TASK 4 – SUMMER AT WISCONSIN DELLS

HELLO EVERYBODY!

Last summer I saw the advertisement for YMCA program working and travelling in the United States. They applied for lifeguards in Wisconsin Dells, America’s largest water park. This was a job that really appealed to me.
A couple of weeks later, my cell rang, and they wanted to interview me. I couldn’t believe it, I was going to America!
Things happened really fast, and I filled in endless documents to apply for the J1-Visa. When they had made sure I was going to come home to Norway at the end of my contract, I got required visa and was ready to go.
My summer began with three days solid training for the job. Already when we practiced the different kinds of rescues, things started to go wrong. It was very difficult, and the leaders didn’t seem to like me at all. I didn’t manage to complete the deep guard training, and got stuck working in the shallow water. In no time the park was crowded with people, and the season had begun!
We worked six days a week, and had the Thursdays of. Working in the shallow water was really boring and exhausting, because it was filled with screaming kids. They were splashing around, jumping and crying for no reason. And I got yelled at by their hysterical parents all the time, for not paying enough attention. I didn’t do many saves that season, because the parents were always there with the children, making sure nothing happened.
The park closed at 8 p.m almost every day. In the beginning I was having fun with the others, playing volleyball, canoeing, basketball, parties.. just to name a few of the activities. But after some time I got sick, and was too tired to do anything. On top of that I also fell and sprain my wrist, so I couldn’t work the two last weeks. I also missed out on the trip around Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. That was really boring, because everybody said it was a great and unbelievable trip.
All in all, the months I spent in USA did not turn out the way I hoped. We had to work about 60 – 70 hours a week, witch I thought was way too much. It was very hot, and of course my white skin got so sunburn that I didn’t even get a tan! I just got red, and when the burned skin fell off, I was just as white as I was when I came.
So in the end, it wasn’t worth it. It is not a job I would have taken again!

Bye for now, Magnus.