- Motivation.
I'll start by saying that I didn't really want to go to America. I'm not a fan of traveling, and I didn't really need the money at the time. I spent all my free time on my own projects (read: startups), and those have problems of a different nature.
(working at my boss's dacha)
My life was quite monotonous, so when I heard from successful graduates of my university about how Work and Travel helped them see the world differently, I latched onto the idea, because I had long needed a change, something to refresh my perspective. This pushed me to read a lot of articles about the trip. And, alas, we are all susceptible to money, so when I found out about the possibility of earning up to $10k, I was very impressed, but not so much by the money as by the figure itself. A big and new figure for me.
(the ATM wasn't working for a while and I had to keep it in cash)
But $10k remained just a figure. There was no need for this money, no need for travel, I didn't want to go, but I knew that these changes were very important; there is likely nothing more important than spending one summer on such a trip. So, reader, if you are still deciding, think about the changes, about a new and bright event in your life, force yourself to go, and the money is a pleasant motivator that you can use to push yourself.
- Preparation.
So, let's start with the agency office.
Spoiler alert: no one there will tell you anything about America (only technical data). And they won't prepare you for the embassy interview. Mostly for the same reason: their knowledge is very average and statistical; there is no individual approach, nor any special knowledge. So don't expect much information, prepare yourself.
In general, I signed up and chose to search for an offer independently. But I'm a lazy person, I procrastinated and only started doing something two weeks before the deadline: buying an offer on the side for $450. I'll talk about this in the next chapter.
Don't order an offer from an agency. Their offers give you a rate of $12 (or even $8-10) maximum, which is very little. Aim for $15-20. These are more than realistic rates.
(text on one of the companies' websites, this doesn't even cover the cost of the trip)
Then the visa. I didn't take it very seriously, thinking there was no reason not to give me a visa, and as a result, I failed the first time. That is, either come to terms with the loss ($350 (program) + $450 (offer) + $160 (interview)) = $960 and spend the summer in Minsk, or try a second time, risking losing another $160. Actually, the decision was difficult; few people were granted a visa upon re-application.
Again about agencies. I don't know how it will be with yours, but I was given very little information about re-applying. No one there will pull you along, give you ideas on how to pass the interview, or discuss technique with you. So, do everything with your own hands.
(His Majesty, Harvard)
As I wrote, I didn't feel a strong sense of responsibility for losing the money, but something else made me angry: "Me? They didn't give me a visa? How dare they?" And on this excitement, with the thoughts "I'll show this embassy!", I applied a second time. Not just like that, of course, I prepared very hard; there will be a separate chapter about this.
Then the tickets. I bought them late, around the tenth of June, I think.
Your agency should ideally tell you well how to select tickets.
Since it was during the exam session, and this was my first trip to America, I decided to take "direct" tickets, Minsk-Paris-Boston and back the same way. I paid $800.
I only regret one thing: there was no time for travel in Europe after the trip. I was interested in a couple of places in Germany, the Netherlands, etc. I had so much money in my pocket, but because of the tickets, I didn't even see Paris (2-hour layover).
(Photo for atmosphere)
In general, that's the end of the preparation. Next, I'll tell you about the visa and the offer.
