N' Roger, Udon Thani Rajabhat University
Sheraton Hotel, New York State
I chose to work at this hotel because it’s near some interesting tourist attractions, and I wanted to visit New York State. Plus, I got to work in a great environment, with a view of the famous Niagara Falls. Every night, they set off fireworks, and I love sitting and watching them before heading back to my accommodation. It really motivates me to work every day.
Initially, I was supposed to work as a housekeeper, but when I arrived, I was assigned the position of houseman. In this role, I coordinated with housekeeping assistants to prepare rooms for cleaning and with the laundry company to send the bed linens for washing. I got to use English a lot—more than I ever had before. I had to communicate with both departments, which was very challenging for me since, back in Thailand, I rarely used English.
Actually, I applied to join the program alone, and I want to tell anyone who’s hesitant about going alone that there’s no need to be afraid. Going solo is definitely worth it. However, there were some Thai friends from MPLC working at my job as well, but I chose to stay with my international friends because I really wanted to improve my language skills and maximize my experience. I mostly stayed with a friend from Turkey, who was also in the W&T program. We ate, lived, and slept together, and we became very close. We’re even planning to visit Turkey together. By choosing to stay with international friends, I got to use English almost exclusively and hardly spoke Thai at all during the program. I feel that my English has improved significantly, even though I’ve only been here for three months.
I didn’t take on a second job because the hotel gave me different tasks to do, and there was overtime available, so I didn’t need to look for additional work. Participating in this program also allowed me to use it as credit for my university internship. I went on the Work & Travel program during my third year, and now I’m in my fourth year. While my friends are currently doing internships, I don’t have to because I already completed W&T. Now, I’m looking for part-time work here in Thailand. I’m planning to return to the U.S. again with an internship program. P.S. I worked just one job, but it covered all my expenses, including the cost of joining the program and living expenses during the program, even though I only worked one job.
