I had dreamed of a trip to the USA since school, so I started taking my English classes more seriously. Later, my hobby grew into something more, and my computer, filled with endless pictures from different corners of the world, became everything to me—my dream. And in all those pictures, New York was the most frequent sight, a place I was determined to reach no matter what.
When I entered university, I already knew I would participate in the Work and Travel USA cultural exchange program, as it was the most suitable option for both my family and me. But there was one problem: I didn't believe in myself. An inner voice kept telling me, "Oh my God, Natasha, what are you doing? You shouldn't get involved in such adventures; a quiet summer in Russia suits you much better." My first attempt in 2013 was unsuccessful (I think many have heard about that year). I won't go into details, but I will say that after that crushing failure, I gave up: no words of comfort from family or friends could cheer me up. I blamed myself, thinking I was a total zero at English and so on. It even reached the point where I started to regret my choice of future profession, which is related to languages. Honestly, I don't want to remember that.
A new academic year began, still in 2013. More posters on the walls from CMO (I should mention, the first attempt was not through this agency): "Work and Travel USA 2014 – hurry to sign up." I saw them every day, plus the VKontakte groups (I'm sure everyone knows about the biggest CMO Work and Travel USA group). Guys with happy faces against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty or the White House in Washington... one could list cities and landmarks endlessly. The main thing that united them was that they were all in America. And then, I started looking through photos again, reading reviews on forums, and most importantly, my friend, who did make it to America in 2013, brought back a "sea" of photos. That won me over, and I decided to go for it, joyfully announcing to my parents: "Mom, Dad, I want to try again!"
