Let's take it from the top, starting from my life up until the moment I decided to write this story. Travel, money, living in the moment, and simply being and doing things the right way were the core components of my life—that was my worldview. I was always taught to do everything properly and with quality, not just anyhow, and as I got older, I realized that this is truly a good trait. But there are moments when I'm too lazy to do everything; my motto, so to speak, is "work smart, not hard." Since childhood, I have been very curious, asking many questions and being interested in literally everything. Starting from my teenage years, I began to take an interest in other countries, their cultures, and simply their beauty; I always liked trying new things and learning.

It all started in childhood when I watched cartoons and read books; I was drawn to the world on the screen. I wanted to see everything with my own eyes: the depths of the jungle, the hot desert, the ocean, etc. As for money, I didn't think about it at all; the only thing I wanted was to see the world and travel. Back then, I didn't think about money at all—in a word, it came and went, and I didn't understand its value. But as I grew older, I began to understand what it means in the modern world. That was exactly when we moved to the city, and I started 6th grade there. Living in the suburbs, I was surprised by how the city was bustling with life—so many houses, streets, cars, everything you need. That's when everything changed, and I started to change. Moving to the city influenced me: I changed my style, my goals, and my life in general, becoming more open and sociable. That's how I started to understand the value of money; money was always needed, and we lived like an average family. By 9th grade, I wanted to go abroad, but due to financial problems, nothing came of it, and that's when I realized that money would always be needed, so I started earning my own at 16. One day, I learned from a friend that her sister had flown to America and brought back about $10,000. At that very moment, I started to get interested, because I knew she was 19 at the time, and that's how I found out about the Work and Travel USA program. After that, I started looking into this program; her sister told me about it, saying she earned that much money and managed to see other cities and visit them at the end.

The Work and Travel USA program sends participants to America and provides them with a job, all during their vacation. I heard about this program and thought, "It's just the perfect program," and decided to go for it, but the cost was beyond what my family and I could afford. This program was perfect for me: life abroad, income, and work. I always wanted to learn to live and study independently, especially in America. From this program, I wanted to gain the experience of independent living, where you are solely responsible for yourself, and it seemed to me that starting over in another country was the ideal option. The only travel in my life had been within this country, to the cities of Kostanay and Astana. Even such travel sparked something in me that kept pulling me toward other countries. As a teenager, I was already a fan of America and its culture. I listened to their artists, dreamed of going to a concert, and started watching American series and shows, which fueled the idea of living there. After such emotions from ordinary movies, books, and series, I dreamed of visiting America, and a new goal appeared. Even before that, I had a dream: travel. I didn't plan to stay in my country forever; I wanted to travel and see the world.

I was sure that my career as a programmer would be built on this. I didn't plan to work in my country at all; I wanted to live in another, more developed country where programming is valued more. For me, IT is a very interesting world, and before my master's degree, I wanted to visit other countries and find out what it's like, to gain experience, so to speak, and Work and Travel USA would fit perfectly. In itself, Work and Travel USA will bring great advantages for me and my career.