From New Yorker to New York City
Only we ourselves create our own lives, and it depends only on us how our day will go, where we will be tomorrow and where we were yesterday. We are our own best friends and our fiercest enemies — when we ourselves stand in the way of our unattainable, as it sometimes seems, dreams. But can fear really be stronger than all your cherished desires, the scenarios in your head before sleep, your boundless dreams? That is what I thought about when I hesitated to sit down and write this story and kept putting it off. Yet here it is, the chance you have longed for. What are you waiting for? But if you are reading this now, then apparently I decided to. What pushed me to this?
Of course, not even trying to take part, to test your luck and fortune, would be foolish. Just as adults keep their untouched, expensive crystal in china cabinets at home, I keep all the pictures, songs, acquaintances' stories, YouTube videos, blogs and articles related to this dream, or rather to this goal. It all started in school, but not immediately.
I have been learning English since first grade. My earliest memories from school English lessons are our teacher, Lyudmila Nikolaevna, turning on some recording on the tape recorder, reading a horoscope from the penultimate page of Cosmopolitan magazine, or giving the assignment to read a text and going to the cafeteria to drink coffee with a bun. Then came tenses, constructions, articles, prepositions, "London is the capital of Great Britain" and all that. I really didn't want to attend the lessons at all, and seeing this subject on the schedule would make me break out in a cold sweat and get goosebumps. The lesson itself felt like an eternity when you try to figure out which sentence you'll get, and nervously watch the clock. From childhood my parents opened up the world to me, thanks to travels and more, they talked about the importance of learning languages, helped and supported me on this path. That's why in school they enrolled me in courses and hired tutors. My older sister, who has always been a role model, helped and motivated me to study through her love of foreign music. But my true desire and drive — when you do it not because it's the right thing to do, or to avoid disappointing someone — appeared in 8th grade. When I accidentally came across Marie Novosad's YouTube channel. This girl went to America on a student exchange program and filmed daily vlogs about her life. She showed everything: Americans, studying, dorm life, stores, nature, etc. In short, American life like from those TV shows/movies on Jetix, Disney, Nickelodeon. Each video was filled with such a new and unexplored atmosphere that I felt like leaping from the emotions that overwhelmed me. I retold her videos to my mother and friends, rewatched them. I realized that I want the same; I don't want just to watch someone else's life, I want to live those situations myself, see those cities, talk to people. Thanks to that, I started looking for various programs available for my country. And I came across the "Work and Travel USA" program, studied the requirements and started searching for even more information. I subscribed to all possible blogs and channels of students who had participated in this program and shared their experiences. Back then I was in 10th grade and I understood that all I could do at the moment was: study English, enter university, try working in the service sector in my country, hang a picture with a view of New York City above my bed and not stop dreaming.
Now I am 19 years old, I am in my third year at the Minsk State Linguistic University, studying English and Spanish, and I work part-time as a sales consultant at the New Yorker store. (By the way, I haven't introduced myself — my name is Nadya. Now that you have a little idea about me, you'll definitely remember me). It's hard for me to say whether all this happened on purpose or by chance, but I like where I am now and what I do. On one of my very first workdays, when I was folding white T-shirts with the red inscription "Los Angeles", Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' song "Empire State of Mind" started to play. And then a feeling arose inside my chest that's hard to describe, but I'm sure everyone will understand. Some unexpected rush of emotion, as if I somersaulted inside, everything flipped for a moment. I thought that during the upcoming year of working in this store, folding
T-shirts, jackets, shorts with the names of American cities, the power of visualization (if it exists, and it really does) will definitely work. I don't know when exactly it will happen, but it will happen — I will see America and visit those cities! I even have a picture in my head: I'm standing at Times Square in New York, that very Jay-Z song about the city is playing in my headphones, there are lots of ads and people taking photos, and I am standing stunned that I am here and it's not a dream. How it will really be I don't know, but most often that's the kind of reaction my acquaintances who have been to America describe.)
The Work and Travel program is a program that annually allows tens of thousands of students from different countries to spend several months in the USA during the summer vacation period. Participants in the program are allowed to work and travel across the country. It's an enormous opportunity and an experience that you will remember for life, stories you will tell breathlessly with a smile on your face. Real practice of English, real language. This is not PUPR (practice of oral and written speech) at university, where you speak with a teacher but subconsciously understand that in any case you will be understood and can switch to your native language. It's an opportunity to make interesting acquaintances, ask the questions that interest you, see a completely different world, and form your own opinion. In one summer you can live a new life or several lives. I spoke with a large number of participants in this program. Everyone has different stories, experiences, problems, situations, advice, but everyone has emotions and memories. No one regrets participating. I am sure that travel makes our lives brighter because it gives us emotions. Not always positive ones, but how to react to them is for you alone to decide.
On the way to your dream you face certain difficulties. Obtaining a visa, finances, university exams, fear of making mistakes, the language barrier, realizing your independence and adulthood — all of this is not easy, energy-consuming and sometimes seems impossible. But if you imagine that these are just levels in a game that you need to pass to get to a new level and so on up to the "boss", it becomes much easier and more fun.
When I first started writing this story "A Story about youth travel and student exchange programs — now and in the future",
I had only a vague idea of what I could write to fill three full pages. But all the advice from the Internet about "The main thing is to start!" works, especially when you have something to say. Right now the clock says 4:08 on December 19, 2022, you could say I'm jumping onto the last train, finishing this story. But if this is your train, there will definitely be a seat for you by the window. Regardless of the outcome I am already glad that I was able to do it, to overcome some of my inner hang-ups, to realize my desires, to analyze my experience and path. Imagining in your mind that your wish can come true. Your psyche or brain, I don't know which exactly, starts to imagine problems, bad situations, failures. But when the desire is stronger than the possible upcoming difficulties, all that moves to the background. It's time to take the goblets, tea sets, tablecloths and towels out of the china cabinet that have been lying there for a thousand years for some special occasion. Because the special occasion will never come if you don't make it happen right now. In my essay-story I tried to explore the topic "Why I decided to participate in the program." I hope I succeeded and that you read to the end. Thank you for this opportunity!
Thank you for your attention to my letter.
Kutuzova Nadezhda
Dmitrievna
Email.com: tubezelka@gmail.com