The very next day after arriving in Folly Beach, my work routine began at a beachwear and souvenir shop! My manager was Olya, a 23-year-old who had stayed there 3 years ago on a work visa after the Work and Travel USA program. The job involved greeting customers, telling them that all our t-shirts were on a 'Buy one, get the second half off!' promotion, and helping them find what they needed!

At first, the language barrier was a huge obstacle, and communicating with customers took incredible effort! Yet, I gradually made progress! The better I did, the more new responsibilities Olya piled on me, and the more dissatisfaction she expressed! Even though it was getting harder and harder, I reassured myself that this is just the rhythm people work at in America—giving it their all!

My duty to help people find what they needed turned into an obligation to push and force products on them. Sometimes customers couldn't handle the pressure and would respond very irritably: 'I'M JUST LOOKING!' (meaning, leave me alone!)

Store rules stated that you couldn't be idle at work: if there were no customers in the store, you were either dusting all the shelves, organizing all the merchandise, or doing something else!

There were days so empty that I would dust shelves that were already clean just so no one could accuse me of doing nothing! You weren't allowed to sit down at work; that wasn't an option at all! Only if you crouched down to fix t-shirts on the bottom shelves! I was on my feet all day without sitting, and by the end of an 8-hour shift, my knees were aching terribly! And if there were no people, time seemed to stand still, and the day felt endless!

Time passed, and the work brought me only gloom and disappointment: I just don't understand why you have to pester customers so much that they shy away from you! And Olya, who was already very arrogant, took the liberty of making several snide comments about me right in front of the girls on my birthday! It was terribly hurtful! Everything inside me was boiling! Exactly a week later, I left that job and headed to Myrtle Beach without any clear plan—you could say I went nowhere!

Getting ahead of the details of my story, I want to say a huge thank you to Olya! If she hadn't created morally unbearable conditions at work, I wouldn't have moved anywhere and would have missed out on everything amazing that happened to me in the summer of 2014! It was just a tiny drop of tar in my BIG barrel of honey! So, Olya, thank you!

Olya reacted to my decision to quit with sarcasm and arrogance, saying more nasty things to me at the end, and claimed that my visa would be revoked!

IF YOUR EMPLOYER CLAIMS THAT QUITTING IS A VISA VIOLATION, LET THEM READ THE PAMPHLET! It is written in black and white that you have the right not to be at work against your will!

The main thing you must do is IMMEDIATELY call or email your sponsor and report your resignation and the reasons for it! Your status in the SEVIS system will be changed from 'Active' to 'Seeking Employment,' and you will be given two weeks to find a new job! Be sure to register your new job and new address in the SEVIS system, and you will be assigned 'Active' status again! If you haven't been able to find a job within two weeks, call your sponsor and ask for advice on where to find work, explain your situation, and ask to extend your student status as a job seeker!

In case you still haven't found another job and are not maintaining contact with your sponsor, you risk being assigned an inactive status in SEVIS and the termination of your Work and Travel program! And an email will arrive in your inbox stating that you are required to leave the USA within 30 days to avoid visa violations! If you don't leave within 30 days, your visa reputation is ruined, and it's unlikely you'll ever be given a visa to the States again!

I think I've convinced you that you need to keep your sponsor updated on your affairs, since those are the rules))

And don't let anyone, under any circumstances, give you a headache or ruin your summer, your unique Work and Travel story! If you can't stand this job anymore, quit and look for another one! You are the free creators of your own happiness!!!