Strong and open to new challenges!

Hey guys!

My name’s Kymbat Sapar.

In the summer of 2023, I am, a student from Kazakhstan, decided to participate in the Work and travel USA program. I have always dreamed of seeing America, immersing myself in its culture and improving my English. As a result, KCET company helped me realize this dream, which I am very grateful to this day.

When I was offered a job on the small island of Hatteras, North Carolina, I did not hesitate to choose this offer. Because my main goal was to see real American life, try to live on the island, communicate with local people and make foreign friends. I arrived in Hatteras at the end of May, when the island was already preparing for the influx of tourists. I got a job at a clothing store where I worked at the checkout. On the very first day, I realized that I needed to adapt to the fast pace of life and the language barrier. Fortunately, I was lucky to have work colleagues and roommates. I lived with two girls from Thailand and two guys from Mexico.

In the USA, I brought Kazakh chocolate and kurt with me, and told them about Kazakh culture, starting with a greeting and ending with a story about a Kazakh wedding. I became friends with my roommates very well that the relatives of two Mexicans invited me to visit the baby shower. On this day, I got acquainted with American and Mexican culture. In three months, my neighbors and I visited 10 cities in the state of North Carolina.

Once, when we were in the city of Duck, we went to Duck Donuts, and there I met Kazakhs who work here, and we met, as a result of which they treated us to free donuts. One of the memorable days was Independence Day. On this day, we went to the neighboring city of Avon and met many J1 students from different countries there, so now I have friends from Turkey, Mongolia, Thailand, China, Jamaica. On July 12, in this city, with these friends, we celebrated the birthday of our friend from Kazakhstan. Together with the girls, they cooked beshbarmak and treated foreign friends. They were delighted with our hospitality and surprised by the difference in culture.

The day I met two French girls at work, I realized how important it is to have friends from different countries. Because one of these girls lived in Kazakhstan for 2 years for work, and we were able to communicate in Kazakh. As a result, she requested my Instagram and invited me to Paris, and this winter I'm going to travel to Europe with a friend from Mongolia and visit her in Paris.

My roommates treated me like a younger sister because I was the youngest in the house. Sarah, my neighbor, invited me to work as a flight attendant at Qatar Airlines, where she herself was trained and is working now. She will come to Kazakhstan in the spring for work, and we plan to meet, and first of all I want to show her our mountains. On August 22, we celebrated the birthday of our Mexican neighbor. On this day, I baked a New York cheesecake, and Sarah cooked a national Thai dish - padtai. I will always remember this day because it was a day of saying goodbye to friends.

I returned home more confident, strong and open to new challenges. I realized that Work and Travel USA gave me not just a summer in America, but a whole life full of vivid impressions, amazing acquaintances and invaluable lessons. This summer I visited 8 states and realized that the world is huge and everything is possible in it!

Full speed ahead for your dream!