Route J-1

By Jessica Laus, Internships & Training Coordinator, America-Scandinavian Foundation

Four J-1 Interns and Trainees reflect and share highlights from their exchange experience. Read their stories and share in their personal journey.

Meet Lisbet Fritze Christensen,
Danish, trainee at BIG in New York City

Lisbet with her coworkers at BIG

What did you like most about your stay in the United States?

I really love New York as a city and all the different people who live there. It’s so much more diverse than Copenhagen. Whenever I’m back in Denmark, I feel like everybody looks the same and talks the same. Here in New York everybody looks different, dresses different, speaks different, and has a totally different history and background. It’s really been an eye opener. People are very open and I have felt very welcome in the city. I also love that there are so many nice cafes and restaurants and that people are very social. Everybody in the city is busy, which makes appointments very flexible and open. There is always room for one more and if you cancel last minute because you have to work its totally fine – it’s less strict and more inclusive than in Denmark. Read More ›

Categories: Program Spotlight

By Nathan Arnold, Director of Press Relations for Educational and Cultural Affairs              

Ocean City, Maryland police conduct a safety demonstration for J-1 participants working in the beach community.

This past summer, State Department monitoring teams visited 446 placement sites across 25 states in our efforts to monitor the health, safety, and welfare of participants. Along the way, we also stopped to listen, as J-1 participants shared with us ideas for continuing to improve the program. In total, our teams interviewed 1,582 J-1 students and 362 American host placement supervisors. The findings of these monitoring visits are now available in the 2016 Summer Work Travel Monitoring Report, including charts breaking down the findings, ranging from participant costs to hours worked to cultural activities in American communities.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

Jody Mayo, Communications Manager, Alliance Abroad Group
A version of this story was originally published on Alliance Abroad

Princess Cee and James Bell, President of Alliance Abroad, proudly display key to the city of Austin

Like her grandfather, Nelson Mandela, Princess Celenhle “Cee” Dlamini is passionate about providing disadvantaged youth with economic opportunities through programs that provide skills training, education and employment. That includes cultural and educational exchange programs.

A few weeks ago, Princess Cee was visiting Austin as part of her official role as Chief Operating Officer of the Ubuntu Institute’s international exchange program, an initiative aimed at skilling South African youth so that they are employable in South Africa.

“Many young people state that they cannot get jobs because employers tell them they do not have enough work experience to qualify for positions,” Princess Cee explained. “This applies even to young graduates of both undergraduate levels and post-graduate levels.” The innovative approach of the Ubuntu Institute identifies international internships to deal with the issues of ‘un-employability.’ The program was created to address this gap and challenge in order to combat the increasing rates of youth unemployment in South Africa. The international exchange program empowers graduates with skills and training opportunities to prepare them for a future career in the hospitality industry.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Viktor Vincej, J-1 Summer Work Travel alumnus from Slovakia

Viktor Vincej, full-time traveler, volunteer, and founder of online magazines Traveling Lifestyle & Webcreate.Me

In 2011, when I went to the USA for the first time, I was a different person than I am today. Working the whole summer in Ocean City, Maryland under the J-1 Summer Work & Travel Program was, for sure, one of the biggest lessons of my life. Now I know those lessons are the ones which made me stronger and gave me the most!

Visiting the USA was always kind of a dream for me, and the Work & Travel program was definitely one of the easiest and most affordable ways. For many Work & Travel jobs in the USA, you must be fluent in English. As a student who did not speak fluent English, I chose dishwashing at first because my options were limited. Also, as a kid from a “regular” family, I either needed to borrow money or I needed to work hard back home to afford the experience of Work & Travel in the USA. I took a couple jobs back home working long hours in order to make sure I had enough money and also to be able to travel around the USA afterwards. It was a huge lesson which helped me to develop work ethic and mental strength. On the other side, what I didn’t realize at the time was that showing off good work ethic set me off for my freelancing path and which later allowed me to become a world traveler. Everything begins with small steps.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

An Interview with Ariana Sánchez Barrios, J-1 Summer Work Travel Alumna
A version of this story was originally published on CIEE Alumni Blog

Ariana in the George C. Marshall Conference Center at the U.S. Department of State.

Born in Venezuela. J-1 Work & Travel alumna. English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) participant. Youth Ambassador. Civic Leadership Summit fellow. Volunteer coordinator. Dynamic public speaker. And she’s only 19 years old. What has motivated Ariana to accomplish so much at such a young age? This alumna is on a mission to create positive change in her home country of Venezuela, using her leadership and exchange experience as the tools to help her achieve that goal.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Faith Nyamakwere, J-1 Summer Work and Travel participant from Zimbabwe

Faith poses with the Recording Angel Statute at entrance to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Nashville.

During my J-1 program, I had the privilege to work at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Centre, which is reported to be the largest non-casino hotel in the Continental United States outside Las Vegas, and is also ranked as 28^th in the list of largest hotels in the world.

Most people come to the resort to experience the unique “Country Christmas” offered by the Gaylord.  As a Gaylord star, I provided all the guests with the flawless services that they deserved and at the same time got to see and explore amazing places and attractions in Nashville, Tennessee. Some of the amazing things that I experienced at the Gaylord “Country Christmas” celebrations included snow tubing and ice skating, seeing the hotel decorated with thousands of twinkling lights and ornaments, the General Jackson Showboat lunch and dinner cruise, and the ICE! Sculpture exhibits of the Nutcracker and the Grinch (where scenes from these classics are hand carved from 2 million pounds of ice!).

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Stephanie Scholz, J-1 Intern from Germany

Stephanie poses with New York City Skyline from Roosevelt Island.

Editor’s Note: We asked J-1 participants to answer a few questions about their experience. Below are responses from intern Stephanie Scholz.

What surprised you most about your Exchange Visitor Program experience?

I was amazed how fast I adapted to everything. After a couple of days I felt really comfortable living in the U.S. This is because my sponsor organization made the transition easy for me. I was immediately introduced to a lot of people, including other interns, at work and was given rewarding projects and assignments to work on such as taking care of the whole visa process for future interns and helping to organize events.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Marta Lange, J-1 Intern from Latvia

Marta admires the statue of cardiac surgeon Michael E. DeBakey at Houston Methodist Hospital.

It was a cold and windy December morning when I left my beloved, snowy Latvia and landed in sunny Texas. Houston greeted me with skyscrapers, palm trees with Christmas lights, and a swimming pool in my backyard. In the so-called Lone Star State, one can find surprises on every corner. At first, as a person hailing from a country of two million people, getting used to Houston was difficult. Attempting to understand the people and their culture, the lifestyle, the city itself, and the food portions was quite a challenge. I stubbornly refused to admit that I was experiencing culture shock, but upon further reflection, I now realize that I was.

At first I struggled with making small talk in elevators and getting used to the fake-smile “how-are-you” culture. To be honest, this positive attitude sticks, and after a year I am able to admit that I will miss saying “hi” to complete strangers on the street. The Southern hospitality in Texas is something that a very Nordic person like me will never forget. That is one thing I could not fathom at the beginning, but now I really enjoy it! That is one of the factors that really made me love Texans: being polite and really meaning it, opening the doors for each other, saying “ma’am” and “sir” to everyone regardless of their age. I fell in love with Houston only after twice being away from it. I had to leave Houston and return in order to finally acknowledge how much I love it. At the same time, the importance and magic of the city really lies in the Texan people.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Camille Ferland, J-1 Au Pair from Canada
A version of the story was originally published in Au Pair in America

Camille volunteering for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the Chicago Triathlon

Camille is an au pair from Canada living with her host family in Illinois and is also a State Winner for the 2016 Au Pair Community Service Awards. She shared the following observations on her extensive volunteer work at many fundraisers and community events. 

During this past year working as an au pair, I volunteered for many different causes and events. My first volunteer experience was with a community event, the Sheffield Music Festival and Garden Walk, where I worked as a beverage server. Inspired by the positive feeling that resulted, I explored online and signed up to help out at a charity event called THE Breast Cancer Fundraiser, a fun event raising money to provide care packages for people undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. I sold tickets at the main entrance, helped run the silent auction, and listened to inspiring stories of strength and bravery.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Sarah Bailey, Marketing Manager, EF High School Exchange Year
A version of this story was originally published on EF High School Exchange Year blog

Antonia- shown on the far right (EF Class of ‘08-09) joins the Schutte – Vanderzee wedding (Photo courtesy of EF High School Exchange Year)

Meet the Schutte Family from Rushmore, Minnesota, who are celebrating a decade of hosting exchange students!

What is the best part about hosting a J-1exchange student?

The special relationships that develop are priceless. Our three daughters have also benefitted immensely from these exchange experiences. We get just as much out of it as the students do. I regularly wake up to e-mails from my students, and we Skype with them weekly. This past fall, two of our daughters got married and each had a former exchange student as a bridesmaid in their weddings! Our students will always be like daughters to us and hold a special place in our hearts. Someday our girls will host too – it’s a no-brainer.

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Categories: Program Spotlight