You will learn a lot about yourself by working and traveling

Author: Natnapa from Thailand, Summer Work Travel in Maryland

He who lives sees, but he who travels, sees more. This is an Arabic proverb that I believe in. For a person who loves to travel, America was the one of the countries that I have always wanted to travel to. However, not everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, so I just dreamed that someday, I would be able to go out and see the world. Fortunately, my friend told me about this program. Without any hesitation, I applied and got accepted!

When I arrived in the U.S., I was so excited because America was so different from my home country, Thailand. They have very nice houses and so many different people from different backgrounds. I still remember my first day at my Host Company. I have never met Americans before so I felt really nervous. Thankfully all my colleagues were really nice and understanding of my language barriers so it wasn’t hard for me to get close to them. One my days off, my colleagues and I would hang out together. They showed me around the neighborhood and explained how American culture was different from mine. This is the best part of the Summer Work and Travel program. It gives me a lot of chances to communicate with Americans and blend in with their culture. I think that this is the best way of getting the full American experience rather than just traveling alone.

Throughout the program, my American friends and I exchanged a lot of good and bad things about our cultures and it has expanded my horizon. I was having so much fun and I am really sad that my summer in the U.S. went by so fast. To those of you who are thinking about traveling to America, I recommend this program because not only you will have fun but also you will learn a lot about yourself by working and traveling.

Thank you ICCE for the great experience!