Hello. In this article, I will talk about my own Work and Travel adventure.

It all started with my early completion of English preparation at university. I was good at grammar, but when it came to speaking, I was very shy and didn’t want to speak. Afterwards, while I was searching how to improve myself on this subject, I found two options. Those were Language schools or Work and Travel program. As someone who has just finished English preparation, I didn’t want a school environment again. In addition, I knew if I chose Work and travel program, I would be in constant communication with people while working, so I would overcome my fear of speaking after a while. I should point out that at the beginning I made a lot of mistakes during the conversation, but all of them were corrected after a while. So, please don’t think about whether I can do it or if I can’t speak at all. I’m sure there are people who speak much worse and live there.

First, I made my agency choice. It is a very important step because there is a very sensitive time from the job options that the contracted sponsor will offer you to helping you with the right support and motivation throughout this whole process. The first step should be choosing the right agency.

The first job that I consider was a sales position at a candy store in Ocean City, Maryland. The moment I saw Ocean City, I knew it was where I wanted to go. It was also a good and lucrative business. That’s why I’m a candidate for this job. And the next process has begun. It was the interview with sponsors. If I passed the interview, I would have been accepted into the program.

I started preparing for the interview with my advisor. We went through questions which had potential to be asked. Of course, I started to complete the required documents during this time. Then it was time for my interview. We had our conversation over Skype. I was very excited at first, but during the speech I managed my excitement. It was a good interview. Shortly after the break, my consultant informed me that I had taken the job. And 80% of the work was almost done. Immediately after, my appointment was made for the visa and I started to wait for the interview date. There was a rejection possibility, but believe me, it was more comfortable and easier than I expected. After getting the visa, I started looking for a plane ticket. Normally, most WAT students went on connecting flights. Luckily, I found a direct flight on Turkish Airlines. It was the same amount compared to connecting flights.

Okay then, let’s come to the working part in America. I was happy with my job, my co-workers and supervisor were very kind people, but the money I earned was getting insufficient because the houses in the area were a little more expensive than I expected. When most of my salary started to be spent for home, I started looking for a second job. And I found it. I started working as a hostess in a restaurant & bar. The business was a recently opened place and the owners were such sweet and funny people. In this job, I met a lot of people and became friends. I have friends from all over the world that I still keep in touch with. In my opinion, this part is one of the best advantages of the program.

While most of my friends were traveling in a way that befits the name work and travel, I couldn’t complete the travel part for some reasons. Mine was kind of work and shopping. But believe me, I had the same pleasure 😊

To summarize, it was very busy three and a half months. I had very good experiences. I have very good friends who invite me to their home countries and even to their weddings. There were times when I had a hard time, but believe me, there are incredible experiences after all. We have come to the end of the WAT story of a 19-year-old girl who went to America alone, worked two different jobs in one day and lived every moment to the fullest.

I hope you will not miss this experience that will make your student life even more memorable.