There are some things you never really expect to happen to you in life. For me, one of those things I never expected was to become a lifeguard, let alone to work at a water park. A lot of people say it's a fun, easy first job, and it was! Yet I never expected it to be so . . . interesting. It's definitely thanks to the people, both employees and guests.
Firstly, I had never expected to hear so many different languages and accents. The water park I worked at wasn't huge, but it was a decent size and I guess was able to conjure up some guests from not only all over the country, but the world! A lot of our team members (the staff) were also international, so I was able to learn more about cultures in European countries right from someone who was born and raised there. It was a great learning experience.
Something else you might not expect is just how oblivious people are when they're excited to have a good time. No one knows how to follow simple instructions when they just want to have fun. My summer sounded a lot like this; "No, that is not where your feet go. No, the maximum people in this raft is 5. No, you cannot go down the body slide with your infant child. Just . . . no."
Speaking of following instructions, no one listens to you. If I tell you that you can go down the slide, please for the love of all that is holy do not ask me five times if you can go. You're holding up the line an aggravating me. On that same note, don't just go without listening to what I say. I am required to tell you how to stay safe on this ride, no matter how many times you've been on this ride. It's a liability thing.
Lastly, when I tell you to not do something, don't do it. There's a reason I asked you not to, say, push past people in the lazy river. It annoys the other guests and it's my job to make sure they're safe and having a good time. I also ask that you stay in your raft at all times because you can actually get seriously hurt if you don't, and we don't want that either. Please, just listen to the lifeguards.
