My Unforgettable Summer Adventure (MY USA)

“So you’re sure you got everything? Passport and plane tickets?” my brother asked me nervously as I nodded in response to his questions.

“Be sure to call mom and dad before you board the plane alright?” he reminded me. I nodded again.

“She’ll be alright. Looks like you are more nervous than she is,” said my soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Being the youngest in the family, this is not the first time my brother was concerned about me being so far away from home. He has always been a protective brother in his own ways. I still remember how he used to act macho and protective over his little sister when I entered primary school.

“You tell me if anyone bullies you in school, okay?” *laughing* as I now recalled my childhood.

So after saying my goodbyes to my brother and my sister-in-law, I gave them a hug and soon both Ann Chen (my friend) and I were on our way going through securities. We each called back home before boarding the plane and told our parents that we’ll take care of ourselves.

Sitting inside an airplane for the first time made me excited and nervous all at the same time. Not to mention, the fact that my first airplane experience will take me more than halfway across the globe and a travelling time of more than 30 hours in total to get to the YMCA Estes Park in Colorado. However, being in an Airbus 380 for my first flying experience got my adrenaline pumping as I listened to the stewardess explaining all the safety guidelines. Soon, we had lift off and the plane was thousands of feet in the stratosphere as I grooved to Miley Cyrus’s ‘Party in the USA’ while buckled to my seat with my headset on. The person beside me probably thinks I’m a little weird, but in my mind I was like; ‘Yeah! USA here I come!!”

From Kuala Lumpur to London, over to Chicago and finally to Denver, Colorado. Upon reaching Denver International Airport, we had to catch a shuttle to the YMCA. The entire journey from the airport to the YMCA took us about 2 hours to get there. By the time we reached the grounds of the YMCA, it was already 10.30pm and it was too dark to enjoy the surrounding view. Leah who was our RA (Residential Assistant) quickly settled our housing and nametag. Then she welcomed us to our dorms where both Ann Chen and I were lucky enough to be roommates. Below are some photos of our dorm called ‘Hague House’ as well as the breathtaking view the YMCA has to offer.

Our home for 3 months

Our room (it's funny how they mistaken Ann Chen for a Taiwanese)

Ann Chen and I were the only occupants in this room

This is Hague's lobby. Pretty awesome right??

Y.M.C.A

The magnificent view of The Rockies Mountain

Estes Park!

Here at the YMCA I was assigned to be in Food Service whereby I was responsible for food preparation, serving, washing dishes, scrubbing pots and pans, cleaning the dining rooms, and even cleaning the restrooms! One thing I learnt while working in Food Service is that tremendous amount of work is put into serving thousands of customers.  With that said, no task as huge as serving thousands of customers; will be successful without a team of dedicated and hardworking people behind the scenes. After all, TEAM stands for ‘Together Everyone Achieve More’. Teamwork and communication skills were some of the vital skills that I have learnt while I was working at the YMCA. This entire experience has also taught me that no one person in this world is the same. Each and every one of us comes from a different background with different culture and different beliefs and thus, each of us will have different opinions and different outlook on things. However, when it comes to achieving a common goal each of us will have to put our differences aside and set our minds to complete a specific task together as a team. There are even times when we will have to agree to disagree with one another.

Look! There's nothing easy peasy about working in the dish room

However, a great team with great people makes working FUN! 

Even with all the stress at work, my colleagues and I still managed to find time for a good outing in town or a good hike up the mountains; after all, I am at The Rockies Mountain National Park! Overall, all my American friends that I have met along the way have been very friendly, welcoming and such gracious host. They took the liberty of asking us about our countries, our cultures, and some of them even pick up a fair amount of Bahasa Melayu! Furthermore, they were willing to take us around town in their car, bring us on awesome hikes in the mountains, took us to their local bowling alley as well as shopping trips at Walmart and Target!

Touching snow for the first time!

These were some of the many many photos from my hiking trips

Not forgetting shopping!! Look at the amount of bags in the trunk! Hehe.

Of course, our weekly bowling night with the kitchen guys is something I always look forward to 

One of the exciting things about the YMCA is their fun-filled staff activities! Every month we looked forward to the many activities that were organized specially for staffs to participate. We got to introduce our countries through events like ‘International Fair’ and cook special Malaysian dishes during the ‘International Dinner’. There was even a 'Prom Night' where the ladies wore their best dress and the men all suit up! And one of the staff trips I signed up for was a trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park where I got to watch my very first live football a.k.a. soccer match! How ironic is that, watching an English football match in a country that refers it as soccer.

International Fair and International Dinner

Prom Night!

My very first live soccer match!

When it was time for Ann Chen and I to begin our major travel plan around the USA in 3 weeks, we were thrilled but at the same time we left the YMCA with a heavy heart. To make matters even worst we left the YMCA in such a hurry as we had to take a detour to Snow Mountain Ranch before getting to the airport due to the recent Colorado Floods. However, thank God that everyone at the YMCA was safe and the only crisis we faced was communication breakdown for 3 days. I am really glad and thankful for making many new friends from around the world. You bunch of crazies have definitely made my trip worthwhile and fun. Be sure to give me a buzz if anyone of you happens to stop by Malaysia. And YES Malaysia is the tiny country in between Thailand and Singapore.

These are the many friends I befriended from every corner of the world!

My 3 weeks of travelling around the USA includes places like Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Niagara Falls, Washington DC and New York City. Every single place is unique and I was mesmerized by what each city has to offer. Never once did I felt like I was not having fun, even when I was tired and my legs felt like jelly. Travelling around really gave me the chance to broaden my horizon and at the same time I got to learn a few tips on how to travel on a budget. When I was younger, I could only dream of ‘Living the American Dream’ and travelling to such places. Little did I know I would be blessed with such an opportunity like this!

Living the American Dream

Travelling to the many cities in the USA made me felt like I was in a whole new world which allows me to dream big and to be unafraid of the unknown. Now, having seen another side of the world I now know that everything is possible if I were to put my mind to it. No dream is too big for a petite-size girl like me!

Throughout my 4 months in USA has been nothing short of awesome! It has been an adventure of a lifetime and it is definitely something I would recommend everyone to sign up for! All the things I have learnt, all the amazing friends I met from all over the world,  all the places I have been to, all the American food I have consumed and definitely all the crazy shopping I did; are some of the many highlights of the entire trip. All in all, my summer adventure to the United States of America will be an unforgettable one; and probably unbeatable any time soon!