Some people wait till they are old & dah pakai tongkat/kerusi roda or in other words 'need to be aided to be able to travel', then they travel. Some people can only enjoy their life (include travelling) after they had pencen, as cost of living keeps on shooting up & to keep up with it your savings must be sufficient, in order to live a good life after pencen. Some people wait till they got married & had kids, then they started to travel. While some does most of their travelling while they are still young & have very high level of adrenaline to try something challenging & exciting in their life.
Travel & Work in USA
Youth is only once in your lifetime hence Enjoy it! Here & there, annually around 90,000 students participate in Work & Travel USA. Quoting the official website, Work & Travel USA is an official US State Department programme that allows students in tertiary education from around the world (university undergraduates) to visit the USA during their term break to experience life in the US through working and traveling there.Work & Travel USA without doubt is one of the best ways to discover the US. It is a huge country, with many different places to visit and things to see.
What makes is even more special is that it is also a great way for you to discover more about yourself. You will have more than just great memories and photos. You will also have international work experience, which will enhance your CV. You will have had a chance to improve/polish your English skills. And perhaps most important, you will have learned how to survive in a new and challenging environment, developing skills you can’t get sitting in a classroom or reading a book – interpersonal skills, negotiating skills, survival skills. All these will be useful to you in the future aka working world
So, rest assured this is no scam to ask you to be 'mule' or 'keldai' carrying contrabands.This is LEGAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM!
Every year, there are three periods during which Work & Travel USA operates:
- Winter: November 15th – April 15th
- Spring: dates vary
- Summer: June 1st – October 19th.
The min employment period is 2 months, and the max is 4 months. In addition to the working period, students are allowed to remain in the USA for an additional 25 days to travel. You are not allowed to work during this period.
Students may not miss part of their term in order to participate in Work & Travel USA – they must complete their term before traveling to the USA to take up a job, and must return to their home country in time to start the new semester.
Sounds FUN right but ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
To be eligible to participate in Work & Travel USA, you must meet the following requirements:
- be at least 18 years old (Yes I am)
- be enrolled in a full time course at a state-recognised institution of tertiary education not in your final year of study (Yes)
- be able to function in an English speaking working environment (I can)
- have a pre-arranged job and a minimum of US$475 available to support yourself upon arrival in the USA. (your agent can help you in this)
If you have all that Come Join The Experience of A Lifetime!
Now, in your mind is the cost right? In Malaysia, it costs RM$3048 not inclusive of airfare. In Brunei, kindly ask the US Embassy. Im not sure whether Brunei students can join but just ask the US Embassy about it yeah!
Now, I had mentioned earlier that you gotta work there. What kind of jobs?
There are departmental stores jobs which requires long hours but you will meet different kinds of people.For those who likes something different, there are jobs in National Park or ski resorts. Imagine watching the bears go into hibernation mode in National Park, LOL! not true just a joke! Imagine you sking in the ski resort in the mountain.
For those who likes F&B industry, there are also jobs in McDonald's, KFC, etc.
Please be informed that you will be paid anything between USD800-1500/month for your job. These jobs are indicative only. You might get something not stated here like a ranch work & beach work
More info on Travel &Work in USA visit ciee.org
Travel & Work in Australia
If you have ever watched Border's Security on Crime & Investigation (Astro channel 732), you will notice how hard it is to enter Australia, 'The Land of 2Ks (Kangaroo & Koalas)'! The Australia Customs & Immigration are really trying hard to prevent people entering for illegal purposes other than stated on their visa. But, in my experience in travelling to Australia & passing through the border, it was a smooth process provided you had the CORRECT visa! There are much to explore in this 'Land of Down Under':beautiful beaches, metropolises, desert, etc. Last time, I had ever watched a program on TVB8 regarding overseas students who 'Study & work in Australia'. It shows that the students had entered Australia with the intention to learn English. Meanwhile, while they are free they have some part-time jobs such as working in a surfboard shop, a cabbage plantation, a cruise ship, etc.
I dont know whether Australia offered the same program as US's 'Travel & Work in USA' but you can enquire at your country's Australia Embassy to find out more. Alright, in my opinion the best place in Australia is Surfer's Paradise Gold Coast. You have 3 theme parks there (Dreamworld, Movieworld & Seaworld), a beautiful beach of 80 km long & not forget to mention the sea conditions are really great for surfing, if you enjoy it. Did I mentioned that last time while I was there I almost couldnt get out of the toilet because it was really high-tech, LOL! This is true tak tipu punya!
Backpacking or Trip-pool?
Backpacking is always associated with people with limited budgets living in hostels, motels, all the low-cost low standard accomodations. Some people associate backpacking travel with The Amazing Race. You see the participants carrying their big backpacks running around here & there, flying here & there, not having clean clothes, not having a proper bath (its TRUE as described by some of the participants in a special show after each season ends). Not necessarily now, as backpacking tour can be FUN as well. In a Mypaper article,'trip pooling' concept is introduced. It basically gets a few people who dont know each other to go on a holiday together. These 'trip poolers' are gathered through websites, forums & recommendations by friends. In Facebook, there is a group named Singapore Travel Buddies Group with 450 fans so far which collects all the people who wants to 'trip pool' This whole new 'trip pooling' might be a new thing to Malaysia but it will provide a new dimension to travel as it offers an option to people who dont want to go on a tour package or either backpacking. Its a FUN way to travel & make new friends. However, even these arrangements are exciting, there are problems such as fighting over small things & fighting over bathrooms, so on so forth. This new 'trip pooling' is a new idea that is worth exploring by travel agents who have to fight the emergence of online websites which offers hotels & airfares cheaper than their prices.
So, my word to travel agents as Im studying Marketing:BE CREATIVE & BE ADVENTUROUS
Thats it folks for this week. Some update on my life, before I wrap up this posting.
Classes started on Monday Accounting & Finance its a 2hr 1.5 hr class starting 9am. However, there seems to be some miscommunication between the Allocate+ system & the lecturer as the timings stated in our timetable & the lecturer's are not same! Tuesday, is going to be the day that I hate most as I have classes till 6pm, good thing there are gaps in between. Started off at 10am with Marketing, a 1.5 hr lecture. Too bad the lecturer was sick & a replacement lecturer was brought in to replace her. The replacement lecturer shows us some basic info on the subjects & then very interesting slides such as 'You saw a girl & you go and tell her Im very rich marry me, she gives you a slap in your face'.What is this term in marketing? .... After that morning lecturer, I was not given any mercy as my Network A/c is faulty as well as my student ID card problem forces me to run & go up & down the IT System Office a few times! Then , came the time for afternoon tutorial basically its nothing much, just to meet up with the tutors. Then, Tutup Kedai & Go Back Hostel!
Next week, its 31 August aka Malaysia National Day so there will be a special posting on it.
Bye & Salam Mesra From Bandar Sunway. SIGNING OFF!
P.s. This blogger cant understand why is he so anti-social! Or maybe he isnt just afraid to apporach people kot!
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