Living and Working in Orleans, MA

This week, we interviewed CIEE Work & Travel USA alum Ilirjana Hyseni to learn more about her Work & Travel USA experience. Ilirjana is from Pristine, Kosovo and holds a bachelor’s degree in Management. She currently works as a cashier at a bank in Pristine. Read the interview below to learn more about Ilirjana and her experience. Not only does she share some great travel tips with us, but she also shares great photos as well!

During your time as a CIEE Work & Travel USA participant, where did you work and what kind of job did you have? What did you learn from that job?
When I was in the U.S., I worked as a cashier at Shaw’s Supermarkets in Orleans, MA. What I learned during this time at Shaw’s is the ability to stay calm in stressful circumstances, which I never thought I would be able to do. Also, what is really important is the experience handling cash, debit, and credit card transactions. But the most important thing I learned is that the customer is always right—even when they aren’t! I learned how to communicate in a professional and polite manner with all clients.

How did your experience prepare you for work or school in the future?
Life isn’t all about school and work, though. It’s about that independence you will get while you know what paying rent is, what going to the grocery every week is, what paying bills every week is! But, besides that is the awesome memory you’ll get for a lifetime! Visiting all those places like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Niagara Falls was just like a big dream. And that visit to Harvard University—nobody in Pristine can have that trip! So I can truly say that the U.S. experience prepared me for how life in the future must be treated!

What did you like the most about the program?

Definitely living with my amazing American family—those great mornings when everybody is busy making quick breakfast and going to work, those amazing nights when everybody came back from work with different stories of the day, those after-work drinks in the karaoke bar, and those amazing days off that you did with your roommates. P.S.—I never thought I would love outside showers in the middle of the night but guess what? Now I miss that!

What did you like the most about Orleans, MA?
Oh, well it’s a place just like in the American movies. The first thing I was amazed about was the awesome neighborhood, with those amazing yards with hammocks, and that amazing Nauset Beach that I truly loved.

*Ilirjana’s recommendations for must-see spots and must-do activities around Orleans:

What was the most shocking thing about America?
The most shocking thing… that American life from the American movies is REAL!

What advice would you give to future Work & Travel USA participants?
ENJOY!