...Mixed emotions to the unknown...

By Nasiphi Sobahle

It was a Wednesday morning where a group of young South African Individuals were about to finally be on a plane to the land of the free, the land of the brave and you can imagine how each and every one was feeling.

 

We met at O.R Tambo Int’l airport and all one could see was a group of Eager individuals, ready to embark on a journey of Growth in their career fields, it couldn’t get more exciting.

We experienced so many emotions, all at once, for some, it was a virgin step to American soil and some, like me, were over the moon to be returning to the land of Great Opportunities, we looked forward to reuniting with friends that we left in the USA before.

I guess it all sank in real good when the plane took off at 20.25pm sharp (Oct 17 2012), from this point, there was no turning back.

The thought of being on a plane for 16hrs was alone daunting, however, the best part of the long flight was… in that amount of time we managed to make friends, learn about our diverse cultures and hopefully we managed to impact into each other the spirit of “UBUNTU” that even though we are separated by borders, we are all derived from the same soil.

We were family by the time we landed at JFK, and that alone made our flight a good one J

 

Taking off from JFK was the last lap to complete our 22hr flight as we were going to be flying to our final destination, FLORIDA…

This is where the mixed emotions kicked right back, it was all coming to Reality, all we were left to do was to assure ourselves that we will have an amazing time in Florida, as we are all away from home, creating a happy medium in our surroundings and of course being the Best that we can be in the workplace.

We are yet to find out if all our expectations were met.

Waiting to depart!

By Jean-Pierre Crozier

So, since this is my first Blog, I thought I would tell you a little a bit about myself, how I came about WorkAway and how I have found the experience so far.

My name is Jean-Pierre but almost everyone calls me JP. I am 21 and heard about WorkAway through a friend of mine that went last year. I never expected things to go so fast as they have. In hasn’t even been three months and I am getting ready to depart!

Going overseas has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and thanks to WorkAway, I can now achieve this dream.

Visa Application and Appointment  

I had Orientation on the 8th September and, to my great shock, was told my DS 160 online application had to be in four days later for review. I went home and started filling it in, thinking it would be a quick process. Was I wrong!!! It took me nearly two hours to finally complete and submit it.
On the 14thSeptember I got the phone call to from WorkAway to say that I could now sign and submit my DS 160 as well as make the appointment. A few days later, I got the email confirming my consulate appointment time (you are never seen at the time given). After a three hour wait, I was interviewed and my Visa was approved. The whole process took ten minutes.

Probably one of the best things WorkAway has encouraged me to do was get a haircut! The above photo was the original one taken for my Visa but I was told that my hair was to long and that I shouldn’t be smiling.

The result below brings one situation to my mind: POLICE FILE!!!

The US Consulate in Tokai

Well, my departure is the 27th October and I cannot wait. I honestly have to say that the wait to depart is a much worse torture than the wait to get everything done that needs to be done.
Here it is! After all the hard work, the one document that says I can now legally travel into the United States of America!

Good luck to all who still has their Visa appointments and to everyone who didn’t go this year but is considering it? I would definitely say WorkAway is the company to go through! They make it easy, providing step by step information and above all else make it as stress free as I can imagine it gets.

A Journey to remember!

By Nasiphi Sobahle
It’s amazing how much time has gone by, how busy one has been in the past 3 months, the mixed emotions each participant has encountered, the smiles, laughs, frowns and even tears shed when things didn’t seem to go accordingly, but little did we know that we will be filled with so much excitement at the end, OH what an amazing feeling.

I can still recall the 05th of August 2012, a day where I finally decided to attend the Workaway Presentation at the Hilton Hotel in Durban, this was the very last presentation in Durban, that’s how much I prolonged to attend, I  then  had the responsibility to convince my BFF to do this with me as I didn’t want to do it alone, we were both shortlisted for an Interview with Workaway and I must say we never looked back ever since, we were looking forward to the final stage (DEPART FOR USA) bearing in mind that we were just on the first step  out of the eight (8). (Laughs Out Loud)

Nothing was more nerve wrecking than the club and visa interviews, but nothing beats a positive mindset and attitude in the Hospitality industry... such attitude takes you very far. In all that being said.. a wise person once wrote “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed in the things that you didn’t do than the ones that you did, so throw in the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour catch the trade winds in your sail” and I say to every participant “EXPLORE: DREAM & DISCOVER”, this is how I viewed the Workaway offer after the presentation, I was so sure I wanted to be a Workaway Participant before the presentation was even over.

Now we patiently await our departure dates, the excitement keeps building up, building up even more so that we will meet the amazing people we met at orientation, I guess what makes the program more interesting is the different people we meet, people from all walks of life, not so to see how different we are but to embrace & appreciate our DIVERSITY.

I’ve said too much and far beyond much, this brings me to my conclusion...
Workaway as well as our respective country clubs are with no doubt going to make a positive change, a great beginning for many, in our sandy walkways of our hearts. We hope for it to continue on impacting lives and changing futures of young South African individuals.

Excited,

Well it all begins!

By: Kenan Manthe

And so my adventure begins! After trying to board a cruise liner for the past 2 years (as in working aboard a cruise liner) and not being successful a long distance family member of mine who had been on the Workaway program suggested the program to me! And all I could say after going on to the Workaway website was WOOOOOOOW! I applied online immediately and the following day I received a phone call to please attend the presentation. After attending the presentation and the screening process as well as the interview with Workaway it was not long after I received a phone call to notify me that I had an interview with BOCA WEST all this happened in a space of two months! I was amazed
(Actually still am)!

After my interview with BOCA WEST it was not long after that work away notified me that BOCA WEST had a job offer for me (dreams do become true)! After attending the orientation which was really informative it became a little daunting filling in the infamous DS-160 form as well as doing the whole medical examination but hey mine is now complete it’s all a matter of visiting the consulate!

I have loved every moment so far of my journey with Workaway its truly amazing and surely plenty more good times to come I will keep all updated on the fun travels

The clock is ticking....lol

By Ndileka Nonose

It’s almost here; we’re almost that time of the year again. Where excitement is brewing, as for many of the people it will be their very first time abroad. And returners can’t wait to be reunited with old collegues, past roommates and all the amazing friends that they have made the previous season.  I have already made a few new friends through my blog, it’s very nice to ‘meet’ you all and I cannot wait to hang out soon.

Even though it will be tough to say goodbye to all your loved ones. There are a lot of things for you all to look forward to. Excluding of course the +-20 hour flight to get to the other side lol. Look forward to the wonderful work experience you will gain, as you will be working at thee most exclusive country clubs in the U.S. Look forward to the Many Wonderful friends, from all walks of life, that you will have the pleasure of meeting, knowing and sharing all of your experiences with. Look forward to all the shopping you get to do, and I for one did a whole lot of it.

There are so many places to see and experience and in due time you will be there to take it all in. Just remember to work hard, stay motivated and have fun. Then you too will get to experience the NIGHT LIFE IN MIAMI, PARA-SAILING AND SNORKLING IN KEY WEST, PARTYING IT UP IN LAS VEGAS. And even SHOPPING AND SIGHT-SEEING IN NEW YORK CITY.

I wish everyone success during their visa appointments. Have a safe flight over, see you all on the other side.

Few weeks!!

By Jasper Burger

It’s all happening right now and in a few weeks planes here in Oliver Tambo International and airports in Cape Town and Durban will be full of hopeful young South Africans embarking on an adventure of a lifetime in USA. We all have been so busy since the orientation juggling work and getting the final formalities done that we forget that we are but a series of moments away before heading to sunny Florida.

Everybody at the orientation got to meet some of the people you will be working with, staying and socializing with in the upcoming season. It was good to see friendly conversations taking place and bonds already being followed. Yes the many steps taken seems never ending with continuous forms to be filled in and interviews to be attended but do not worry my friends as our time of completion is near. You will soon realize that all this effort is well worth it.

Not to be cheesy but the saying “the juice was worth the squeeze” will eventually be realized. So be patient and keep doing what needs to be done and before you know it you’ll be on a plane with a flight attendants saying please fasten your seatbelts…

The time has finally come!!

By Ndileka Nonose

When I woke this morning, I realized that I might only have about 6 weeks left in the country… And how do I feel about that? ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, EXCITED, THRILLED all these rolled into 1. Kind of like the time my friends and I decided to go to Las Vegas for a week long vacation. What an amazing time we had. After seeing New York for the first time of course, nothing could ever replace that. But my trip to Las Vegas is a very close second.

After another amazing summer at my club in New Jersey, friend of mine from India suggested that we go to Vegas. I was reluctant at first, but after much convincing I was on board. So we booked our accommodation, flights and were soon on our way. We decided on the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino, which was a 5 star hotel. We weren’t going to settle for anything but the best. What a beautiful and luxurious resort. OMG. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I felt like I was in Italy. I won’t however indulge you all on our shenanigans after all you know what they say ‘WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, STAYS IN VEGAS’. LOL. All I will say though is one should definitely put that on their to do list once they’ve arrived. Save. Save. Save.

I have to say though that my summers up North were one of the best times in the States. That to me felt like more of America. Beautiful houses with white picket fences, an American flag outside most home post boxes, gorgeous trees that are green in the summer and turn an orange/red colour in the fall. And obviously the endless trips to New York City. Whether it was just for a bit of shopping, or a little sightseeing or even just for a good old South African meal at Madibas in Brooklyn. All in all it was a wonderful experience, everything I ever imagined.

So you all can imagine how excited I am about the upcoming trip back. Im gonna start packing soon. Abit early I know, but don’t judge lol. Im soo looking forward to meeting all the new recruits, meeting my new housemates, and sharing all that I know. So next time you reading my blog Ill be in Sunny Florida.