Dreams are reborn from early childhood. I don't even know why, but one of my biggest dreams became visiting America. When people ask me to tell them about my American experience, I never tire of sharing my long, yet instructive story.

As a 6th-grade student, I saw an IEC poster in the city. I tore it off the street, brought it home, and glued photos of former participants who had traveled through the program onto the faces in the poster. Looking at this poster, I always visualized. The dream of visiting America grew every day. A few years later, my cousin went on this program. And I just kept waiting, unable to wait until I became a student. I saw only one path: Work and Travel. I didn't even consider other options.

September 2011... The happy moment finally arrived. I received a grant to study at the Eurasian National University. On September 2nd, arriving at the university, my attention was drawn to an office located across from the bus stop. I had that poster in my bag; opening it, I was very happy that it was the same office. An office that turns dreams into reality. That same day after classes, I went to see them. I remember a green-eyed guy was sitting there. I was ready to register; I had just turned 17 that month. According to the program requirements, you must be of legal age by June. I didn't want to believe it; I asked him to double-check, but it didn't change anything. He said goodbye to me and added that he would be waiting for me next year.

October 2012... I had a friend (not a boyfriend) who also wanted to go on this program. We teamed up and submitted an application. All we needed to find was a Job offer, which at that time seemed very easy. My friend didn't do anything, asking me to make two contracts if I found a job. I had to think for both of us. I started probably a bit too late, which I don't recommend to future participants. I found my first job on the internet from a guy, but his Job offer wasn't confirmed because the employer was Kazakh. They justified it by saying there would be no cultural exchange.

It was already February–March. I also found some girls from Karaganda on the internet. They told me to transfer the full amount, and only then would they start looking. There was no other way out; time was running out. The first offer they found wasn't confirmed, and then one after another, they all failed. On May 30th, she called me and said she had no more offers and none of them were being approved. All those 3 months she had been calming me down with her "It will definitely be confirmed tomorrow." This so-called "friend" refused to continue, wrote a refusal, and went home. I decided not to give up and to go to the end. I was ready to pay even $1000 for an offer, as long as it was confirmed in one day. I found another job, and it was confirmed on June 20th. I waited for my interview date. It was agonizing. Everyone had left; I was the only one left in Astana, waiting from morning till night for any information from the embassy.

July 1, 2013... There were 6 of us. I was the first to go to the consul. And what do you think?! I was refused. Then it turned out that not only I, but all the other 5 were refused as well. All my plans for the summer were tied to America, and then bam, your dream collapses in one day...

Summer 2012... I returned to my hometown. At that time, most of my acquaintances were in the States, and even one acquaintance for whom I had found an offer—strangely enough, he was alone, so I offered him the one I had found. I looked at photos of the girls I knew, since they had suggested going together; I didn't want to change my mind since we had decided to go together with my friend. There are many sad and sorrowful details in this story, but I don't want to focus your attention on all of them, and I don't want to remember them myself. The main thing is that I didn't blame anyone and took it as a test of fate.

After thinking a lot at the end of the summer, while leaving for Astana, I told my parents that I wanted to try one more time, letting them know that this was my last chance. The phrase: "The weak will say 'It wasn't meant to be.' The strong will say 'I'll try again.' And the strongest will say 'I will keep trying until everything is the way I want it'" motivated me. They had doubts because of the lost money, but they still gave their blessing, without even asking where all the money from last time for the Job offers and the program had gone, for which I am immensely grateful to them.

September 2013... Thoughts of choosing another company visited me more than once. My inner voice and intuition told me to go back to IEC. And I was in the office again. I remember Zhuldyz even asked, "Dinara, are you sure?!" At that time, I didn't care if I went alone or with someone...

April 2014... Interview at the embassy at 10 a.m. I was very worried because of the previous refusal. Pulling myself together and not letting my spirits fall, I entered the consul's booth. By the way, I had improved my English by then, passed IELTS, and it was better than before. I clearly understood all the questions and answered specifically and briefly. Of course, he asked me about what happened last year. I explained everything as it was; there were problems with the job, and the interview took place very late. And you know what?! I GOT THE VISA!!! When the consul said: "Ok, your visa is approved," I was on cloud nine with happiness. Outside, tears were already streaming from happiness. This time, no one knew that I had applied again, except for my family. I immediately called my dad, shared the joy, and told him that this time I was definitely going to the USA.

May 29th... Flight at 06:25 a.m. In the summer, I was supposed to complete my internship in Astana for my major. To my happiness, everything worked out successfully, and I left for my dream...

At the US airport at customs control, before they stamp your visa, you have the same interview as at the embassy. I was also worried about this; I thought about it the entire flight. I heard stories that some students were turned back to their country right there. Only after passing through passport control did I realize: NOW I AM IN AMERICA!!!

I am a user of the "Couchsurfing" site. One day before departure, I was looking for people in the city of Sandwich, where my job was actually located. I found one grandfather and wrote to him. I couldn't even imagine that he would answer me. Arriving in New York, I received a message from him. He and his wife were ready to host us for a while. The flight was quite long: Astana – Moscow – New York. Malika from EAGI was with me. From the airport, we started doing everything ourselves, took an Airbus, then the subway to GREYHOUND (US bus station). It was already 14:35. We decided to stay until the evening, bought a ticket for the latest flight to Boston, and went to walk around New York until 10. I couldn't wait to get out and finally see this city of dreams with my own eyes: these yellow taxis, these tall buildings, the crazy rhythm, the crowd of tourists. It was an indescribable feeling. Sleepless and tired, we wandered around the city in search of Wi-Fi; by the way, Wi-Fi is hard to find there. We went to Times Square, sleeping on the go. Only after reaching the public library was I able to get in touch with that grandfather. I wrote about our entire flight and that we were leaving for Boston in the evening. When he wrote that we were probably very tired and hungry, and suggested taking a bus from Boston to the Sagamore stop, and that he would meet us there, I was pleasantly surprised. And unpleasant thoughts, of course, visited me—that a stranger was so kind to me and so worried. As they say, he who doesn't risk doesn't drink champagne. That's the principle I followed. The station workers themselves didn't know about the city of Sandwich; they were surprised and laughed, "Where is that?!" "Is that really the name of the city?!" After figuring it out on the map, we set off. The adventures began: lost tickets, and the bus was already moving. And this is not Kazakhstan, where you can ask the driver to wait. We left at 5 a.m.; I wrote to him that we were coming and would be there around 7. I sent the message too late and early at 4 a.m., thinking he might not read it. At 7 a.m., we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere. No buildings, no one around, and only a "McDonald's" was visible nearby. It was chilly. We didn't know what to do—no internet, no number. We were just about to move towards the "McDonald's" when suddenly a car pulled up. It was him—Bill. He took us to his house. The house was gorgeous, just like in the movies; he introduced us to his wife, Trisha. Finally refreshed, we went to Dunkin Donuts. Our manager advised us to go to Hyannis, a neighboring city. But this Dunkin was small, and they didn't have time to train us. At first, I was against it. But when Bill and Trisha took me there, seeing the city, I agreed to move. Bill and Trisha drove us in their car, showed us the city, and we cooked barbecue and lasagna together. They were very kind. And soon they became my American parents. I started calling them daddy and mommy.

June 4th... I had already started working. At first, it was hard to adapt to the new environment and work. In Hyannis, during the first week, we lived with Spaniards, which an acquaintance had found. The house was very far from work, and the conditions weren't particularly suitable. Before the deadline, we planned to move out, and the third girl was supposed to arrive the next week. And one day I suggested to Malika that we look, knock, and walk through all the houses located near work. We asked our Spanish landlady to drop us off near Dunkin Donuts. We started knocking on all the houses, asking if they had space or if they knew anyone who rented rooms. It was fun. Americans took it all normally; some apologized and offered to come in for tea. If a dog started barking in any house, we immediately ran away, and we didn't plan to live with pets at all. I'm afraid of them. We didn't find anything. We sat down to catch our breath near a service station; suddenly some black man started calling us over. "Hey, listen to me, come here, come here," and he started explaining that he had an apartment, a free pool in the back, PlayStation, laundry, treadmill, internet, and he didn't really rent out rooms, but he needed to consult with his girlfriend. We exchanged numbers; a few hours later he picked us up and showed us the house. We liked everything. The next week we moved in with him and started living with Jamaicans. The rent wasn't very high, compared to and considering our conditions.

Gradually I started getting used to everything, and a desire to find a second job appeared. At Dunkin, I worked from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the rest of the time was free. Dunkin Donuts is a company that sells donuts, coffee, sandwiches, shakes, ice cream, etc. I mainly stood at the cash register. Plus, there were tips.

June 12th... I had a day off. I found out that in the neighboring city of Harwich Port, in the evening, J1 volunteers were organizing a dinner in honor of all international students. All J1 students from all countries came, met each other, played games, prizes were raffled off, there was delicious food, and they talked about road safety rules. It was very fun. In June, they organized two such big dinners. The second time was June 24th; to my happiness, I was off that day too. Americans are a very friendly, smiling, and kind people. I couldn't believe my happiness and that all this was happening to me. At the dinner, I met Catherine and Matt; they helped all students when help was needed, spent time with them, and walked around. They became very close to me and called me their daughter, "Our beautiful daughter." We went to Wrentham Village together (a paradise for shopaholics). At the second dinner, I rode with them to help with the setup and food, and in the van, I met two girls from Aktobe, Sam and June. Those were their American names. It turned out they lived not far from me with Mr. Richard, who had one big and one small dog, and a huge cat. I became friends with them, and they started inviting me over. We cooked beshbarmak and borscht. They locked all three pets in the bathroom when I came over. Soon, Mr. Richard and I became very good friends. At the end of the summer, we went to an outdoor cinema together; it was magical. We still talk on Skype every day; recently he sent me a package.

And at the dinner, we also met Jeff and Denise. And they invited us, Sam and June, to their place. In our city, there was a special free club for students from Russia and Kazakhstan, where you just show your passport. On June 29th, we spent time at the club until 3 a.m., and at 5 a.m. we had to be at the station for the earliest bus to go visit Jeff and Denise in Orleans. They had cool public transport; for $2 you can travel around the entire neighboring city. And so, in 2 hours we arrived; Jeff met us in Orleans and took us to his home in Wellfleet. All the cities, in principle, were not far from each other by car. You can look at the Cape Cod map; I also had no idea where I was going when I was traveling. And when I found out, I was glad that I was lucky enough to come to this historical place, where the first Englishmen settled. They took us to all the historical places of the Cape. We stocked up at the supermarket and went for a picnic in a park in Provincetown. A different atmosphere, beautiful nature, pleasant company. This day is one of the happiest days of the summer...

July 1st. I started my second job at the Stop and Shop supermarket, as a bagger (I put all the purchased products into bags at the checkout, not such a difficult job). I looked for a second job for quite a long time. I looked alone, walked around the shops, and traveled all over the city on a bicycle. I set myself up correctly in the beginning, that I would find a second job near home so that it would be faster to get there and I could sleep 5 minutes longer. I was lucky; I lived 8 minutes (by bike) from home to the first job and 2 minutes from the first job to the second. From 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., the day was packed, except for Tuesday and Friday. Despite all this, often after work, we went out for walks and had fun until late, and in the morning we got up early again for work. But I didn't feel a bit of fatigue. I was happy; I was living in my dream.

As I said, Americans are a kind people, or maybe I only met such ones; I had good human relationships with all the regular customers. I knew all their orders by heart. How much sugar, what flavor. That's how I met Mr. Jim. We also went to neighboring cities; he took me to try shooting at a "Shooting club." A good person, he always liked to joke and every time asked: "Will you come next year?!", "Will you write letters?!" That's how my circle of American friends expanded.

At the second job, there were few Russian speakers; in my shift, there were practically none, which was to my advantage. I could practice my English. I talked with guys from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Jamaica, etc. Working together at the checkout, we got along well with Payden. We were the same age. She worked two jobs; the second job was as a lifeguard at a pond (a small beach). Most people had 2–3 jobs, as I noticed. On weekends, I went to visit her and swim at the same time. Once I asked her what Six Flags was because we had discount coupons for this place at work. A place where adrenaline and a good mood for the whole day are guaranteed. These are roller coasters and attractions. We immediately agreed that we definitely needed to go together.

July 25th... She invited me to visit her home in West Barnstable, and the next day we went to New England. It was awesome. There wasn't a single roller coaster or attraction that we didn't try. I will never forget this day. I still thank her for it.

On weekends, my American parents took me to their place or for lunches and dinners. They took me to Boston twice; the second time we went only to look at universities, like Boston University, MIT, Cambridge, etc. My American daddy was very well-read and smart. He tried to explain everything and tell stories. He repeatedly asked about my impressions of America, about our traditions, and our country; he was very curious and always wanted to know what I didn't like and what I liked in this country. I know I'm writing about many small things; I'm trying to write about the most important moments and am shortening it as much as possible, but I really want to share everything with you. Thank you, IEC, for such an opportunity; I couldn't sit down and start this story, although I kept an electronic diary every day in the States. I photographed everything and every minute. I will be glad if everyone likes my story and it remains in history in honor of the 25th anniversary of IEC. Thoughts of writing a book visited me; I hope I will still carry out this idea, and this will be only a small part of a big story. Now one of my biggest goals is to make a film about this fairy-tale life, which was my dream.

One long-held dream came true: to celebrate an unforgettable birthday in the USA. And so, on September 4th, I celebrated my twentieth birthday in the States. My American parents gave me a dinner at a restaurant in Dennis and a souvenir made by mom herself. For dad's birthday, I made a surprise; I arrived in Sandwich without telling him and gave him our huge photo against the background of the flags of Kazakhstan and the USA. The whole summer was fabulous. All these sensations, the feeling of fear, uncertainty, joy, and happiness. New friends, a different environment. And our Kazakh students often gathered in the evenings, but I'll be honest, I rarely talked and didn't stay long with them. I didn't see any point in coming to the States and talking in my own language. And at Dunkin Donuts, 80% of the students were from Russia and Kazakhstan; there was no practice. And I considered it necessary to communicate more with my American friends. Not a single minute or second was spent in vain. We also gathered with friends from Couchsurfing in cafes, went to listen to live music, and gathered in bars. Charles is my friend whom I also found on Couchsurfing. He had his own farm; he invited us over, and he had a film of Kazakh production that we watched together.

If I talk about my travels, I went to the West with my friend Sam; it wasn't easy for us to decide on this due to the short time—her return ticket was 10 days earlier. We managed to plan everything correctly. And we set off for San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. It was truly an adventure of a lifetime. How we ran through airports, buses, and subways. We bought bus tickets right at Greyhound via the internet (it's much cheaper that way) and asked the station staff to print them for us. In San Francisco, we left my friend's luggage, bought a ticket for 11 p.m., and set off to see the "Golden Gate" bridge; we had no idea how to get there or how to get back to the station, and there was little time left. Despite this, we went. We were afraid that we might be late; we didn't know the bus schedule. But the main thing was that we managed to take photos; we accidentally met an Arab traveler from Dubai. He asked us to take a picture of him, and we were like, "You know, we're in a hurry, we don't have much time." He started asking questions and said that he had a rented car and could gladly drop us off at the right place. If it weren't for him, we would definitely have been late. Since 7 a.m., having eaten nothing, we were terribly hungry; food on the plane wasn't included in the ticket price. There was half an hour left; we were looking for shops, we didn't see anything like that. We ran into a restaurant, apparently an elite one; you should have seen our appearance: shorts, sneakers, a hoodie, a bag in our hands. The waiter, seeing us, even got scared and looked at us with a look like "What did you lose here?"...

We shouldn't have done what we did with the tickets; tickets from SF to Las Vegas had run out then, so we had to go through Los Angeles. We had to go to LA in the end anyway, since our return ticket to Boston was from LA. In Los Angeles, I found Palak from India on the site; he had recently moved from New York for work. He wrote that he would gladly host us. It even turned out that he was in Vegas on the same day we arrived. He met us, took us to the city center, and even took our luggage to Los Angeles. Yes, yes, I trusted everyone, even though I was seeing him for the first time in my life, but my intuition didn't let me down. We walked around Las Vegas. A fantastic city. You enter one hotel and forget about everything. Casino, Bellagio, Caesar's Palace...

September 8th... In the morning, Palak met us in Los Angeles. Everything you had seen on TV before was now before your eyes. "Universal Pictures," "Hollywood Walk of Fame," "Hollywood," the best "Disneyland" in the world. We took a tour where they show the houses of all Hollywood stars in Beverly Hills, like Bruno Mars, Johnny Depp, Avril Lavigne, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, the house where the great singer Michael Jackson died, the hotel where Whitney Houston said goodbye to life, and many others.

September 11th... From the trip, I arrived in my native Hyannis, and my friend left for New York. After staying there for 3–4 days, I became sad that all the students had left—some home, some to travel—all the tourists had dispersed. And I packed all my things, didn't wait for Saltanat, whom I was waiting for, said goodbye to everyone individually, and decided to leave. Everyone came to wish me luck and gave me souvenirs. It was very sweet. It was sad to realize that everything had ended. When Matt and Catherine saw me off for the last time, Matt had tears in his eyes. He said, "Wherever you are, I will pray that everything is fine with you"...

The main thing was that I bought a ticket from Boston to New York, and from Hyannis to Boston I thought the latest one was at 10, but it turned out to be at 8. It was already 6 p.m. Thanks to Mr. Richard, who, while picking me up, reminded me and suggested buying a ticket first instead of picking up the luggage. I fit into 2 hours, did everything necessary, went to Dunkin and Stop and Shop to say goodbye to my colleagues, and was at the station 10 minutes before. Mr. Richard kissed me on the forehead and said goodbye. The feeling that maybe I would never return here and maybe I would never see these people again was killing me from the inside. I had been preparing myself for this for a long time...

September 16th... When I was in the Cape, a guy from Kazakhstan who studies in NY wrote to me. He wrote that he wanted to pass something to KZ through me. And maybe meet if I'm alone. At 5 a.m., with two pieces of luggage, with an unbooked hotel, no friends, no one meeting me, I was already in New York. Again, I trusted a stranger. He wasn't there, and then, seeing many sleeping homeless black people at the station, I got a little scared. I didn't know what to do. I came up with options. I walked around. I thought I'd leave my things in storage and go for a walk. There I met two girls, Work and Travel participants; I was happy to see them, and we started talking. They hadn't slept all night, walking around NY, and came to pick up their luggage. It was supposed to open at 7 a.m. Closer to 7, albeit late, this guy came. He helped with the luggage and took me to his place. We arrived in Brooklyn; in the apartment, there were all Kazakhs, both girls and guys. I remembered the main character of the film "Salam, New York." That same day I went out for a walk. I went shopping, bought souvenirs in Chinatown. For September 17th, we had a 3-day tour to Niagara Falls, Washington, and Philadelphia bought. In the morning, Saltanat arrived from the Cape, and two girls from Russia were supposed to go with us. If you buy together, it's cheaper. And the four of us set off. There were a lot of memorable moments; most of all I remember when the girls went down for breakfast, thinking it was included. I couldn't convince them otherwise and decided that maybe they were right. Just as I started eating, a waitress came up and asked to bill everyone together or separately. Aisha froze with her cookie in her mouth. Saltanat loaded her luggage, insisting, into the wrong bus; the fact that the driver wasn't the right one didn't convince her, and then she ran after this bus. How we overate in a Chinese cafe where you pay $16 and take everything, and took it with us, wrapping it in napkins—we were to blame ourselves, they didn't give bags :). And also our bus left us in Washington without waiting; we had to get to the next destination on foot. Now I'm writing and remembering all this, tears are in my eyes, and joy that all this has remained only a memory.

September 19th... Arriving in NY in the evening, we agreed to leave all the luggage in one apartment in Brighton Beach and go for a walk until morning. Alas, the plan didn't work out. The woman didn't agree to take everything for $20; the girls from Russia went to their acquaintances. We went to ours. All night from the 19th to the 20th, I stood in line for the iPhone 6. You should have seen these Chinese people; they felt at home—cardboard, blankets, chairs. And I spent the night with them until the store opened in the morning. I didn't expect this; I thought the Apple store works at night when they release new iPhones. Now at least there is something to remember—I sat and slept on the street in NY.

September 20th... Exactly one day left in the city. I dedicated this day to sights like the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the bull on Wall Street, unknown avenues, and in the evening to Madame Tussauds (mannequins of Hollywood stars). The downside is that when you walk alone, there is no one to photograph you. So I went and asked everyone in a row to take a picture; it was somehow uncomfortable for me. It was already 11 p.m.; I didn't know where to go for a walk at night, my cell phone died, there was no spare battery, and I didn't want to go home. I went to Times Square and just sat and watched the tourists, the people, the rhythm, took pictures, and mentally said goodbye to America. And while taking pictures there, I met two guys, Emre and Orkun from Turkey; they were also J1 students. They worked in Florida. They turned out to be very good; I joined them. We went to the "Love" and "Hope" signs; most importantly, they agreed to go to all the places with me, despite the fact that they had already been there. I was already dead, not having slept for 4 days; I was falling asleep in the subway, and Emre and Orkun woke me up at the stops. At 4 a.m., walking along the Brooklyn Bridge, we met a cool New York policeman; he was so good that he allowed us to take a picture in his police car and talked to us.

September 21st... I needed to cheer up. At 5 a.m., we went to Dunkin Donuts to drink coffee, after which we parted ways. I had to go back home, pack my things, and arrive at 7 a.m. on Canal Street to go to the Empire State Building with Emre and Orkun. In New York, people are all busy, not so kind and friendly. My plane was on the same day at 14:25. I topped up my subway card and forgot it at home. My phone died, time was running out, it was already 8, I was late, I didn't know how to contact him, I couldn't get into the subway. But I still got through with a subway worker, got there, called from a Mexican's phone, and finally found each other. I felt like the main character of a New York movie. Again, there were problems with the card; the machine doesn't accept large bills and only accepts a debit or credit card, I don't remember. While Orkun couldn't figure it out, the subway arrived; I didn't know what to do—leave or stay—but I had no time left to wait. I jumped into the subway and shouted that I would wait there. Only 1.5 hours left for everything. As luck would have it, the day was cloudy, and nothing could be seen from the height, only clouds. I was exhausted, unrealistically tired, and asking people to take a picture—and how others take pictures, you know better than me: blurry, crooked. After some time, the clouds cleared. 2–3 hours left until the flight. But despite the fatigue, despite all this, I didn't want to waste a single second in vain; I wanted to see everything, because I had dreamed of getting here for so long. And it would be stupid to just sleep at home. The guys were looking for me everywhere; they thought I had disappeared. Saltanat even wanted to call my American parents and report me missing. They were on edge when I entered the house. JFK Airport. McDonald's. Flight delay. All the fatigue accumulated, and I woke up only in Moscow...

I miss those days very much; I don't regret anything, except that I didn't go to Chicago, Miami, or Hawaii. And for me, they will become a motivation to return. Still, sometimes I think if I had gone that summer, I could have finished everything that was in the plans; I really want to have such an opportunity to go again. These were some of the best days of my life. This program is truly a wonderful opportunity to improve English, get acquainted with American culture, make friends from all over the world, introduce my country, gain a wealth of experience and knowledge in the field of American business, broaden my horizons, develop communication skills, see the world, and experience all its dangers, and even earn some money. I am grateful first of all to the Almighty, my parents, and everyone who was with me throughout the summer, my American parents, friends, and IEC for "One of the best parts of my life." God saw everything: my failures, my zeal for my dream, and that I didn't give up, despite everything. And this summer, He compensated for all this by sending all these unknown, kind people into my life and gave me so many wonderful friends during this period, with whom I still communicate and receive letters to this day. Now I know that they are waiting for me there. So many strangers simply helped me. I was full of sensations and felt immense gratitude for everything that surrounds me. I lived and enjoyed it. This cannot be expressed in words.

From my first student days, my life was connected with IEC, and what happened to me, I perceive only as a test that needed to be passed with dignity. Now I try to help all students who want to go to America with my advice; I meet with them and explain everything. By doing this, I pass on the kindness I received to others. From Americans, I learned one thing: to help people selflessly. I know that many students had unforgettable vacations in America, and I am happy for all of you. After all, America is the dream of many. After all, each of us discovered our own America. Believe, dream, make it happen. Thank you for reading to the end.

What you believe in and what you expect with all your soul and heart will definitely happen. Frank Lloyd Wright

P.S: Proven.