For A Realist I'm Pretty Pessimistic

Just as a heads up, you probably won't want to read this entry-it's all complaints and negative thoughts.

I'd been warned that there would be a time where I got tired of being here and would wish to be home but I'd shrugged it off and thought that couldn't possibly happen in my dream land Canada but: that time has come. Gone are my plans to extend my visa for another year and gone is my enthusiasm to be here. I think it's partly to do with coming out of what they call the "honeymoon phase" and constantly being in various stages of sickness but it's mostly because I really don't enjoy my job and I spend all my time working at that job and hardly ever boarding. I tried really hard at the start to overlook all the downs and try keep the positives in focus but there are precious few positives left.

In New Zealand there is the good old She'll Be Right attitude, where we fix something with number 8 wire and duct tape and just get the job done. Here though the She'll Be Right attitude is completely different. Nothing gets fixed or ordered on time and no one cares how that can effect your job/the guests stay. And it seems like there is no use of those good old qualities Initiative and Common Sense.

When we arrived we were told that we were here to have a good time; after all it's a working holiday right? Wrong. For housekeepers anyway. We are the only department on hill that doesn't get ride breaks or shifts that give us time to board so consequently we only get to ride on our days off. And seeing as we work in the hotel and when the snow is good more people come we only get one day a week (sometimes even up to every eight/nine days) off. It's all very disheartening when everyone is talking about how they've boarded every day of the week and are really improved and you haven't improved much at all because you're stuck indoors nine to four thirty-ish working. Take it from me: housekeeping is the worst career ever. I would never have chosen to work in housekeeping back home full time as I really detest it yet here I am doing just that; it's starting to look like I came to Canada to clean rooms when I was meant to come to board. And more and more I feel like I'll need a long holiday as soon as this "working holiday"is over; it's wearing me out (mentally and physically).

It's just gotten on top of me this past week and needless to say I haven't been in the best frame of mind. I just feel like giving up and going home but each time I think that I remind myself there's snow outside and I'll eventually get out there and enjoy it. Little by little though that reminder is losing it's weight.

I've had friends ask me about the possibility of changing departments but the other supervisors don't want to touch a housekeeper-it's like we've got the plague or something. That makes trying for anything new extremely difficult. Also seeing as we are at our full capacity staff-wise there are precious little jobs going.

It's also hard as after a none-stop busy time since opening in mid-November we started to drop in bookings for a few weeks in mid-January and they told us that our hours were going to drop to three working days a week as a result. I was the only one thrilled to hear it as it meant four days to board a week. By the time they implemented it though our bookings were heading back up so we only had that wonderful freedom for about a week. The brief taste I got of what we really came for (in case you hadn't realised, I'm talking about boarding) has made this second dry patch far harder to take.

So in short, I'm starting to dislike Canada. Never thought I'd say that but there it is.

(I first posted this on the 17th and looking back on it it's quite negative so I'll try end this on a better note.) It's not all bad; some days are good, don't get me wrong. Everyone's in a good mood, all the work gets done smoothly and at the end of the day you actually find yourself liking life and enjoying your work and the team you're with. It would be nice though if there were more of those sorts of days.