Tento príbeh je trochu netradičný, avšak o to zaujímavejší. Dôvodom je to, že ho nepísal účastník programu WAT USA, ale ho písal jeden z programových koordinátorov p. Brian Gannon, ktorý pracuje pre jednu so sponzorských organizácií, s ktorou naša agentúra spolupracuje, a ktorého sme mali možnosť stretnúť aj osobne, pri jednom z Job Fairs (stretnutí s americkými zamestnávateľmi na Slovensku), ktoré naša agentúra pravidelne organizuje v mesiacoch január, február, resp. marec.
Tu je jeho príbeh.
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MEETING EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE
I was a young 18 year old boy when my mother arranged my personal “work and travel” program. “Work” meant get a job. “Travel” meant somewhere other than her house. She arranged for me to work for my uncle in Chignik, Alaska.
Like most people, I had never heard of Chignik, Alaska. Alaska itself was completely foreign to me with the exception of the simple facts I learned in middle school.
I arrived in Chignik in the winter of 1990 and was in awe. So many things were new to me. Chignik, with less than 250 residents, had a more diverse community than my sheltered mind could have imagined. Chignik, at that time, supported 2 seafood processing plants staffed with Hispanic and Filipino workers. The balance of the local population was largely made up of Alaskan Natives. I was an “outsider” and as such I spent the next 6 months working to become part of the community and meeting new friends from different places.
Having continued my experience in remote Alaska over the last 19 years, I have had the occasion to meet people from around the world. I began hiring J1 Work and Travel participants for one of the sponsor organizations in 1998 and have worked with well over 1,000 students since then. My affiliation with this sponsor organization, now in its 7th year, has broadened my horizons the likes of which that 18 year old boy arriving in Chignik could not possibly believe. Once naïve and nervous about meeting people from beyond my ethnic and cultural comfort zone, it is now my profession.
Part of my duties with this sponsor organization include the continued fostering of the relationships I have built in Alaska over my many seasons. This sponsor organization now sends over 1,100 students to Alaska each year as part of the Work and Travel program. This summer, this sponsor organization sent students to work in over 15 communities around coastal Alaska, including Chignik. One hundred of those students worked for me in Dillingham. Of those 100 students from around the globe, one particular student stood out above the rest.
I met Nicolae Nicolaev in December of last year while on a Work and Travel recruiting trip in Moldova. I had spoken individually to 25 students that day after giving my half hour soliloquy on the value and virtues of working in Alaska. Nicolae was the last student I met that day. He had looked over the many job offers from around the state of Alaska and was intent on working in Dillingham with me. We discussed Alaska and Dillingham in particular. He intently studied me as we spoke. His final question to me was whether or not I would hire a deaf student. With nervous trepidation, I said “yes”.
Nicolae can read lips, which in and of itself, is impressive. Nicolae can read lips in multiple languages - which is truly amazing. He is working on his master’s degree at the National University of Physics Education in Chisinau, Moldova. One of his less impressive talents is that he is an excellent seafood processor. He is a tireless worker and constantly gives everyone his trademark “I love you” hand sign. His courage is certainly enviable. Though I don’t know as much as I would like to about Nicolae, I consider him one of the more extraordinary people I have had the pleasure of meeting.
Nicolae is, as I write, working on the fillet line in Dillingham. He has worked 13 hours today and after dinner will work a few more hours. He has not become a supervisor. He merely leads by example. Quiet, hard working, and with a smile. He is a friend to all and his energy is silently infectious. Half of the staff in Dillingham now flash the “I love you” hand sign. Given the occasion, Nicolae will chat with you in English, or Russian, or Romanian, or sign language. But more than likely, he will just smile, and keep working.
When my helicopter lifted off from Dillingham last Saturday, much of my direct staff and area managers were collected below me, waving after having said our goodbye’s. As we flew over the plant, Nicolae was below and standing alone. His smile and “I love you” sign were clearly visible.
The Work and Travel program is, by design, a cultural exchange program. I have learned so much from the numerous participants I have met over the years in Alaska. Some of my very closest friends are people I have met as a result of the Work and Travel program. Nicolae is the first deaf person I have ever employed. Nicolae reminded me just how important cultural exchange is and that the Work and Travel program is not about seafood processing, waitressing, or working at an amusement park. The Work and Travel program really is about stepping outside of your own personal comfort zone and just meeting people.
BRIAN GANNON