fun in the sun (from blogspot)
for 7 years, i had the ultimate in jobs.
lifeguard and swim instructor at the CGCP.
there were many reasons why this job was awesome, for example. i was able to take the lifeguard training course at age 15.5 and was able to start work once i passed the test (not an easy feat, but i'll come back to that later) my first summer as a rookie guard, i got a decent hourly rate and got to work with cool older people. and since there weren't many rookies, the few of us got a lot of hours.
we got paid to literally sit in the sun and tan for 4 out of the 8 hours. now as for the other 4 hours, they were spent schmoozing in the guard room, listening to music through our crappy radio, playing day-long Risk tournaments, eating pixie sticks and chocolate eclair ice cream bars and pretending to do our summer homework.
by the time 8pm rolled around, you were so exhausted from sun exposure that you had little energy to hang out with anyone else... so everyone went home and showered and met at dunkin donuts or starbucks or the movies with wet hair.
no matter who worked with who, or who had break with you, fun was always had. especially if you shared a break with Tim Donlon, Jason, Katie B or Age.
did i mention we got paid even if it rained?? :)
now here are some of the downsides:
-there is no tan more publicly embarrassing than the lifeguard tan. from getting tan in a high cut speedo and mesh shorts. you ended up with sunburned knees, white stomach, dark shoulders and face. which translates into total embarrassment at the beach.
-parched hair. teaching lessons for 3 hours and then working out in the sun for 8 hours without having washed your hair, turned hair this white/yellow blond color... that looked great once your roots grew in come september...
-the test! having to take the entire class, while swimming in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. swimming 20 laps with a brick, and having to swim 2 laps in under 30 seconds. so friggin hard!
and then the physical and written test had to be re-taken every 3 years.
-having to blow your whistle at annoying pre-teen boys whose mother left them at the pool alone.
and i'm sure i could keep adding to the list on both sides.
summers felt so long when you worked 40hr weeks in the sun... and it was sad when labor day rolled around as we had to go back to our non-seasonal jobs.
the cgcp officially opened this weekend. and i almost miss being there. i miss getting your new shirt and shorts and whistle, and finding out who the new head guard was, and teasing the rookies, and the guard parties, and the swim team bake sales, and of course, how amazing 8pm felt. it's a good thing my certification runs out this year or i'd be tempted to work a day or two... but only with the old staff...
so here's to the mothers in their scantily clad bikinis, getting stuck working at baby pool during adult swim, 10 cent ice waters from the snack bar, for fighting over who's going to make the "closing" and "adult swim" announcements, to writing "KC 4 KTB on 8/18" on the calendar... and understanding what that meant, to only having to work 4 hours out of an 8 hour shift, to being in the sun and getting paid to laugh with friends.
here's to the good ol' days at cgcp. and to another summer spend working indoors for me...
lifeguard and swim instructor at the CGCP.
there were many reasons why this job was awesome, for example. i was able to take the lifeguard training course at age 15.5 and was able to start work once i passed the test (not an easy feat, but i'll come back to that later) my first summer as a rookie guard, i got a decent hourly rate and got to work with cool older people. and since there weren't many rookies, the few of us got a lot of hours.
we got paid to literally sit in the sun and tan for 4 out of the 8 hours. now as for the other 4 hours, they were spent schmoozing in the guard room, listening to music through our crappy radio, playing day-long Risk tournaments, eating pixie sticks and chocolate eclair ice cream bars and pretending to do our summer homework.
by the time 8pm rolled around, you were so exhausted from sun exposure that you had little energy to hang out with anyone else... so everyone went home and showered and met at dunkin donuts or starbucks or the movies with wet hair.
no matter who worked with who, or who had break with you, fun was always had. especially if you shared a break with Tim Donlon, Jason, Katie B or Age.
did i mention we got paid even if it rained?? :)
now here are some of the downsides:
-there is no tan more publicly embarrassing than the lifeguard tan. from getting tan in a high cut speedo and mesh shorts. you ended up with sunburned knees, white stomach, dark shoulders and face. which translates into total embarrassment at the beach.
-parched hair. teaching lessons for 3 hours and then working out in the sun for 8 hours without having washed your hair, turned hair this white/yellow blond color... that looked great once your roots grew in come september...
-the test! having to take the entire class, while swimming in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. swimming 20 laps with a brick, and having to swim 2 laps in under 30 seconds. so friggin hard!
and then the physical and written test had to be re-taken every 3 years.
-having to blow your whistle at annoying pre-teen boys whose mother left them at the pool alone.
and i'm sure i could keep adding to the list on both sides.
summers felt so long when you worked 40hr weeks in the sun... and it was sad when labor day rolled around as we had to go back to our non-seasonal jobs.
the cgcp officially opened this weekend. and i almost miss being there. i miss getting your new shirt and shorts and whistle, and finding out who the new head guard was, and teasing the rookies, and the guard parties, and the swim team bake sales, and of course, how amazing 8pm felt. it's a good thing my certification runs out this year or i'd be tempted to work a day or two... but only with the old staff...
so here's to the mothers in their scantily clad bikinis, getting stuck working at baby pool during adult swim, 10 cent ice waters from the snack bar, for fighting over who's going to make the "closing" and "adult swim" announcements, to writing "KC 4 KTB on 8/18" on the calendar... and understanding what that meant, to only having to work 4 hours out of an 8 hour shift, to being in the sun and getting paid to laugh with friends.
here's to the good ol' days at cgcp. and to another summer spend working indoors for me...