Our 2009 summer International team members have started to arrive here at SeaWorld San Antonio. How strange it must be to fly out of China or Taiwan one morning and 48 hours later find yourself "in processing" here at the park. They generally plod off the bus, still jet-lagged after having spent about 15 hours flying, dropping into bed at an Americanized apartment, and waking up to "weird" food. That first "awake" day, they come in to fill out tons of paperwork, do a drug test, and get uniforms. Some mornings that's followed by a New Hire Orientation and tour of the park that lasts until about 3:00 p.m. The processing and training isn't much different for a U.S. hire, but I've flown around the world before. When I got there, I was barely functional. I doubt that I could listen to me talk for six hours!
This is the second year of our International hiring program. This summer group of 65 includes Busch Entertainment's first ever group from China. Although this year's summer group is coming strictly from China and Taiwan, this program has brought us team members from Russia, Turkey, Korea, Italy, Thailand, and the Philippines. We usually have one group who works during our Spring season and another that works Summer. They are all college students who want to experience life in the United States and improve their language skills. They get to experience BBQ, central Texas Heat, cowboy hats, Fiesta, longhorns, the Alamo and Wal-Mart. We get to experience lumpia, lifelong friendships extended by social media sites, "presentos", and just plain hard-workers who complain less than a lot of their US counterparts.
It's not easy. They don't always speak or understand English as much as we or our guests might like, but the opportunities for fun and friendship are worth so much more. If you see them, take a chance and say hello. That's what they're here for.
