Everything is as usual, I'm lying in bed until the last minute. At 8:15, my roommate went for a run, and I barely even noticed. I remember waking up at 9:00 to my alarm, falling back asleep, and then hearing a knock on the door, then the window, through my sleep. I got scared, asked Sonya what it was, climbed out of bed, didn't see Sonya, thought it must be her, and ran around the room in my underwear for another 3 minutes, not thinking straight, until Sonya walked in and I calmed down. She's great after all! She went for a run, I should too. That's how the morning went. Remembering yesterday, I decided to have a heartier breakfast and piled up some cereal. In the dormitory, I never ate with anyone. For all 4 years, I bought groceries for myself, cooked for myself, sometimes we had dinner parties for friends and had a fun time, but not constantly. It's much more convenient to be responsible only for yourself and not have to adjust to anyone. So I was a little worried about how I would get along with my new friend in that regard. But it turned out to be much simpler; either Sonya is that kind of girl, or it's actually easy, but we get along great on all controversial issues regarding the kitchen and household! It's nice.
10:00 – 16:15 – we almost died at work! I don't like it at all, words can't describe it. I worked for 3 years at McDonald's, worked at Adidas, at a camp – in short, I thought nothing could surprise me! I'm a fairly patient person, but working at our motel is a brain drain! Our Christina sees more dust particles than there actually are, well, let it be. But she has to stand over us like that, she definitely learned that somewhere! We aren't stupid girls, and sometimes I just want to say – if you don't stand here constantly, we'll do everything faster and better! And she even adds, like, I can't be with you all the time! Really!
One could talk about this for a long time, let alone write about it). Once I saw the phrase (back in Russia) "What is there more of in the program: Work or Travel?" and back then I confidently posted that it was travel. Today, for the first time, the thought crept in that there is also a hell of a lot of work...
Thoughts of quitting this job to hell and finding another one visit me, but... firstly – it's awkward. I understand that it's only awkward to sleep on the ceiling and all that, but it's really awkward for me. I'm conscientious, and Sonya even more so. And secondly – I found meaning in this job. Our employer has two adult sons. One is more handsome than the other. So much for communication and many other skills being used (girls will understand me!) The older one is about 30 – a grown man, the younger one - (to be honest, I'm not sure if he's her son too, but I want to think so) is somewhere no older than 25.
On the way home, the thought of the ready-made shchi (cabbage soup) waiting for us in the fridge warmed me. It's wonderful when there is something to eat. We had a snack, did this and that, and I went back to work, only this time at the restaurant.
I can't handle my manicure! It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity or need to do it so often. I recently got my nails in order and was happy. After yesterday's work – two are broken. Yesterday I redid everything, and what for? After today's housekeeping, everything is to hell. I have to constantly come up with something for my nails before working as a busser, I don't want to serve food to people with terribly ragged nails).
It was 18:53 when I arrived at The Establishment. I walked in, said hello, everyone greets me so politely and cheerfully, it's very nice! I ask "how are u?" everyone answers "good" or something else, and I can't figure out this "something else," whether they are asking me about my affairs or what, it's unclear, I stay silent and smile, smile just as they advised at the International Exchange Center to "be nice."
It's a pity I only had to work for a little over an hour today. There were no customers, then only two tables approached. I want to tell you about the guys from work, they are cool, I like the team.
Matt is a busser, like me. I worked with him for the second day, a pleasant, modest guy. I feel he is more like me, maybe because he is a newbie like me. Very simple. I asked him about his studies, how long he's been here. So I didn't understand where he's from, doesn't seem to be from far away. His family has their own house here, they live in it with his sister, and earn money in the summer during the season. Sometimes it seems to me that the guys don't understand me, or don't want to talk. And with him, I felt confident and asked directly. I explained that I want to improve my English, said that if anything, he should stop me) And he understood everything, said I'm doing great) And I suddenly felt calm) By the way, Matt is 18 years old.
Laurin – Matt told me today that she is his sister. Great. But actually, he surprised me a lot when he said she was 15. Very much so! Laurin, a pretty girl, also a busser. When I arrived, she was the first one I met and started talking to. I would never have given her 15. It seems to me that she is older not so much in appearance as in behavior. Although this is just a first superficial impression. After all, she taught me everything, and maybe that's why she seemed older to me.
Jaret – probably the coolest. At first, I paid attention to the manner of saying "sorry," "excuse me," to the manner of everyone constantly smiling. But now I understand that one needs to dig deeper. And so far, among everyone, I can single out Jaret. It was he who met me on the first day when I just came to talk to the employer. He asked if I would return, and was happy when I said yes. Very pleasant, it's even pleasant to help him. He jokes, explains everything if necessary, and by the way, I think he gives good tips. (I'm not sure, because all the waiters gave tips to Mike, and he shared them with me). Jaret looks like an acquaintance of mine – a manager from McDonald's, such a déjà vu happens in my memory, as if I'm in McDonald's again. That one is also very fair, good.
Christina – such a small, pretty girl. Very welcoming. On my second day of work, she jumped up to me, reached out her hand, and introduced herself. She always reminds me of someone. Later it turned out that this girl is 32 years old, and she has two daughters! The guys continue to shock me! Christina is cool, well, I won't write that she is super polite, everyone here is like that, but she is somehow genuinely polite. I can't say yet, but it seems that she does everything without an ulterior motive, simply and easily!
Mike – a busser with experience. The most experienced of us, unsociable, although the impression is more that he just doesn't want to talk, just business. I learned a lot from him, for example, that I can take whatever I want to drink at the bar (no alcohol of course). He gives me tips, I don't know how he divides them, I don't even delve into it, I hope honestly. I don't want to write more about him for now, and there's nothing to write.
There are other very cool guys, the chef, Murphy.. I'll tell you about them later.
Andrew said that one of the bussers should go home. He sent Matt last time, so today I volunteered. I felt sorry for Matt, back then he worked for an hour, but still without tips.
In our restaurant, we use an electronic time counter. Sign in/sign out. So, when signing out, each employee receives a printout of working hours. Before that, I had 5.37, 5.05 and I thought these were hours and minutes. It turned out that I only guessed with the first one. Today I worked 1.65. I asked Andrew how this should be understood, whether it's percentages or what. He said it's percentages, explained something else, like it's an hour and something, well, I didn't understand those details. So I got on my bike and rode home. There was a thought to stop by McDonald's for a snack, just to treat myself to something, but I remembered that I didn't take any money at all, I thought I would get tips.
I arrived quickly, even though it's boring alone. The road home is somehow faster. I'm writing now, 10 pm, I wonder how things are at the restaurant? Are there any customers? It seems that I miss work. Probably, as much as I don't like working at the motel, I love the restaurant just as much.
The last thing that happened today, and I really want to tell it. Not a big deal at all. I realized that I'm just enjoying myself. I'm sitting on a little veranda, as if in front of the entrance to the apartment. We have a kind of canopy here, fenced with a beautiful little fence, everything is so white, even stylish. There is a plastic "country" table, armchairs. Fresh air, cars driving on the road, cottages around, and to the right are hotels and the beach. Cool-cool-cool. I've wanted this for a long time, I'm sitting sipping tea, writing and enjoying life.
Until yesterday, I hadn't met any mosquitoes, but now someone is biting me little by little. But still cool-cool-cool.
There was a thought to run to the laundromat. Dirty t-shirts have piled up, you can wash by hand, but, firstly, there is nowhere to dry them, secondly, there is no powder, and thirdly, the machine does it much better. And, finally, fourthly, I want to go to the laundromat and feel like a typical American! Sit, wait for my things on a bench, as they do, although for some reason there are mostly African Americans here.
So the thought hasn't gone away, but probably not today. Now a girl Anya from Russia should arrive. I found her on VKontakte, in the WW13 group. She was actively looking for help with housing, I remembered myself, my worries and decided to help. So now Anya will live with us, although she's not here yet. I hope everything is okay.
Probably, nothing will happen today that I would like to write about.
P.S. I know that many Russian students here in the Work and Travel program are experiencing the same things as I am. They also work in hotels and hate it, walk the same streets, buy everything in the same stores. Most likely, my diaries are uninteresting and not new to them, but something else is important to me. I write for myself, so that later I can reread this, remember and tell my children). And if it turns out to be useful to someone, I will be very glad!
