Route J-1

By Petar Dragnic, J-1 Summer Work Travel Alumni from Serbia

Petar and Andreaa monitoring players in “Escape Room”

I participated in the Summer Work and Travel program in 2013 and 2014, and I can say that participating on this program was the best decision I made in my life! I spent two summers working in the Asticou Inn, a fine-dining restaurant in Northeast Harbor, Maine. It is a small town on the beautiful Mount Desert Island, which is a home of Acadia National Park. I had a chance to meet a lot of great people from America – and also from other parts of the world. Besides having fun with my friends, I had the opportunity to learn a lot of new skills related to customer service and business management.

This experience had a huge impact on my life because I came back from the program with more motivation and confidence, as well as a broader worldview. Spending two summers on another continent, living on my own, doing a job I never did before, cooperating with a variety of people from different cultures, and earning enough money to be able to travel all over the United States, all contributed to my personal and professional development.

Petar’s second Escape room “Murder at the Masonic Lodge”

In the summer of 2015, while my girlfriend Andreaa and I were traveling in Romania, I discovered a new kind of entertainment in her hometown called “Escape Room.”

I was thrilled with the idea of someone “trapping” me in a room for 60 minutes, and creating a variety of games that I needed to solve in order to escape. I enjoyed the game so much, that even while playing, I started thinking about starting my own Escape room in Belgrade, with different themes, puzzles, and stories.

The skills I learned, and the confidence I gained, from working at Asticou Inn during those J-1 summers equipped me to set up and run my own Escape Room business with my friend Nemanja in Serbia. During the program, I learned to communicate with customers and treated them in a professional and pleasant way. I also improved my English skills on the program, which has made me more comfortable as I welcome foreign customers into my Escape Room experience. In the restaurant I saw how the working atmosphere was created so that every employee feels comfortable and motivated, and we use the same example in our business.

Petar Visiting Los Angeles, California in 2014 after the completion of his Summer Work and Travel Program

In these 15 months, Nemanja and I have achieved a lot of great things, hosting over 500 very satisfied groups in our two Escape Rooms. We were so successful that we sold a franchise license to our partners in Croatia and Spain, so our room can also be played in those countries. Now we are working on our third Escape Room, which I am sure will be even better than the first two (and which have a lot of excellent reviews).

I would strongly advise students from all over the world to participate in the J-1 Summer Work and Travel program because it has been a very positive influence in my life. I am sure you will also make great memories in the United States and meet a lot of interesting people.

Categories: Program Spotlight