Τζέρζι: Ταξιδιωτικός οδηγός, βίζες και δωρεάν διαμονή · 2026

OSOleksandr Shevchukshevchuksanya983 · 10 Δεκ 2018Διάβασμα

I am going to tell all my trip to the USA and how was it going. First of all, I found a couchsurfer, who invited me in his house for two days. It was my first impression, that man was the best person who I have ever seen. He spoke a lot, played games, ate plenty of food, even made a party with barbecue. After that I moved out to my job. Honestly, I was unsatisfied with it. Employer and housing were perfect, but job was horrible. It includes cleaning toilet, bathrooms, cabins etc. InterExchange helped me and I did quit that job and found and started work in windows cleaning company. That job was amazing I cleaned mansions what cost I believe at least million dollar, I had funny team and chilling time with company. I still remember jokes of mine team leader. My team was generally slav people, so we even understand each other in our native languages. I have been working there for 2 and half months. On day off we usually go to the Beach, ride bikes, go shopping, make a little parties. I found so much friends from around the world, did learn about their food and culture. After middle of August I started to travel. I was in New York city, Pennsylvania, Connecticut states, Niagara Falls. And the main point I made one of my dream became a truth. It is skydiving in New Jersey . I do not know so many words to describe my feelings about that. It was so exciting, I still remember those feelings and impressions. Broadly speaking, I have one advice to participants of Work and Travel program. It is do not focus on earning money, guys, you will earn enough trust me, better to spend this money on something that gave you impression to your heart. I have never regretted about each dollar what I spent. It was the best my summer in my whole life. Good luck guys!

YTYauheni Turavetsevgeniytyrovez · 15 Δεκ 2017Διάβασμα

Everything for the first time From the airplane cabin Austrian Airlines, flight Minsk-Vienna, Vienna-New York. 1.5 hours to Vienna, a layover, and another 8.5 hours of flight to get there, across the ocean. Everything was new to me – after all, it was my first time flying in my life. The flight was not easy for me. I arrived in Vienna looking really red, as if I had just spent two hours in a steam room. I didn't expect it to be so nerve-wracking for me. I managed to pull myself together in two hours. During the long flight to the States, I thought about my future job at a restaurant, about what and how I would have to do, and if they would fire me if I did something wrong. In short, there were only questions to which I (alas) could not yet give answers. Upon arriving at JFK airport in New York, we (I was flying with a friend) had to go through passport control. And so, after standing in line for about an hour (there were a lot of people), our turn finally came, and we headed to the officer. We greeted him calmly, gave him the necessary documents, but that's when our adventures began. During the flight, we were offered to fill out a declaration, which is MANDATORY when entering the USA (a lot is written about this on the Internet), but we didn't attach any importance to it. A big mistake. We stood there not knowing what to do. There was a long line behind us. But we were lucky. The customs officer handed us the declaration and asked us to fill it out right there on the spot. I am grateful to that man for not sending us to the back of the line. Having finally passed passport control, we quickly rushed to get our suitcases, as time was running out and we might miss our bus. NY city We knew how to get to the bus station because two of our friends had arrived a week earlier. Using the AirTrain (they have them in Moscow too), we reached the necessary station and transferred to the subway. After about 40 minutes, we were coming out of the underground passage, and there it was before me, that very same, real New York that I had only seen in movies. An endless stream of cars, crowds of people, steam from the sewers – this is exactly how I imagined it. We were hugely impressed by the real New York, but there was no time to admire it, as we were in a hurry to get to the bus station. And we got lucky – we made it to the last bus to Cape May (New Jersey), which was our final destination. It took more than 4 hours to get to Cape May with one transfer. On the way to Cape May, we made a stop in one of the largest cities in NJ – Atlantic City. Late at night, we finally reached Cape May, exhausted and so tired that we almost missed the stop where we needed to get off. We got off. 2 a.m. An unfamiliar country, an unfamiliar city. No connection at all. No transport running. We are standing there with our suitcases. What the hell are we supposed to do, where are we going? We only had the address of the house. A few minutes later, a car pulls up, a man gets out and says: "Roman?" My friend answers: "Yes." And I thought, finally...

YTYauheni Turavetsevgeniytyrovez · 15 Δεκ 2017Διάβασμα

A little bit of everything Cape May is a cozy little resort town, the southernmost point of New Jersey, located right on the Atlantic coast. According to Wikipedia, the population of Cape May as of 2010 was 3.6 thousand. But in the summer, this number usually grows to 40 thousand, and that is truly the case. According to Travel Channel, Cape May is among the top 10 beaches in the USA. Standing on the ocean shore for the first time, you catch yourself staring at the mighty water element, spellbound, simply enjoying the moment. It’s impossible to put into words, although, of course, it doesn't compare to the impressions of seeing the REAL New York for the first time. But more on that below. Beauty of the Atlantic Ocean The house where we lived We lived outside the city, renting a room on a summer veranda for four people. I had the chance to work in one of the best restaurants in Cape May – 410 Bank Street restaurant. We got to work by bicycle. I worked as a kitchen prep – in Russian, a kitchen assistant. My job involved cleaning and chopping vegetables and fruits, making salads, and peeling shrimp. I liked the work. But at the same time, there were some difficulties – I’ll be honest, I hadn't really held a knife in my hands before. The chef demanded fast and precise task execution. I had to learn everything quickly, so the first week became a very serious test of resilience and patience, which (I believe) I passed quite well. In the restaurant, I worked with people from different countries: Serbia, Puerto Rico, Romania, Italy, and Russia. At work, I spoke mostly in English. It was not only a good experience interacting with people of different mentalities but also excellent practice for my English and expanding my vocabulary. For the first two weeks, I had to learn the names of products on the fly and remember where everything was in the kitchen; I had to ask things two, three, or even more times. It is worth noting that the chef was friendly and always ready to explain and help. My conclusion is: don't be afraid that you will do something wrong and get fired for it. Americans are very friendly, open people, ready to listen to you and help with words and deeds. The main thing is to be hardworking, self-confident, and just believe that everything will work out! After some time, I knew exactly what I needed to do and how, and the chef appreciated it, which also led to a raise. At first, I earned $9.5 an hour, so to speak, I was on probation. After 3 weeks, my salary was increased to $10 an hour. I tried to give my all every day, working more than the 8 hours stipulated by the contract. I also want to say that our restaurant had so-called overtime. After working more than 40 hours a week, we received $15 per hour for each hour of overtime, which, of course, was very pleasing. And now a few words about the second job. At the second job, I also worked in a restaurant. The Blue Rose restaurant, according to Google, was among the top 5 restaurants in Cape May in 2016. I worked as a dish-washer, which, in my opinion, is one of the least favorite positions among students. My workday started at the first restaurant at 8 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m., then at the second – from 5 p.m. to 12 p.m. I had one day off a week, very rarely two. One week I even had to work all seven days. At Blue Rose, I worked as a dish-washer for more than 2 months, and it was a kind of record because, before that, no one had worked that long in this position. Honestly, it was quite hard because I was on my feet all day. Most of all, I lacked sleep – we slept 4-5 hours a day. But I proved to myself that I can and I know how! There were also funny incidents at work. Together with my friend (we both worked at Blue Rose), we had to unload a garage full of accumulated paper. We didn't even notice how, out of nowhere, a skunk appeared!!! And what do you think, this stinker kept us from working. It kept walking around us, entered our garage, and we couldn't do anything)) Af

ABAnna Buldakovaanechkaumnichka · 30 Ιαν 2015Διάβασμα

I spent the summer of 2014 in the USA. It was my second trip, and it was just as deep in emotion and full of new discoveries as the first. During the Moscow winter, it's especially nice to look back on that summer, scroll through photos, and break into a huge smile at the slightest mention of my summer adventures. That's exactly why I want to share this with you, guys) Looking ahead, I want to say that this summer I became even more patient, organized, and confident. But let's take things in order. Since I kept in touch with my American employer from 2013, I preferred to save time and decided to go back to the same place. I worked as a housekeeper at a small Inn two blocks from the Atlantic coast in Spring Lake, New Jersey. The job came with perks like free food and incredibly pleasant guests (read: good tips and nice chatting), but there was a fly in the ointment. In my case, it was my boss. I tried so desperately to build a connection with a lonely fifty-year-old woman whose life goal was her work that I didn't notice how this ambitious lady started taking advantage of me. Before I knew it, I was tied up with overtime hours and a narrow social circle limited to guests, rotating staff, and my boss. But it wouldn't be right for me to complain; thankfully, I had access to the beach in my free time, as well as pay and bonuses that suited me just fine. Leisure wasn't a major issue for me, as Spring Lake is a tiny town where the only entertainment is the beach and insanely expensive restaurants. Which, actually, saved me from unnecessary spending, something I'm very happy about given the fall of the ruble) I definitely didn't lack communication with decent people. On the contrary, I made a ton of pleasant acquaintances! I still keep in touch with some of them, and I cherish that very much. To make a long story short, I finished working at the end of August and packed my bags for California. A year ago, I met a wonderful girl named Natasha who worked in Colorado; we had a great time in Washington, saw Niagara Falls, managed to lose my camera with all the photos at the end of the trip, and by some miracle found it in the M&M's store. But this summer, I couldn't find a travel buddy, so I went on my own. I think that was one of the main factors that made this trip so vivid. Because the tone for my entire solo journey was set by the wonderful people I was lucky enough to meet. Over three months, I made friends from Croatia, Thailand, France, India, the Virgin Islands, Italy, South Africa, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Spain, and I'm sure I've forgotten someone! Yes, of course, I am thrilled with California, Las Vegas, and the Grand Canyon. But I am incredibly grateful to every single person I met this summer, thanks to whom I still can't stop smiling when I remember my summer of 2014. #travel #USA #summer2014

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · 24 Ιουλ 2013Διάβασμα

Sunshine! At the hotel, Kristina barely got in our way; we worked calmly and slowly. Since yesterday evening, my headache hasn't gone away, and I felt a bit sorry for myself. Thank God, we managed almost without any screw-ups. I really need to catch up on sleep and... catch up on writing. A diary is probably what I was missing. Maybe it was the sunshine giving me strength, or the realization of having the evening off. Tomorrow, Sonya plans to tell Kristina that she won't be working anymore. Honestly, I'm scared. I'm afraid of how this might reflect on me. The hotel needs extra hands right now, and badly. What if Kristina doesn't pay me so that Sonya stays? Or says that until we train another girl, Sonya can't leave? In short, I'm worried here, not so much for Sonya, but that Kristina might think poorly of me. Selfish? Yes, but I still have to work with her. All the vacationers are Polish or Russian. There seems to be only one room with Americans. For some reason, people think we are Polish too. And they talk to us in Polish. We understand maybe just a few words. And to their indignant looks, I now boldly say: "My grandmother is a half polish, so I know only some words". Check-outs, service, and CHAIRS! We are already pros, we guess for ourselves what's coming. Good weather, little work – we confidently tackle the chairs and the sprinkler! Good weather, lots of work – just the chairs! Why clean them every other day??! They don't get any dirtier or cleaner. Finally, we found time to find out everything about the pool. It's 5 minutes from the hotel. Joseph Von Savage Memorial Pool is located at 8800 New Jersey Avenue – Wildwood Crest. On the agenda: can we get a job there (relevant only for Sonya), can we come to swim? (cool for both of us). We walked up and read the sign with the schedule. We understood almost nothing. Through the glass doors, you can see the pool itself: small, under a glass ceiling, 3 or 4 lanes. Well, maybe 15 meters at most. Children and adults are swimming. We went inside and got all the necessary information at the administrator's window. No vacancies. You can swim, the pleasure costs 5 bucks for entry, it seems. You can visit when there are no special classes: weekdays 12:30-2:30 PM, 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Weekends 12 – 4:45. Well, what can I say? Sonya was happy!!!!!!!! And so what about this job, fewer problems! But Sonya was thrilled about the opportunity to swim! We've been living on the coast for a month now, and there's no opportunity to swim. Strange, right? Yes, it's the ocean, baby! The whole way back we discussed who would wear which swimsuit, who would take goggles... Well, just typical conversations! It's hot outside, it's a day off, what to do? Such an issue: I want to go to the movies, to a Chinese buffet, and to the beach. You don't know what's better. I've become problematic again, worrying about how to do things better so I won't regret it later. It even became offensive! Life has turned into workdays, some kind of race again... as if it were Moscow! I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to! I'm resting from problems here! And with that mood, plus a tasty soup for lunch and tea with lemon, we decided not to buy food and not to cook together anymore. A turbulent stream of thoughts? Yes? Not at all, we love to stir up trouble. We spent the whole day doing just that. We decided to go drop off our things at the laundromat, and while they were washing, run to the supermarket. There were a lot of things, some say take 2 detergent pods, some say it'll be fine as is. In the end, I listened to myself, and I had to go back for one more when we realized how many things we had. 36 minutes appeared on the display. 36 minutes to buy food, which was destined to be spent only by me, and very, very hastily. In the end, I spent $25, Anya $32, Sonya $16. The set is roughly the same for everyone: porridge for breakfast, potatoes, vegetables, something for tea, sugar, milk. Well, let's try to live like thi

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · 30 Ιουν 2013Διάβασμα

First of all, a new girl named Anya arrived yesterday; she was very tired and went to sleep almost immediately. Today, everything started as usual in the morning. Sonya and I were getting ready for work, and Anya woke up and started getting ready to look for a job. She had a few leads here, and someone promised to help her. I left her my American phone and the house keys. It feels good to know that I can help someone. On the way to work, we noticed a cool breeze. However, later, when we were working outside, the wind seemed to disappear. It was the usual scorching sun. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad at the hotel. We were painting—Sonya did the tables, and I did the windows—it was easy. We painted for about 2 hours, and then I was assigned to wash chairs, floors, and windows. Kristina gave me a "sprayer" for this—a hose with a nozzle; it wasn't very difficult, and the water was really refreshing. We worked for 5 hours today and didn't get too tired. We arrived home. Some guys were waiting for us at the door: we had seen two of the girls before, we crossed paths with them when we were getting settled into our hotel. They were accompanied by some acquaintance, who apparently knows his way around WW better and was showing them the way. So, it turned out they want to live with us and came to see our apartment. Even though the girls had apparently already paid for a month in advance at their place, they were desperate to move. Something is wrong with their neighbors—either there are too many of them, or they are too noisy. Honestly, I didn't catch the girls' names. I called the landlady and arranged for her to pick up the girls with their things tomorrow and bring them here. We have a great landlady. So, there will be five of us living here. Only now am I starting to realize how much I liked living with just two of us. Although, the more, the merrier! We managed to run to the beach today. We didn't take anything with us; we just arrived, took off our clothes, went for a swim, dried off a bit, and headed straight back. I only had an hour left before work. After a shower, I got on my bike with wet hair and rode off. It was so great to ride fast with the wind in my face. Although, somewhere at the intersection of New Jersey and 15th St., some lady behind the wheel jumped out in front of me from around a corner. Of course, I don't know the traffic laws, but I definitely know that I can go on green and that I have the right of way. Thank goodness the brakes work well! In general, I've grown to love my bike; I just hope it doesn't break down again. There were very few customers in the restaurant again today. Only 3 waiters were working, and Lauryn and I were the bussers. I decided to gather my courage and make the most of the free time. I chatted with Lauryn, asking her about her life and studies. I also asked her to explain a few words to me, the names of objects around us. Other waiters joined in, and it was fun). Here is what I learned: Hair ties - hair elastic. Hair bands - when hair is put up - something like a ponytail. Braid - braid. Pepper - pepper. Pot - pot. Crock pot - slow cooker. Staple - stapler. Pitcher - pitcher. Straw - drinking straw. Ladle - ladle. Boat - butter dish, in the shape of a boat. Garlic - olives, or something that floats in our oil.

РРомаbr1ckk · 25 Ιουλ 2010Διάβασμα

I don't even know how much time has passed since my last post. Right now, having kicked off my worn-out sneakers, I'm on the train, half an hour away from Montauk (the easternmost point of NY state), heading home. It's hard to imagine a stranger journey than the one we've had. As always, we had grand plans for today, but I'll save the story of how they turned out for later. To start, I'll say that we've walked through tons of streets, avenues, blocks, and boulevards of New York and all its surroundings. Mostly due to poor planning, we ended up in the most remote, quiet, and cozy neighborhoods, where you sometimes find solitary houses surrounded by forests and fields. As one of my professors likes to say, we've explored New York to its guts, even though we haven't been to many famous places. We made it to the dirty South Bronx, to Harlem—which doesn't look as criminal as people like to say—to Queens with its uniform houses and streets, to the south of quiet, modest Staten Island, and we've stomped through all of diverse Brooklyn, not to mention Manhattan itself. Perhaps our main event was meeting a local American, an elderly man, whom we initially just waved at while passing his house. One evening, he invited us over, and we started talking. It went further—he kept inviting us over, showering us with gifts, treating us to generous lunches and desserts. Such hospitality never ceased to amaze. Recently, he gave me a thick book with paintings by a Spanish artist; I even felt ashamed. Advice! Maybe we're just lucky, but we are increasingly convinced that Americans are very friendly and open to new acquaintances. Talk to people; we learned so much new about American life and everyday routines, about cheap stores, and interesting places, even with our broken English. Finally, we were gifted many, many souvenirs. :) I don't think everyone knows that they hold entire tours of cemeteries here. We managed to visit one, though the guide, who was diligently telling us about local attractions at the entrance and praising our English, spoke so fast that we didn't understand anything and just started wandering between the stone blocks. Looking at large monuments and Egyptian-style tombs is interesting, but it gets boring quickly. The cemetery is located in Brooklyn, 53rd Street station, N line. We managed to visit the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The first one is huge; you won't even be able to see half of it in a full day, but it houses exhibits from all over the world, starting from those same Egyptian tombs and ending with modern installations. MoMA is significantly smaller; we walked through it faster, but it's likely more interesting for students, as you can find a bunch of cool designer things, photos, modern exhibits, etc. The whole time, piercing screams of people are played from everywhere; it was funny to hear them the first time. :) We went to a soccer match, a game between the local Red Bulls and guests from England's Tottenham. On the way (the stadium is in New Jersey), we ended up in a carriage with Europeans who were singing in unison for the whole train ride. The stadium itself turned out to be cozy and reminded me of an English one. We sat in the second row and were in the center of the action even before the match started, when we were shown on the big screen during the American anthem. Very symbolic! :) The fans cursed with choice profanity the whole match but behaved without aggression, so you can go to the fan section calmly (an English fan ran in here, and the entire southern part of the stadium "politely" cursed at him). We also plan to visit a baseball game (we're going to the Mets, because the cheapest tickets for the Yankees start at 90 dollars!). As for souvenirs, I don't think I'll be discovering America if I recommend Best Buy. Of course, all the stores (with rare exceptions) scattered around Times Square are intended for rich tourists, certainly not for poor students from Russia. So do