Cedar Point x3 with Bryan Yeoh

I set out on my first trip to US aware of the various cultural differences as I watched a pretty good number of American TV series. My first impression of the States is that everything there is a class above Malaysia, the people, the education, the technology, heck I thought even their restrooms.

I really enjoyed the fellowship and the opportunity to make friends from all corners of the world. I can confidently say I can travel to some of those countries without having to worry about accommodation.

Traveling, exploring and road tripping will always be fun despite how tired it is, you just got to find the right company, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.

Summer 2017 Malaysians in Cedar Point

For me, the word ‘adapt’ resounded with me very personally. My seniors advised me to enter the Food and Beverage department in Cedar Point as that will earn you the most hours, which equated to more money. I changed my mindset the moment I landed in the States, and that was to work like a horse to make as much money so I can to cover my initial cost and to travel without financial difficulty. That taught me how to be financially independent.

I learnt how to adapt to difficult situations as you definitely have irregular meal times. Being a Malaysian, I was always hungry but I had to endure it as the job takes priority now. I learnt the difficulties of working in the Food and Beverage department, like prepping the ingredients, stocking up, managing what needs to be heated up, closing and cleaning a shop to working with people with different work ethics and most importantly, keeping a cool head with unreasonable guests.

I had a higher respect for the workers in the service line as they had to have a lot of tolerance and patience dealing with guests every single day, meanwhile giving you their best service.

Adapting to the food is another interesting story as most of the food there has either been in the fryer or microwave, and better yet, fruits and vegetables are more expensive than sodas and junk food combined. I also had a taste of what it’s like working with international colleagues and working under pressure, challenging but fun I can tell you that.

My most memorable experience comes from my first year of the program was the moment I got offered to be a server.

The phrase ‘hard work pays off’ really pays off, I worked silently and diligently and my efforts were recognised by a manager in charge of the restaurants in the park. The year the park decided to not allocate server positions for Malaysia, I’m proud to say I defied the odds and I became a server and my journey got to a  new level of exciting. I was mentally drained from always having to think one step ahead of the guests, paying attention to detail was the name of the game.

Eventually, I excelled in the job as I didn’t want to be a disappointment to my new manager. The highlight of my job was me being specially assigned to serve the presidents of Cedar Point and Cedar Fair, the mother company, consequently I received the highest honour an associate could get, the Cornerstone pin.

Another memory worth mentioning was during my second year back in Cedar Point as a server, a Canadian family of 6 which I served the previous day came back to the restaurant to dine, and demanded I serve them again, telling my managers ‘The food is secondary, we came back for Bryan.’ I was deeply moved by their words as these compliments don’t come by every day.

The WAT program helped me grow more wholesome as a person, exposing me to what I thought I knew about this world. I’d say in terms of personal goals,

I now know whatever I pour my heart into doing, I can do it well.

Also, making mistakes is an essential ingredient of becoming better in what you do.

I would advise those considering going for WAT to work hard and play hard, and do not think you’re entitled to a higher pay just because you’re working harder than others, but it’s because one, it’s going to be the same in your future workplace, two, you appreciate the job and go the extra mile. Keep an open mind and through every adversity, know that you have friends there going through the same thing and back each other up.

As a student, this is the golden time to go as you may not have your life fully sorted out for your career yet hence it’s time to explore and have a taste of what it’s like out there.

In my opinion, everyone should have at least a chance to experience this. Plus points are that you get to travel the States, or if you have already, use that money to travel someplace else with your own hard earned money and gain invaluable life experience working overseas.