decided to fulfill my long-standing dream: to see the Grand Canyon. Gathering my courage and preparing mentally for the trials that awaited me on the way to this Wonder of the World, I found a group of fellow adventurers like me, and together, after buying plane tickets, we agreed to meet at our starting point – Las Vegas.
Early in the morning at the end of August I was already on the bus to
New York. After grabbing a snack at Starbucks on Times Square, with Jay Z feat Alicia Keys – New York in my headphones I headed to the bus that would take me to Queens – one of the main boroughs of the city where the La Guardia airport I needed was located. The trip was not easy, and after 4 hours on the road (Because New York is just huge!) I was already sitting in the airport waiting to board my flight. Boarding was announced for my flight New York
– Detroit – Las Vegas!
3-2-1.
We take off! Five and a half hours of waiting and conversations with my new friend from Turkey named Sal, who lives in New York and works there as a firefighter and once saved the life of a mother and a child while on duty. For such people you always want to say thank you simply for existing and for what they do for us. Conversations make time fly, and now our plane was approaching its destination. The endless green plains, cliffs, lakes and rivers that we had seen in New York and other states were no longer visible. All of this was replaced by endless sands of a majestic and wise desert, adorned with rocks, hills and mountains, rising like guardians of calm amid all that composure and order.
Hello, crazy Las Vegas!
If I were asked to name the craziest and at the same time unreal city, my choice would definitely be Las Vegas! Already at the airport we meet what this Sin City is famous for: casinos. They are everywhere, absolutely everywhere. A casino is the first thing you will see in Las Vegas even while still in the airport. The energy of the city is simply cosmic! I don't know what it's connected to: whether it's the heat of +35
Celsius, or whether the place is truly charged with people's emotions, endless drive and the desire to live this life :) At the airport I met the guys with whom I was to spend the next week on a trip through the wild West.
After getting to our hotel, the first thing we did was rush out to explore despite the wild fatigue after the flight. When you see all these places that you used to see only in films, your eyes ignite with fire and dart in different directions! Everything shines everywhere, musical bands on the streets perform AC/DC's "Shook Me All Night Long", people fly right above us on attractions, someone relaxes after a hard day's work with a strong drink at the bar counter in the company of attractive girls, and someone stages their own shows for an insatiable audience. A crazy and at the same time incredible city.
Fremont Street in all its glory
The Strip deserves special attention. Getting to the Strip is like diving at the same time into France, Italy, Egypt, old-school New York and many other places on our planet at once! While traveling here, be sure to visit the Bellagio fountains. When I first saw and heard them, I felt that pleasant tremor through my body. Another dream from my
Wish Diary came true.
The "Pink Flamingo" hotel
A piece of France in the middle of the desert
A mix of beauty and madness, unreal daytime heat and pleasant coolness at night, endless parties until morning, hundreds of thousands of people, casinos, slot machines, expensive cars, indescribable architecture of hotels on the
Strip, the beauty of the Bellagio fountains, the madness of Fremont Street with its fiery concerts and shows, magicians and artists, as well as night fire shows – this is what Las Vegas is, the real one, as we see it in films!
Definitely a must see!
Me and my dear friends :) I miss you!
I even managed to be a model for a shoot in Las Vegas
Behind me is the Bellagio hotel with its world-famous fountains
Our travel team moves on.
It's time to see your true grandeur, Mr. Grand Canyon!
We raced in two cars through wild deserts, the sun blazed outside the window, a hot wind blew, as if racing us in speed. Oh dear Western Wind! You were always a tailwind for us during this incredible journey! Thank you for that.
Along the way we visited two truly cool places –
Zion National Park and the Valley of Fire! We didn’t stay there long: it was very hot, so after taking over a hundred photos we moved on to our main destination for today :)
After 5 hours the endless deserts changed to rocky terrain covered with trees. The heat receded, and a light coolness arrived. We were approaching it, the majestic Grand Canyon! Damn, how beautiful you are! When you see it in person, it's hard to believe that this is even possible: endless expanse, eagles soaring above it searching for prey and the imperturbable calm and power that this place radiates. Words cannot describe even a hundredth part of the beauty that the Grand Canyon represents. So just look at it and feel it.
Frozen infinity in time
Its grandeur gives you goosebumps
My dear friends and simply unreal cool girls! I miss you both so much :)
Playing Superman. What's your superpower?
I can dream
We spent the whole day at the Canyon and, as much as we wanted to stay there overnight, we had to move on and until next time say goodbye to our new Big Friend :)
Managed to feed a squirrel at the Grand Canyon :)
So, having fed the squirrels and loaded our things into the cars, we moved on, back to Las Vegas to prepare for departure to our next location – Los Angeles!
The road back to Las Vegas was filled with some kind of serenity. At that moment we drove through the endless night Mojave Desert,
Zac Efron's "Rewrite the Stars" was playing in the car and outside the window I saw at once what still appears in my dreams: a night sky studded with hundreds of thousands of bright stars, hundreds of which fall every second, giving everyone who sees them the chance to make as many wishes as they want. Stars. There is always something especially attractive about them, some magic that envelops your mind with its eternal radiance. That night was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life. For such moments that take your breath away you want to live, and dream, and take risks, and try, fall, and try again, regardless of all the obstacles and difficulties that arise on the way, so, my dear friend, when you happen to travel under this magical sky, remember my words and just smile. Let this moment be special for each of us.
The unbelievably beautiful desert of Nevada
And we're on the road again! The endless road is the lot of any traveler, and yet it carries something extraordinary, gives you a taste for life, making it richer and richer each time. The road was fun. Long conversations, snacking on treats, tons of jokes, great music of all genres – all this accompanied us during those many hours we drove through winding mountains on our way to the City of Angels. And finally, the longing of expectation is replaced by delight at the sight of it: the city that holds Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the Walk of Fame, Universal Park, Venice Beach and much more!
Hello, dear Los Angeles!
Arriving where I had wanted to get for so long, the feeling of fatigue disappeared as if by magic :) So the first thing we did was not go to the hotel, but to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Arriving there, the first thing you notice is not the stars, but the countless crowds of tourists. It's no surprise: the place is very popular and is on the Must
See list of every person who visits Los Angeles for the first time.
Next to Muhammad Ali's star
There are many stars! And yet a special place for me, as an athlete, is held by only one star: Muhammad Ali’s star. It was an honor for me to take a photo next to it, because once Ali himself stood on the very spot where I was and touched his star! It should be noted that this is the only star that is not set into the ground but installed on the wall.
After photographing nearly all the stars and checking out all the souvenir shops and a couple of clothing stores, we decided to spend the drying day in a unique place – Griffith Observatory. The view that opens up over night Los Angeles from there is simply indescribable: hundreds of thousands of lights, the towering skyscrapers of Downtown, planes coursing the skies and a starry sky – it's all like a movie, but no, it's really real. Here I am, here, and all of Los Angeles is in the palm of my hand. Dreams come true.
View of night Los Angeles from Griffith Observatory
Moonlight
The night promised to be fun :) Despite the fact that the next morning we had to get up as early as possible because our plans included visiting Universal Park, Hollywood and Santa Monica, we decided to meet with our friends who live in Los Angeles. After relaxing a bit in the jacuzzi in our hotel, we set off to Downtown, to our friends' apartments, while admiring the city's sights. The night was simply on fire!
Real jivers know how to party energetically! :) Guys, thank you so much for your hospitality!
The next morning we went to Hollywood and
Beverly Hills. The places require no extra words: we have known about them since childhood :) But what happened next was simply beyond fantastic. Have you ever dreamed of visiting Hogwarts and diving into the magical world of Harry Potter? Strolling through Hogsmeade? Trying chocolate frogs? Maybe peeking into Ollivanders' wand shop? Or hearing the sound of that very train from platform
"Nine and Three-Quarters"? So, we continue our story.
Universal Park is a place of epic scale not only for children but for adults too. When you get here, your soul seems to become 13 years younger, and you are again a child, full of joy :) The park has absolutely everything, from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Jurassic Park. First thing my friends and I headed to was Hogsmeade – our starting point into the world of Harry Potter.
Entering Hogsmeade, you feel as if in a fairy tale, you can't believe your eyes. Goosebumps run over your body when you hear the sound and then see the real express from platform "Nine and Three-Quarters."
Express to Hogwarts, please? :)
Taverns with magical food are scattered around, shops with chocolate frogs and living newspapers, "Butterbeer" is sold everywhere, children in Hogwarts uniforms run around, waving wands that make objects in certain zones move (This is specially designed for wands) and there, in the distance, looms it, the giant school of witchcraft and wizardry called Hogwarts! Without hesitation, we joined the queue for the world-famous Harry Potter ride.
Thank you for the chance to be in a fairy tale, Work and Travel!
The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hogwarts!
Waiting in line was worth it. Entering the castle, we checked our belongings into a cloakroom on the first floor and set off to explore its depths. Living portraits, wax candles, Albus Dumbledore's office and Albus himself telling us about the castle – it's just fantastic! But what awaited us next exceeded all praise. It was time to ride the attraction. At the entrance to the hall you immediately notice the ceiling: there are thousands of candles flying, just like in the film :) Boys and girls dressed in school uniforms help you sit on the moving seats and prepare for an unforgettable journey. Suddenly Hermione's voice sounds – and you are carried away into an incredible whirlpool of events: dragons, flying on a broom above Hogwarts, a Quidditch match, a Dementor attack, the Forbidden Forest, wind, splashes of water, air, huge moving trees that are about to hit you, spiders – it all feels unreal! You want to ride this attraction again and again! We personally rode it five times in a row – and still want more :)
The trip around Universal Park with the King Kong attraction and Jurassic
Park deserves a separate mention. There is little to say: the special effects are simply insane! Adrenaline just splashes into your blood, especially when you see the battle between a T-Rex and King Kong in their real sizes and feel it all yourself!
During a whole day at Universal we went through practically all the attractions, and yet take note of one tip: come on weekdays when the park is less crowded. Avoid going there on weekends to avoid kilometer-long queues. It's better to overpay for a ticket and buy yourself a VIP pass, thus saving time rather than standing in lines for every attraction :)
Universal gave us simply unforgettable emotions! I felt again like that little boy in a huge pajama that I once was. I am still the same dreamer with incredible plans, only older and with some dreams already fulfilled :)
After the Park, having had a light snack, I drove to Santa Monica beach. To see 2 oceans in one summer? Easy! :) What can I say, my love for beautiful sunsets only grows with the years. How beautiful nature and all that surrounds us is!
My time in Los Angeles was slowly coming to an end. We said goodbye to friends until next time, and I set off on my way. Travels always have surprises. In my case it was that my phone died, and I was completely without communication. My plane flew at night, and it was already evening. There was no joking around. My friends had already left, so I was all alone. But without such trials a trip is not considered a real trip, so you need to show character and act!
True adventures began. Listen to me, friend, if you ever find yourself in the same situation, here's a piece of advice: don't be shy to ask people for help, especially if they are police officers, as I did. The officer listened to me, smiled and kindly began on his phone to explain how to get to the airport. The route was simply huge: 27 miles. 27 miles in a completely unfamiliar city. Without connection. What else do you need for complete happiness? Perhaps a non-working subway line that would take me straight to the destination. All this led to the fact that I had to catch a bus in
Downtown that goes to my airport through one of the most dangerous districts of
Los Angeles: Compton.
I am next to my new friend :)
While I was riding the subway, I met American students. We talked about Belarus and Russia, Europe. There were many questions about our culture and how we live. The guys really want to visit our countries because besides
America they have never seen anything else in their lives. Can you imagine how lucky we are to have the opportunity to get to know another culture?
At one of the subway stations in Los Angeles
Learning about my problem, the guys offered to help, looked for optimal routes on maps and explained how to get there. They got off with me at my station and led me through Downtown toward the bus stop. On the way we met a grandmother named Mary who was also headed to the airport. It was with her that I was to spend the most fascinating and at the same time dangerous 4 hours of my life. Mary and I rode together on the bus to Compton.
Arriving in Compton, you immediately notice how much America is a country of contrasts. If Downtown was neat and tidy, here you see a completely different
America. However, this experience was and remains invaluable to me, especially the feelings after you have been there :) Most of all the reaction of the locals remains in memory when they see me, a guy with a baby-face, and an old lady with a bag calmly walking around Compton where even taxis don't go. For us the evening passed absolutely calmly. The bus to the airport arrived, and half an hour later we were already there. After saying goodbye to Super-Mary, I went to my terminal to wait for the flight to New York with a transfer in Chicago. Wild fatigue was making me sleepy, and at the same time the joy from all that I had been to, who I had met and what I had seen gave me strength and resilience for further trials :)
Bye-bye, LA, see you again soon
A few hours of flight and I'm back in my native
New York. It was late in the evening, and it so happened that I missed my bus to Greenport. I didn't want to stay in a hotel, and the earliest train was at 6 a.m., so I decided not to waste time and do what I simply didn't have time for that year: to go up to the roof of the Empire State Building!
Words here would be superfluous. This beauty simply takes your breath away. The whole city in the palm of your hand. A smile remained on my face for a long time and even now, while I am communicating with you, my dear friend, I am still smiling :)
Somewhere above New York
Smile no matter what!
Seeing New York at night is simply a Must See for every traveler! Don't spare a night in this beautiful city – it will give you unforgettable impressions for many years to come.
Morning came. I am riding the train home to say "goodbye" to my friends, gather my things and walk once more through Greenport, sit on the ocean shore with friends, feel the coolness of the water and stones, the majestic power of the stars and once again remind myself that everything we desire – it will definitely come true, because the Universe is arranged precisely to make a person happy.
America sees me off home with an incredible sunny sunset
Work and travel – is truly a gift from above, a real school of life. It's a chance to see those unexplored distances that lie beyond the horizon. It's a chance to learn a new culture, make countless friends and visit places that many dream of their whole life. After all, seeing thousands and even hundreds of thousands of stars in the night sky over the Mojave Desert is worth discarding doubts and taking a risk, isn't it? So don't be afraid of the unknown. Sometimes you just need to take a risk and throw yourself into this crazy but so exciting whirlpool of life, so that later you can smile standing at the edge of the Grand
Canyon, smile, take a breath and mentally say: "I did it"! Isn't it time to say "Yes!" to your dreams and set out to conquer this world with us?
America, thank you for everything!