Snowmass, Colo. -- Mariano was all smiles as he helped carry our suitcases to the shuttle that would take us from Vail to Snowmass for our holiday ski vacation. “How can someone be so enthusiastic in this kind of weather?” I thought. It was snowing and a chilly 7 degrees Fahrenheit when we arrived, or at least it felt like it.
“If you need anything on the way, don’t hesitate to ask,” he said, in his heavy Argentinean accent. Soon after he heard me speaking in Spanish to my daughters, he asked where we were from. “We live in Miami,” I said.
“So many people here speak Spanish,” he said, surprised.
Speaking Spanish on a daily basis was not part of his plan when he decided to come to the United States to work this winter. He figured that besides experiencing a new culture and making some money to take back home, he could practice his English during his stay here. Easier said than done.
Besides Spanish-speaking tourists, Mariano would run into quite a few Spanish-speaking co-workers. He happens to be one of the thousands of young Latin Americans who come to the United States during the winter months on a J-1 visa, a special entry permit originally created by the USIA -- United States Information Agency -- in 1970 that allows individuals to come here and work on a temporary basis or do internship programs. It is now run by the State Department.
The J-1 visa, called the “exchange visitor visa,” was designed mostly with students, scholars and trainees in mind, and is offered all over the world. But no one takes advantage of it in the winter months like Latin American youth, mostly from Brazil, Peru and Argentina. For Mariano, the shuttle driver, this is his first time, but others have been coming here for years.
This is how the program works for them. To qualify, you must be a student between the ages of 18 and 28 and be fairly fluent in English. The applicants travel to different tourist destinations in the U.S., such as Miami, where the snowbirds hide out in the winter months, or the ski resorts in Colorado, where thrill-seekers congregate.
The work itself could be anything from being a dishwasher, driver or receptionist to being a tennis or ski instructor, depending on their expertise. Salaries usually are from $6.50 to $8 an hour. For a 40-hour workweek, that would be anywhere from $1,000 to $1,200 a month. The average stay is three to four months, so the students have a potential income of about $4,000-$5,000.
There is a company in Argentina that provides information and logistical assistance for interested parties. It has a plan under which it sets up the interviews for them and helps them get their visas and Social Security numbers so they can work, all for $890. If they get jobs on their own, the cost for processing documents is $490.
The students pay their own airfare, and, unless their employer provides it, they have to pay for food, lodging and transportation. Add it all up, and it turns out that this by far is not a get-rich-quick plan, but rather an opportunity to experience a new culture and a unique work environment, meet people from all over the world and, if you get around enough, practice your English. So, next time you come vacationing to Colorado, don’t be surprised if it feels more like you are in Buenos Aires or Bariloche.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER’S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www
.mariaesalinas.com)
© 2008 by Maria Elena Salinas
Distributed by King Features Syndicate