By: Jerameel Lapad, Summer Work Travel Participant
Participating in the Summer Work Travel program was a great experience for me. It helped me be receptive to the different cultures that I encountered during my travel, especially American culture.
I belong to the Seventh-Day Adventist religion where we go to church every Saturday, known as the Sabbath. When I arrived in the Wisconsin Dells, I immediately looked for a Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The nearest church my group and I found was the Portage Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The church members were very nice and accommodating. After the Sabbath worship, they invited us to join them for lunch. The vegetarian food was delicious and healthy. My group and I had a great time sharing with the church members about our experience arriving in the U.S. through the Summer Work Travel program. After that event, they invited us every Saturday to their church to attend the worship services.
The church members also invited us to visit a nursing home to inspire the patients and to sing to them. We gladly accepted the invitation. We sang for the seniors and talked to them. It was an unforgettable experience for me to participate in, and to show the seniors that we care for them.