Hyejin Byun, one of our BridgeUSA J-1 Trainees, has created and shared a fantastic video with us showcasing her fun cultural experiences in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, where she is having her professional training program.
We're thrilled to announce that Hyejin has won 1st place in our January Monthly Contest. Congratulations, Hyejin!
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#ICCEUSA #ICCEContestWinners #ICCEMonthlyContest #RouteJ1 #J1Visa #ICCEJ1Intern #ICCEParticipants #USinterntrainee #CareerDevelopment #CulturalExchange #CrossCulturalExchange #Travel #BridgeUSAprograms #ExchangeOurWorld #CulturalDiplomacy #ExchangeAlumni #CulturalActivity #j1sponsor
Fireworks were held at Navy Pier to celebrate Chicago's re-opening.
The fireworks display in harmony with the night view of Chicago was so enchanting.
-Soyoon, from South Korea, 1st place winner of our May Monthly Contest
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#ICCEUSA #ICCEContestWinners #ICCEMonthlyContest #RouteJ1 #J1Visa #ICCEJ1Intern #ICCEParticipants #USinterntrainee #CareerDevelopment #CulturalExchange #CrossCulturalExchange #Travel #BridgeUSAprograms #ExchangeOurWorld #CulturalDiplomacy #ExchangeAlumni #CulturalActivity #j1sponsor
Santa Monica Beach
"When I arrived in America, the first place I went was Santa Monica Beach. I couldn't believe there was a sea so close to the city.
I love the sea more than the mountains, especially the peaceful sound of waves and the warm sunset.
In Korea where I lived, it is hard to see the endless view of the sea because there are many mountains. So I could be fascinated by the more special and wonderful beauty of nature.
The wonderful sunset, peaceful waves and the chirping of many seagulls were will be memorable scenes throughout my lives.
I heard that in June, fish come up to lay their eggs on the shallow sea.
I will surely come back to the sea and see American fish.
This video shows me getting up before I go to Santa Monica, taking a walk in the neighborhood, coming to Santa Monica, arriving and watching and shopping that evening. It's a type of V-log. Thank you for watching."
Seung Yeon from South Korea, 1st Place, March Monthly Contest Winner!
#ICCEUSA #J1VISA #ICCEcontestWinner #RouteJ1
"I was going for a beach walk and played some beach tennis with locals. It was really fun to do that but it was really exhausting and so I relaxed for about half an hour following the beach tennis just to catch my breath. That’s when I took the first and second picture. I just liked the little bird in the first picture, he flew every time a wave came a little bit up and back down when the wave was gone. The second picture is with the Manhattan Beach pier in the background. I think it is really fascinating how often they had to rebuild the pier and the little house on top of it because it was destroyed or badly damaged by bad weather conditions. In my opinion it is really amazing and inspiring if you think about how many people visited that pier before you.
After that I went to the little aquarium on the Manhattan pier (you can see it in picture 7). It was closed for quite some time for renovations according to locals but they remodeled it really well. It is really tiny but they use the space they have really well. I really liked the basin where you are allowed to touch small fish and the surroundings. That is a really cool learning opportunity for children. It was a little bit cold inside the aquarium. I really enjoyed the different kinds of fish they have there and all the information they provide about the ocean and its inhabitants. I especially enjoyed the sea horses (picture 4) which are in my opinion the most amazing fishes. It looks so weird and funny when they move.
The badge on the floor (picture 3) shows that the renovation is dedicated to Harrison Greenberg who died in 2015 in an accident.
In picture 5 I took a selfie with a part of the donor wall in the aquarium. On each fish is a company or private citizen who donated to help renovate the aquarium. There were so many donors on that wall and it is really incredible how many people took part to help renovate the aquarium.
Afterwards I explored Manhattan Beach a little bit further, that is when I took
[MOT]
"The museum of tolerance at which I'm interning regularly holds a movie screening event around the evening time.
By joining this event I could set the stage for Q&A session and let people check in for the movie, which was very special and exciting.
One day there was a movie showing, 'Beautiful Boy'. After the movie I took a selfie with the main actor, Timothee Chalamat to remember this event with my friend.
There are some irreplaceable moments that I would never be able to experience without this program and this event was one of those precious moments that I'd love to share with you."
[The Last Bookstore]
"I went to the Last Bookstore since it's one of the most famous tourist attractions in LA to be honest but once I came inside I couldn't get out of there.
In contrast to South Korea, where only a few bookstores have survived through those couple of years, the Last Bookstore has allowed so many people to visit becoming a must-go place.
They also have various of vinyl records that I've always wanted to buy so I had such a nice time there and it's now one of my go-to places in downtown LA."
[LACMA]
"LACMA is one of popular art museums in LA but the Urban Light, the architecture in front of the museum is also well-known photo spots here.
Therefore I went there with my friend to see the light though it wasn't that late for them to turn the lights on.
There were a lot of people taking photos of themselves and one of those was actually doing a professional photography, which was kind of interesting.
I love this kind of experience since it makes me realize I'm enjoying my time here as a foreigner while I've got used to so much living in the states that I sometimes feel like an American. "
Se Yeon from South Korea, 2nd Place, December Monthly Contest Winner!
#ICCEUSA #J1VISA #ICCEcontestWinner #RouteJ1
[SANTA MONICA MARATHON]
"We had to wake up very early in the morning and get to the event area. It was very tiring at first. But after arriving, the event staffs welcomed us and gave some foods and coffee for us. It was very comfy for us. After the competition started, we can see the passion and perspiration of the participants.
It was very awesome to run very long distance with friends, family and etc whom they love. Whatever the result from the event is, everyone in the place was winner. Those were unforgettable experiences for us."
[DUMPLING AND BEER FESTIVAL]
"We booked tickets of the festival and visited the event place, San Gabriel. The area was full of good music and exciting atmosphere. Me and my teammates could smell tasty foods and see various dumplings. Furthermore, we can try a number of beers in there!
If there are someone who loves beer so much, then they should visit this event. As well as beer and dumpling, there were many performances and game stuffs either. So everybody can enjoy the festival easily."
Han Byeol from South Korea, 1st Place, November Monthly Contest Winner!
#ICCEUSA #J1VISA #ICCEcontestWinner #RouteJ1
[MEETING FASHION INFLUENCER IN REAL LIFE]
"I met a fashion influencer in real for photoshoot who I communicated through email at my workplace. He was so cool and genuinely had fun with fashion! It was amazing to meet influencer in person and worked together. I was inspired by him and got bright energy from him. I hope he keeps up the good work and spreads his cool vibe toward the world!"
[ZUMBA CLASS FOR BREAST CANCER]
"I joined a free Zumba class in North Hollywood. Every month there is free Zumba class to support breast cancer. There were lots of people in huge space and everybody danced and worked out. It felt so exciting and fun to work out as a big group."
Eun Ju from South Korea, 2nd Place, November Monthly Contest Winner!
#ICCEUSA #J1VISA #ICCEcontestWinner #RouteJ1
[WATER LANTERN FESTIVAL]
"I went to water lantern festival in Legg Lake in South El Monte, CA. It was free event but if you want to have your own lantern you have to buy ticket. I've bought a ticket for lantern one month before the festival.
My friend and I arrived there at 5 P.M. There were a lot of food trucks. We bought some delicious food, got the lantern and found a nice view seat area.
Before the main event, there was a small stage event, so we enjoyed the songs, ate something delicious, and decorated our lanterns. The atmosphere at the festival reminded me that I was in America. I wrote a message on one side wishing my family health and happiness and on the other wishing for my future.
As the main event began, calm songs began to flow and people started to float their lanterns in the lake. It was so beautiful and romantic. If I had been there with a boy friend, I would have fallen in love. I don't know if it was because of the calm music or the atmosphere, but if it was the last day at LA, I might have cried."
Jung Eun from South Korea, 3rd Place, November Monthly Contest Winner!
#ICCEUSA #J1VISA #ICCEcontestWinner #RouteJ1"
WESTies Graduating from CEL
Thank you to our partner, College of English Language - Santa Monica, for inviting us to attend our WESTies' graduation ceremony!
#ICCEUSA #KoreaWEST #GoWEST
My Memories of Governor's Island, Eden from South Korea
"Governor’s Island is an Island only opened to the public in the summer. And there’s a special event named ‘Jazz lawn Party’. It’s more than a normal Jazz Party because it takes place in the 1930s concept. I’m a kind of person who likes Jazz music, dancing and something special. So that party was perfect for me. When I got there, most people wore dresses from the 1930s and Jazz Band kept playing the music. Those made me feel as if I were in America in the 1930s.
What I surprised was that people there were really good at dancing. Their movements were so fast that I couldn’t keep up with them. I wondered where and how they got that. It was a shame that I couldn’t dance like them, but it was good enough for me to dance feeling the Jazz music.
It was a really special and unforgettable experience for me. It didn’t seem like an event, it just looked like one summer day in the 1930s. People were just chatting with their friends, taking a nap on the blanket, dancing on the floor, reading books and eating some snacks. It’s special but ordinary. I think this made it more special to me."
Eden from South Korea, 3rd Place, September Monthly Contest Winner!
#ICCEUSA #J1VISA #ICCEcontestWinner #RouteJ1
“Give it a shot!”
My name is Yunho Choe. During my undergraduate studies, my major was Fashion design in Korea. I became interested in textile design and had the opportunity to apply for an internship program at a textile company. Therefore, through the ICCE internship program, I am currently an intern at a textile design company in the US, and I am really enjoying my program.
One of the reasons I enjoy this program is my work. As an intern, I spend my time assisting senior designers on print design aspects for fabric. Sometimes fabric design can be challenging, but I enjoy working because I get to learn something new every day. Learning new things makes me excited. I used to do part-time work for textile design previously in Korea, but at the time, I was limited to designing only on the computer. I was not able to see the end of the result but now my work allows me to handle steps A to Z and I can see the fabric and garment using my designed fabric! These processes are really helpful for me. To add, I also set to learn teamwork, and as I receive more responsibilities in my position, I am able to grow. Now I can figure out how to design and in which designs, colors are good or not through communication with my coworkers. I feel I am learning many things during this job as an intern for our company.
Secondly, I can get various experiences through many different cultures. My company is one of biggest fabric companies in Los Angeles owned by a Persian Jewish family. Therefore, I am working with many ethnicities. I am able to get different cultural experiences from them For example, one of my coworkers is Hispanic and occasionally, she would teach me Spanish and about her culture. If I was in Korea, I cannot experience these things. Thus, I am able to get various communication skills and easily adapt to the working environment. More importantly, when I hang out I can meet various people and share different perspectives. For example, I am surprised by the open mi
3rd Place February Monthly Contest Winner
"Happy Wedding"
In this video, J1 participant, Kahye, shares a video summarizing her experience in attending an American wedding during her program in the US.
Kahye from South Korea, 3rd Place February Monthly Contest Winner
#ICCEUSA #J1VISA #ICCEcontestWinner #RouteJ1
Designated sponsor organization for BridgeUSA Intern, Trainee, and Summer Work Travel Programs. Dedi
