Dylan's International Summer in Yellowstone

By Dylan Lo, CIEE Work & Travel USA participant from Malaysia

Be sure to check back next week to read more about Dylan's experience!

 I am a gift shop worker in Yellowstone Snow Lodge. My job is ringing people up, making sure the store is clean and neat, and restocking merchandise.

The most challenging part of this job is to understand what the customers want when they cannot speak English or their accent is strong.  My favorite part of the job is interacting with customers from all over the world, especially Japanese and Americans, as this allows me to practice my Japanese and English. The best part about living in the U.S. is that Americans are so friendly compared to my country. In Malaysia, it is unlikely to make friends by sharing a table with strangers during lunch or dinner, as they not as outgoing.

I took a road trip from Yellowstone National Park to Rocky Mountain National Park with two of my friends, Joe and Thomas.  It took ten hours for us to reach there. It’s a long and tough drive but it was worth it as we saw moose, a grizzly cub and some other wildlife, too. We also drove up to the highest peak of Rocky Mountain. It was a spectacular view indeed.

This photo was taken in our employee recreation hall.  It was a farewell party for American college students. The reason I chose this picture is because it best summarizes this summer and it reminds me of the things that we have done together. I met people from countries all around the world such as America, Thailand, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Singapore, and of course my fellow countrymen from Malaysia.  Meeting Americans and other international students from all over the world and hanging out with them are the times I enjoyed the most in America.