Below is a post written by Kinley, who has been interning here at TFA for the summer while visiting the US from her home country of Bhutan!

My name is Kinley. I LOVE traveling! I have come all the way around the globe from Bhutan to California and have settled down in Boston, Massachusetts, for three months. The time has passed so fast, everything has been so fun. Now I only have a few shorts weeks left.

I graduated with a degree in Travel and Tourism Management this summer from Calcutta. Many years of study in India have made me independent. It was always my dream to come to the States to experience and learn more about American culture and its tourism industry. My biggest thrill is meeting people from different places and learning about new cultures. Soon I head back home and begin leading adventure tours myself.

But how did I get here all the way from Bhutan? The story is quite fascinating. There are two families who visited Bhutan last winter through my father’s adventure travel company. I met the two families on the last day of their visit which happened to be my birthday. I was so lucky to get an invitation from them to host me for the summer. Great! It was like my birthday gift. I feel fortunate to be here and they are wonderful people. I even got an internship opportunity at Thomson Family Adventures. I am gaining experiences, building my confidence and learning many new things. The working environment at Thomson Family is far more advanced than ours in every way. I am excited to learn as much as I can so that I may bring new ideas and skills back to Bhutan.

Working at TFA has been a great experience and more fun than I expected. Jim Kackley, the General Manager, has been a really considerate person. He often came up with new projects, and I was able to experience a vibrant and busy American work environment. It’s difficult to describe how much I appreciate their taking a chance on me. I will miss everyone at the office.

My home country of Bhutan is a small, peaceful Buddhist constitutional monarchy, south of Tibet and north of India. There are many Himalayan mountains, but not one traffic light! We don’t have skyscrapers, but our sky dances with fluttering prayer flags.

I have been to many states in India, Singapore and Thailand. This is my first time in the United States. I LOVE being here. The most exciting part for me is every weekend I get to experience a new adventure at a new location. You guys won’t believe me! I have been to many more places than I ever expected just within these two months. Lucky me! I have been to Maine, Cape Cod, Westport, MA, Martha’s Vineyard and “The Big Apple.” I have enjoyed it all. Being an outgoing person, I have had many exciting adventures, including boogie boarding, learning to drive, learning to swim, hiking on the dunes in Cape Cod, riding the bus to work, crazy biking in New York City and even getting lost on occasion.

Some of the fun things I have experienced were watching American old movies, baking a cake, toasting s’mores over a bonfire at night on the beach, watching the play “Finding Neverland,” a whale watch tour, riding bikes, drinking margaritas, trying lobsters and shrimp (Yuck!) and of course my trip to New York.

Over all, my visit has been a marvelous experience and I will return to Bhutan with wonderful memories. The American people have been amazingly friendly. I miss my family and friends and I am almost ready to head home. But I cannot wait to someday return to the United States!