My experiences in America

Written by Fatima Kacapor

“I’m from Bosnia, take me to America …” – lyrics from Bosnian band Dubioza Kolektiv 

I’m Fatima Kacapor, and I’m from Bosnia and Herzegovina, country in southeastern Europe. Even though my home is across the globe, I am very familiar with many aspects of the United States, such as the country’s success and history, American movies, and American music. I’m fortunate to be part of the Jericho Foundation, an international non-profit organization dedicated to restoring HOPE in BiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina). HOPE represents four pieces: healthcare, opportunity, personal relations and education. I was so excited when I received the email from the Jericho Foundation asking me to visit America. It was a dream come true!

My journey to America

The plane is landed. I am now in Chicago and going through the airport, so close to breathing fresh air – America! I feel a little uncomfortable because it’s my first time here, and I’m so far away from my home, country, family, and friends.

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So far, everything has been good and I am on the road to the next destination,Kalamazoo, Michigan. Two days after that, I’ll be in Lansing, Michigan.

Way of life

The way of life in America is very different than typical life in BiH. Here, everybody has their own car, and wherever they go, the car is a main mode of transportation. The temperatures in cars, houses, businesses, restaurants, and shops are even five degrees lower than the temperature outside because of air conditioners. That’s great, but my body isn’t used to that.

Each person you meet is friendly and tries their best to make you feel comfortable and welcome. What I like most in the American culture is when you do something good, people praise you, which is really uplifting!

My positive internship experience

The first company where I had the opportunity to do an internship was with the moving company, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®. I like the way they treat their employees, just like their core value, THE GRANDMA RULE®, which says: Treat everyone the way you would want your Grandma to be treated.

Each employee in the company has their own office. There are also facilities for training new employees, conferences, presentations, and so on. During the six days I spent time in the office, I had the opportunity to attend an office-wide lunch for all employees, which is held every month. It was great! The president of the company handed awards to employees who are successful in their work and introduced a plan for the new look of the company building expansion and remodel.

Being from another country and watching the work of this company and its employees, I can safely say when looking at the faces of the employees, you can see their pleasure. People are happy; they love their job and genuinely enjoy it. It’s like one big family where everyone is doing their own job in the best way they can. I really enjoyed the six days of my internship and I want to thank everyone at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® for the experience. It was truly awesome!