Day 311! Today was another very long work day, I think longer than originally scheduled. But what’s new! I came here to work and I’m now WORKIN’. I did actually have the time to head to the beach today though, thanks to my manager throwing me a little break in the middle of my work day.

I woke up to my alarm at 8:30am this morning and there was no time to lounge about!

I jumped out of bed and quickly got ready for my day because I had to be at the hotel by 10am! This was my earliest shift so far.

I ate my usual breakfast of oats and avocado toast and then had just enough time to read for 15 minutes before heading out for work.

My morning shift originally was supposed to be from 10am to 2pm. But that of course changed due to the crazy morning we had.

The beginning started slow but I was mainly there to help my manager count and carry a new shipment of wine boxes into our storage. After that though, the morning picked up quick.

I was slinging drinks left and right, clearing mountains of glasses, and having a blast. It was pretty dang hot in the bar though, so that wasn’t ideal. That aside, the morning trucked on and as we got closer to the time for me to leave, we decided I should stick around a bit longer.

This worked out, because a huge wedding party came in out of nowhere and all wanted drinks. In the midst of the chaos, the kitchen was closing down. So I went over quickly to get a meal for a break… it seemed I’d be sticking around much longer than anticipated.

My food came and I had a chicken parmi for my 30 minute break. This one was much better than the last one I had. But I only ended up working for another hour, which was a little frustrating because I would’ve saved money and made lunch at home. Not the end of the world though.

I thought I’d be working through the rest of the day, I had a shift from 4pm to about close. But my manager told me to go take a two hour break, take a dip in the ocean, relax, and come back at 6pm.

So I did just that! I went home, threw on some clothes for the beach, and then headed back home and down the hill to enjoy some relaxation.

I set up my area and then promptly ran into the ocean to do some body surfing! The waves were fun and the water was a nice cool temperature… but the cloudy day took a turn and it started to rain!

So after about 20 minutes in the water, I got out, moved my stuff under a canopy, and then sat in the rain by the ocean.

There was a group of foreign guys (probably around my age from some part of Asia) out enjoying the beach in the rain too. They were playing some fun made up games, one of which was kicking their flip flops as far as possible and the furthest was the winner. It was very wholesome watching them get super excited and excited for each other while the shoes went further and further.

It was a super brief downpour and the sun came back out! So I set my stuff back up and enjoyed a bit of relaxation in the sun and more of the audio book I’ve been listening to.

But after an hour, I decided to head back home to shower and lie in bed.

I had a snack of humus and chips before I closed my eyes for about 15 minutes and then read for another 15 minutes. But then it was time to head back up the hill for my next shift!

I walked into a very busy bar and got right back to work! There were plenty of familiar local faces and of course lots of tourists too. Eventually the night crowd came rolling in and my friends Holly and Rachel were back!

A lot of the bistro staff were shocked to see me back working and were commending my work ethic. It’s very nice having supportive and nice coworkers!

It was a very hectic night but I actually racked up a couple tips, which was nice! Nothing too crazy, but nice to have the little bit of validation in the work.

I had a break around 8:30pm, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be working and I wanted to get some food in incase I got home late… which was definitely going to be the case.

I only worked for another hour after this break though… so the break wasn’t actually necessary, but I was glad to get some dinner. My manager told me to clock off at 10pm since I was on the next morning. So I made a few more drinks and then called it a night!

I had my knock off beer and hung out with my friends Will, Angus, and Pat. I also chatted with Rachel, Holly, and their friends for a bit too! I also FINALLY got the pictures from Holly of me behind the bar wearing their wigs. So here is that:

I finished my beer and headed back home to shower and call it a night!

Tomorrow I’ll get back to it at noon. So I’ll have my morning to relax, read, and do whatever admin needs to be done in the hour or two I have after getting ready for the day. It’s another double shift tomorrow and then Sunday I’ll have a long shift as well to round out the week! I’ll be happily making a fair amount of AUD this week while very much enjoying the work I’m doing!!

– Elie