Good day, dear reader!
I haven't been a student for a long time, but I decided to share my impressions of a divine trip. Perhaps this will help you make the right decision about whether to go/not to go/where to go)) I will write in detail, so there will be a lot of text. It's not very convenient to attach photos here, so I'm leaving a link to my VK page, there are photos from the trip: https://vk.com/evgeniimokeev
Let's go!)
So, it all started when I was a sophomore, when I was accidentally walking along the Griboyedov Canal embankment and by some incredible coincidence walked into an agency that deals with Work and Travel. Since I am open to everything new, I agreed to listen to a story about the USA and the girl spent about 2 hours painting all the upcoming impressions of the trip, and the price was quite ridiculous then, I only needed to make a prepayment of 4000 rubles. Why not, I thought, and made the prepayment. And... 3 days later, an announcement was posted at our university that this company was a scam, they were actively recruiting people, and then in the end no one went anywhere. My disappointment knew no bounds, as if a suddenly appeared dream had suddenly collapsed. A day later, I terminated the contract with them (the prepayment, of course, was not returned) and left with nothing.
A year passed.
In my third year, when moving into a new dorm, one of my neighbors turned out to be a guy, Oleg, who had already traveled via WAT just when I couldn't go, only from another agency - the International Exchange Center. I didn't think twice, went there and signed up, although at that moment I didn't have the money for the trip at all. As a result, I got a job at Key (a computer hardware store) and managed to earn enough for the trip and even more in a year) And in general, it was one of the most wonderful periods in my life - all this anticipation of the trip, collecting documents, planning routes... sigh) But that's not what this is about now)
Well, everything went well, the visa was in my hands, I was going to go to the state of Idaho, to the Sun Valley ski resort. This place turned out to be simply divine, but more on that later))
When I was leaving, I had a feeling that this trip would be one of the best in my life (or rather, I was setting myself up for it and preparing to stir things up to the fullest!) And that's how it turned out))
It all started in New York... we were met at the airport and taken to a cool hotel right in the center of Manhattan. It was so cool that even when I write about it, I get goosebumps. The moment we came out of the subway and there was a huge number of skyscrapers around, considering that I hadn't seen buildings higher than 25 floors, it was an incredibly cool sight. As if I had arrived in the future 30-50 years ahead!! I walked down the street with my mouth open for a while until I realized that it looked strange)) In general, it is extremely difficult to describe in words, and even more so in text, you have to feel it!! In 2 days in New York, I managed to swim on a ship around Manhattan, go to the Empire State Building, go to Central Park and many other places that I don't remember well anymore) On the last day, it turned out that due to the time difference, I bought plane tickets for 6 am the next day after we were checked out of the hotel in New York, and that's where my adventures began))) I decided to save money and rent a hotel in a Chinese hostel (since it was expensive in Manhattan (from $240 per night in the cheapest place I found)). As a result, I decided to walk (3.5 hours), it's not every day you are in New York, and at the same time I will see the surroundings. It's good that I traveled light, with a backpack and a light bag, this made the process easier. While I was walking, a funny story happened: I was walking, it was already about 10 pm, there was almost no one on the street and there was a man, not very well dressed, but he didn't look like a homeless person and said: Do you have a dollar? - I gave him a dollar and asked (I knew English extremely poorly) Where can I sleep? Do you know any place? He answers me: Ohh, are you homeless? (I didn't know what that meant then), I say Yes))). He says, Follow me and walks. I followed him, we turned the corner and there was a crowd of African Americans and homeless people sitting around barrels with fire, just like in the movies, on old sofas, with guitars, etc. and my guide says: You can stay here, with my friends. I was shocked)) It was super unexpected, I couldn't even imagine that he could bring me there, I thought we were going to some hotel, but in the end I got a mini shock and a portion of the American homeless party.
I never made it to the hotel, when I arrived there, there were no places left and I had to walk back (2.5 hours). I returned around 3, sat in McDonald's for an hour and went towards the bus to the airport)
The next part of the adventures was in Salt Lake City. The five of us flew from New York and needed to get to Sun Valley. We got to Twin Falls by bus for about $16 per ticket, and then it was unclear how to get there (by taxi or something else) (later we found out that a shuttle from Sun Valley could have met us for free if we had warned them))) We decided to save on a taxi and ask a guy at a gas station to give us a ride ($100 instead of $250 for a taxi). This guy said that he needed to stop by his house to pick up some things. We agreed but were very afraid that he would come out of the house with a gun and strip us to our pants, because we are tourists and not without money) But fortunately, everything worked out. One of the guys who was with us said "If he tries to pull something like that, we'll come back, beat him up and take the car for ourselves)))", but fortunately it worked out without that) The car was so small that our legs were almost sticking into the ceiling + there were 6 of us in a small old coupe (three-door car), but we arrived, thank God, without problems)
Addition: I specifically signed up for such adventures, for those who want to come and work calmly - this is not a problem at all, you just need to agree on everything in advance and buy all tickets online)
After arriving in the USA - from the very first day I felt a super surge of pleasure, because the weather was excellent, everything was very cool and atmospheric. The company recruited people from different countries (Russia, France, Macedonia, USA, and a few other countries, I don't remember exactly. And everyone was about the same age, both guys and girls. Another country, a cool company, there is money. What else do you need for the most awesome summer of your life??)))
From the very first day, we started having a lot of "bonding" events - gatherings in the evenings, trips to clubs, bars, joint sports, board games, etc., etc.
But I'm not a fan of clubs and I don't consider myself a super sociable person at all, so I only went to the gym and to gatherings in the evening. Work hadn't started yet, but I had to do something... so on the third day I decided to go to the mountain. Alone. Don't ask why, I don't know myself (photo from the mountain - VK avatar since 2013). I walked there for 3-4 hours, ruined my new shoes with dust and sand from the mountain, but still climbed up there and took a photo)) Again, there are tons of impressions from this, but retelling them in text will be boring and long, so it's better to experience them yourself!!
Then began, I'm not afraid to say this, the best 3 months of my life (or rather, they began from the moment of departure from Russia). AAA!! Damn, such a strange feeling. Everything was so cool, and it's simply impossible to write about it in one post. You need to write a book or make a movie, or even a whole series)) In general, it's better to feel it for yourself, but I will tell you with facts: I met my first girlfriend 2 weeks after arriving, a month later we started dating. Then I decided to give her a birthday present - July 15, to go to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. I rented a car, gathered 5 people, and we went there for three days, spent all our money, but got a ton of positive emotions, that a smile stayed on my face for weeks just from the pleasure I got from being there) Then in August, with almost the same team, we decided to go for 2 days to Yellowstone National Park (see all photos on VK, I will attach a couple here). At the end of the trip, after finishing work, a 10-day trip awaited us: Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Sequoia National Park, Los Angeles, San Diego. Damn, it was super cool! Driving at night in a car with friends to San Francisco to the song Global Deejays - The Sound Of San Francisco (You can turn it on now). What could be more enjoyable in life??))
So our "virtual" trip has come to an end. I don't think it's worth mentioning that we visited all sorts of places in each of the locations. Perhaps the story turned out a bit messy, but when I read reviews about a trip to the USA, everyone wrote something like "It was divine", but without details. Accordingly, it was difficult to understand anything from these reviews, as, probably, from mine. But I am sure that when you return and write a review, you will also "Radiate a ton of positivity into the monitor, and only a couple of grams of this ton will be transmitted through the text".
So, if you are deciding now whether to go or not - my advice. Definitely YES!! Just so definitely that I wouldn't even consider no as an answer!! In general, if I were 18 again now, I would enroll in a university for full-time education just to go via Work and Travel)) And I would go not once, but 3 times) Although, probably, this one time is remembered precisely because it was the only one.
If you are still here - thank you for reading to the end! If you are interested in something specific about my trip or in general - write on VK, I will be happy to help)
https://vk.com/away.php?utf=1&to=https%3A%2F%2Fvk.com%2Fevgeniimokeev
