AmeriCamp Orientation in Manchester!
Tuesday, April 25, 2017Hey guys!
Hope you all had a great Easter bank holiday weekend - and have ANOTHER great bank holiday weekend haha.
I went to see Ed Sheeran in Newcastle on Thursday, and oh my gosh I forgot how amazing he is live! We managed to get 6 rows from the front. Anne Marie (the woman who sings Ciao Adios) was a support act, and she was also fantastic, I would definitely see her again.
Anyway, I came back from Newcastle on Friday night and set off at 9.50am the next day to go to Manchester for the AmeriCamp orientation.
It was really strange, I was just getting comfy on the coach and Robyn (a girl we met at the camp fair back in November, and also went to York with us in January) got on the coach. I don't really know why we hadn't communicated for some strange reason (as we both live in Bradford), and her and her lovely friend Amber were staying overnight in Manchester. It was a lovely surprise! We had a great catch up during the hour long journey. Once we got there we headed to Piccadilly gardens which was only a 3/4 minute walk from the National Express coach station itself which is really handy.
There we met Robbie, and also arranged to meet a girl called Beth from the Frenchwoods group chat! The AmeriCamp HQ (or the Invasion office) are actually in Salford which was only 10 minutes in an Uber and only cost around £8, which was sooooo much easier than confusing ourselves with trams.
Once we arrived at AmeriCamp HQ, we found Cei (he also came to the Camp Fair and York). We all checked in and received a little name badge and sat in the high heavens of the Invasion office, it was bloody steep in there haha! Nevertheless, its a really nice and bright open office - I wouldn't mind that being my daily workspace. They had really good props dotted around the office, I particularly loved the huge minion and the HUUUGE Sully from Monsters Inc.
We then went around the room and introduced ourselves and the camp we were going to. Every time someone said the same camp we were attending, we had to shout WOOOO. Which was pretty funny when there were a couple of other girls going to Frenchwoods and there were Robbie, Beth and I sat in a row - I think people took the hint that we were going to Frenchwoods haha!
After the introduction, the team spoke about getting the visa and all the paper work. They spoke about the health check and the police form, I guess that bit was only applicable to the minority whom hadn't had their forms completed. It was actually very interesting to hear that on your visa if it has an "M" on it, it means you can have multiple entries on the J1 visa - so for instance if you went to Canada for a trip with camp, however, if it doesn't then it means you can only have one single entry into the US. We then had a break to take pictures with the props and mingle with other applicants.
That's where we met the lovely Kate and Olivia. Kate (on the left) will be working within drama, and Olivia (next to Robyn, third from the left) will be working as a vocal coach, although she is not starting camp until late June as she has university.
After the break we went through insurance policies - which was very helpful. We also heard a few horror stories about how some people have been "dismissed" aka sacked, from camp. We also heard nice stories about the day-to-day life at different camps, the AmeriCamp team shared their experiences with us which was really lovely.
We also were told about the Caxton FX travel money card (I had already heard about this from previous research I had done). This sounds like the best option, as it lets you have free cash withdrawals and use it for free within restaurants and shops which is ideal.
**ADDED** I FORGOT TO ADD A REALLY MAIN POINT... maybe a few!!!
1) Okay, so first of all, Tax. The money at the end of summer gets taxed, this is deducted from your pay and is classed at federal income tax - which is generally 15%. You do not have to pay Medicare, social security or federal unemployment taxes. You can get your tax back, although not immediately! You have to wait for a letter to come through (which will probably be around January 2018) where you can get your tax back.
2) There is a shuttle straight from JFK to Amsterdam Ave which is where the New York HI Hostel is situated! How convenient. We were told that a return ticket would probably cost around $18 each and the trip is about 30-40 minutes.
3) AmeriCamp recommended to take $300 a week for travel, however please allow yourself more if you're staying in New York for a period of time, as accommodation is more expensive there.
4) Remember all your forms for the airport, passport is a pretty obvious one. But remember the 2019 form which comes back with your passport after the Visa day. Return flight info, camp contact info and any travel plans etc if you're going to camp early.
5) If anybody is thinking of doing touristy things either post camp or before camp, I cannot recommend https://www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk enough! We've booked New York tickets before, and we've booked them for this time, we've previously booked tickets for Orlando and we are currently booking tickets for California and Vegas! You can get cluster tickets, where you can go to (for instance) 5 attractions for a fixed price. This often works out a hell of a lot cheaper than booking tickets separately. Also, you get extra things free with some of the packages. So we have a $10 voucher for Planet Hollywood, and Dine4Less card which basically means we can get up to 25% off certain restaurants EVEN MCDONALDS. We also got a voucher for 10% off Macy's and also a free travel handbook for New York.
**ADDED** I FORGOT TO ADD A REALLY MAIN POINT... maybe a few!!!
1) Okay, so first of all, Tax. The money at the end of summer gets taxed, this is deducted from your pay and is classed at federal income tax - which is generally 15%. You do not have to pay Medicare, social security or federal unemployment taxes. You can get your tax back, although not immediately! You have to wait for a letter to come through (which will probably be around January 2018) where you can get your tax back.
2) There is a shuttle straight from JFK to Amsterdam Ave which is where the New York HI Hostel is situated! How convenient. We were told that a return ticket would probably cost around $18 each and the trip is about 30-40 minutes.
3) AmeriCamp recommended to take $300 a week for travel, however please allow yourself more if you're staying in New York for a period of time, as accommodation is more expensive there.
4) Remember all your forms for the airport, passport is a pretty obvious one. But remember the 2019 form which comes back with your passport after the Visa day. Return flight info, camp contact info and any travel plans etc if you're going to camp early.
5) If anybody is thinking of doing touristy things either post camp or before camp, I cannot recommend https://www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk enough! We've booked New York tickets before, and we've booked them for this time, we've previously booked tickets for Orlando and we are currently booking tickets for California and Vegas! You can get cluster tickets, where you can go to (for instance) 5 attractions for a fixed price. This often works out a hell of a lot cheaper than booking tickets separately. Also, you get extra things free with some of the packages. So we have a $10 voucher for Planet Hollywood, and Dine4Less card which basically means we can get up to 25% off certain restaurants EVEN MCDONALDS. We also got a voucher for 10% off Macy's and also a free travel handbook for New York.
For anybody whom still needs to attend the AmeriCamp orientation, they do provide anyone with a free J1 Sim Card. You pay $25 a month for unlimited texts and data, however, you don't get calls. To be honest, in this day and age with FaceTime, Facebook audio/video and skype, I don't feel it's really necessary for calls anyway. You can upgrade to unlimited international calls for an extra $15 a month if you feel it is necessary. It also may be worthy to mention that you should probably check with a returner that you actually get signal at camp - I know Frenchwoods don't get any signal so it would be pointless for me until I travel. Also, this sim card is powered by T-Mobile, so your phone would need to be unlocked.
They also mentioned that there will be a job opportunity open to AmeriCampers in the middle of summer to become a Campus Manager. This would involve conducting interviews for applicants. I will definitely be looking into/applying for this position, as I feel it is a really good opportunity to be able to reverse roles with new applicants and put them at ease as once, I was in the exact same position as them (and in a way, still am). It will also be good to actually acquire interviewing skills which is a lifelong skill that can be applied within various job roles.
After the orientation had finished, we all got our t-shirts and went outside for a group picture, and that was it! Everything had been completed on AmeriCamps behalf! HOW SCARY! The next step is to collect my health form from my doctors in Newcastle, then its time to get on that plane AHH!
Everyone very excitedly parted ways knowing that we would all be reunited in New York in a mere 5 weeks! Beth and I however decided to go to Nandos for some tea before our journey home. I had only met Beth around 6 hours prior, and here I was speaking to her like I'd known her for much longer. I cannot stress enough how amazing and lovely every single person I have met is.
It is exactly 5 weeks today, I can't actually believe how fast it has come around this year since I picked up my application! I mean, technically, I first applied in August 2015 meaning I have been waiting FOREVER, but since I got placed it has flown by. My leaving party is 3 weeks on Saturday, and HOPEFULLY Bradford City don't go to Wembley so my family including my own father - if he still wants a wife;) can attend. My last day at work is 2 weeks on Friday to give me time to do my uni exam and get packed and ready. Packing is going to be horrendous I already sense it, as currently my suitcase is already about 15kg, and that is not going to be half of what I want to pack.
No doubt that my next blog post will be either about my leaving party or about packing for camp.
Until then my lovelies!♥
Jade xxx
P.S look at who I came across at Quids In Leeds! Frenchwoods Dan! Haha.
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