Just do it! Just take action and believe in yourself, and all your wishes will come true! From the very beginning of filling out all the documents for my trip to the USA, I set myself up for a positive outcome. Yes, there were fears about not getting a visa, but everything worked out. The next stage was when my friends and I landed in New York. Although we flew together, we soon had to part ways, which meant getting to our future accommodation on our own. The first impression of New York and America in general is impossible to put into words; you should have seen my facial expression and my tireless attempts to take everything in. A bunch of people of different nationalities, noise, traffic, skyscrapers—it all merged together and was a bit scary, but after a couple of hours, I got used to it. I advise everyone: never be afraid to act and be proactive. Never be afraid to talk to a stranger, especially in America, because they are very responsive people and will always try to help. This is the very first thing I noticed upon arrival, and I was pleasantly surprised that people are genuinely interested in helping (and at the same time asking where we came from). So, it's worth moving on to the next point, namely life on Cape Cod (Massachusetts), where my 3 months of work, rest, and fun passed by unnoticed. Of course, everything was unusual at first: the people, their manner of communication and behavior, the language, the cities, the places. But I will say right away that throughout my stay in America, I was in a surprisingly positive and peaceful state (probably influenced by the new environment and a different level and customs of life). Yes, of course, the first week it was a bit difficult to get used to the new environment and language. The fact that I arrived in my city without acquaintances played a role, so I had to cope on my own. However, as often happens, at the most difficult moment, when my bike broke down, it started pouring rain, and it was a long way home on foot, I found my first friends—the Irish, who helped me, and we spent time together throughout the summer. After the first week of getting used to it, everything became wonderful: I settled into my main job at Dunkin' Donuts, made new acquaintances, and found a host family where my roommates were other J1 students. The host family from Nepal became our first guide to places on the peninsula. I also found 2 side jobs (where I took few hours), but just to be busy and practice my languages in different areas. These side jobs brought me a huge amount of positive emotions, moments, and new international friends. I want to note for everyone: the most important thing in this exchange program is not to earn as much money as possible, but to feel the whole spirit of American life, to get acquainted with new cultures (colleagues or simple friendly strangers will help you with this), and of course, to enjoy the summer, and not spend this time torturing yourself at work. In every free moment between jobs, I went to the ocean, where I swam, read, or just slept. I had never seen the ocean in my life, so this place became my favorite. I also want to warn you about the bicycle, as it is the main mode of transport for all students: be careful on the roads, but even so, I enjoyed every bike ride, when you can admire the scenery flying before you.

The most important thing required of you is to enjoy the moment, talk to people, as they are also interested in communicating with you, and travel! Traveling became the most tempting prize of this trip to the USA for me. I traveled around the entire Cape Cod peninsula with new friends, I studied the history of Boston and many of its places (since I am very interested in history, and I was able to feel different eras and culture).

3 months flew by unnoticed. I was busy all the time, but that didn't stop me from finding time for rest and socializing with acquaintances. I also got used to this life in a small, quiet tourist town on the ocean shore, among my acquaintances. It felt like I had lived here my whole life (this was facilitated by the pleasant, friendly atmosphere everywhere, even with strangers).

However, the time was approaching for the end of work and the start of a trip to the West with an organized group of similar students. The most unusual thing is that in 10 days we all became one big friendly family, because we were discovering new places, sights, and sensations together. We had the same feelings and that brought us very close, which is very valuable in life. We traveled from the luxurious and rich Las Vegas to California with glamorous Los Angeles and the calm and peaceful San Francisco, which touched my soul. It is possible to describe the sensations of life in the USA endlessly, but everything depends on us and our mindset and attitude towards life. Personally, a smile never left my face, as I was truly enjoying life! This trip dispelled many stereotypes about this country and opened up many new sides of it. I realized that Americans have a positive attitude towards Russia and were happy to listen to my stories about the country. I discovered the traditions of different peoples inhabiting the territory of this country and their national customs and food. And most importantly, it is the welcoming and friendly attitude towards people (which is so lacking in my country). This trip gave me huge life experience of independent living. I became a more open person. Indeed, the environment in which a person is located influences them, just as they influence it. Therefore, everything depends on us and our aspirations! Go for it, believe in yourself, and everything will work out!