The main trait of my character is to always look at a situation from a positive side and always hope for the best, while also being prepared for the worst. This quality of my character helps me a lot in living and striving forward. Even in the situation I found myself in, which I want to share with you.

Spring is the most important and favorite season of the year for me. It is a time of nature's awakening, an enthusiastic state of mind, and an attempt to start something new. In the spring, I found myself, my love, and a chance to fulfill my dream. Or rather, I learned about a student program for summer work in the USA, Work and Travel. About the opportunity to grow up, to study in person the culture of the country I dreamed of visiting since I was young, to immerse my whole soul in the atmosphere radiated by the capital of American and world cinema - Hollywood, to absorb the knowledge and emotions gained for creating art and film, which is very important in my profession, to improve my communication skills and language level, and to spend an unforgettable summer with a loved one close to me. The feeling of being inspired, which arose after realizing the new opportunities, gave such a big push to the immediate realization of the above-mentioned and desired list. That is how our conscious preparation for this program began.

First of all, we started studying all the available information about Work and Travel from all possible verified sources. First, of course, we went to Google. It is not for nothing that people say "Google it!". We, people, love to "google" absolutely everything we don't know but want to learn more about, and that's how it was with us. After all, information from the words of our acquaintances was not enough for us. Then came the second popular and useful platform for humanity - YouTube. That's when all the interesting stuff started, the icing on the cake - real stories of students just like us who managed to fly across the ocean and check off that very line on their dream list or vision board (well, everyone has their own) "Visit America".

Listening to their fascinating story, the baggage of new knowledge and adventures, inadvertently made me think about the changes in them for the better. After all, a trip, even an insignificant one, and in our case a priceless one, can in any case influence us. Starting from internal sensations, ending with new strength for amazing ideas and feats for improving oneself and the world.

This summer passed very productively and informatively, full of hopes and ambitions. Sometimes thoughts visited me that for me it seemed like something unreal (as for many, probably). But for me, it was unreal and difficult because I had to radically change my life if I wanted to fly to America. Plus, considering that I haven't asked my parents for money since I was 16, it meant I had to earn money for the program myself. After finishing the spring semester, I got a job as a camera technician and assistant cameraman in a private production company, so I worked for four months. On weekends, I went to other projects in the film industry, directed and shot music videos for young artists, as well as commercials.

I worked tirelessly to save up and participate in the program, to expand my worldview, horizons, and knowledge, which will have a great influence on creating something unique and amazing in the future from me, as a feature film director.

In the fall, at the beginning of my third year, everything seemed perfect. First of all, a center was chosen that deals with sending students on Work and Travel. We chose the International Exchange Center. It attracted us because it is the largest and most well-known international student exchange agency, having a high rating in participant loyalty. And most importantly, the necessary amount for submitting documents and participating in the program was saved. Parents also supported our conscious and firm step into a country unknown to both them and us, and happily wished us luck in achieving our goals and fulfilling our dreams. With such a baggage of readiness, at the beginning of October, we passed an online consultation, filled out a questionnaire, and fortunately managed to get into the 10th group. Whenever possible, we called our curators to get additional information and were simply on cloud nine that this was happening to us. My love managed to pay for the consulting services of the International Exchange Center, and I was about to. What could go wrong, you think?

Unfortunately, this story proves to us that no one in this life is insured against bad and unexpected turns of events. At the end of October, my family had major financial difficulties. With a heavy heart and not of my own volition, I had to refuse to pay and participate in the program, as my help to the family was necessary at that moment. It was hard to come to terms with the thoughts of such a great loss, an important opportunity for me, for the realization of which I was rapidly and qualitatively preparing. For a long time, there was a bitter aftertaste of hopelessness, until I found out about this contest. This time, everything fell into place according to the principle "one unrealized opportunity is always replaced by another". The contest instilled great hope in a heart that was bridled by sadness.

Thank you very much for empathizing with my situation and for such a contest with great opportunities for fulfilling the dreams of ordinary students!