5 stars, 5 diamonds, 5 interviewees

During my visit to Colorado Springs, I stayed at the Broadmoor Hotel, a 5-star/5-diamond hotel... wow!, so many stars and diamonds!, it sounds so awesome, right? but, what does that mean?? to be honest, I had no idea... until I visited this website. But, basically, it means that this hotel rocks! (it should be a 5-rock hotel :P). What it actually means is that the Broadmoor is one of the best hotels in the United States, not only for its amenities, but also for the quality service of its staff. So, what better place to do a hospitality internship than this monumental hotel. 'Though... it must be complicated to get a job in a place like this!' Well, I asked this to my roommate in Argentina, who happens to have worked at this hotel (what are the chances!?), but he wasn't doing an internship. So, I interviewed the interns that are currently part of the staff and this is what they told us about their experience.
 
  

All the photos of my visit to the Broadmoor are HERE!, just one click away!

Or, below this sentence, you can find a small selection:

If you want to see more pictures but you don't want to scroll your way up to the link, HERE it is again! ;)

Are we in Texas?

When I thought about Texas

3 things came to my mind:

 Longhorns

 Petroleum

 and Desert 

Well, it turned out that,
when I arrived to Galveston,
I saw none of these things.
Instead, I found:

 Seabirds

 Water

 Palm trees

 ...and Work & Travel students!

As you can see, preconceptions
can often lead us in the wrong
direction. That's why I decided
to let these students tell you a
little bit more about how it is
to live in Galveston...

 

 

I will also let the photos do the talking...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes!, there are more
photos of Galveston!
Just click HERE! ;)

Midway through the trip

 

A big hole in the Earth

That's basically what I was told by some friends after their visit to the Grand Canyon in 2009, "it is just a big hole in the Earth, nothing special". I thought maybe my friends had mistakenly ended up in a different place. How could they say such a thing about the most famous canyon in the world? But then, they showed me some pictures and it certainly looked like the regular Grand Canyon we are all used to seeing. Were they right? Was the Grand Canyon so overrated? I was about to find that out.
I arrived in the morning and met with Michael, Staff Manager of Xanterra, the corporation that operates all the park accommodations where lots of Work & Travel students come to work every summer. He shared with me some interesting stories (and a sandwich), and showed me around the village, located at the verge of the cliffs! I didn't know there was a community that lives in the park all year round. They have their own school, a bank, a recreation center with several sport fields... and, of course, their own canyon. The moment had arrived! It was time to see the so-called big hole in the Earth. I took a few steps... and it struck me... To be honest, words fall short to describe the magnificence of the Grand Canyon, and images to show how huge and gorgeous this place really is. I went hiking and could not believe I was walking inside one of the 7 Wonders of the World. I must admit I only walked for a few hours, but I left the park with an unforgettable glimpse of what the Grand Canyon is about. I believe it takes a lot more time to get to know it in depth... maybe a whole summer working here? ;)

You can find more photos of my visit to the Grand Canyon HERE! 

Thanks for watching :)

What can I do in Chicago in half a day?

Arrive in Chicago at 16:30 by train

Visit the giant Jelly Belly

Take a picture of my reflection in the bean

Walk around the city

My friend Carrie told me that this fountain is the one that appeared at the beginning of the opening credits of "Married with children", does anyone remember it? :)

Photograph curious things, like what appears to be a 3-storey-tall suffocated Marilyn Monroe

Go to one of the tallest buildings (with a bar on the 96th floor)...

and get some drinks

and take some pictures

that's me :)

Take a picture to the pier...

and then go visit the pier!

Take more pictures of the city

For dinner, order Chicago's legendary deep dish pizza! :P

And, by midnight, find the work completed!

Chicago has a new attraction! and it was nice to be one of the first persons to see/appreciate it.

It was a good half day :)

Hello Wisconsin!

Hanging out down the street... what a better way to do it than with a convertible black mustang!

   

Yeap, me and Jenn drove around Wisconsin Dells and got to see some of the curiousest/craziest things I never thought I would find in a place like this. 
From a Trojan horse go-kart track to cheese flavored popcorn, and everything in between. They have their own White House (which, for some particular reason, they believed would be cooler to build upside down, and it worked!), a torture museum (unbelievable), and even an Argentinian restaurant, whose owner is from Córdoba, like me! (unbelievable too! It was nice to talk to him and hear the cordobés accent for a little bit).

One of the most interesting things is that there are hundreds of water parks! Almost every resort has its own park (most of them indoor!, also quite unbelievable, right?) and there are thousands of Work & Travel students working in these places, as lifeguards, housekeepers, cashiers, cooks, etc.

As you can see in the pictures, no matter whether you are on or off duty, there are hundreds of options to choose from in Wisconsin Dells. And I'm sure that, if it pleases you, you can always add some cheese to them!

 

As always, there are more pictures of Wis Dells HERE! 

Thanks for watching :)

 

At the Jersey shore!

 

This week I visited Wildwood in New Jersey. A really nice place for vacationing, and even better for working! There are around 1 thousand Work & Travel students in this town, and no wonder why: the place is pure entertainment!, enormous beaches, an old-style boardwalk covered with shops, video arcades, all kind of american food stores, and most important, a huge amusement park with enough games and rides to keep you thrilled for many days.

There are Work & Travel students everywhere, working at the shops on the boardwalk, others at different motels or resorts near the sea, and most of them at the amusement park, as lifeguards, cashiers, ride operators, ghosts, you name it! One thing they all have in common is that they are having a great time! and you can get contagious by just talking to them and listening to all they have to share about their experience working in the U.S.

 

Taylor and I visited the students working at Seapointe Village, Attaché motel and Morey's Piers, and here are some pictures of these visits.

There are more and more pictures HERE! including one picture of us in one of the extreme rides :D check them out!

The League of Justice

 

...that was the first thing that came to my mind when they told me I would be visiting The Alliance in Washington DC. But, what is the Alliance?

 

The Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange is an association of 76 nongovernmental organizations comprising the international educational and cultural exchange community in the United States.
The Alliance serves as the only collective public policy voice of the exchange community and their mission is to formulate and promote public policies that support the growth and well being of international exchange links between the people of the United States and other nations. 

   

Pretty cool, right? So, as you can see, they are in a way, like the League of Justice, but with no super powers (or so I think...). I wasn't that wrong, after all. ;)

I visited their office on Friday and I met with Lisa, an intern from Germany that has been working at the Alliance for almost a year.

   

She shared with me her experience of doing an internship in the U.S. Capital city, one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to.

   

 

   

Lisa also showed me some of the most interesting government buildings that she and her coworkers usually visit, as part of their jobs. 

And by the end of my visit we all went out for lunch! 

  

 

 

  

Yeap, this is definitely a great place for Superman and Wonder Woman to do an internship. ;)

 

By clicking HERE you will find more pictures of my visit to the Alliance!

 

 

You are here

What is it like to work on an island?
Well, I never had the chance to experience it, but most of the students that are working at the grocery store in Block island had worked there before and now they decided to come back again... so, I think we know the answer. 

The island is gorgeous and the islanders are very friendly. Uncle John is one of them and he took us on a tour around the island. Here are some of the beautiful spots he showed us

The Work & Travel students also showed us around

Uncle John and his boat

One of the lighthouses on the island

There are MORE pictures of the island and the students HERE! Enjoy :)