In the autumn of 2021 the phrase work and travel began to be heard more and more in my circle. Moreover, I began to hear this phrase from people who were completely unfamiliar with one another. And everyone said the same things, like: "Oh how cool", "You absolutely must go" and mixed — "How great it would be if we went." Naturally, my environment began to influence me; of course I had always been not against and even in favor of traveling, but when, so to speak, they trumpet it at you from the right and the left, you understand that the thought has deeply taken root in your head and now you have to live with it.

I remember the first time I heard about the opportunity to travel to America. In the summer of 2021 my friend Tanya and I were accepted as volunteers to the closed festival "Tavrida.ART", which takes place in Crimea. We submitted applications on the last day of registration and were not at all sure we would be accepted. But everything turned out in our favor: they bought us round-trip tickets, picked us up from the airport in a branded bus, settled us in cabins and fed us well. A pleasant bonus was that the venue was located in the immediate vicinity of the Black Sea. Flying out of freezing Petersburg, the thought warmed me that we were flying to hot sun, warm water and extending our vacation for another half month.

As soon as we landed and got our luggage, Tanya and I saw familiar faces. They were two girls from our faculty, but from the neighboring group. And as often happens at university — we knew them by sight, often crossed paths, but were not acquainted. That's when we met, learned about each other and realized we were going to the same place. And from the very first minutes we became inseparable. Every day we went to the sea, sometimes more than once, we danced and sang at concerts and beyond, we wandered whole nights and watched the sunrise, and on the last evening we were allowed off the grounds to go to the nearest town, Sudak. We caught a ride with a wonderful grandfather behind the wheel (we were lucky that he had a minibus that fit us all) and drove along beautiful mountain roads to the town. We walked along the main streets, bought Crimean sweets and souvenirs to take home, and before returning I even managed to get lost because Russian mobile service does not work in Crimea. And we were always together. To meet guys from my own university I only had to go to the other end of Russia.

And it was with these girls that the conversation about WAT came up for the first time. We were walking somewhere and the topic of such an opportunity came up. The conversation was not about plans for the next year, but rather about opportunities available to students which exist, but to take advantage of them one needs to put in effort, due to which such opportunities are usually abandoned.

Returning home, without even noticing it, I began discussing this topic with everyone: parents, relatives and friends. Many knew about such a program, but I didn't see anyone willing to do anything to make the program a reality. And only my best friend, when I started talking to him about WAT, said that he had already been dealing with this matter since August and wanted to go the following summer. That conversation stuck with me emotionally. First, talking about America became an everyday conversation for me, like "how are you?, so, are we going to America?" But that conversation had never turned into action. My friend's name is Vlad Kirichenko.

So Vlad watched all kinds of videos and recommendations for the trip, took part in calls with the program leaders. I just sat and didn't understand where and how one could find such a large sum, not only for me, but for my whole family.

November 2021 came — it was time to apply for the program and, accordingly, to talk to my parents about the fact that "remember, I told you about the opportunity, now I want to take advantage of it." And that "remember" became the longest, heaviest and, most importantly, saddest conversation of my life. They wouldn't let me go. More precisely, my dad let me go, understanding the grandeur of the trip. Mom also understood, but couldn't let go. And we came to the conclusion — I would go the next year.

So I promised myself that next year I would definitely, no matter what, despite everything and one hundred percent go to America, but for now I would put this thought on the back burner, save money and enjoy life in Russia.

I only managed to do one thing with that plan — enjoy life in Russia. The money — I happily spent on trips around Russia (I flew to the Caucasus and visited six large cities). I also couldn't postpone the thought for a long time, because I always wanted to think and imagine: how incredible it would be to leave home for four months, to go not to some nearby city or country, but to the other side of the world. How unusual and new it would generally be to live without parental supervision. To live in a completely unfamiliar new place where there isn't a hint of a familiar turn, alley or house. To live among people who don't know a single word of your language, to explain yourself to them and laugh that we don't understand each other.

I have always loved speaking English, for example speaking with my family all day only by English. For me it always feels like a game, the brain immediately begins to work differently, processing unfamiliar sets of sounds into meaning, and if you don't know or don't remember the meaning — you make it up or explain yourself with gestures like a primitive person. And to speak like that for four months straight — I would probably forget my native language altogether and even start thinking in English.

I really want to confirm or refute a bunch of stereotypes about America. Its police, noisy and active cities, always friendly and responsive people, and just to visit a bunch of places you know from movies, games and books.

Basketball is also very developed in the USA. If I'm not mistaken, America is the home of basketball. In films I often saw American teenagers gathering on a court with two hoops and throwing balls for hours. And I imagine: summer, a little breeze from the ocean, certainly warm, a purely American neighborhood with small houses, maybe a little like a ghetto, and a basketball court with kids. I approach them, we start to play, slowly we begin to talk and so I find real American buddies, teach them funny Russian words, give souvenirs from Russia. And not necessarily with Americans — with fellow WAT guys as well, exchanging stories and experiences with whom you gain ideas about other cultures from around the world. In general, having acquaintances spread across the globe is an item I want to fulfill in my life.

These are the kinds of images that began to flash through my head from the moment I became acquainted with the essence of the work and travel program. Vlad, who flew to the USA in the summer and told where he had been, what he had seen, what he had tried, also instigated these thoughts, and everything was interesting because everything was new and unusual.

It is now December 2022, I am combining work with study, and I have paid the first installment myself. The journey has begun...

P. S. I haven't figured out how to add to my story the topic about exchange programs in the future, but I want to talk about it.

I have two points of view on this matter. First: I hope that in the near future exchange programs as such will not exist. And this is not because I hate these companies, they look strange, and who needs them anyway. NO! They will not exist because all borders will be open. Of course I want them to be opened by peaceful agreement, not by one country conquering the whole world. So that to go to America you will only need to buy a ticket, that's all. It will be as simple as flying now from Saint Petersburg to Moscow, only a bit more expensive because of the distance.

The second point of view stems from the thought that if gold were accessible to everyone, it would be devalued like an ordinary stone from asphalt. If it were that easy to fly to the USA, half of Russia's population would have visited the States before reaching adulthood, remembering and feeling nothing, and the other half would fly there to live forever. And the sweet feeling, that incredible sense of achieving the impossible, which arises when you sit on the plane, watch the second film in a row and realize you've already flown half the way to that country, would certainly be lost.