Today was all about feeling sick! I've been feeling weak since this morning, so I spent almost the whole day in bed! Diagnosis: sunstroke! I spent too much time out yesterday without a hat. Honestly, I never wear one here (except maybe for the first 3 days). The sun doesn't feel as intense as it does back home in the south. Or maybe it's because I used to work so much and was always indoors!
After noon, I went to a pancake place where I saw a 'help wanted' sign yesterday. However, they said, 'We are not hiring now, sorry.' Why keep the sign up then? It was the same at that hotel Kolya told me about. At least the woman there took my phone number and said she'd call if she heard about a housekeeping vacancy.
I soon regretted this unsuccessful trip because I started feeling worse. How good it feels to lie in the room under the AC! Even if it rattles like a helicopter! A wet towel with ice on my face, plenty of fluids, and dozing off. I think I spent the whole day like that! Sonya came in, Anya came in. Through my sleep, I heard Trish's voice. Then Anya shouted, 'Oool, your social arrived!' I think I felt better immediately :)))))))
Mood is a great thing! But I didn't want to go to work. Actually, that would have been a mistake. Today was great at our restaurant! It started with each busser being assigned a room. Mine was the second one, the biggest. The waiters with me were Jaret and Lisa. Overall, a great team! There were many reservations for this evening, and the table layout changed drastically! When I arrived, the largest table was for 10 people. Each had 2-3 glasses! It was so hard at first to figure out who needed water and where! But then, when tables for 16, 15, 10, and 7 people appeared, my confidence grew! I am very satisfied with myself! I'm almost proud! I acted like a good, experienced busser, talked to people, and wasn't shy at all! Towards the evening, I gathered my courage and asked Eric: 'Can I steal a little bit of coffee for myself?' In response, I got all possible signs of surprise and approval!!! 'Of course, you don't even need to ask, anything you want, any drink,' etc. In general, all the waiters noticed it immediately, and I felt like a super small, very modest girl! Today, I started to feel more like one of the team at work. Apparently, yesterday's movie works wonders! Or maybe I was alone for a bit, without Sonya, without the girls (they are all working), and my old signs of self-confidence returned (...I'm flying alone, I don't need anyone, so I have to handle it all myself!...). We worked late today! The guests left closer to 12. And Andrew started a mega-rearrangement! As I understand it, there will be a banquet tomorrow. It was great working together with Matt, Pat, Eric, and Hilary. Andrew told us what to do and helped while sipping a beer. Everything was simple and friendly! I found out from Arelis that we can order food for ourselves with a 50% discount!!! Amazing! In all other restaurants I know, it's 20% max! In general, I am happy with my job!!! And the tips came out to 51 bucks each!
I thought I wouldn't sleep late (I've been in bed all day anyway) – I'd write a lot, get my thoughts in order! However, following the girls, I fell asleep too. Another alarm for 5:00, 8:00, 9:00, etc.!
A little bit about the Social Security Administration.
Sonya and I applied for an SSN on 06/20/13. Sonya received her card after 5 days. My card took a month to reach me! This is not uncommon in the season; many acquaintances still haven't received theirs. I decided to find out what was wrong because you need it to look for work. On my first day off, July 15th, I went to the SSA. After calling in advance, I found out what documents were needed: passport, DS-2019 form, and the receipt – the letter they gave me during my last visit (confirming I had applied). It's a pity you can't check the status of your card by phone like we do in banks in Russia. The line at the office was decent; you have to get an electronic queue ticket right at the entrance. Then I immediately oriented myself and sat down next to other Russian girls. Russians are everywhere. The girls from Wildwood were supposed to work at the restaurant where Sonya got a job, and from where she was already fired. Well, they weren't hired without a social. That is, when one of them received her card, she started working. But the other girl still can't find a job anywhere. In general, InterExchange asks employers to hire students if they have applied for a card; it is not legally prohibited. Well, the owner is the boss, as they say. This girl has been here for more than a month and still hasn't received the card. This means something is wrong. In general, the SSA can review documents for up to 4 weeks. If something is wrong, they send a letter after this period. Angelina didn't receive either, so she came herself. Only 3 weeks and 4 days had passed for me, but the fate of my card is important right now, so I didn't wait. At the window, a friendly American woman explained that it was all about SEVIS. The thing is, I applied for an SSN the day after registering in SEVIS, and the information hadn't had time to update, so my documents were set aside. Sonya registered in SEVIS a day or two before me. I was given a new letter stating that I would receive my card within a week! Which arrived 4 days later.
07/15/2013
