James Lambert | Contributing Writer
‘Living the Dream.’ The phrase commonly used when referring to a J1, but how true is this idealistic vision of a summer spent in America? Going on the J1 has now become a rite of passage in Irish people’s lives; trading the rain for sun, your naggin for Four Loko, your bed for an air mattress shared in a room with fifteen others.
Myself and two friends hit up Chicago in the end of May, arriving to the airport not really knowing what to expect and having absolutely nothing organised. We were fortunate to have distant cousins of mine living just outside the city. When you first get off the plane it is clear you are not in Ireland. Americans are a different breed to the Irish. The ‘be grand’ attitude here is nonexistent. Everyone is in a hurry, self-serving and slightly eccentric. The Martin Luther King phrase comes to mind when trying to describe the American mentality “If a man is called to be a street sweeper he should sweep streets as Michelangelo painted…” every person carries about their business as if they are performing open heart surgery, it is an admirable work ethic, but becomes a little frustrating after a while.
We were essentially stranded
As we dragged our suitcases from the subway stop we faced our first hurdle: crossing the road. There is no simple green, amber and red light, but a picture of a flashing man. So with 5 lanes of traffic, you want to be sure you understand what he is signalling. After a few minutes of observing this strange traffic light in the humid thirty something degrees weather we successfully crossed the road. We were to meet my cousin at some bus stop, but being disorganised our phones would not work to ring her number so we were essentially stranded.
Jet lagged, getting sunburnt, with thousands of dollars in cash on us, in some seedy neighbourhood, we were worried. We had all played Grand Theft Auto on the PS2 and the landscape was eerily reminiscent of the graphic scenery from the game. A Good Samaritan noticed us dumbstruck with our cases and sticking out and offered us assistance. When he found out we were Irish he asked if we knew his O’Toole cousins from Cork. We successfully got through to my cousin who drove to our location and saved the day. We thanked the man for his help and were on our way to my cousin’s house for what we thought would be a brief stay.
The big problem with coming on a J1 as we quickly realised was finding accommodation. In the first week of arriving we were no closer to finding suitable accommodation. We had rang literally every number on Craigslist in Chicago. We trawled the city, calling into apartment rental companies, but to no avail. People did not offer short-term leases, those who did wanted background checks, credit checks and all of this bureaucracy still did not guarantee you accommodation. Then many places simply would not rent to the Irish. Previous J1ers had damaged rental property and the Irish J1 name was quickly discredited making landlords sceptical to rent.
who you know leads to where you get a job
By the 8th of June we were strongly considering upping and leaving Chicago. The initial exuberance had been replaced by dejection. Just when we were about to up and leave we heard of apartments being rented specifically to J1ers, we were sceptical, but decided to check them out. These apartments were luxurious, air conditioned and seemingly too good to be true. Thanks to ‘J1 Summer Living’ an organisation specialising in accommodation for J1ers, we got to live in the centre of Chicago, sleep on actual beds, air our sunburn with the aircon and lounge around the pool when nursing the hangover.
With our accommodation sorted we then began the next challenge of finding a job. Like Ireland, nepotism is well and alive and for the most part – who you know leads to where you get a job. At the start my friends and I knew someone who knew someone etc. and were working for a furniture removal company. Our manager was an ex-marine, ex – cop, then he became disillusioned with being a cop so turned his hand to furniture removal. He was a little scary, but ultimately a good guy. Our co-staff were either Mexican or convicted felons, not that the two go hand in hand, but that’s the type of job it is – one you do if you are unable to get any others, there is no extensive screening process.
You show up, move some furniture from A to B and get in cash in hand. I also had two other jobs; one working for a hospitality staffing company called H1. They were great for employing Irish, most people from Ireland in Chicago did a day with them at some point, they were basically sourced staff for different events around the city. It was a great experience to see how the affluent live while also getting to see some pretty cool tourist attractions. We got the opportunity to work in museums, fancy hotels and weddings. The galas were always interesting, the clientele were always super rich; generally old men with their silicone enhanced trophy wives, on a few occasions we spotted famous people – Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
The thing about going to America, if you can talk the talk a little bit you will do okay
I also worked at an Asian restaurant as a barman that too was an interesting experience. Having little cocktail making experience I was making elaborate Asian drinks, pretending I had a clue what I was doing. That is the thing about going to America, if you can talk the talk a little bit you will do okay. To quote the old cliché: “fake it till you make it.”
My advice is for everyone to go on a J1 at some point in their lives. It has many ups and downs, and it can be testing living with the same people for an entire summer, being constantly sleep deprived, hungover, hungry or broke. However the positives far outweigh the negatives. You gain many new experiences, meet so many new people and see some unbelievable sights. You learn invaluable skills and become more aware that there are so many opportunities out there. Ireland is microscopic in comparison to the States.
Play up the Irish card as much as you can, travel as much as you can and make the most of everyday over there.
@jameslambert_
