Summer Work and Travel Visa

Lucie D. at a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon

Participants Experiences

Lucie D. is a student at Vysoká škola báňská – Technická univerzita (Technical University of Ostrava) and participated in the Summer Work & Travel program in the summer of 2007.

1. What made you choose to participate in the Summer Work & Travel program in the U.S.?
I wanted to visit the USA, to see everything what could I see only in TV:  nature, cities, to learn about American culture and lifestyle. I wanted to improve my English, meet new friends, gain experience, try to work in different country, and have the opportunity to travel all over America. This program was the best way to fulfill my dreams.

Lucie working at Bethany Beach, Delaware

2. What type of job did you do, and where?
I worked as a lifeguard for a company located in Bethany Beach, Delaware, on the East Coast, 6 hours south of New York.

3. What were your daily interactions with Americans and other international students?
There were mainly Americans and Czechs in my working area. Slovaks, Bulgarians and Russians worked at local hotels, restaurants and fast food restaurants too. I didn’t come into contact with these students often, because I was at the pools and the beach where there were mainly Americans. My experiences with Americans are good. They are nice, pleasant, funny, self-confident, helpful, smiling all the time, talking and asking about something.
 

4. What was your favorite place to visit?

Photo of Grand Teton National Park, Courtesy of Lucie D.

This is a hard question, because every place what I visited was nice, wonderful, interesting and various. The places what I liked at the most were: Utah, Wyoming, Montana and California.

The favorite place what are amazing are: California Beaches with blue water, Los Angeles, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton NP and Glacier NP. I liked Sea World in San Diego, California, Long Beach, California, Salt Lake City, Utah, San Francisco, California and Bethany Beach, Delaware.

5. What did you enjoy the most about life in the United States?
Big cars, nice country, pleasant people.

6. What was the biggest challenge that you confronted in the US?
A bear.
I had no bad experiences. The only time when I didn’t feel okay was during my first meeting with a bear, standing 10 feet above us on the rock. I thought was the last day of my life.

Photo of Grand Canyon Park, Courtesy of Lucie D.

7. What would you recommend for other Czech students who might be interested in this program?
Don’t hesitate to go to the USA, not even for a minute.  Take courage, save up money and go. It’s a good experience, an opportunity to know another culture, new people and friends from different parts of the world, and see many different beautiful natural sites.
It is a golden opportunity to know this country, work, travel and have one of the unforgettable adventures of all your life.