aubgWAT

End of the Journey

Posted on December 8, 2014 by ElenActive

Hello dear followers, workers and travelers. Christmas is knocking on our doors but before that we have finals approaching… I cannot believe how fast time flies and that the semester is almost over. I am writing this post as a summary of what I have done and what I have learned during these three months in my Multimedia Journalism Class.

So… let me start from the very first week. I remember I had some difficulties in finding a topic for my blog that I would enjoy writing about and in the same time one that would be interesting and helpful for the readers. As I really enjoy sports, first thing that came up into my mind is making a blog on the sports topic but then I decided that it would not reach that wide audience since everybody has different hobbies. But here, at the American University in Bulgaria, most of the students go on a Work and Travel in the States during the summer, and I thought it would be useful to write something connected to it.

Here in my About Section you can read a brief explanation about the topic of the blog, plus you can hear my very first trial of SoundCloud of me explaining more about the blog topic. I remember we had a lot of fun with the people who I worked with for the sound bite but at the end it appeared not bad for a first time, did it? 😀

My very first Work and Travel story was the one of Ivan Hristov who witnessed gun shooting and was left without job and housing. However, the story has its happy end and if you have not read it yet, I highly recommend you to do so.

My second blog post was about Anna Bashuk’s summer. I remember that for this post I was already feeling much more comfortable using my recording device and editing the sound bite interview.

The third story was the one of Vera Daskalova, an adventurous, smiling and positive person, who enjoyed her WAT summer and even found time for working out and for relaxing. I took some cool photos of the things Vera bought in the States, so if you have not check them out yet, you are more than welcome to see them in my first slideshow.

For the next story I interviewed and made a five shot video of Mario Grachenov who spent two consecutive summers in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Ardi Lappi was my interviewee for the next blog post. Though he was working really hard during the summer (he was making over 100 working hours per week), he still enjoyed his summer.

For my midterm blog post I interviewed Sezen Hodzha to share her opinion on the promotions that the Work and Travel agencies are giving. With this blog post I discovered that I really enjoy doing news packages.

During the fall break I was at home and I decided to interview my brother, Stefan Donchev. I thought it would be interesting for my readers to see the story of someone who is not studying at AUBG and it appeared that I got the most facebook likes exactly on this post!

After the fall break I interviewed Yordan Karayankov to share his WAT experience. For the blog post I did a Storify connected to the topic of the post plus a video in which I asked random people about the place in the States which they would like to visit most!

Plamena Matanova was my next blog guest. She shared her WAT summer which she spend in Put in Bay, Ohio, a destination that is not really popular among AUBG students, therefore I thought it would be interesting for the readers to see what is it to spend a summer in such a place. In the post I included a Storify [again (I really enjoy working with it and I find it pretty useful)] with the places where my blog guests worked during the summer.

My last interviewee was Denitsa Pashava who spent two summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts. I thought that a blog about Work and Travel without a post about the popular P-town would be uncompleted, therefore I decided to finish with the story coming from there.

I found the answer to the question that I posed in my blog- WAT was your summer. Each story possessed different points of view of people who went on a Work and Travel in different parts of the USA. But all of my guests shared their own unique stories. Some of the summers were full of emotions, some were just work, work, work, others- adventurous and full of travels…

During the journey in my Multimedia Journalism class I learned a lot of things. Firstly, I became more comfortable interviewing people, which is a crucial part of a journalism profession. Secondly, I learned how to shoot and edit my own videos, how to record and edit audios, how to work with useful applications such as Storify and Thinglink. Moreover, I understood that social media plays a huge role if we want to reach a wide audience. At the beginning of the semester I found tweeting kind of boring, I must confess, but then after discovering how useful it might be I started to enjoy it and gained much more Twitter followers during the second part of the semester, where I was much more active on Twitter. Last but not least, this class thought me how important deadlines are. Overall, I may honestly say that this is one of the most useful classes I have taken so far, since it gave me knowledge and base that I can develop in my future, unlike some other classes for which you just read, read, read and then after the semester is gone you forget everything.

And since I interviewed so many people about their summers, I think it is high time to see me talking about my summer. I tried WAT twice- first time I wen to Wildwood, NJ, the second time to Nantucket, MA. Though both of the years I felt stressed and really mentally exhausted from time to time, I do not regret going since now I have only the good memories left and the friendships I made.

Here you can see a slideshow with pictures of me during my Work and Travel summers:

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Sooo… With mixed feelings I announce that this would probably be my last post. I am giving the opportunity to someone who will take the course next semester to develop the topic and I would be glad to read his/her posts.

Dear followers, workers and travelers, THANK YOU for being with me during my Multimedia Class journey! And huuuuge THANK YOU to all the people who were willing to share their stories! It was a pleasure for me to write all of the posts!

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Five Jobs, Why Not?!

Posted on November 24, 2014 by ElenActive

Hey, hey, dear followers, workers and travelers! What would be a blog about Work and Travel without mentioning Provincetown, MA?!

My blog guest today is Denitsa Pashova, a junior majoring in Business Administration and European Studies.

Denitsa at Work (Personal Archive)

This summer Deni (as her friends call her) went for a second time to experience the Work and Travel adventure in Provincetown. She spent there three months.

Deni had five jobs! She was a server at “Twisted Pizza”, a cashier at “Puzzle me this” store, a busser at “Tiny’s” restaurant, and on the Saturdays she was a housekeeper. Moreover, on Sundays she was a yoga instructor at “Strength and Clarity” Studio.(Yes, she is a teaching yoga here, at AUBG). Busy schedule, isn’t it?! Not surprisingly, my interviewee was more than satisfied of the working hours she got.

“Most of the time I enjoyed working in the store because it did not require so much movement and sometimes I had time to “relax” in front of the register and talk to other employees.”

Deni also enjoyed working at the restaurant because her co-workers and her boss “were pretty amusing people” and they had a lot of fun while working.

Evening Off (Personal Archive)

Having a whole day off while working five jobs is just a mirage… however, Deni did have some evenings off which she used to spend hanging out with her friends.

“When accidentally I had a day off I liked going to TJ Max Mall or watching movies at home. “

Deni shared that the main reason she went on a Work and Travel was to earn money for her tuition. But this did not stop her to enjoy her summer! Her best memories were the Gay Parade she watched on the streets in the end of August and the time she went Whale Watching.

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The Parade (Personal Archive)

As for bad memories, Deni does not remember to have a particular one, but she shared she was feeling really bad when one day her boss yelled at her for something small.

“This summer I made more American friends in comparison to the last year when I hanged out only with AUBG-ers. “

Now, enough about work for a while… Denitsa did a short travel to Boston this year and last year she went to New York City. She could not pick which city she loved more, since they both have “their own beauties and are at the same time so similar and so different”.

Deni is willing to go back to the States next year as well. She strongly recommends Work and Travel, though not denying its drawbacks such as doing “cheap manual labor instead of an internship”

“However, all considered, you travel, you make friends, and ultimately (if you manage to endure all the workload and stress till the end) you become a STRONGER person.I would recommend Provincetown as a destination, it is just… a special place!

Here is a storify about Provincetown that you may find interesting to see:
https://storify.com/aubgWAT/provincet

Stay tuned and follow me on twitter and facebook:
https://twitter.com/aubgWAT
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On the Top of the World

Posted on November 17, 2014 by ElenActive

Hi dear followers, workers and travelers! Today we will head to a destination which is not popular among AUBG students for Work and Travel in the States. My blog guest is Plamena Matanova, a sophomore majoring in Business Administration and she spent her first WAT summer in Put in Bay, Ohio. In the lines below you will find out WAT was Plamena’s summer!

The Brooklyn Bridge, NYC (Personal Archive)

With the Statue Of Liberty (Personal Archive)

Plamena decided to try Work and Travel not only to earn some money but to prove herself she can do it! She had only one job- as a cashier at “Mama Maria’s Pizza”, but she got enough hours. On her days off (which actually were only two whole days off during the whole season), Plamena went to “explore” the shops on the main island :).

Plamena made some valuable friendships with the people she was living with during her staying- three Ukrainian girls and a Bulgarian boy.

What was her worst memory during the summer?- Well, she did not had a particular answer to the question but she explained:

“I did not like the Saturdays. I hated them because I had to work for 17 hours. Moreover, at night time mostly drunk people were coming to eat, so I had to be very patient and smiling, holding my anger inside because of the mess they were making! “

Plamena did a little trip before coming back to Bulgaria- she traveled to Baltimore… and New York City, which was one of her dreams! Being on the 86^th floor in the Empire State Building was her best memory during the whole summer! :
“I felt like I am on the top of the world.”

“On the Top of the World”(Personal Archive”)

My interviewee explained that she is willing to return to Put in Bay next year but most probably she will try to find another job, since now she already has experience and knows the best paid jobs on the island. A major reason for her to go to the States again is because she wants to travel more.

Plamena shared with little disappointment that she gained 5 kilograms but I can assure you she looks even better having them on 🙂

At the end, Plamena gave her advice to those wondering whether to try Work and Travel:

“I recommend WAT to every student. The work part gives a great opportunity to get to know yourself better and parallel with that to earn money. The travel part gives a chance to visit the places that you have been always dreaming to see.”

Before saying you good bye until my next post, here is a link to a storify summarizing the places where my guests spent their WAT summers:
https://storify.com/aubgWAT/places-where-my-blog-guests-worked-during-the-summ

Follow me on twitter and facebook as well:
https://twitter.com/aubgWAT
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Discovering Storify and Thinkglink

Posted on November 11, 2014 by ElenActive

Hi, dear followers! Today in my Multimedia Journalism Class we started to use Storify. It is a social network service allowing people create stories on their timelines in different social media. My first Sotirify is about places in the US that many Work and Travel students visit. Here is a picture of the way it looks like :

Here you can see my whole Storify story.

The second part of the class we learned how to work with Thinglink. It allows you to make pictures more interactive and engage your audience by adding links to the photos that the viewers can check.
Here you can check out my first Thinglink.

Using the tools we learned in class today I would be able to make my future posts more eye-catchy and interactive!

Something That Not Everyone Can Buy

Posted on November 9, 2014 by ElenActive

Hey, hey, dear followers, workers and travelers!

My guest today is Yordan Karayankov, a junior majoring in Business Administration and Economics.

Karayankov in New York Cit (Personal Archive)

This summer he spent more than three months working in the States. He went to Brewster, Massachusetts, which is on the well-known Cape Cod.

Karayankov’s job was to arrange the interior of conference halls for weddings, seminars and other events for the biggest resort on the Cape- Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club. It was busy during May and June, and since the work involved a lot of physical strength, it was exhausting, as well. However, after June the business got slow and Karayankov’s managers transferred him to work as a bus guy for the resort’s restaurant- Ocean Terrace. For my interviewee, this job was far more satisfying not only because it was less tiring and in the same time paid better, but also because his coworkers there were really nice .Karayankov found a second job at another restaurant- bus guy again. There, he was surrounded only by Americans – “It gave me the opportunity to experience more of the American culture”, my guest shared. Nevertheless, he enjoyed his job at the terrace more since most of his coworkers were his age and were from the Balkans.

On the days off Karayankov enjoyed going to the beach or cycling to nearby towns with friends. Karayankov created many new friendships in the States. Most of the people he spent time with study at AUBG and he is still keeping in touch with them.

My guest shared that his worst memory was right after finishing his first working day:

“I got lost and couldn’t find my way to the house I was staying in. It was late and dark. There was nobody who I could ask for directions. It rained cats and dogs…”

Karayankov did not travel a lot but his best moments during the summer were connected to his trips:

“I went to Boston to visit my sister. During the last week in the states I went to New York City with her and we stayed there for four days – it was an unforgettable experience. I wish I had more time to visit some other places like Miami or the West Coast, but oh well… next time.”

Karayankov with the Statue of Liberty (Personal Archive)

Karayankov shared that his major reason to try Work and Travel is to earn some money for his tuition. But this also gave him an opportunity to see his older sister who lives in Massachusetts.

Here you can hear Karayankov giving advice to students who are willing to try WAT:

Though Karayankov did not regret going to the States, he is planning to do an internship that will help him with his studies and not to go to the States this year. However, he is recommending to everyone to try WAT at least once, since it gives people experience which they could not get anywhere else.

At the end of my interview, I asked my guest about his favorite thing which he bought in the States. Well, I will just quote his words, so you can make your own conclusions and thoughts:

“I didn’t buy many things. However, I would say the best things I “bought” were the photos of all the memories I created during my stay. It’s certainly something that not everyone can buy.”

Here is a link to the Storify summarizing the summer of Karayankov :

https://storify.com/aubgWAT/one-work-and-travel-summer

At the very end of the post, I would like to upload a video with people sharing the places they would like to visit in the States:

If you are interested in more Work and Travel Stories, follow me on twitter and facebook:

https://twitter.com/aubgWAT

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WAT of a Non-AUBG-er

Posted on October 31, 2014 by ElenActive

Hallo dear followers ,workers, travelers, and fall breakers!

The break is almost over but I am here with a fast post. Being home for a week, I decided to interviewed my brother, Stefan Donchev, about his Work and Travel experience during the summer of 2013. He is almost 24 now and he already got a Bachelor degree in Finance from the Economy University in Varna.

Stefan in Central Park, New York City (Personal Archive)

During the summer of 2013 he went on a Work and Travel program in Wildwood, New Jersey. The issues started from the beginning: Firstly, he and one of his best friends were supposed to go to another place however, on the job fair they attended in March 2013 they were told there are no more working places. Therefore, they chose Wildwood, a town my brother’s friend had already visited the summer before. I was also happy that they were going in Wildwood, since I was going there as well ( my first WAT experience). Everything was ok until my brother’s friend did not get a visa and my brother was supposed to travel alone. He was quite disappointed about the fact and almost on the edge of giving up to go in the States… but he did.

When I asked my brother to tell me in short about his work experience he started like that:

“Well, you know well that I had some issues changing and finding jobs. However, I did not give up and finally I succeeded”

My brother quitted his first job since he did not like it at all and he had some troubles with the sponsor agency, but he managed to find another contract and dealt with the situation. Before that, however, he switched quite a few jobs:

“At the beginning I changed my jobs since I did not like them- the place, the people, the conditions. I could not imagine working there for the whole summer. It is not only about money, therefore I decided to search until I find something which suits me.”

My brother and his roomates having a night off. (Personal Archive)

And he did – finally, he was working as a bus boy and a beach taxi driver, making around 80-90 working hours per week.

“I actually enjoyed being a bus guy, since my co-workers (mostly Bulgarians ) were really nice and we had fun while working. Driving this beach taxi was quite exhausting because I was constantly exposed to the sun and when the weather was bad my boss used to send me home, which sometimes I didn’t like, but there was nothing I can do.”

As for Wildwood, my brother liked it becasue it is a small town and many students go there to work. Still, it is a crazy place- night life, graduating seniors, a long Boardwalk full of people. However, if you really want to make money, be aware that New Jersey is not a place famous for its high salaries.

My brother shared that his worst moments in the States were connected to the period while he was dealing with the sponsor agency (since they were threatening to terminate him). The best moments for him were the trips he made: several times to Atlantic City, NJ ~~(thank you for patience while shopping with me, bro :D)~~ and a final three-day staying in New York City.

Me, one of our roommates and my brother (Personal Archive)

“My dream was to visit New York City and although I did not have the best summer in my life, the moment my feet stepped in New York I felt so excited and happy that I thought every struggle I faced was worth it.”

In the Metropolian Museum of Art, New York City (Personal Archive)

Comming back to the summer of 2013, my brother does not regret trying the WAT experience. On the contrary- now he remembers only the good moments and the friendships he made.

“I recommend going on WAT at least once beacuse you mature and get stronger in a psychological way.”

Halfway Through

Posted on October 21, 2014 by ElenActive

Hallo dear followers, workers and travelers!

Today’s post will not be the usual interview with someone who has experienced the Work and Travel adventure but it will rather be a summary of what does the blog contain so far and the things I’ve learned in my Multi Media Journalism class.

To start with, it is the first time in my life that I am using WordPress. At the beginning it was something new, unknown and kind of difficult, but after a while I understood how to work with it and now I don’t feel uncomfortable anymore.

I decided to make a blog which will not only be interesting but also helpful for students. Since many AUBG-ers are going in the States during the summer break, I chose the topic of my blog to be connected to the Work and Travel program.

One of the things we learned in the first classes is how to make a slideshow. Although it is quite easy, it looks nice in a post and gives visual information to the reader. Here you can see the people who I interviewed so far:

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The first story that I posted was that of Ivan Hristov. He had an adventurous summer- his job offer appeared to be fake, he witnessed a shooting fight, he had nowhere to sleep… However, as in the fairy tales there was a happy end- Ivan and his friends were helped by the local Roteract Club.

“I explained them everything, I explained how I spent all my life helping people by this organization and now it’s time this organization to help me“, remembers Ivan.

This was the first post in which I put audio. I learned how to work with audio editing program and how to upload audio files on soundcloud.

My second interviewee was Anna Bashuk. She went to Wisconsin, Dells for a second consecutive summer. This year she fulfilled one of her dreams- to go on Linkin Park concert:

“… it was August 29. That was the day when I decided that I should stop saving money for school related stuff and I bought myself tickets to the concert of my favorite band, which is Linkin Park, and I went to their concert in Chicago, Illinois

Vera’s Favorite Nikes

My third post was the story of Vera Daskalova. She spent her summer in a National park. The interesting part of her story is that she did not go so much for the money but for the adventure and experience. She spent a nice summer managing to combine work, fun, training and… love . : “A summer without love affair is a wasted summer“, Vera said.

My next post presented the story of Mario Grachenov. He spent two summers in Nantucket, a destination that is a desire for many Work and Travel enthusiasts. What was interesting about his story is the fact that Mario did not push to the limits to work as many hours as possible, on the contrary- he worked enough and managed to get the most of his summer and to make a travel around many States. In this post I put a five-shot video with Mario. Thanks to it, I realized that I enjoy shooting and I am really eager to continue learning more in this sphere. I always ask my blog guests about their best and worst memories during the summer. On the question of the worst moments, Mario was certain:

“I enjoyed the summer at a top level. All the memories I have right now are only good ones.”

While Mario did not work crazy hours, my last guest before the break- Adri Llapi did! He was in Martha’s Vineyard for a second year and he was working over 100 hours per week. Still, he managed to enjoy his summer and he is considering going back there next year.

“ I would recommend it to everyone because you learn so many new things. You learn how to survive by yourself”, Ardi said.

What I also learned from the course so far is that Twitter is a vital social media, although here in Bulgaria we do not use it a lot. However it is important if you want others to know about you, to promote ideas, campaigns, etc.

What is coming next? Well, more WAT stories, more adventures and more things to learn, I guess. As for this post, I decided to interview someone who has not been on a Work and travel yet, but is willing to try. In this short video you can watch Iva Naumova, a junior, explaining in a nutshell why did she not go to the States:

Iva Naumova enjoying the weather outside while sudying.

As you saw: you can always wait and make up your mind before deciding to try the WAT program. Naumova does not regret that she devoted her summer to an internship but she is definitely eager to try the program since she thinks it will test her psychological sthrenght and will leave her with a completly different experiencce from this that the internship gave her.

This is it for now. See you after the break! Meanwhile, follow me on facebook and twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/aubgWAT

https://twitter.com/aubgWAT

WAT? Promotions?

Posted on October 14, 2014 by ElenActive

Hallo dear followers! Today we have an assignment to shoot a video and write a blog post about some news regarding the topic of our blog. Well, there are no recent news around Work and Travel programs, since most of them appear when the Job Fairs start. However, I found a topic that is relevant to the subject and it is about the promotions which the WAT agencies are offering.

There are many Work and Travel agencies in Blagoevgrad that students from the American University in Bulgaria can choose. Each of them is offering promotions like : “Apply by the end of October to get the lowest price”. Then, when the promotion is over, a new one appears: “Apply by the end of November to get the lowest price”.

I interviewed Sezen Hodzha, a sophomore at AUBG to share her opinion about the ongoing promotions and about the agencies:

“If you are not sure that you really want to go, better make up you mind and do not rush. Make sure that this is really what you want.”

Sezi (as her friends call her) was quite skeptical about these promotions. She shared that she applied for WAT in January, 2014 and she still got the same price that one of her friends paid, the difference- her friend applied in October. What Sezi recommends to the students is to go in the agencies’ offices and see the staff. She says, since the prices of all the agencies are almost the same, it is better to pick the one which staff the students find helpful and nice.

“Instead of looking through the prices, better see the agencies’ employees, since they are the one to help you through the your summer adventure.”

Here is my news package about the story:

And not run away from the traditions of my blog, here you can hear Sezi sharing her best memory during her Work and Travel summer, which she spent working in Provincetown, Massachusetts:

Sezi looking through the agencies’ leaflets:

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Work Hard, Enjoy Your Summer

Posted on October 13, 2014 by ElenActive

Hallo, dear followers, workers and travelers! From Nantucket, Massatchusets, we are taking hte fast ferry straight to another island in the same state- Martha’s Vineyard.

My guest today is Ardi Llapi. He is from Albania, and he is a junior at the American University in Bulgaria, studying Business Administration.

Ardi in New York (Personal Archive from 2013)

Ardi went to the same place for a second consecutive year. This time he spent three and a half months in the States. Ardi’s first job was at a cheese and charcuterie store, in the customer service section. His second one he found in a restaurant where he was working as a line cook, doing appetizers. When I asked Ardi which job did he enjoyed more and why, without thinking too long he answered that he preferred the second one simply because he really enjoys cooking! [Attention, ladies! 🙂 ]

Ardi said that he returned to Martha’s Vineyard because he wanted to experience the same things he did last summer. Here you can hear him comparing summer 2013 to summer 2014:

Ardi at Work (Personal Archive)

Ardi shared that he had a lot of friends there- Martha’s is full of AUBG students during the summer, plus, he made a lot of friends there.

“Sadly, I didn’t have so much time to hang out, though.”

Ardi did not make a trip in the States since he had plans to travel during this fall break.

Ardi’s typical days off (although not so many) consisted primarily of taking rest. However, when he had time he enjoyed jet skiing with friends.His best memory was connected to one night when he and his friends went to the beach, where they had a good time, letting the steam off from so much work. As for a worst memory- Ardi did not have a particular one during this summer but he shared that he remembers when once he was late for work with one hour and his boss yelled at him. He was really upset about it, after all- we are all human beings and things like that happen.

When I asked him whether he recommends the Work and Travel program to other students, Ardi answered:

“Yes I would recommend it to everyone because you learn so many new things. You learn how to survive by yourself.”

At the end of our interview, Ardi shared some thoughts about his experience in the States:

“What I learned this summer is that nothing is impossible. I was working 105 hours per week because I had three jobs. I had my own motivation. It was hard because I didn’t get enough sleep during the summer but I made it. I achieved my goal and I am proud of myself.”

He shared that he would like to go back to his favorite island next summer as well since, despite of the hard work, he managed to enjoy his summer!

A little bit off topic but here you can see Ardi studying Bulgarian language, since he thinks it is important to know the native language of the country you are living in. (And by the way, the watch which he is wearing is his favorite thing that he bought in the States this summer)

As you can see, dear readers, if you are willing to work during the summer- you can do over a hundred working hours per week and still enjoy your time! But before taking this cardinal decision, keep reading my blog posts for other Work and Travel stories.

Meanwhile, follow me on facebook and twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/aubgWAT

https://twitter.com/aubgWAT

One Work and Travel Summer at a Top Level

Posted on October 6, 2014 by ElenActive

Hallo dear followers, workers, and travelers!

This week’s post will send you to one of the most desired Work and Travel destinations among students from the American University in Bulgaria. It’s an Island in the state of Massachusetts, also known as the “far away land”… it is Nantucket!

Well, after revealing the place it is time to mention who is going to share his summer experience on the island. He is a well-known figure at university. He is the President of the Student Government, or simply said- he is Mario Grachenov. Mario is an active member of a few clubs on and off campus and I am pretty sure that every student knows him- if not personally, at least by his appearance.

Mario (Personal Archive)

But let’s start with Mario’s summer story- something that not everyone knows, but I guess many of you are willing to read about. Mario went on the same place as last year- Nantucket (as I already mentioned). This summer he stayed there for ten weeks. When I asked Mario why did he returned to the island he explained that way:

“I just felt in love with that place and promised to myself that I’ll be back and probably my best memory during this summer was the moment when I was in Hyannis and bought the ferry ticket to Nantucket. I just felt so happy that after one year I’m back to that place.”

Mr. President (as I like to call him) was working at the bar and sometimes serving food and cocktails at a fine-dining restaurant. He shared that the place was one of the busiest on the island. He did not have another job but sometimes he was helping in a window cleaning company which was ran by a Bulgarian living on the island year-round.

“I know him from the time when he was still living in Bulgaria and playing soccer with me in one and the same team. So sometimes he was pretty busy and he needed some help and as a person who he could trust he was calling me for that.”

Mario’s typical working day started at 5pm and usually lasted no more than five or six hours! He was working around 35-40 hours per week and “in extremely cases around 50” (surprise, surprise: work and travel does not always mean working the whole day all summer long and then if you are not so exhausted traveling a few days before coming back to college…). What Mario loved about his job is that after the working day he and his co-workers used to gather together for some dinks and nice chats. He also loved the time spent helping the window-cleaning company. His co-workers there were mainly Bulgarian guys and you can make your own conclusions about the fun they were having while cleaning.

His free time (which was more than enough for a program like Work and Travel) Mario spend exploring the beauty of the island. He enjoyed fishing, water-skiing, surfing, and many other beach related activities. Of course, needless to say he went partying when he had the mood and Nantucket is offering a lot of clubs where one can chill and have fun after a tough working day…week…month.

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Mario Ejnoying His Free Time (Persnal Active)

When I asked him about his worst memory during this summer, Mario spent some time thinking but he could not find any moment that left in his mind bad memories :

“I enjoyed the summer at a top level. All the memories I have right now are only good ones.”

As for the travelling part of Mario’s summer, I may say that he did a great job! He visited Boston, Connecticut, Texas, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, Provincetown and Martha’s Vineyard.

Welcome to Las Vegas (Personal Archive)

“However, none of these can be compared to Nantucket- there is just an unique spirit and atmosphere which you can’t find anywhere else.”

What were the best things Mario bought? He just said:

“They weren’t anything material, they were the trips I did around the states and the things I saw in each of the cities I visited.”

Mr Grachenov shared he cannot wait for the summer of 2015 because he wants to go back to Nantucket again, see his friends, have fun and do his yearly trip around the States!

Mario is recommending the Work and Travel program to all students. According to him it is an opportunity not only to earn money, but also to meet new people, cultures, traditions and to travel.

iIn this short video you can check out three of the things that Mario missed in the States :
1. Eating his favorite chicken bites 2. Watching TV 3.Arranging meetings via social media

Me and Mario Having Fun in Nantucket (Personal Archive)

Before saying goodbye until the next week I would like to spend some space in my blog post to say a hugeTHANK YOU to Mario! I was also in Nantucket this summer and I can honestly say that he was part of many of my good memories there. Good moments cannot be bought- you live them and then the only think you have left is the feeling and the smile you have when you think of them!

See you next week with another Work and Travel story!
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