A frequent participant in the J-1 cultural exchange programme, one Jamaican student said she anticipated her typical smooth trip this summer but instead was left shell-shocked and utterly disgusted by the state of sanitation at her housing facility, where roaches became unwanted tenants, and everything seemed to be broken.

“When I arrived I immediately noticed that the accommodation was not properly maintained. There were signs of poor sanitation, and it quickly became clear that there was a significant cockroach problem. And when I’m talking about cockroaches, I’m talking about a lot of cockroaches in the hallway, in the washing room, in the kitchen, in the bathroom — everywhere. Cockroaches were everywhere. It’s horrible,” the student related.

“The dormitory seemed to have more roaches than residents. They were everywhere — in the kitchen, the bathrooms, and sometimes even our bedrooms. After a while, we joked that they were our unofficial roommates. They woke up with us, ate with us, and refused to pay rent.”

The student, who requested anonymity due to fear her report could see her blacklisted, said the reality of the housing differed from the pictures she was sent.

“I was wondering if this was the correct place because they sent me a document with how the housing looked. When I arrived, the first thing that came to mind was, ‘Okay, am I sure that I’m at the right place? Because the picture and then the real view, they’re totally different things so I was confused,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

The J-1 educational and cultural exchange programme allows international students and recent graduates to participate in structured, work-based, training programmes in the United States. It facilitates cultural exchange and hands-on professional experience. Programmes range from three weeks to 12 months.

The student said the apartment complex has bunk beds that rattle when weight is applied, a sign that they are not sturdy or safe. She said the complex also has several broken washing machines and dryers that make doing laundry a difficult task. To add to her discomfort, she said she and her roommates have to use pliers to turn on their shower because the handle is broken.

In addition to poor sanitation, she said female workers were also subjected to sexual harassment on the job site. She shared that the women she worked with were subjected to inappropriate comments and sexual advances from male colleagues whom she described as “touchy”. She noted that disciplinary action was taken, but the situation was unfortunate.

The J-1 student said cockroaches were in the hallway, washing room, kitchen and bathroom of the accommodations the students were given this summer. Stock photo

However, she said her sanitation complaints didn’t hold much weight. She credited management for fumigating the building to tackle the roach infestation, but said she was not so lucky getting other matters resolved.

“Every time I see [the person in charge], he says, ‘Oh, I’m going to purchase another bed’ or, ‘Oh, I’m just waiting to hear back from my supervisor’, so it’s a lot. I’m getting a lot of wrong and misleading information, and I can’t wait until my programme ends, honestly,” she told the
Observer.

The student said she is particularly peeved that she spent more than US$4,000 to secure a spot in the programme and secure housing accommodations, money she said she now regrets paying.

“Living in such a space, I feel horrible. I regret coming on the programme this year. I could have put that [money] towards saving for my master’s programme, or purchasing a car, or even helping out my family,” she said.

“I am very regretful of this experience. I mean, from the roaches to the broken showers, to the poor sanitation, washing machines, the poor management, you’re putting on your biggest smile for your employers just to be verbally abused by your management. I know that I needed the work experience, and I needed to make money to save towards my master’s programme, but this? It’s horrible. The experience is just horrible, and honestly, I won’t tell anybody not to go on the J-1 internship programme but I would definitely tell them not to go to this place. Don’t come to work in this environment,” she added.

She said she has relied heavily on the support from her colleagues who have encouraged her to stay the course until her contract comes to an end. She added that her mother has also been a source of strength throughout the experience, sending words of encouragement and prayers her way in their interactions. She said the support has been great, given that she cannot find a way out due to contractual agreements.

“They don’t care; they just care about their money. And it’s really, really sad because we’re spending so much money with these people. The least you can do is to come to the site, look at what is really happening, and advocate on our behalf. They don’t even come to our workplace; they don’t come to our apartment, nothing, so we’re just left on our own,” she said, sounding defeated.

“They don’t understand that we are not from their home country so we need things to be suitable and appropriate for our living — especially our situation when it comes down to the bathroom. We are females, we need our hygienic things. We need everything to be suitable for our living situation,” she said.