Say Hello!
I had never been this far from home before. So I was overwhelmed with both joy and a slight fright. I knew that I would definitely get to the States someday, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. It seemed like just recently we and the guys were gathering a huge pile of documents, attending an interview at the embassy in Krakow and buying plane tickets. And now I'm already walking along the beach in Atlantic City, trying to distract myself from not very successful job searches. But now, everything in order.
I had heard about the Work&Travel USA program for a long time, but only seriously considered it last fall when the guys suggested I apply together with them. If, like us, you want to go to the USA with Work&Travel, I advise you to have a substantial amount of money on hand, which, as practice shows, in most cases is returned, and, most importantly, nerves of steel! I know it looks simple from the outside: documents, fees, interview, the coveted visa — and you're on a plane to New York. In reality, finding a job offer, preparing for interviews, the agonizing wait for a response from the sponsor — all of this is not easy at all. In any case, we did it and now we are on the other side of the ocean. Let's go!
New York
Day #1
Our plane landed at John F. Kennedy Airport at 9 p.m. Tired from the flight, we went to find a way to get to the city center. Right from JFK we took the Air Train, a ticket for which costs 5$. But before delivering passengers to the nearest subway station, the Air Train took us around all the terminals of the airport. The ride in the subway cost us 2,50, and thus we reached Queens Plaza station. By the way, in the subway we purchased a special reusable ticket for all types of transport, to which a certain amount is loaded for fares. If you are going to stay in NY for a few days, I advise you to load more than 5$ so you won't waste time in lines later.
The dumbest mistake was going to New York without booking accommodation there in advance and hoping to find something upon arrival. This is not at all like me, because in such cases I am used to thinking through everything in detail beforehand. But this time I hoped everything would work out by itself. As a result, we searched for a hotel for about 2-3 hours, because at 11 p.m. there were no rooms left in hotels. And when we finally found a free room, we faced a new problem: at the reception they asked us for id (passport or another document proving that one of us is 21 years old). As you might have guessed, none of us is twenty-one yet. It was pouring cold rain outside, we didn't even have a chance to change clothes, and the huge suitcases complicated the search for a hotel. In general, somehow a nice girl at the reception took pity on us and let us stay overnight.
And yes, you won't believe it, but the biggest challenge of the day turned out to be trying to take a shower. The room was far from cheap, and the shower was the strangest I have ever seen, because we still couldn't figure out how it works. Or we missed something, I don't even know.
Day #2
Breakfast at the hotel turned out to be very tasty. There was everything I love: yogurts, fruit, omelet, cereal with milk and various drinks. But for the second night we needed to find cheaper accommodation where we would not have to provide id. This time, on the tip from an acquaintance, we went in search of a motel near Brighton Beach. Note: sometimes it's better to take a taxi than to drag huge suitcases in 30-degree heat. Although maybe someone, like us, doesn't look for the easy way.
Thank heaven, we were able to easily find that very motel, which, by the way, also turned out to be not cheap, and check into it, so we immediately threw our things and headed to Times Square.
I can't say that I had many impressions of the city, because we spent very little time there. We walked around Times Square, the streets of Brooklyn, saw the famous Empire State Building, drank a lot of Iced Coffee at the equally famous Starbucks. And yes, in New York you really feel very small, because there are many huge buildings, many people, taxis and noise. There is something unique about it. But more about New York later.
Instagram: 1. View from the airplane window, somewhere over Scandinavia. 2. Times Square. 3. Cozy streets of Brooklyn. 4. The m&m's shop-museum.
Note:
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It's better to book an apartment, hotel room, motel or hostel in advance (Booking.com, airbnb.com).
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Bringing a huge suitcase is quite normal if you plan to get to the desired place by taxi. It's extremely difficult to move around the subway or other public transport with suitcases.
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Don't drag your favorite curling irons, hair dryers, etc. to the USA; appliances here operate on 110V. You can buy a hair dryer locally, and you'll have to buy an adapter to charge laptops, phones and cameras.
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Don't stay in New York too long if you'll have the opportunity to see the city later. In a day and a half there we spent as much money as we spent during a week and a half in Atlantic City. If we had understood this earlier, we would have gone straight to our destination.
To be continued...
(Follow updates on instagram: vicstepanchuk)
