Constantine: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

VDVitali DrobJan 10, 2023Read

I feel like I've known about student exchange programs my whole life... from movies and TV shows where some of the most mysterious and funny characters were foreign students, and from countless videos, posts, and stories online about the amazing experiences of the participants themselves. It has always been a dream – to go to another country for a long time, see their daily life, and learn something new every day: customs, habits, and a different system of living. The only chance to feel the differences between two completely dissimilar countries in what you are used to doing every day is to live their life. Besides, you also get the chance to study at schools and universities you've heard about countless times. I am sure everyone would like to boast about having lived for a few months in the USA or another country, for example, in Europe. Once I entered university, I started looking for information about my university's programs. BSU, of course, as the country's leading university, has a huge number of international cooperation agreements with countries around the world. On the internet, I found a website with student exchange opportunities through the Erasmus+ program – a list of universities, countries, and courses spanning several A4 pages. You can start choosing... I discarded options without scholarships, dormitories, or those requiring knowledge of a foreign language other than English, and chose programs in my major, chemistry. In the end, only China and Slovakia passed the selection... To be honest, I was never particularly drawn to these countries. Thus, the idea with Erasmus+ failed. About two years ago, while walking through a bookstore with my sister, I saw a book by a blogger who teaches English through songs; we had been following him on Instagram for a long time, so we immediately took notice. It was titled "USA. All the Intricacies." The backstory is that my sister, as a child, flew to spend every summer for three years with an American family through a support program for children affected by the Chernobyl disaster. She had everything there: amusement parks, the newest toys, trips to new places, movies, American food, water parks – in other words, things her peers could only dream of. Back then, she would bring us books, clothes, and games that obviously didn't exist in Belarus at all. So, I also had something to brag about to my friends at that time... Her stories from there were always positive, and every time she said how much she wanted to go back. Of course... she had and did everything that all children in the 2000s dreamed of, and the host family wanted to show her a new country, or at least their state, in all its colors and possibilities. In short, that is exactly why, since childhood, I have perceived the USA as a place I want to return to and that is worth seeing with my own eyes. Returning to the book... it was about all aspects of life in the Land of Opportunity, the experience of Konstantin Tyabut himself participating in Work and Travel, how he actually ended up in the USA, and even a love story which, spoiler alert, had a sad ending. My sister wanted to buy it for me herself, knowing my affection for the USA. I read it in one breath! Successes and failures, travels, and sometimes the survival of a nineteen-year-old guy in another country – all this is just in the first part. The second part is a whole Q&A block with answers to questions about moving, work, leisure, and the peculiarities of national culture. The whole book, in essence, is dedicated to the experience the author gained thanks to the Work and Travel program! He returned to Russia, but now he teaches English and has a huge fanbase. The book is very energizing and shows that with a few steps, you can change your whole life for the better and actually fulfill your dreams. At that moment, I made a decision for myself... After everything mentioned, the question of why I decided to participate in the program is no longer relevant. The U