Passage 4 Have Work, Will Travel 066
旅游达人自白 《纽约时报》2009-11-18

[00:01]I have always been ambitious and adventurous,
[00:04]someone with a zest for life who more than anything wants to see the world.
[00:10]And because I hold an Australian passport,
[00:13]I've been able to do just that,
[00:16]because I can travel on Working Holiday visas - a benefit
[00:20]that young Americans should envy.
[00:23]Australia has reciprocal agreements with 26 governments
[00:28]that allow its young citizens (usually those under the age of 30)
[00:30]to work temporarily in each other's countries,
[00:37]almost always without having to arrange employment sponsorship in advance.
[00:43]I've traveled from Asia to Europe to the Americas with these visas,
[00:49]and applying for one for Canada, where I'm now working,
[00:53]took me only a few minutes.
[00:56]Working Holiday programs were created to foster youth mobility,
[01:01]but they also encourage the exchange of cultural values.
[01:06]Participants serve as ambassadors for their home country
[01:10]and gain a greater appreciation for their hosts. And participants,
[01:16]like any tourists, contribute to the economy;
[01:20]Working Holiday travelers spend about $1.2 billion annually in Australia.
[01:29]The United States, to its detriment,
[01:32]has no similarly accessible working holiday program for its citizens,
[01:37]except some small pilot exchanges with Australia,
[01:42]New Zealand and South Korea that have onerous application processes.
[01:47]Why doesn't it follow Australia's lead, and expand the program?
[01:53]Immigration issues stir strong emotions in the United States,
[01:58]and further opening American borders to temporary labor,
[02:03]especially during a recession, would understandably be met with resistance.
[02:09]But although participants overwhelmingly enjoy their time abroad -
[02:13]and recommend the experience to family, friends
[02:17]and anyone with time to listen to their adventures -
[02:20]few seek permanent residency. Most also take jobs in restaurants or hotels,
[02:27]in positions that tend to be occupied by young workers.
[02:32]Since the visas are reciprocal, these Americans are the very people
[02:37]who would be able to travel and land jobs abroad with similar ease.
[02:43]I owe a great many adventures to this program
[02:47]and I've gained an appreciation for the differences that make us human.
[02:52]When I hear the French stereotyped as snobby, for example, I know better.
[02:58]When I worked in France, the people I met were warm and welcoming,
[03:03]despite my mediocre language skills.
[03:06]The United States could gain some similar good will by making it easier
[03:12]for Americans to work abroad, and by opening its doors to the world's young.