This is a story how I went to America with plan to stay 4 months
and came back year and a half later. I went to USA with work&travel
program, this program is very popular among students in Balkan countries. It
lets students to go and work in USA or Canada during a summer break. It is a
bit expensive to go but it’s also easy to earn money back with the job there.
Because I did it after my last year of university, and gave all
the exams after I got visa, I was thinking that I will maybe stay a bit longer
but then come back to Europe, travel a bit more and do the master studies, find a job, have a “normal”
life. But it never happened, 3 years latter I’m still traveling and want to
stay this way as long as I can.
My work&travel destination was Ocean City, Maryland and I
think it’s a perfect destination for this kind of project, there were more
international students then locals, and it was party every day. I was working
in amusement park, job was boring but it wasn’t too bad. Only problem was that
it didn’t feel that much like America because all the people we met were from
our neighbor countries. What was good about this experience is that I was on my
own, ocean away from my family, earning my money, paying bills, first time I
was totally independent but also free. Then my phone broke and only way I was communicating
with Europe was when my friend gives me her phone to send an email to my
mother. I used it as an excuse and tried to prolong the time before I buy a new
one, it felt good this new life. Even they were paying us minimal wage we had enough
to live good and even save something.
Then the time came to go home, season was over and my friend asked
me to go to Las Vegas with her. I wanted to go and stay month or two before I
come back home. So, we decided to extend our visa, here comes the advice. Don’t,
but don’t stay illegal in USA, if you are on J1 visa it’s so easy to get 6 more
months of tourist visa and you can do it online. When you apply you get into
the process that’s 3-4 months and then you get your extension, so that is 9-10
months, and then you can do it one more time. I don’t know the web site, but if
you need it you can easily Google it. Long live the Google! <3
If you
are not sure what to do with your life, or even if you are, take a break one
year to travel, be independent, feel how it is to do simple jobs, enjoy the
freedom far away from your home, learn a new language, eat ice cream for diner
and leave a mess in your room, drink too much and come home in the morning,
fall in love 3 times for one summer, simply do whatever you want, all those
thing that your family and friends told you not to do but you wanted it. Do it
for yourself because how Mark Twain said “Twenty
years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do
than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe
harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” But at
the same time be smart and be safe J
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