My first link up!

So I'm new to this whole blogging thing and learning as I go. I follow a lot of blogs and sometimes they do "link ups." Today, I'm going to attempt my first one!

Tracy over at Then I Got to Thinking does weekly link ups and this week is "tell me... an experience that made you learn about yourself."

So here goes...

In the summer of 2007, I worked at Yellowstone National Park. 

No, I'm not kidding. Yes, it's super random.

Most people are really confused when I tell them this and ask me how I ended up there. Well, my Dad's company ran resorts and hotels when I was growing up and one of the accounts they had was Yellowstone (YNP). Even though my dad no longer works for that company, he still knew they hired seasonal help to work at the resorts and knew the higher-ups there. So they told me how to apply, I did, and the rest is history. I applied to work in the marina. If you didn't know, there is a huuuuuge lake in YNP and a marina that rents boats to tourists with no boating experience.

My family has a house on the St. Lawrence River and I grew up around boats and I have a lot of experience when it comes to marina duties so luckily, I got the job. After my sophomore year ended, I packed three months of clothes, bedding, and my life into one big duffel bag and headed out west. I arrived in YNP by myself, I knew no one, didn't know what to expect, and I didn't have a car. A lot of the employees drive their cars across the country so they have a mode of transportation but not me. First  of all, my car wouldn't have made it. Second of all, my dad thought I could do without. So there I was.

Before I begin the rest of this story, I should also state that this period of my life coincided with the time in Dt's and my relationship in which there was no relationship. We broke up in February of 2007 and I planned on never talking to him again. It was not a good break up, I was heartbroken, but as the semester progressed, I did too, and by the time I left for Yellowstone, Dt was the furthest thing from my mind.

So that being said, I really was on my own. I was given a random roommate and had no idea what to expect (flashback to freshman year anyone?) Luckily, I was paired with this lovely Texan lady.

Jealous of my hunting hat? I know. 

It was also her first year at YNP so we learned about the park and everything it had in store for us together. She worked in the gift shop but all of our free time was pretty much spent together. And to be perfectly honest, the first few weeks we were there, we were miserable! The food for the employees was horrendous, we didn't know what to do with our free time, we couldn't legally drink, we were at a loss. But we slowly began to meet people (who had worked there before and knew how to entertain themselves in the middle of a national park). We started to travel to surrounding towns on the weekends (she had a car, bless her heart!), we took up hiking, we lived off of salads, granola and yogurt, and YNP ice cream. We visited every corner of the park and discovered everything Yellowstone had to offer. We also discovered boys! Lots of boys who were willing to show us all the wonders of Yellowstone!

My schedule was nice because I worked 3 1/2 days a week at 14 hours a day. They were long days but it gave me a 3 1/2 day weekend to camp, hike, or travel. I showed tourists (a lot of them non-english speaking) how to drive boats, refilled gas cans, cleaned boats, messed around with my co-workers, and gave lake tours. Yes, I turned into a tour guide. I learned all of those fun facts about Yellowstone Lake and told them to boats filled with tourists. The tips were soooo worth it and people loved me. The uniforms were the most embarrassing thing you could imagine and completely unflattering but I had a killer tan. No pun intended. 

So I spent 3 wild months out west and I learned a lot about myself. I've always been independent but this adventure tested me and I think I succeeded with flying colors. I met new people, I did new things, and I discovered who I was without my family, boyfriend, sorority sisters, Clemson, and Spartanburg. I carried bear spray. I starting dating a new boy that was as different from anyone I've ever dated as could be (both the good and the bad). I discovered that the idea of camping is fun while the reality of it is not. I saw thousands of bison. I saw old faithful. I learned that tourists are idiots most of the time. I brought sundresses and southern hospitality to Wyoming. I visited Jackson Hole. I climbed mountains. 

When I came back to Clemson after that summer I think I was different in many ways. I had lost weight, I had a serious tan, a casual long-distance boyfriend, and three months of exploration of who I was as a person as well as Wyoming. That summer, I learned that I'm capable of anything I set my mind to and while I love all of the support from my family and friends, I know that if need be, I can do it without them. I'll never forget that summer (even though I lost a lot of the pictures when my hard drive crashed and traumatized me), the people I met, or the things I learned about myself.