I will try to tell you my story of how the Work and Travel USA program managed to turn my life around 180 degrees. Avoiding spoilers, I will only write that every journey changes us. We return with new habits, values, and a much broader view of the world. We are no longer afraid to dream. Life opens up to us as unpredictable, dangerous, but uplifting to the heavens with happiness. Everything is possible in it. Now we believe in this.
But it wasn't always like this... Imagine a typical rebellious teenager with piercings all over her face, combat makeup in the style of "you can never have too much mascara," whose black hair stood like a wall between the outside world and the joys of an introvert, and in whose clothes one could easily attend a funeral service and pass for one of their own.
Listening to another argument between her parents behind the wall, she would retreat into her own world again. She tried to find the best translation of Placebo songs, marveling at the pure pronunciation and dreaming of meeting the lead singer one day to thank him in the same beautiful English for the balm to her soul. That was exactly the influence his songs had, fitting perfectly into the circumstances of her life. They made her pain elegant. Even then, she felt that she was losing her mom and in her place would be an all-consuming void, which was already looking from around the corner in anticipation...
English was always an outlet for her. It was so fascinating to delve into the origin of words, the logic of this language, and to think about traveling to other cultures. "Someday, I will discover this world... and it is so beautiful. I feel it."
And then, on the walls of the university where she was studying tedious chemistry, she suddenly noticed a W&T USA poster and decided to tell her friend. As it turned out, she was definitely going the following year and wanted to do it together. That's it, decided! She got excited, and they started preparing for the meeting with the consul. She took on students for tutoring to make the first payment sooner.
They independently found a restaurant in the city they liked using Google Maps locations and wrote to the boss. They passed the Skype interview, during which their mouths were dry from nervousness and words got tangled like hair in a strong wind in the mountains. They received the coveted job offer. Next, they held impromptu interviews with each other, made a list of must-see places, and were getting ready to go get their visa. Kind managers instructed them, and, to be honest, at this stage, it would have been possible to add a meeting with former program participants so they could share practical experience. Motivation and confidence during the interview would have been at their peak after stories based on real events!
"Everything depends on your self-confidence and lack of fear. I found the strength in myself to be positive on the outside and a snow queen on the inside. I was confident in my English and my desire to go to America now or never."
Interview moment with the consul
She found the whitest thing in her closet that could possibly be - a tight turtleneck sweater that her mom had once given her for New Year's, and since then, it had been patiently waiting for its time. Blue jeans, of which there were only a few. Eyeliner, lip gloss, less mascara. Passport and train tickets... The acoustic version of the song Wildways - faka faka yeah played in her headphones the whole way and, strangely enough, calmed her down.
"Okay, I need to smile and be the first to talk to him.. just don't think and say Hello, how are you..."
In the queue, everyone was nervous, afraid to look the consuls in the face, and the atmosphere was like a tough exam. You can feel that the consuls are also tired of this routine. She, however, approached one of them smiling and, without waiting for clichéd questions, asked with genuine interest like a close friend:
-Hello! How are you today?
He froze for a minute, looked up from the computer, and with a slightly practiced, friendly, and restrained American smile, replied:
-Hi miss, I’m fine, thanks and you?
Whew... The ice was broken... She sparked interest in the American mentality and in herself as a person, as well as admiration for this lightness that accompanied all the subsequent questions.
-Why are you going to USA?
-What are your duties at work?
-What’s your plan after come back to Russia?
He listened patiently, typing the answers into the database, while trying to look her in the eyes periodically.
-Where are you going?
And continued:
-Oh wow.. Ocean city! You must try surfing! Hope you will like your summer vacation...
-What about your mother? Is it difficult for your father to take responsibility of you alone?
And here she was scared for a second that they were trying to fail her and classify her as a potential migrant. She began to talk sincerely about her father, how he loves her and takes care of her. She convinced the consul that she has a strong spiritual connection with her homeland. And then the coveted words were spoken:
-Ok, give me your passport please.
After that, everything was like a blur... The friends packed their suitcases, saved their scholarships, and wrote down useful phrases in a dictionary so as not to get lost. Once, they had so much fun that they even made up a "love vocabulary" and watched the series "Gossip Girl" to get used to the American accent.
Arrival in New York
Having slept through almost the entire ten-hour flight, in the last hour, they were overcome by a persistent feeling of happiness. Freedom. A new world. Unexplored and alluring, where an unimaginable number of adventures await.
They got off the plane and immediately everything was in English. The map to their Instagrammable apartment in Manhattan said that they needed to take a train and get to the center. Then by subway. She took the courage to speak to an airport worker:
-Good afternoon Sir! Could you help us to find a train 1 to downtown?
-Sure! You need platform 6 and train comes from the left! Wait just 3 station!
-Thank you so much! Have a nice day!
In the subway, they experienced culture shock from the extraordinary beauty of the people. The apartment also exceeded expectations... They met the American owner, who began to explain the layout of the dwelling with a Hollywood smile. They chatted and headed to Central Park. On the way, there were countless playgrounds in every courtyard, cool cars, and unrealistically beautiful, smiling people. They went to the supermarket for little sets of sliced fruit and quickly headed for a picnic in the park.
In the remaining time, they visited Grand Central Terminal, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty.
In the evening, on the tip of a local resident, they went to the observation deck of the Rockefeller Centre skyscraper. The view of the city from there is much better than from the Empire State Building, and you can avoid the long queue.
Party in a limousine
After the first interview with the boss of a healthy food cafe in Ocean City, one phrase was remembered: "Work hard - party hard." They moved into a large mansion and immediately proceeded to the second part. In the common living room, African Americans from Jamaica were sitting and telling jokes, and they flatteringly invited the girls to chat. The slang was like in the most underground tracks of rappers.
"Of course, they don't teach this in school, but that's why it was cool to realize that we understood! Every day is a new victory! Therefore, if you want to level up your English, go to an unpopular city for Russian tourists, where mostly locals live. You simply won't have anyone to explain yourself to in your native language, and in such conditions, you will automatically improve your understanding, pick up special expressions of native speakers, and become more confident in speaking!"
The guys said that there is a guy named Tony who throws themed parties every Thursday and sends invitations to everyone. All you need to do is just add him as a friend on Facebook, and this Thursday there will be a beach party! "We just have to go there."
And so they received the coveted message, and then he called to get to know the newcomers personally. They giggled for a long time, and he said to dress simpler.. There's sand there...
"Of coooourse! Nastya, put on your dress that didn't know the word no! We must shine!"
Of course, the first real party in their lives with Americans, and professionally organized for a mere 20 dollars, promised to be the brightest event. And she put on a white lace suit with a pencil skirt, a strap top, and 15-centimeter stilettos. Stilettos on sand. Yeeeaaah... Her friend put on a pink dress and also heels, and when they saw each other, they laughed for a long time, of course... It was funnier when a long white limousine pulled up to their house and Tony wrote "Come out." Inside, champagne, neon lighting, and foreigners who were also going to the beach party were waiting for them.
"If you have ever seen a 50 Cent clip and extras of happily partying, dancing girls, well, we were that extras."
Along a narrow wooden path, with God's help, they hobbled on stilettos to the dance floor, in the center of which a huge bar stood. And there, friends from the house were waiting for them, who offered to record a joint track, and someone else.
It was an unforgettable evening. Dancing to Latin music. Unlimited cocktails. A sea of attention and new acquaintances. Watching the starry sky at night on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and stilettos that finally left the chat...
Tour of the West
The lights of the Las Vegas Casino, the musical fountains of Bellagio, and a party in the Penthouse of the fanciest hotel, Cosmopolitan - that's exactly how the tour began. They found the organizer on social media, and he promised to drive them through the deserts of Nevada, stopping at the Grand Canyon, seeing Universal Studio in Los Angeles, witchy houses in San Francisco, beaches in Santa Monica, and countless parties!
So, let's start with the Grand Canyon. Desert. Extreme heat. They miraculously reached the place, bypassing people who were fainting on the way.. Their hair was like from the shower, their clothes were soaked through, and it seemed that a damp snail trail remained behind their bodies... But as soon as they saw the sandy cliff with a stunning view, a persistent "It was worth it..." arose. Nature is amazing, for a minute they froze and screamed with delight... As it turned out, it was Glen Canyon, and it is even nicer due to the horseshoe-shaped lake. On the way, they met the "Dead Point." This is a place in the desert between rocks where the temperature is super high and incompatible with life. But there were enough challenges for today, and they went to a fake wedding with Elvis Presley instead of a priest.
After tidying themselves up, they found themselves in a beautiful gazebo strewn with flowers, where Elvis sang his love songs. You have to give credit, the ceremony was with vows, a beautiful speech, and throwing a bouquet. Everything is like for real people, only with the feeling that it is a typical "drunken wedding in Vegas." They laughed a lot at the surrealism of the situation and then went to that very party in the penthouse with a jacuzzi on the balcony to congratulate the newlyweds. Perhaps the video will best demonstrate the scale.
Los Angeles
Universal Studio is a place where you feel like a child and where all your favorite characters come to life before your eyes. They drank amazingly delicious butterbeer from cream soda and went to the Harry Potter museum, which ended with a horror roller coaster with dementors. They watched a bus tour of the locations of the series Jaws, Desperate Housewives, and Lost with the wreckage of the plane. There was also entertainment in the style of The Simpsons. And much more... Everything ended, by tradition, with a party.
"You know, I cried from happiness for the first time in my life when we were driving along the serpentine above Malibu beach... Such boundless space, mountain air, caramel sunsets, and the most fun friends in the world nearby."
When she was jokingly thrown into the pool right in her clothes, she realized that throughout the whole time, she was accompanied by a feeling of looseness and fun madness without borders, which can never be experienced anywhere else... And here.. In a city where people from all corners of the country flock to become superstars.. Swimming at night in a pool with neon lighting to Pharaoh tracks. Why not?
San Francisco
"This is San Francisco - a city in disco style..." The song played non-stop while they were getting to the famous red bridge along peculiar roads, sometimes steeply uphill, sometimes sharply downhill. Perhaps this is the most atmospheric and beautiful city in the States. Walking there, it's like you find yourself in the series "Charmed," and the gothic houses created a special vibe of the possibility of magic.
Conclusion
Now, knowing my story, it's like we've met and can switch to informal address. I have a couple more words about the work part. Our boss was a typical representative of the "Get rich or die trying" class. A sweet woman of about 45 who worked a lot and sometimes left us alone in the cafe, going on a date with her boyfriend. We immediately became friends with her and a guy named Artem, who had already come to the States for the second time and was experienced. He gave instructions on how to work with the register and take orders in English, and in our free moments, we teased each other hard. Just think: the terror of all the girls, a tanned jock whose credo is "Twenty before twenty." Are there still questions about why this macho caused so much humor? Nevertheless, his help was very useful, and he became my buddy.
At first, there were blunders, and I typed all sorts of nonsense into the check that was passed to the cooks in the style of "as I hear, so I write," and asked questions about specific products like "What is spirulina?" But then I very quickly got used to the accents of tourists from different countries, the work algorithm, and people around began to notice progress in my English. Every compliment made me happier and happier, and with every day, I felt like I was becoming "one of them."
What is amazing about America is that you can very quickly find yourself in a diametrically opposite climatic zone. Nature there is beautiful and diverse. People are the kindest. Parties are like in the movies! And most importantly - the spirit of freedom and joy that will remain with you forever.
You will bring back the habit of smiling at everyone and easily finding contact with people of any complexity. Believe me, this will help you a lot in life, just like perfect English. With it, you will be able to work as a translator, teacher, travel blogger, and move anywhere!
I am sure that summer exchange programs will exist in twenty years and in fifty years, and bureaucratic difficulties will begin to multiply in geometric progression. But right now, you have time!
Therefore, my patient reader, I have something for you...
Your age is perfect! Your English is perfect! And you are good enough to go this year! Don't wait! There is no development in greenhouse conditions. And having found yourself in another country, having worked independently, having gone to the hospital, the bank, having called a realtor, having calculated your budget so that there is enough for housing, "Vikusik's Secret," or equipment, you will gain invaluable experience of independent living. Even if not everything works out right away - take it easy. Everything will be fine! The best parties in the universe await you, which you will remember until old age and laugh.
