Before I continue more on the travel part of the Work and Travel Program USA (known as WAT below) on last year summer, I think it would be appropriate for me to do a brief introduction to the program as I think many of the students are interested in this. In layman's term, it is a program for current college universities students around the world, to take part in a short term program and experience the life at United States. The program usually lasts from 3-5 months, where 5 months is the longest period you can stay in United States under the J1 visa obtained. Started a few years back, more and more students are participating in this program not only they would like to see the Western culture in US, but also to place their feet on the big brother of the world, especially on all the cities like New York, Los Angeles etc.
I dreamt to study oversea ever since I was still in secondary school, but not everyone has the financial ability to go for it. It somehow came true when I know about this program. Students in college universities can take part while having sem break, normally 3 to 4 months, or after you've graduated (but T&C apply here). During the program, students are given a temporary part time job, at the maximun of 4 months period, where a month is left for the travel period. There are four periods for WAT program:
Winter (November - April), Spring (March - June), Summer (May - October) and Fall (September - December).
To be an eligible participant, you must meet the following requirements:
- be at least 18 years old
- be a current full time student in a state-recognized institution of tertiary education
- be able to function in an English speaking working environment
- have a pre-arranged job and a minimum of USD800 available to support yourself upon arrival in USA
In fact, we do not have to look for the jobs by ourself. There are currently few sponsors/agents in Malaysia, assisting the students in the WAT Program. The one that I went is Out of the Box. After paying the program fees and confirmed, you'll first go through a simple phone conversation to test up the English level (it is not something scary as interviewer would just like to see how fluent is your English, not a big problem here tho as all of us gone thru the 11 years of most basic education in Malaysia right), and then after preparing all the required documents, you'll have a chance to choose what job you want i.e. Resort work, Hotel work, Restaurant work, Department stores, Theme parks and National parks. After going thru another phone interview directly from US, and once you're recruited, you can start looking for air flight tickets and prepare the visa. It may sounds terrifying to go through all the process, especially when you have to go to the US Embassy and get interviewed again. But imagine you're working at Disney World, be it at a souvenir shops, or even just a street cleaner, or being able to spend some time at some of the most beautiful parks in the world like Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Certainly, one may say that we're able to travel here in the future, when we have the money, when we have the time. But will you be able to work there for months, to create a lifetime memory and getting to know friends from all around the world?
Think about it, you will learn how to survive in the challenging environment after leaving the comfort zone in Malaysia, something that you'll never learn by sitting in classroom or reading a book. In fact, this journey has enable me to grow stronger physically as well as mentally, because working at US is a totally different experience with working in Malaysia. You'll be challenged constantly by the job itself (please, don't put it in a negative way, view it as something that could make you a tougher person =D ), you'll miss home, you'll miss your friends and family, you'll miss your lover, the long distanced relationship (provided if you have la of course hahaha), you'll definitely miss the food in the mamak, you might even just miss the smell of your pillow...
But, apart from being able to travel in United States, to see the great landscapes, to see all the big international cities, you'll meet people from around the world (I've met people and make friends with them from more than 10 countries!), you'll see how the other countries differ from ours, you'll learn how to deal with some unbearable roommates, you'll learn to be strong, on your feet by yourself, you'll learn how to make a meal, you'll learn how to do a proper grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, you'll learn to take care of yourselves... the list never ends. Most importantly, you'll know how important is everything that you'd missed in Malaysia, your parents, your siblings, your friends / lovers, and leaving an unforgettable memory of a lifetime. You'll simply learn how to smile, under every situation/hardships you'll go through.
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page - St. Augustine.
Pic shot at Grand Canyon during the golden sun set hour =)
Thank you Sunny :)
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