"You can do all things unless of course, you tell it yourself you can't "

Nina G. Rodiel

From Phillippines

2016 W&T Participant

Worked in New Jersey

What comes to your mind when you heard the word "OJT"? They said it's stressful but mine's different. So here where did my OJT starts. One day there's this orientation conducted in our University Auditorium about the OJT in the United States of America which truly called Work and Travel, and me and some of my friends attended that day. And i told to myself that it's a good opportunity considering the fact that it's very hard to get an US Visa, plus it's a plus to my resume someday. So, I told it to my parents but I don't have the plan to persuade them to allow me to join that work and travel I just inform them about it. And it shocked me the most one day when they asked me if Im interested, who wouldn't be right? And then two days after I paid the profiling fee so I can start processing my application, then after a week since I passed my application then the agency called me that there's an employer already that will interview us which makes me really nervous. Im with my co-students from Wesleyan University-Philippines on that interview and luckily Im one of the seven students out of twenty plus who hired by that employer which is Six Flags Great Adventure

It took me less than a year processing my application and it's not a joke cause we also paid almost $5000, and it's really worth it. School ends, then after a week we already arrived at JFK Airport which is located in New York, one hour away where my actual work is which is in New Jersey and I have no idea where it is on the map. I can't process it on my mind that I was at United States of America, it's just unbelievable for me maybe because I didn't think before that I will go to USA.

And this where my Work and Travel program begins, our housing is just walking distance from work. To be honest, I didn't feel homesick at all but some of my friends did. Because im used to it, far away from home and traveling. During our first week of stay we still haven't start our work, we did only training, orientation and tour inside the park and of course everyone wants to shop at Walmart lol we shop our groceries and some necessary things for our living. Then the next week, I started working already in Six Flags Great Adventure in short SFGA it's the largest theme park in the world with highest and fastest roller coasters, can you imagine how big it is. So I chose food service department because it's cost more high salary than the others plus I'm scared to manage the rides, who wouldn't for a girl like me.

My position is called team member at Ga Cafe which we sells funnel cakes, coffee, ice cream, brownies, muffin, soft-drinks, juices, churros, pretzels and etc. My first day at work is a tough one because I did cash handling or we called it there register and it's hard because I'm not familiar to US Dollar, plus I'm so nervous. It's hard also because Americans can't get easily what are you trying to say because of our accent when we're speaking in English but day after day it get more easier and easier. After a week, I get used to almost everything kudos to all my co-team members and supervisors for helping me out. I really love making funnel cakes especially when Im putting some toppings and most of the times while I'm making it I told to myself I wish I can bring it home to the Philippines so my family and friends can taste it. Usually, I'm working 8 hours a day but we can have overtime and GA is located near the front gate so I always get more hours which means more dollars. Then there's this day when Im going to work they told me at the gate to meet my Labor Department Head and it makes me nervous because I knew it that I will get till variance. It's when you are short or over in terms of cash. So when I'm at work already I told my supervisor that I got a till variance and I wanna go home and she sent me home, luckily it's not really busy at the park. When I'm home, I cried to my friends I even told them I wanna go home which is not true. The next day I dont have the energy to go to work because of what happened but it's payday so I open my account then I saw $700 just for 6 days of work!!! I wanna scream, who won't right? Then I said to my friends "common let's work work work". Funny? Who don't want to work when your employer will pay you that kind of salary. Since Im a hardworking person and I always wants overtime when Im coming home after work my roommates were preparing for bed, then when I woke up they're already at work. But it's fine, because we have one day off in a week so sometimes we're going to the mall or either going inside the park and have that adrenaline rush after riding the highest and fastest coaster. But most of the times we have different days off so when things like that Im spending my day cleaning the house, doing laundry or just sit down at welcome center which is our lobby for SFGA international workers, or who live in the housing. And sometimes, some of my international friends like Thai, Serbians, Jamaicans are inviting me somewhere.

One day me and my friends went to New York City to spend our day off there. And it's really worth it, that moment I wanted to cry when I saw the lights of New York City, the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan and Timesquare. I wanted to cry because I cant believe Im capturing those wondrous things by my eyes. We also spend our days off at the beach. And also during our days off when we got out Social Security Number and even our Bank Account. My two months of work in Six Flags Great Adventure was like that. And the day that I dont wanna come, comes. The day that I needed to say goodbye to Six Flags, to my Six Flags family, to all of my friends, to housing, to welcome center and of course to my first love who was Demarce. Im crying hard that night I dont want to leave, but things need to end someday. Thanks to Demarce for cheering me up, for telling me that there's a lot of nice people and nice things who's waiting for me here in Philippines. I spend my third month in Seattle, Washington. I almost travel the whole USA for flying from east coast to west coast. Some of my relatives live in Washington, and it's already summer when I arrived there. So we're always at the lake, tubing, riding the boat, swimming, jumping from a cliff, hiking, picnic and etc. I almost forgot, one of my friends we're with me at Seattle and She's so thankful to us for letting her experience those kind of things. The best summer we had. When I'm back here in Philippines my first month was so hard for me, It's so hard I'm always crying and all I wanted to do was to come back to USA, it's funny because sometimes even Im at the mall or with my friends I cant control my feelings Im always sad, maybe because the Niña before my work and travel program was different after that program. Because a lot of me changed, in a possible way. I wouldn't forget those experiences during my work and travel program, I will always be grateful for having that. I want to mention here all my friends during my work and travel, all my supervisors, co-team members, my Filipino supervisors, Jamaican Thai and Serbian friends, they're all special to me. Finally, the only word that comes to my mind in this moment is thank you, for all the persons who made my Work And Travel Program experience possible and incredible. I would be forever thankful to them because that memories will be forever in my heart and in my mind. PS I of course would love to come back soon, sooner and soonest.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

The problems I encountered were my first week of work, because Im not used to US Dollar. Then sometimes when talking to guests because It's hard to say what you want to say in fluent english. Then the transportation when we're going somewhere because It cost us a lot of money. I don't have a lot of problems encountered because living and working in the USA we're not hard as I thought.

CONCLUSIONS

Day after day, you will get used to everything and it's because of yourself for adapting all those things. And they said "You can do all things unless of course, you tell it yourself you can't ".