Working Girl

Ahh, remember when there was a blog I had? And I would update it? And you would have a vague knowledge of what was happening in my life? Those were the days.

Let's bring them back!

If I try to do a day by day account of everything that's happened, the posts will be interminable. Thus, I am going to try to do a quick post each day for the next week-ish to catch you up on one area of my life. Today I will be addressing the fact that I am now....

...drumroll....

....gainfully employed! Wahoo!

About two weeks ago I went with MASS.B on a general canvassing of coffee shops and restaurants in the Stratford area, and a week later got a call from an Italian chain cafe to come in for an interview. The interview was pretty straight-forward (what is good customer service? what is bad customer service? what is your schedule like? what are your dreams?) and at the end of it I was assigned a trial shift.

The trial shift was...a bit overwhelming. I have worked in a restaurant before, but as a hostess, and the restaurant itself was very structured in how things are done because the food was cooked at the table, thus requiring a degree of timing. This place is much more kind of free form. Waiters are assigned sections, but beyond that don't have much control (that I can see) in table volume or timing or anything. Also, because I was just shadowing someone, a lot of information was given all at once and in a kind of hap-hazard way. It was a lot to take in.

As crazy as it all seemed, by the end of it, I think I kind of got it. I get nervous before I do anything for the first time, and it's always intimidating to be up against the unfamiliar when improvisation is required, but my next shift or two (tomorrow and Saturday) are going to be similar situations to the trial shift. I'll be given lots of information and asked to bus tables and deliver drinks and food, but I will always be with someone who actually knows what they are doing. Also, Sunny and MASS.B also got jobs there, so I'll have friends some of the time, which is nice.

It seems like one of those things I'm going to be really insecure about up front, but then get the hang of and settle into. There's enough to do at all times that the time should go pretty quickly, and, because of my visa limitations on working hours and class schedule, I have a pretty set idea of when I'll have shifts. Mostly, I'm just really, really excited to have some kind of income. Not only is it going to help my everyday life be a bit less stressful, but I'm optimistic I could save enough to visit home this summer/go to the lake house/go on beach week. All of these things would be pretty amazing.