• Hi! How ‘r u doing?
  That’s exactly how every morning in the States started, with those very words😃

And not just at work, but even before reaching it. Our neighbors would always chat with us while walking their dogs in the morning, and it set the mood for the whole day!

Speaking of stereotypes. Yes, they really do smile all the time, and they wave for no reason from their cars while waiting at a traffic light. For someone from Russia, this seems wild and hard to process, but that’s only at the beginning. After all, it’s much nicer to see smiling people than those who are grumpy and eternally dissatisfied with their lives! (I generally don’t understand people who whine).

Now a little about the little girl who dreamed of this trip since childhood, sitting in front of the TV screen watching Disney cartoons.

I always studied English, but I didn’t love it because there was no real practice, and nothing motivated me.. Last year, my best friend went on a Work and Travel USA program, and after listening to her, I started studying absolutely everything and thinking about where to find the money Thanks to my family, who fully financed me. And by the way, for those who are afraid that the program won’t pay off: it all pays off!!! Especially if you aren’t lazy, and if you put in the effort, you can even make a pretty good profit there! Believe me! And don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

I was supposed to fly with two classmates; we were all in our 4th year, meaning this year was essentially the last chance to get to the States. But things didn’t work out for my friends, and I was left all alone literally right before the visa interview. I said to hell with it, packed up, and went to get a ticket to my dream. And yes, hooray! I heard that very phrase: “your visa is approved”

My journey began on June 2nd. As the Americans later said about me, “travel of a little Armenian baby,” ahahaha.

I was headed to an island in North Carolina. I didn’t even really understand on the map where I would be living for 3 whole months. I had a good flight (thanks to Aeroflot), but when I had to explain to the customs officer why I had arrived, where I was going, etc., I felt for the first time what a language barrier is! Everything we study for so many years in schools, universities, and courses is complete nonsense, guys. Language is practice, practice, and more practice!

When I reached the island, I realized that I would be living for 3 months like Robinson Crusoe (almost, just with Wi-Fi).

I arrived at the house where I was supposed to live, and there was no one there, and that was the only address I had. Then I tried to look up the address of the hotel where I was supposed to work. We drove there, I ran in with my bags, and started asking in a panic, “Where am I? Did I get to the right place?”

Phew, thank God, it was the right destination.

They looked at me very strangely because they couldn’t even pronounce my name.

When they finally took me home, I looked around the island and only then realized that on one side was the bay, and on the other, the Atlantic Ocean! And it is unrealistically mesmerizing!

About work.

The rate was $9.25 per hour. In principle, it was enough for everything. We were clever, worked longer than necessary. Sometimes we goofed off. I forgot to say, I worked as a housekeeper at the Holiday Inn Express.

The team was good. Of course, not without rats and snitches, but on the whole, we were very lucky. Americans won’t argue with you; they just go and immediately tattle on you to the supervisor or the hotel’s general manager, for example. And if you really don’t get along, Black women might explain things to you differently and put you in your place. In general, it’s better not to show off too much there, at least in the beginning. I was paired with a Black girl named Deja, and I absolutely didn’t understand what she was saying. Dialects across America are so different that sometimes my head was spinning.

They gave us days off, we asked for them in advance, and everything was fine! They didn’t feed us at work, and the work schedule was strict, but again, we are Russian students, so we survived and were as clever as possible))

Travels.

During those 3 months, I also managed to travel. I lived with 7 girls in a 3-story house, and later we met other guys. Two of the guys had licenses, and we rented cars. We traveled to several nearby cities and went to another state, Virginia. We dashed off to Washington. By the way, it’s a bit boring. Visiting it once just to check the box is enough. At the end of the summer, I took a bus to NYC for 5 days. It was unrealistically cool! You feel like an ant among skyscrapers. I managed to visit all the main sights, but I would have liked to walk around Central Park longer, but I will definitely return there for that!

On September 1st, I and 3 girls I lived with, and whom I became very close with, flew to that very paradise on Earth! Yes, yes, and it was LA.

I was there for 24 whole days. I lived through a connection, luckily. But the guys used Couchsurfing and Airbnb, and they didn’t get scammed by anyone; everything went successfully!) In LA, I also saw quite a lot, but I didn’t have money left for that very Disneyland, which is a reason to fly there again soon.

About the mentality.

At first, it was very unpleasant for me. Because this flattery suffocated me. But the longer we immersed ourselves in the atmosphere of American life, the more we became particles of this system, this way of life, so to speak.

I was already very used to it by that time. Of course, there is little warmth and soul. Ethics and aesthetics are certainly not about America. The main word there, in my opinion, is freedom! Freedom of speech, freedom of thought and action, and just everything in general. But at the same time, they are unrealistically afraid of cops and that was strange, but funny))

If I were asked to characterize the States, I would probably say that it is a country of freedom, a huge variety of people, and opportunities. That’s about it, I suppose.

Experience.

There were many situations when I didn’t know what to do. You go out on the street and don’t know where to turn, right/left, or just go straight. You are in a foreign country, and no one needs you. You have to think before you act, 777777 times! And you are responsible for every action you take, and that was very alarming. But it taught me to be more punctual, responsible, and to get out of almost any situation. In principle, moving in another country, two oceans away from home, not knowing what new people you’ll meet, it was sometimes hard, but cool! Such adrenaline and such valuable experience. Now I’m not afraid of anything, I’m not afraid to travel and get into some extremely unpleasant situations. Now the whole world is in the palm of my hand. Thanks, Work and Travel for this opportunity! I realized my dream and learned a lot!