Zohery 1

Mohammed Zohery
Sister Farida
Internship
1 August 2017
Reflection of Zohery Tours

In the past, I took my fathers tour many times. It wasnt until I joined him on this

internship that I truly began to appreciate what he did, and developed a keen insight on the

amount of preparation it took to become a tour guide. Since it was a family business, my father

always wanted me to join him in his work. So I decided to take the opportunity to utilize this

internship as a way to get to know my fathers business better.

Zohery Tours is a Washington DC sightseeing tour company that has been in business for

around 35 years. The tours are narrated by live tour guides who tell the stories behind many

landmarks of the city. During the trip, they pass by hundreds of sights and stop by several federal

buildings and memorials including the Capitol Building, the White House, Franklin Delano

Roosevelt Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War

Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nurses Memorial, and the Iwo Jima Memorial. The

company currently offers tours during the daytime and nighttime, and private tours that can be

customized according to needs and preferences.

The first week of my internship was the observational stage, where I listened and tried to

absorb as much information about DC as possible. I spent most of my time accompanying my

dad as he drove throughout DC lecturing a bus full of people about the different monuments and

memorials in sight. During the stops, I took advantage of the time to explore the many memorials

and monuments to familiarize myself with the areas. I also began collecting pamphlets and books
 Zohery 2

from here and there to look through later on. As the days passed on, I realized that another goal I

wanted to achieve was to improve my public speaking skills.

After some time, I began to jot down important and interesting facts Id hear, and drew

sketches of the sites in a journal. Every once in a while, my dad would test me of my knowledge

and ask me questions. When it would be just the two of us, he would allow me to be the tour

guide as he drove around. On top of that, I interacted with tourists and other tour guides I came

across, talking with them about various subjects. At one of the stops, I met a tour guide who used

to work with my dad a long time ago, and he remembered me as a child; he and I go way back.

Also, at some points, I would be running certain bus functions while my dad was busy. I even

got to go with my dad to the mechanic to fix the bus, which served as another different

perspective I got from this internship.

Exploring the areas was also something I never got to do before this internship, so it was

pretty cool. I scouted the stops, and eventually I found a spot at the Lincoln memorial with a very

beautiful view of the Potomac River. Another great thing I got to do was take the tour with two

other different tour guides, Mrs. Marsha and Mr. Lloyd. I was exposed to different styles of

lecturing: Mrs. Marsha mimicked an airline announcer, which was entertaining, and Mr. Lloyd

had a humorous twist to the style, which made not only the tourists laugh, but me as well. One

thing I also noticed is that they had good communication skills and interactions with the tourists,

which made the tourists very interested and engaged in what they had to say later on. As Ive

mentioned before, these are skills that are imperative for me to master. Their styles of tour

guiding really opened my mind up to the various ways of grabbing people's attention through

public speaking; you can make anyone listen as long as you have a right way of delivering the

message.
 Zohery 3

Towards the end of the internship, I got the chance to attend a night tour. It seemed like I

was looking at DC from a whole other perspective. I have to admit, I actually enjoyed the night

life in DC much more. The views were amazing, especially at the Tidal Basin; the memorials and

monuments seemed to glow and cast spectacular reflections in the water. I tried my best to

capture these scenes on my phone, although it didnt really do it justice.

In the end, I realized that my journey did not stop here. This internship opened my eyes

to the beauty of the Nations capital, a city which many people around the world wish to visit. I

was born and raised in DC, lived in the area my whole life, and yet took it for granted. Even

though I have finished this internship, I consider this the beginning of my adventures in the

family business.