Work and Booze, often not mutually exclusive

Two weeks ago, when I was getting the catering work, I went for an interview for an office job. Met them on Wednesday, and then a second interview on Thursday. I got the job on Friday and started on Monday. (20 Nov) … pretty quick eh! So, tired of interviews and meeting people, combined with the fact that its not a crap position, I took the job. So a quick run down:

I’m the Executive Assistant for an energy company. I photocopy, print stuff, put packages together for meetings with clients, answer phones, direct calls and emails for general info, mail stuff, booking meeting rooms and order the snacks and bevy’s for them. I’m sure I’ll learn more and do some more difficult things, but for now, that’s it. I’m like a PA for the head of the team, and will take minutes at team meetings. There are 8 people in the team. So it’s pretty good. Not brain surgery, but it will give me a sense of how things work in Dublin and put some critical necessities on my CV. It’s an 11 month contract, until Oct.19, 2007. Then hopefully I’ll be more marketable to Dublin companies, and have a good knowledge of where things are and how things are done in this country.

The company is only 5 years old, so really small. There are less than 50 people in the office in Dublin where I am, but there are a few offices around the country. We get perks too, 8 hour work day 9:15- 5:15, BUT with an hour for lunch and 2 fifteen minute coffee breaks. I only really work for like 6 hours it seems, which is nice. The company focuses on renewable resources and improving energy efficiency. My department would be the ones focusing on industry, like factories and big corporate entities. Funnily enough, I’m using some of the things I learnt doing my geogs degree… who would have thought that would ever be useful!!!

So this is the real kicker. They hired me quickly, but there was a reason. The team had shifted a lot recently, and the team leader is new in the position, so they were going to do an off-site over-night team meeting, talk about the next year and stuff like that. My first day of work goes as follows… starting from the night before. Went to family event, drank a bit, felt sick, went to bed early, not getting anything ready because I would do it when I felt better then next day. Set phone alarm to 6:45am. Woke up at 8:05am, to my housemate opening his bedroom door. SHIT! Had to be at work at 9:15 am… bus takes an hour… not ready. Not sure what to bring to off-site, over-night. Throw together a few outfits to cover all levels of casual-ness. Eat food quickly, rushed shower... minor heart attack. Get to work at 9:45am. Not in trouble. THANK GOD! Meet co-workers, and go in car with boss and another girl on the team to Wicklow, about an hour and a half away from Dublin, in the country, (“Ireland’s Garden” it’s actually called!) About 15mins away from the hotel I recognise the little town we drive through. My cousin had his wedding reception at this great little hotel/spa resort in the country, all based on organic stuff called the BrookLodge. Frig! What are the chances that my job is taking me to the same place I’ve been before. This place is amazing. It’s so picturesque, when a North American looks at a travel book of Ireland, this is what they would imagine. All organic products, food, small company, built up around a little village doing the same sort of organic, ‘clean’ thing. Rolling green hills in the background, some scattered sheep on top, a little stone chapel in the corner along a little stream. Seriously. For dinner, we had a four course meal, everything was fresh organic, except some of the meat, which was ‘wild,’ and they couldn’t guarantee the animal never ate a chemical in its life! Delicious is an understatement. Plus lots of wine and a few pints before and after dinner, all on the company, it was glorious. Then going to bed, nice double bed (I have a single at home!) with fluffy new down covers and pillows. And one of those big rain showers in the morning, I showered for half an hour. Glorious. We did do work mind you. They all talked and I mostly listened, you know, getting an idea of what they all do. So in sum, trip to fantastic holiday spa resort (did I mention the hot tubing at night), and my colleagues are alcoholics. They’re all a bit older on my team, but that said - they were up later than I was singing and playing the piano in the hotel lounge! Lush day and a half.

Went back to the office for Wed - Fri that week, and did basic stuff. I’m getting all these inductions, listening to everyone at the company telling me what they do, so I can answer phone calls and emails myself. Simple stuff. The job is not challenging or stressful, yet at least. There are two other EA’s and in general there is a small group of us in our 20’s so its not too bad. Everyone is really friendly; I guess I’ll really get to know people at the company this coming Friday, it’s the staff Christmas party and I hear its quite a show. Drinking begins at 2pm! It’s like the Arts Country Fair of the corporate world.

For a good random story, I went on a Friday night with my flat-mate and a few of his friends. Went at 9pm to one pub, I was having pints while Pablo was having bottles… man I keep up well!!! We went to a bar afterwards which was open until like 3am… and for the most part, I think I was having tons of fun. Though I very vaguely remember being pushed out when it closed, I have recently been informed we went to Momo’s for falafel/doner/kebabs afterwards. Apparently I saw someone I knew there, but had no idea who it was, and I had a big messy kebab that was dripping everywhere and it managed to fall apart and explode on the floor all over my feet while I talking to this dude who knew me. Big mess. Still don’t know who it was I saw. Outside Momo’s, for any Madness fans, I spent a good 15 minutes learning the Crocodile Step. And mastering the Pablo Shuffle. Two HOT dance moves. Then we went home to have more wine, at least the boys wanted more wine, and I had a bottle in the fridge, and I like wine, so I joined in. I joined in as far as having a glass poured, having a sip and passing out on the couch. The boys continued to drink around me, finishing the bottle, and I woke up at 7am on my couch confused and not sure how I got there. Weird. But I’m still laughing trying to remember the evening. I guess 8 pints is a lot to drink though.

Now what’s left… Getting a wardrobe to hang my clothes in my room (it’s in the mail from Argos)… its not cool having them all in Pablo’s room, and say, him being sleeping before work and having to wear the same thing two days in a row. Also, a gym pass. Fat Gail is knocking on the door… its not quite like past times when it spread all over. The fat is localized to my tummy, which I guess is lucky enough. But I really need to get a regime going. Maybe now that I have a job and a regular schedule.

5-Star for you, 1-Star for me

Two weeks in and I don’t think more could have happened. I went on so many interviews, met with several recruitment agencies and fixed up my resume like 10 times. I went to meet one agency for a hotel receptionist job on Tuesday a couple weeks ago. On my way out, the girl mentioned a part time job they had doing serving and catering at a few hotels in and around Dublin through the agency. Training for it was on Thursday. I said that sounded pretty good, you know, get in with the hotels and work at the events that one day I would like to plan, or play a role in organising. I ended up working the NEXT day cuz they needed people badly.

This agency contracts out to a few hotels’ conference and banqueting divisions… 5-start hotels, not bad for a first waitressing job eh?! I’ve now worked there a whole bunch. Serving dinner banquets, parties, business breakies… lots of drunk people. Good times. Except for the part about the REALLY uncomfortable, not to mention, UGLY shoes I have to wear (they’re called court shoes, 1in. heel, plain, boring. Like a pilgrim shoe, without the buckle) Not to mention the fact that after a dozen shifts I no longer have feeling in my left big toe, its kind of weird, but I figure, who needs feeling there anyway?!? What is also crappy is that you can work 10 hours without a break. OK, it was just once that that happened, but it was my first day ever, and breaks in general are few and far between (and unpaid) ANOTHER not great thing is when the guys in charge give death threats and threaten to fire us (which is worse?) … Whatever. I'm sure human rights would care, but no one complains for no really good reason...

This week’s shifts made all the pain, cut feet, blisters, long hours, crappy pay all worth it. On Thursday I met a guy who works at the Westin, who was good looking might I add, that said he’d be happy to meet with me, as there are tons of events openings at his hotel. He was actually hoping to be transferred to Whistler soon, I could have talked to him for hours about Whistler, but I was working. I’ve got his business card, and hopefully will chat and meet up with him soon. (ED. NOTE: I emailed him after writing this initially, we're hopefully going to meet up next week after work one evening!) Even if it's not about a job, at least its some networking (and meeting a hot guy.) Back to the FS, on Saturday, after serving the meal quite quickly they ask who wants to stay and who wants to go. Since I had no plans on Sunday, despite being tired with sore feet, I thought I’d stay for the cash. He sends everyone else home, looks at us, says, “OK, good news, we don’t have to polish tonight, or reset. Just clear the room out. Now you can go in the kitchen and take any desserts you like, have a 15min break and come back.” OMG! They NEVER let us eat any of the food, left overs, cleared plate scraps, NOTHING. And now I got two whole 5-star hotel desserts to myself. Let me tell you the excitement bubbling through the lot of us. (ED. NOTE: Also since writing this, I have found the guts to ask the sort of cute dishwasher to smuggle me some food to a corner off the kitchen while we were polishing... I got another dessert and it was delightful)

Other than the work part of the job there are tons of people there working and I’ve met some cool people. They’re all Foreign or Students, but as was pointed out, I am in fact, foreign… so I fit right in!! There are two South Africans, I’m falling in love with them just listening to their voices. Hawzit? Yaw! We wear name badges, but the name maker is never actually there, so we just wear someone elses name from the day before. Often I’m Hayley, thought it does vary, I just try to stay away from the 19th century names, or eastern european names that i'm not sure how to pronounce!! (ED NOTE: I’ve met Hayley now, she seems quite nice, good friends with Rosin (row-shin) a friend from my first day. Random Story...I saw this Asian guy one day and he had Conor on his name tag… I knew it wasn’t his name, and due to some distain towards that name which you may or may not be aware of, I called him Charlie; now I’ve got other people calling him Charlie, no matter what his name tag says. Its pretty sweet. Charlie and I are tight.

In other Irish News, Gaelic is really hard. Weird at the best of times. I’ve actually met some people who can speak it fluently still in their 30’s after only having learnt it in school and just ‘getting it.’ Unlike “Oh Canada” being sung almost equally in French and English, here, their anthem is ONLY sung in Gaelic. Can you just imagine a crowd of Irish singing a song of which they have no idea what it means… now that I type that, I’d have to actually think about what the French version means. I mean, I could translate it, and I know what all the words translate to on their own, but I don’t think I’ve ever put it all together… beside the point. Lianne and I have really mastered our LUAS stops in Gaelic. That’s the tram from Dublin City Center to the ‘burbs… skytrain equivalent for the Vancouverites, c-train for Calgarians. Anyways, at each stop they announce it in English in Gaelic. Ie. Dundrum- Dun Droma. Milltown – Coll na Faa. (the others I would risk major typos trying to spell) Also, they have a dude in charge of “everything” here who’s well known to all, Bertie Ahern… he’s the Taoiseach…. Yup, you guessed it, it’s pronounced tea-shock! I just don’t get the language. Its messed up.