It wasn't my first time going abroad, but I was still a bit nervous about heading to a foreign country for a full 4 months, especially to a tiny town called Avon in North Carolina (Avon, NC), which I'll try to tell you about. After googling for weeks on both Russian and American resources, I couldn't find any particularly useful information. Knowing what it's like to go alone into the complete unknown, I want to share my experience working in the small town of Avon and the Outer Banks islands in general.

The first thing I did was check the island's location on Google Maps. I have to say, I wanted to cry right then and there... So much for my dreams of California or Florida!

A tiny dot in the ocean—that was my home for 4 months. To get to the Outer Banks, I took a bus from New York to Washington, and then from Washington to Norfolk (the trip takes 9-12 hours). Actually, I stopped for two days in Washington to do some sightseeing, because I had 4 free days before starting work. You can take a direct bus from New York straight to Norfolk.

Important: buy your bus ticket in advance (best 3-4 weeks ahead), not at the bus station. It will be twice as cheap.

Greyhound.com - prices change constantly. My route New York - Washington - Norfolk cost me $32, and there is Wi-Fi.

Gotobus.com - $35, takes 9 hours, but no Wi-Fi.

By the way, in America, just like in Russia, buses are constantly late. And one more thing: don't be afraid of getting lost at bus stations—if anything happens, passersby will see your confused face, realize you need help, and won't leave you in trouble.

Once in Norfolk, my employer met me, and then there was a 3-hour drive to Avon itself.

The red dot in the ocean is that very Avon.

It got worse from there. Satellite photos.

Since I didn't have much of a choice with full service, I decided to keep a positive attitude. After all, it's summer, the ocean, America—what could be better?

Actually, it turned out not to be so scary. The photos were likely taken in winter, and I barely remember a day without sun all summer.

Of course, my worries and doubts vanished as soon as I arrived in New York :) But even upon arriving on the island, I realized from the first day what a wonderful summer awaited me!

I'll say right away that if you are going to North or South Carolina or Virginia—all these states are pretty much the same. The first thing that catches your eye is the heavy Southern accent, which makes it hard to understand everything for the first week. Friendly people for whom chatting with a stranger is a rule of good manners. And an incredible number of obese people (they even have carts you can sit on and ride around the supermarket!). In general, you don't get used to that right away :)

Another feature is the one-story wooden houses. Everything looks very cute and homey.

Coffee shops and bakeries on the island are one cuter than the other!

Towns (or villages) on the whole island are very small (with one main street)—besides the ocean, tourist cafes, and souvenir shops, there is little entertainment. No shopping or even a cinema. The last month we were counting the days and hours until departure, life on the island had become that monotonous!

I biked to all the neighboring villages. The road one way takes about two hours. Now do you understand what kind of boredom I'm talking about?

The definite plus in this situation is that you have nowhere to spend money except at the supermarket or on Amazon, so we saved quite a bit.

Next up: about $$$, jobs, and employers.