J-1 Programs Join People of the World: Bingjie's Experience

by Bingjie Wang, CIEE Work & Travel USA 2017 participant

My name is Bingjie Wang. I'm from China. I'm working as a housekeeper at Kingsleigh Inn in Southwest Harbor, ME. My duty is to keep our inn neat, and my greatest pleasure in my work is to make the messy rooms clean and tidy, which will make me feel a sense of accomplishment. After I get off work, I often participate in some local activities or hang out with my friends. These are some pictures about my experience:

In this picture, we were enjoying the fireworks on American Independence Day! My employers Pamela and Byran, my neighbors Lori, Joe, and Lori's mother and I drank wine, ate snacks, and discussed differences between China and America. We together have witnessed this wonderful day in America!

In this picture, at that morning, Pamela and Byran told me that there were native flamingo parades in our main street and they brought me to watch the parade. Everyone wore pink costumes and some decorated themselves and their vehicles with flamingos. I was surprised at such a special parade. In China, parades are not common. But I enjoyed the relaxed and happy parade, and everyone seemed very comfortable. Flamingos are very beautiful. I asked my employers where I could see the real flamingos - they told me I could see them in Florida. It was an amazing day!

In this picture, we were having a hot pot party! Ten of us gathered - six from Malaysia, two from China, one from Macedonia, and one from Bulgaria. We are all J-1 students. How wonderful it is that we have met each other in the United States from different countries! On this night, we cooked hot pot with the hotpot seasoning which I have brought from China. I also drank a mixture of coffee and wine, which tastes strange, and I tasted cookies cooked by the girl who is from Bulgaria. After dinner, we watched "The Mummy" with a projector. We talked about the different laughing points in different countries and shared interesting things about different countries. It is the Summer Work Travel program that gives us the opportunity to know each other so that we can be able to sit in the same place and freely communicate.

By communicating with people in many other countries, I have a different view of many things. And now I can use different thinking to look at the problem, which is my greatest achievement. For the future, I think it helps me communicate better with people from different cultures. Thanks to CIEE, you helped me to participate in the Summer Work Travel program, which let me have the opportunity to see the difference between the world personally and it breaks my limits of thinking. This will make me better. I sincerely hope that the Summer Work Travel program will continue to be maintained so that students around the world can have the opportunity to experience American culture personally!