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Whats been happening since I settled here in France....
Ok, so I thought it was about time for a blog update. The last blog was a couple of months ago and theres been quite a lot inbetween then.
I'm still working at the place where I started...its where I had my very first interview actually. It was going well for the first couple of weeks, or maybe it was just the excitement of having a job in France and speaking French, but then came a real low period where I was 100% convinced that I was gonna quit (and nearly did on the spot 3 times!).
The boss seemed really hard, like always watching over me, and the 2 of the supervisers were even worse...one of the days I even said to one of them "Is it just me you have a problem with or do you treat everyone like this?" and the female one was always on my case thinking she had the right to talk to me like crap and make me do the impossible (serving 30 tables on my own at lunchtime!!!). Then there was small incidents like for example, twice people left without paying, and because it was my customer, I had to pay their bill...I was sooooo annoyed!! Then one day the boss mixed everyones money up and one of the other supervisers who was also waitressing that day stuffed up somehow, and she had minus dollars, whereas I had wayyyy extra, though I knew some of it was my tips, but I had to pay her mistake, yet when it happened to me, I still had to pay it too!!
I kept at it with the job, coz Paris isnt the cheapest of places to live, and well the bank or insurance company didnt cover me for the $2000 I got scammed off so I was in a little bit of strife there for a while.
I found a couple of things, like a nannying job which seemed awesome and the kid was cute as, but my visa unfortunately doesnt allow me to work as a nanny here, almost anything else though! Then there was a US foodstore and I had a trial there, but they were trying to pay less than the minimum wage!! Then there was parttime dog walking, but only parttime, and recently I got offered a hostel reception job, but it pays crap, and an interview for a one month job as a multilingual hostess at disneyland, but only one month.
Since the annoying superviser went on holiday though, things at work wayyyyy improved!!! She was only gone 2 weeks and got back today, but things were so much calmer and noone on my case treating me like crap. She arrived back today, but theres another new dude, so she leaves me alone now and bothered him instead. One of the other supervisers there has spoken real good about me to the boss tho which is cool, saying like I didnt have a huge moan at having to stay on a bit late, or like the multiple times recently I've had to save the customer from leaving by speaking in English, Spanish or German to them (and I have to in at least English and Spanish a good 5 or 6 times a day!!). There was also some Japanese tourists who told someone who then told my boss that it was with me and at the cafe where I work that they found the best service and understanding with communication difficulties compared to anywhere else theyd found in Paris...and it was put on a website, so the boss was stoked as after that, me too!
Now shes given me a full contract and everything, and treats me with a whole lot more respect which is cool. One of the other bar guys keeps flirting with me tho...and I've had to tell him numerous times to drop it, he thought it was funny, but he sure got a mouthful yesterday when he way drew the line!! And today he didnt even bother.
It no longer bothers me either now if I smash something off my platter...the first few times I was very worried but everyone does it so oh well.
Theres definitely been some weirdos at work too. The 2 most creeper things that have happened tho are that one guy came in with his 7y/o daughter and started a chat with me while I was having my break at the table beside them. Then he was asking all this random stuff, and wanted to know if I meet up with him to take his 'daughter' to some touristy place like up the eiffel tower that i might also enjoy. I was like, umm, no! and pretended like I hadnt understood him properly.
Then a few days ago one man asked me if I wanted to go with him to Morocco to work as a receptionist somewhere in the shopping centre he's opening coz hes looking for French people. I was like, well I'm not French. He was like, oh well that doesnt matter, you seem like it, so do you want to? Its really nice. I was like, yeah I can imagine, but so is Paris and I'm happy here thanks...he didnt give up until like 2-3 mins later!!!
Then a weird conversation took place when I thought a man called me a little devil. I was like excuse me???!!! I took quite a bit of offense and got a little bit in his face. Then he tried to make it out as a joke, and asked me for the drink Diabolo, which is similar to the word devil in French...so wasnt funny...especially when that morning I was already annoyed from my superviser!!
Oh and then the shamefull thing that happened to me again at work...I set my hair on fire!!! I was putting candles on the tables just before finishing my shift and was leaning over one of them and yup, my hair caught in the flame, and before i knew it my shirt was on fire too, and it took a customer yelling at me for me to realize!!! Everyone was steering at me naturally and I stunk of smoke!!! Luckily it didnt burn too much and i didnt get hurt, but i wrecked my top...lame.
Well enough about work...my apartment is going good too. I'm staying in the apartment owned by the family I did the exchange with back in Pau, and its in one of the best neighbourhoods in Paris, and whenever people find out where i live, theyre like, woah!! kinda cool, and its not tiny as like most peoples places here. I had a stress one day though when I thought I was about to set my apartment on fire coz I couldnt turn off the element and it was overheating, then I turned the mains off, but turned them on again and the toilet randomly started flooding, and the power mains smoking!!! stress!!! then i had no elements for about 3 weeks, but my landlord came and visited me from Pau and fixed them now and it was good to see him and go out for dinner too.
And most the people I've been meeting here have been from Hillsong Church, but its an amazing church and I love it, and all the people I've met so far...French, Americans, Germans, Australians, and I even met a NZer the other night!!! and I had to ask her where she was from!! Hillsong Paris is like a fresh awakening to me though and I love the passion for God that it gives me after each sevice and through connect group etc...I really think that since I've been here I've grown such a maturity in my relationship with God, not just something I just 'do' just coz, but a faith that just keeps building and building.
Theres a Canadian dude who I've hung out with a few times with too and he's pretty sweet, doing the same kinda thing as me. I had my friend from Mexico whos living in Germany at the moment come and visit me too and stay last week for 10 days so it was great to see her again and play tour guide around Paris, and go up the eiffel tower for the 4th time...tho it was sooooooo unbelievably cold!!!!!!
Now spring is coming though and I cant wait...im soooo sick of winter!!! and ive had too many colds in such a short time!!! and I even had to buy a new heater the other day since my other one broke and i couldnt handle it anymore!! lol
And the exciting thing which has taken ages to come through is that finally I've been accepted to get my UK visa!!! its valid for 4 years so i dunno when i'll go there or if i'll stay in France ages or what will happen, but in a month or so i'll have that visa which gives me a whole lot more options.
Anyways...feels like I've written a book. If you're reading this, you're most likely someone I know well...and yes I do miss you all!!!
Till next time round =)
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