Orléans: Reiseführer, Preise und kostenlose Unterkunft · 2026

DKDinara Kantbek29.11.2015Lesen

June 4th... I have already started working. At first, it was hard to adapt to the new environment and the job. In Hyannis, during the first week, we lived with some Spaniards, which an acquaintance had found for us. The house was very far from work, and the conditions were not particularly satisfactory. We planned to move out before the deadline, and the third girl was supposed to arrive the following week. One day, I suggested to Malika that we look around, knock on doors, and walk through all the houses located near work. We asked our Spanish landlady to drop us off near Dunkin Donuts. We started knocking on all the doors, asking if they had any space or if they knew anyone renting out rooms. It was fun. The Americans took it all well; some apologized and offered us to come in for tea. If a dog started barking in any house, we would immediately run away, as we didn't plan on living with pets at all. I am afraid of them. We didn't find anything. We sat down to catch our breath near a service station when suddenly some Black man started calling us over. "Hey, listen to me, come here, come here," and he started explaining that he had an apartment with a free pool in the back, a PlayStation, laundry, a treadmill, internet, and that he didn't really rent out rooms, but he needed to consult with his girlfriend. We exchanged numbers, and a few hours later he picked us up and showed us the house. We liked everything. The next week we moved in with him and started living with Jamaicans. The rent wasn't very high, considering our conditions. Gradually, I started getting used to everything and felt the desire to find a second job. At Dunkin, I worked from 5 AM to 3 PM, and the rest of the time remained free. Dunkin Donuts is a company that sells donuts, coffee, sandwiches, shakes, ice cream, etc. I mainly worked at the cash register. Plus, there were tips. June 12th... I had a day off. I found out that in the neighboring town of Harwich Port, J1 volunteers were organizing a dinner in honor of all international students in the evening. All J1 students from all countries came, got to know each other, played games, prizes were raffled off, there was delicious food, and they talked about road safety rules. It was a lot of fun. In June, they hosted two such big dinners. The second time was June 24th, and luckily for me, I was off that day too. Americans are a very friendly, smiling, and kind people. I couldn't believe my luck and that all this was happening to me. At the dinner, I met Catherine and Matt; they helped all the students when help was needed, spent time with them, and went for walks. They became very close to me and called me their daughter, "Our beautiful daughter." We went to Wrentham Village together (a paradise for shopaholics). At the second dinner, I rode with them to help with the setup and food, and in the van, I met two girls from Aktobe, Sam and June. Those were their American names. It turned out they lived not far from me with Mr. Richard, who had one big and one small dog, and a huge cat. I became friends with them, and they started inviting me over. We cooked beshbarmak and borscht. They would lock all three pets in the bathroom when I came over. Soon, Mr. Richard and I became very good friends. At the end of the summer, we went to an open-air cinema together; it was magical. We still talk on Skype every day, and he recently sent me a package. In our town, there was a special free club for students from Russia and Kazakhstan, where you just had to show your passport. On June 29th, we spent time at the club until 3 AM, and at 5 AM we had to be at the station for the earliest bus to go visit our friends Jeff and Denise in Orleans. They had cool public transport; for $2, you could travel around the entire neighboring town. And so, in 2 hours, we arrived. Jeff met us in Orleans and took us to his home in Wellfleet. All the towns were basically not far from each other by car. You can look at a map of Cape Cod; I also ha

ANAlesia Nikifarava26.11.2015Lesen

Am I... becoming happier? Oh my god. (c) A tweet after America. I always knew I was destined for something, and, drifting aimlessly with the current, I believed: I am on my path. But the moment came when I grew tired of waiting for the continuation of my story – it was so boring that I successfully forgot some of the events and characters. Getting ready for America, I thought: this will be a great test of stability, maybe overseas civilization will turn me into a brave adventurer, expand my narrow conceptual boundaries. I want to tell you my stories and submit the level of my madness to your judgment. Story one (How to meet people? Answer: you don't, people will meet you themselves) I flew without friends or companions, so during the layover in Frankfurt, which lasted – stay calm, I survived it easier than I planned! – eighteen hours, I was left alone. I drank hot tea, which seemed much more soulless than the one my Belarusian roommate makes, while simultaneously browning white bread in a hot skillet. Feeling lonely at the airport is normal. Missing home is normal. By the way, it might sound rude, but that was the last time I missed home on such a scale. I tried to settle into an airport chair to fall asleep, but it didn't go very well – I lay with my eyes closed, aimlessly drifting in my thoughts, until I felt someone cover me with a blanket. I shake off the drowsiness and open my eyes. In front of me is an African American man, glowing with joy and apologies, not at all embarrassed, muttering that, miss, your feet must be cold, how can one not help a girl whose feet are cold, I would give you warm socks, but I don't have any, take the blanket for now, since your feet are cold. Now I know that this was Hector. He is from New Orleans, Louisiana, he loves his elderly parents (later I will see these people with kind faces, marred by dozens of curved lines radiating from their eyes), he idolizes honey and would like to become a lawyer. That is how I met my first American friend in Frankfurt. From here, my tips flow smoothly: 1. Buddy, don't be afraid to accept help, even if it seems unnatural to do so. Just admit that you need help. I understand: I used to be shy even to ask where the post office was. 2. Feeling lonely at the airport is normal. 3. Try not to lose touch with everyone you meet on your way. Upon returning home, messages like “what’s up” or “i miss you” will seem like a lifeline to you. By the way, there was another Hector in my American life. He walked up to me on a busy Chicago street and said: “Hey, amazing boots!” Half an hour later, Hector was showing me Chicago skyscrapers and treating me to a sweet apple, while I learned that he loves dusty bars, hates his profession as a lawyer (oh!), and believes there are people who undeservedly take everything. These memories are so warm that the love for them sometimes makes it hard for me to breathe.

ALAnastassya LebedevaNastyaLebedeva · 28.10.2012Lesen

Letter from August 31 Sender: Anastasia Lebedeva, Houston Airport, Texas Recipient: Yulia Keda, Kazakhstan Hi, Yul! The adventures continue. I'm writing these lines and I can't believe what happened to us. 9:40 AM. We are sitting in Terminal E. It's hard to describe what we just went through. Yes, we missed our flight! As Zombie and Zhenya noted, it's just like in a movie! The alarm went off at 5:30 AM. I heard Anya's voice: "Get up fast! If we miss the first bus, we'll miss the flight!" Our flight to Flagstaff, Arizona is at 9:20 AM. Breakfast is out of the question. Arriving at the stop, we were annoyed to find that the bus had just left, and the next one wouldn't be there for half an hour. Well, I thought, there's still time. We specifically got up early to at least catch the second bus. Rummaging through our pockets, we didn't find any change. And we have to travel with transfers; we'll need to take a bus in Arizona too. I ran back to the hostel, where, of course, the door was locked. I broke a twenty, ran to the stop. My breathing is uneven; that's what happens when you don't exercise. Anya is angry. There's no mood for anything. We had a fight. Finally, the bus arrived. We loaded the huge suitcase, arrived in Downtown, and waited there for about 30 minutes, maybe more. Bus 102 arrived, which was supposed to take us to the airport. We are hungry as wolves, and it's an hour's drive to the airport. "We'll eat at the airport – there should be a McDonald's there!" says Anya. We arrived at the airport at Terminal C. Where should we go? Anya checked online; our airline is located in Terminal A. We went down, took the train, and arrived at Terminal A. We remembered that the suitcase weighs more than it should. We had to move things into a backpack. Then we checked in online, got our tickets, and paid 25 dollars for the suitcase. Hunger is taking its toll. We looked at the clock. What McDonald's?! We have NO time. Boarding has ALREADY started! Looking at the ticket, we were horrified to discover that our flight would be from Terminal E, which we have to take the train to again! We went down. No train. We wait. It's supposed to run every three minutes. Where is it? There's no time. We're nervous. Boarding is already happening!!! We still need to go through security! The train! Finally! Our Terminal E is located next to Terminal D. So when we got off the train, we still had to find our terminal. We went up the escalator and saw a huge line for security. 20 minutes until departure. Boarding is over. We approach every person in line and ask to let us through. Everyone lets us pass and wishes us luck. We quickly kicked off our sneakers, put our belongings into special bins, went through the scanner, and ran on! We are running with the second suitcase, 2 rolls of photo wallpaper in our hands, a camera around our necks, I put my sneakers on like slippers, Anya is barefoot! As luck would have it, our gate E1 is at the very end. We ran there, and they told us the plane had just left... It's 9:17 AM. I don't know what to do. It was so hard for us to get these tickets. Where is our suitcase? It's flying to Flagstaff via Phoenix, and we are at Houston Airport. Tears in my eyes. I'm nervous. It's all because we missed the first bus! Anya is also tired of the bad luck, she doesn't want anything. We ask a Bush Airport employee to help us. She calls another one and says they will help us! Who doesn't have bad days? Many people are late. Really? It seems to me that only we are unlucky. Especially after our flight to New Orleans was canceled and we didn't know what to do. We went further. Anya can't find her phone. "It's all because I don't have pockets in my pants! There's nowhere to put it!" Bad luck again! She ran back to security to look for the phone. I'm waiting. Another woman agreed to change our tickets. The next flight to Phoenix is at 11:29 AM! And they will put us on it! It's so good that we have a 3-hour wait between flights. Then we w

ALAnastassya LebedevaNastyaLebedeva · 28.10.2012Lesen

Letter from August 30. Sender: Anastasia Lebedeva, Houston, Texas Recipient: Mom, Kazakhstan Hi Mom! Everything is just great here! We are in Houston, Texas. On Thursdays, most museums have free admission, so we planned a little tour. But first, we visited Green Park with its beautiful fountain and pleasant atmosphere. Such an oasis in the heart of downtown. We stopped by the McDonald's near Greyhound. Yeah, can't compare it to ours. We waited a long time for the apple pies. No refills. Strange people everywhere, not pleasant. We headed to the Planetarium to watch a 20-minute film – Night of the Titanic. You sit in a comfortable chair, and there's a large dome above your head – just sit back and enjoy the film. They told us in detail about the birth of the ill-fated iceberg that caused the catastrophe. They showed the tragedy in all its grandeur. We also visited the paleontology hall. Real remains of previously existing life forms are on display here. Starting from trilobites, small marine creatures, saber-toothed prehistoric cats, and ending with dinosaurs, mammoths, and humans! We've never seen anything like it. Recreated in life-size, the dinosaurs are frightening in their scale. Yes, they existed! If such a huge beast ran down the street now))) Creepy... We were also at another museum – there was an unusual exhibition of mutant sculptures. Plus photographs. Interesting solutions, colors, ideas. Emotional. Impressive. We walked on foot, covered quite a long distance. In the evening, Anya met up with Kuralai, who is now studying in Houston. And we are staying in a hostel with travelers from all over the world. We made friends with Catherine from the UK. She told us her story. Very friendly and open, she said she has been traveling for two months, crossed all of Canada and half of America. Met a bear in Alaska, visited the Grand Canyon, San Fran, and other cities. We aren't bored here. Tomorrow we are flying to Arizona. We didn't manage to get to New Orleans. How is Oleg doing, are you digging up potatoes yet? We'll be home soon, don't miss us! P.S. We are eating well :)