Old Orchard Beach: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

DTDilara Temirbekovadilara.myrzagulova · Dec 10, 2014Read

....I never even imagined that America was so rich in greenery! I certainly suspected that the most powerful country in the world could boast not only of its achievements in economy and politics, but also when it came to Mother Nature. But I simply didn't expect such beauty! In general, our state is very famous for its indescribable natural beauty; I would have even mistaken it for the filming location of the famous "Twilight" trilogy if I hadn't known the right answer. Also, on the way to our small beach town, which would later serve as our home for 2.5 months, I remembered a phrase said to me by my groupmate: -"Oh, you're going to the state of Maine, famous for its ghosts and witches coming out of the thickets of the forests." -"Yeah," I said abruptly, and after thinking for a minute, do I know about the place where I will spend more than half of my upcoming summer?! Of course, I scoured the internet for all the necessary information about this mysterious and nature-rich Maine and tried in every way to cheer myself and my friend up by saying that our state is the best, despite the fact that it is the northeast and it won't be as hot as, for example, in Florida. Why did I choose Maine, you ask? The answer is simple: my cousin went there through the same Work and Travel USA program in 2010, and like all students who have visited the States, she remained on good terms with her employers or so-called bosses, who could easily solve the problem with an offer, or rather, hire you or your friends, relatives, or acquaintances. In general, everyone you can vouch for. And so I was the so-called relative who wouldn't let her sister down and, based on her good recommendations, would come for the whole summer and do her job just as well as my sister did before me. She also helped my friend Aigerim, and soon we became the owners of two prize jobs as housekeepers at "Beachwood motel". Everything was as it should be: $8 per hour, 30 hours a week, and 2 days off. (Americans measure their working hours by the week and also issue a pay check at the end of each week). Well, I will tell you more about this in another blog titled "10 facts about why I love America". Before ending up in OOB-Old Orchard Beach, we made a difficult journey: New York, NY-Boston, Massachusetts-Portland, Maine-OOB, Maine. As you have already guessed, the city comes first, and after the comma is the state in which this very city is located. Well, so, having reached Portland, we could no longer stay on the bus and decided to take a taxi. We agreed on 40 bucks, and happy with our correct decision (as it seemed at that moment), we arrived in OOB. At that time, the weather was nasty and cold, which, however, is very characteristic of Maine. My sister shared with me all the information available to her and, of course, knew those people who could shelter us. We went to one of them. It was Rosa, a Polish woman by nationality, who had long moved to the States, married a Jew, was a co-owner of a rather large beach store "Domino", and gave us the keys to her shelter. She spoke Russian well, and we immediately found a common language, both literally and figuratively. But she provided us with housing only for a week, as her students were supposed to arrive and take our place. We agreed and went to settle in. Having bought groceries and already prepared dinner, we chatted with my Aigerim about the upcoming day at our work. Everything seemed perfect to us. The next day we came to our boss John and started our training day. To our deep regret, our supervisor, the head of the housekeepers, was not working that day and could not properly evaluate our capabilities. And 2 African-American women from Jamaica, who were also housekeepers, volunteered to evaluate Aigerim and me. In principle, everything was clear. Our duties included changing and properly folding towels, cleaning the bathroom, properly making the bed, washing the floor and dusting the furniture, as well as a small kitchen set.

DTDilara Temirbekovadilara.myrzagulova · Dec 8, 2014Read

Night. The alarm rings. I just laid down, and now I have to wake up. The suitcase is ready, I just need to pack the small essentials into my carry-on. A call from a friend. They are already on their way. My God! Is this really happening, and is it not a dream! Now we are at the airport. My closest and most important people are by my side. They are seeing me off on a distant and exciting journey that will later change me completely. My travel companion arrived with a crowd of people seeing her off, and once we were on the other side of our friends, we met two cool guys from Karaganda. Thinking about a one-night stay in the capital of the world, where we were supposed to go first, we decided to stay with these guys, considering them harmless and safe. After a successful five-hour flight, we arrived at Vnukovo and started calling our family and friends to tell them we were okay. Preparing for a long journey (11 hours of flight across the ocean), I couldn't hide my excitement. Soon, it was diluted by two more cheerful guys who joined us while we waited. At first, we didn't like them at all, all those unnecessary antics and showing off (OMG, who came up with the idea of showing off in front of girls, thinking that they would grow in our eyes?!). But soon we found common ground with them and, being on the plane, sat together. The 11 hours passed very quickly. We played various games, slept, listened to music, learned a lot of new things, and to our surprise, found a lot in common with our new companions. After thinking it over with my friend, we finally decided that Shakarim and Nurken would accompany us in New York—that was the names of our latest friends. Leaving JFK airport, we were immediately greeted by people with signs who suggested we take a bus to Manhattan, which cost $32 each. And here we are. We looked through the bus windows at daytime New York as if we had never been touched by civilization. With our mouths open in surprise and admiration, we, of course, started taking pictures of everything on our iPhones and iPads. After dropping us off in a place we didn't understand, we started looking for the cheapest hostel. We walked around the same street probably 5 times! Walking around in circles, asking passersby for the nearest hostel in our broken English, and with huge, heavy suitcases, we were completely exhausted. Seeing a policeman, I immediately turned to him for help. "Sir, could you tell me the cheapest hostel nearby?" I asked. "Honey, this is New York—the most expensive city in the world, and by the way, we are currently in Manhattan—the most expensive district of this city. To find a cheap shelter, you'll have to go to another city." This sharp and at the same time not very cheerful answer made us think. Could it be that we won't find the shelter we need so much today?! And at that very moment, when we were completely saddened, my travel companion and, after this trip, my friend, found that very cheapest hostel—"Chelsea Star Hostel". That's where we landed. A daily stay for 4 people in a small room with 2 beds and a private shower cost us $152. After leaving our suitcases, having lunch, and washing up after the flight, we set off to get to know a tasty piece of America—New York. Since we stayed in Manhattan, we spent our whole day there. We didn't use any public transport and decided to walk everywhere. Not forgetting our final destination called Maine, Old Orchard Beach, the first thing we did was head to the Greyhound station, where we bought tickets for the next day. Our boys also bought tickets: one to Virginia Beach, the other to Massachusetts. It was just amazing! We sat on the famous red stairs looking at huge advertisements on big screens, taking selfies together, we rode around Central Park in an insanely beautiful carriage with a kind and pleasant Turkish coachman, we even managed to eat at McDonald's, after which my friend threw up right on the street in front of passersby! At that time, it wasn't funny

SSanSIDORSSR · Oct 31, 2009Read

Probably the longest drive we've ever done. Around 1000 miles. Dreading it, we decided not to stress or torture ourselves all night switching drivers, but just to stop somewhere for the night. We were short on cash but had plenty of blankets) So we decided to sleep right under the stars, in nature. To be honest, finding a spot under the stars is often not easy. All the woods and bushes are usually someone's private property. And if you go deep into the middle of nowhere, you might not get a comfortable sleep because it's too wet, dry, scary, etc. We found a solution in campgrounds. Places in wild nature areas where it is officially allowed to pitch tents, park cars, and build fires. Although you have to pay for camping in 90% of cases. Private camping costs more, but is often better equipped, while state sites are inexpensive, but you can only find them in national or state nature parks and reserves. That's what we did that night. We just looked up the nearest State Park on GPS and stopped there. When we drove in, it was already midnight, and no one took any money from us. We thought we'd have to pay in the morning when leaving. But no one stopped us on the way out either. And we found a way to save on lodging until the end of the summer. State parks just close at 10 PM and open at 8 AM. If you arrive and leave within that time frame, there's simply no one to pay! We used this all summer. It's also worth noting that we were lucky that night and found a free shower at the campground, which was very handy, since we hadn't washed since Old Orchard Beach. We didn't have tents, so we managed to sleep without them. I slept on the roof of the car, wrapped in three blankets, Sanya slept under the car in a sleeping bag. And the girls, they are petite, reclined in the car seats. Sometimes we rotated, but it didn't change the essence. I still think the coolest spot was on the roof, when you fall asleep and see the stars, the Milky Way, and falling meteors. Mmmmm... After waking up in the morning, we rushed towards Cleveland. The Midwest started for us in Ohio. And it turned out to be exactly as we imagined it. Bare steppe 100% covered in corn. It wasn't even scary to use the highway here, because it was an absolutely straight road, without the slightest curves, stretching to the horizon. As a spicy variety, farmer houses sometimes flashed outside the window, and a couple of grain storage bins as a mandatory addition to them. Approaching Cleveland, the road began to widen. As a result, it grew from a two-lane highway to 8-10 lanes in just one direction. Mmmm... Cleveland was the first truly large city on our path after Boston. By the way, a quite nice city. Its location on the lake shore and its turbulent industrial past were also attractive. The industrial revolution was felt everywhere. Multiple factories, abandoned plants, railway tracks crossing the city, outdated skyscrapers of once-large companies. Successful residential areas where industrialists once lived with their families not so long ago. A kind of symbol of the country's once-mighty industrial power. Now Cleveland, unfortunately, is just an unremarkable city with no special attractions, and the fact that we just slowly crossed it from east to west was enough for us. We continued our movement through the unchanging landscapes of the Midwest. After Ohio, we were met by Indiana, then southern Michigan, but nothing changed. We wouldn't even have noticed the difference if huge signs "Welcome to ..." didn't flaunt over the road. Everything becomes different as soon as you round the southernmost point of Lake Michigan, when you approach Chicago!

SSanSIDORSSR · Oct 21, 2009Read

And here we are in Boston! Ira and I, just the two of us! The move is complete, bags are unpacked, and the apartment feels like home! We left the guys (Sanya and Anyutka) in Old Orchard Beach; although we invited them to come with us, they refused, citing some kind of work and poor English. After paying for the apartment, stocking up on groceries and essentials, buying a weekly transit pass, and celebrating our housewarming, we had $130 left for the two of us. I love these extreme situations where, like it or not, you have to do something. If for the whole month before that we were just lying around, filling out applications online, and complaining that no one was answering, then finding ourselves with minimal funds and no job, we started taking action. We practiced the method beloved by all international students—knocking on doors—where you just walk down the street and enter every establishment you see, asking, "Do you need help?" until you get a positive result. I always focus on restaurants and other food service establishments (avoiding fast food). Firstly, there is constant staff turnover; secondly, you can always grab a bite to eat, and it might even be something delicious; thirdly, it's quite interesting work that might come in handy in the future for family life or maybe for a career; fourthly, it's just a cool and very specific team. But anyway! Success came to me at the seventh door. ...These were the doors of a very expensive Japanese restaurant in the heart of the financial district. What embarrassed me even more was that the restaurant was located at the foot of the tallest skyscraper in the city. "They probably don't hire regular people off the street there!" I doubted. I really didn't want to look stupid in front of the manager and the staff by asking for a job in such an unusual way. After all, there is a traditional way to find a job in America, which includes a whole list of mandatory ads, resumes, interviews, etc. And here I am, barging in and asking for a job at such an establishment. But something told me... In the next moment, I was already standing in the manager's office, where I had been led by a Japanese man with a very unfriendly look. It was a failure because from the very first seconds, Mike (that was the manager's name), without lowering his voice, asked me very strange questions: who am I? and what am I doing in his office? But despite such a "warm" welcome, Mike threw a whole pile of papers at me that needed to be filled out, and without much talk, gave me a job as a dishwasher. Although at that moment, I was fine with that! Workdays began! 30-35-40 hours a week. I liked this place, I liked the team, and even Mike started to seem like a cool guy. We joked around and often did favors for each other. For that, he always treated me to a drink from the bar after my shift, even though I was only 20. Another week passed, and he offered me a side job as a sushi delivery person. I agreed! It was cool! Perhaps the only job I truly liked. I rode around the city on a bicycle, delivering sushi in a backpack to lazy and wealthy Americans. Since the restaurant was in an affluent part of Boston, the clients were appropriate. I visited all the skyscrapers, saw very elite apartments, and I just liked exploring the city. Within a week, I knew all the passages, paths, and trails within a 3-mile radius. As Mike said, I was the fastest delivery person since the shop opened. These words made me very happy, and the salary and tips were even better. As a sign of gratitude, Mike removed the dishwasher shifts from my schedule. Time passed, and I dedicated more and more time to work. The number of hours reached 80 per week, and I sometimes returned home as late as 5 a.m. My trust in Mike grew. I felt that they needed me more than I needed them. And I was right. It so happened that in just a week, probably 5-6 cooks quit the restaurant. No, not because of conflicts, although that happened too, but due to many objective re

SSanSIDORSSR · Oct 27, 2009Read

This post will probably be short. Because we didn't think about the route for very long and barely even argued. We decided to just go on a cross-country trip! Since I already had experience with a cross-country trip last year, I just advised avoiding too many big cities along the way. Because 95% of American cities are quite uniform and completely boring. But it is definitely worth paying main attention to nature reserves, national parks, and just interesting places! The USA is a huge country and its nature differs radically both from north to south and from west to east. Speaking of America, one can imagine the toy houses of New England immersed in the yellow of autumn, the lined road through the red deserts of Arizona, the sunset over the wide beaches of California, corn farms with hangars and barrels. This is all America, but it is all a completely different America that we were yet to conquer. Although, based on last year, I wouldn't recommend lingering in the Midwest. It's a very monotonous, corn-soybean region located on the endless Great Plains and holds no tourist value. Although, amidst all this desert of monotony, one can highlight an oasis of uniqueness - Chicago! That the best way to travel around the USA is by car is obvious and indisputable. A plane is out immediately, because the trip becomes point-to-point. Moreover, you can only fly where there are flights, not where you want to go. A train is the same thing, plus it limits your personal freedom of movement to the width and length of the carriage. A bus is a little better, but extremely uncomfortable. A bus can be used for traveling between cities, because even in the most remote province Greyhound stops, but for exploring natural monuments, you need something more mobile, i.e., a car. A car is convenient, fast, comfortable, and precise to the destination. By car, you go where you want, not where the route is laid out. You are free to decide how much time you spend at one object or another, when to eat, drink, and when and where to make a stop. In addition, a car, if bought for the summer and for 2 or more people, is cheaper than all other modes of transport. If you have a large group, it makes sense to buy a van or a small bus. Now for the conclusion of this article. We decided to go everywhere except the Midwest by car. There is no exact route and there won't be one. Everything will be determined on the road, it's more interesting that way. The first point is Old Orchard Beach, ME where we need to pick up Sanka and Anyutka!