BARTLETT, N.H. (AP) – For 12 years Story Land has overcome tight labor markets by bringing eager young Europeans to work at the amusement park for the summer.

But this year’s crop of imports say they get as much from the experience as the company does.

“It’s been good so far,” said Almas Rysbckov, who comes from Kazakhstan and is spending this summer operating the park’s antique carousel. “It’s my first time in America, so I’m learning a lot.”

Curtis Gordon, operations coordinator for Story Land, said using foreign workers makes good economic sense.

“We’re competing with a lot of other businesses up here,” he said. “There are a lot of resorts up here that get really busy in the summer, which is the same time we need people.”

Though some of the workers are in the United States to take advantage of favorable exchange rates to earn as much as possible, many are here to practice their English and travel.

Hannah Martin, who comes from Scotland, where she is in her final year at the University of Glasgow, said she decided to come to Story Land as a last-chance adventure.

“I suppose it’s not something I’ll be able to do when I’m not a student anymore,” she said.

With the dollar weak against the British pound, the money Martin makes will just cover her expenses for the summer, including the traveling she wants to do before she heads back to school.

Students pay $50 a week for a shared room at the amusement center’s dorm. The trips they make on their days off – including an overnight stay in Maine in the fall – all are paid for by the park.

Kate Kosinska, a 23-year-old from Poland, is more interested in practicing English and learning about American life. She is studying for a graduate degree in American Studies.

“It’s good because this way I get to talk to Americans and see what they’re like,” she said.

All the students work jobs which allow them to interact with the guests, either as ride operators, food servers or gift shop attendants. The cultural differences can be stark.

“Americans are a lot more open,” said Moray Pickering, 21, of England. “They’re very friendly. They’ll just start talking to you about, well, about anything.”

Day to day life is also different, according to Jozef Benka, 22, of Slovakia.

“Everything here is really fast-paced,” he said.