Summing up such an amazing and unbelievable experience as being in the USA for 4 months is a tough task. With no purpose other than sharing my experience with other students, I will try to tell what that trip is all about.

Deciding that you will leave your country, your family, your friends, your life, for three or four months is something that can be hard to think about, but believe me, it's worth the effort. Having the opportunity to sort of disappearing for a long period of time is something that gets harder to do when you grow older. That's why, if you are still a teenager or you are still in college, you shouldn't be asking yourself if it's the right moment or not for this kind of trips.

Is the trip worthwhile? YES it is! In my personal view, it's been the best experience I've ever had. You will never stop realizing how useful the trip's been, not even after you get back to your country. It's been almost two months since I got back from Stratton Mountain Resort, in the state of Vermont, and every single day I look at those pictures, I must admit I feel touched.

What did my job consist of? I worked at the Rental shop of the mountain. It was a very entertaining job, which consisted of giving every customer the equipment so that they could have the best day possible out in the slopes, whether riding a snowboard or skiing. Giving boots and helping customers whenever they needed, as well as setting up their skies and boards, was basically what the rental team did.

You cannot imagine how much you learn from dealing with costumers all the time. No doubt it can sometimes get a little annoying when some customer is not in the mood for being “nice” to employees, but those are just a few exceptions you easily learn to deal with. What's more, the more you deal with costumers, the better your English gets! To be honest, it was the first job I've ever had, and I have nothing but nice memories of it. It really helped me to learn what working is all about.

What's the deal with housing? If you have ever been to the United States or to some other country, you've probably been to some fancy or at least good hotel, where you've felt really comfortable and you've felt like never going back home. This is nothing like that, but depending on how you face it, housing is not an issue you should be worrying about.

Most of the places you stay at are rooms you share with a friend or a random roommate if you go on your own. They've got a common area on which you have all the things you need to cook your breakfast and your meals yourself. I shared a big house with ten other girls and boys I did not know the day I arrived, who now happen to be really good friends of mine and people who I care a lot about. We never had any major issue, and my stay at that house was a true learning experience.

I am pretty sure that one of the first things you think about when you hear about this idea of working in the United States is earning big amounts of money. This is the first idea you should erase from your mind, especially if it is the first time you are participating in the work and travel experience. But, what I do guarantee is that if you spend your income consciously and if you are not a big spendthrift, you will earn enough money to pay the cost of the trip and pay for everything that's necessary during your stay in the US. In my personal experience, I used to have two jobs every day. In that way, I could save enough money to do exactly everything I had proposed myself to: traveling, buying lots of things and even bring some money with me!

Stratton Mountain Resort is located approximately five hours away from New York City. It was a must for me to go and visit that fantastic city. I also had the chance to visit Washington DC and Boston. Overall, I visited those three cities, and stayed some days in each of them. It's just so hard to tell you how magnificent it is to go to those places with friends and just walk around and get to see so many marvelous views and landscapes they've got to offer.

I really hope that sharing my experience will be useful to someone who is considering the idea of participating in the work and travel program. If I can be of any further help just let me hear from you! Last but not least, I just want to say I will be forever thankful to every single teacher I had in ICA, to Chrissie Bauzer and most of all, to Leo Villar: I really mean it when I say this trip could not have been possible without his help and kindness!

ntorterola@hotmail.com

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