Half
a year ago, upon completion of my bachelor degree and before I was about to
venture into my career life, I made the decision to participate in Work and
Travel USA (WAT) Program. I was blessed to receive support from my parent based
on the reasons that I want to make new friends across the globe, gain
experience to western country, have a glimpse in the working life and most
importantly, to fulfill my dream to travel the world independently.
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| Cottonwood Cove Resort & Marina |
I received
a job offer from Cottonwood Cove Resort and Marina located on the Colorado
river in Nevada, United States. My first impression on Cottonwood Cove Resort
and Marina was spectacular. It was a motel in a middle of nowhere surrounding
by the Nevada desert and Lake Mahove. The sky was cloudless blue and the
sparkling calm water was simply breathtaking. My first thought on the resort
was a decent place equipped with the sense of tranquility and an ideal place to
live on in middle of desert for the next 4 months.
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| Desert in Nevada |
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| Beautiful beach at lake mohave |
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| sunset at cottonwood cove resort & marina |
Each
of us was provided with a private room inside dormitory. The rooms were
equipped with a private bathroom, Direct TV, microware, refrigerator, air
conditioner and a queen bed. The room was comfortable, as there have all the
necessities.
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| Employees dorm |
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| My room |
The Lake Mahove provided the perfect setting for activities
including diving, snorkeling, fishing, sailing, kayaking, waterskiing and some
other exciting adventures. Motel employees received complimentary water sport
activities. Innovative cuisine in a variety of restaurants in the resort
presented a range of culinary experiences. Motel employees received discounted
food and beverages.
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| Snorkeling |
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| Ready for wake board |
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| kayak on lake mohave |
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| lunch time at cove cafe |
I was
assigned to work as a housekeeper. My duties and responsibilities included
basic floors and walls cleaning, completing inventory of motel contents on form
provided, replenishing supplies such as linens, writing supplies, bathroom
items as well as some other miscellaneous tasks.
I have never done these kinds of chores
before but these periods of housekeeping work have instilled work attitude and
habits such as reliability, responsibility, thoroughness and persistence on
myself. I started to appreciate my mother’s effort in household chores and
understood more on family values.
On
my leisure time, I joined my company routine trip which brought the J1 exchange
students to the down town, Las Vegas. This trip was operated on a weekly basis
and we can decide where we want to go. Our
weekly agenda were sight seeing and grocery shopping.
Every Wednesday night,
the J1 exchange students from Malaysia, Kosovo, Turkey, Jamaica and Bulgaria
organized a movie night in the community center. Everyone get to vote what
movie they want to watch. We also had dinner together and shared different kind
of food from different country. It was a good experience to talk to people with
different background, learnt about their culture and traditions. We used to
making joke with each other and laughed for the whole night. To me, it was akin
to cultural exchange program.
I am
certain that my experience has far exceeded my expectation in the WAT program. My
4 months working experience has given me the chance to explore United States
and the working culture in resort industry allowing me to develop skills in
hospitality. Also, I met such great likeminded and enthusiastic colleague who
became good friends. These experiences are very valuable and memorable.
