The rest is still unwritten
It's about time I get this thing updated. Yeesh.
For anyone I haven't explained things to yet, here's the short version. Banff turned out to be a really nice place - to visit. The guys I stayed with in the hostel were great and the girls I met and went to Sulfur Mountain with were really nice, but I realized all too soon that the majority of people I met there I'd never see again after a few days. I thought I knew what a tourist town was like - turns out I had no idea. 7000 permanent residents and 4 million tourists every year. That is whacked. I spent some time touring the town myself, which only took a few hours. I saw pretty much everything I wanted to - though I am bummed about missing out on the hot springs.
After a few days the excitement started to wear off and I began to realize that Banff was not the kind of place I wanted to live. But I thought I'd hang in there and at least give the job a try since I was so stoked about it. I started having seriously sketchy panic attacks (for those of you who knew me back in grade 7, you can compare it to that). I wasn't able to eat anything, had trouble breathing and ended up spending quite a lot of time sleeping in the hostel with the hot Australian guys coming in to check on me every now and then. I was a wreck.
Finally orientation morning came and I got to go to the hotel which was insanely beautiful and everything I expected it to be. That is, until I actually went through the staff sections of the building. The staff occupies the bottom floor of the hotel which is of course expected. There's a seperate elevator for staff which apparently only works half the time. There is also a special staff entrace at the back of the building where the garbage truck stops to pick up it's trash. What really got to me is the way I felt like the staff were practically being told that they are on a lower level than the guests. If a staff member even walks into the front door of the hotel, they risk getting fired on the spot. There were so many restrictions in place that I felt suffocated.
Those of you who know me well know that I make big decisions pretty fast based on my instinct and I stick with them. I decided immediately after orientation that I wasn't staying. I knew I'd hate working there and to me money isn't everything. I'm the first one to admit that I was homesick - thinking about the kids more than anything and not wanting to miss out on their lives even for six months. I'm not the kind of person who can suck up to rich people who are trying to decide which $200 mud to put on their feet and I'm not the kind of person who can work in a miserable job just for the money.
So I explained to everyone my situation and they were all very accepting. Nicola was phenomenal - she understood my reasons exactly and we talked over dinner. I made arrangements to stay in the staff accomodations for a few days until I could get a plane ticket back home. The girls I was supposed to stay with were nice enough, but annoying as hell. How did I expect to be able to stay in a room with two other people? Hell I can barely stay with one. Fortunately I was able to get a plane out that night. Left the hotel at 8 and took a shuttle into Calgary.
We stopped in Canmore to pick up another guy, Mike, who talked nonstop until we got to the airport at 10. We both had a few hours to kill before our flights left so we got some coffee, walked around, and talked about everything under the sun. He was a lot of fun. I wonder how he's doing.
Once I got home I had to face the family, which was far harder than leaving in the first place. I owed them a lot of money and felt a lot of disappointment from them. The most I can say without involving you all in my family life is that it was really rough. Thankfully Jenn and Nick got me through the initial crisis, and the money issues are out of the way.
I've been keeping myself busy redecorating mine and my parents' bedrooms. Painting, laying flooring, moving furniture - I've never worked so hard in my life. But it's been fun and time-consuming so I'm happy.
As of now, I'm looking for work around here. I've lined up a two week gig with the Canadian Diabetes Association for $400, and have resumes everywhere. I'm also hoping to go back to school asap. I want to dosome business courses and finally take the steps to do what I've always wanted.
So that's my life in a nutshell. Thanks for listening guys.
For anyone I haven't explained things to yet, here's the short version. Banff turned out to be a really nice place - to visit. The guys I stayed with in the hostel were great and the girls I met and went to Sulfur Mountain with were really nice, but I realized all too soon that the majority of people I met there I'd never see again after a few days. I thought I knew what a tourist town was like - turns out I had no idea. 7000 permanent residents and 4 million tourists every year. That is whacked. I spent some time touring the town myself, which only took a few hours. I saw pretty much everything I wanted to - though I am bummed about missing out on the hot springs.
After a few days the excitement started to wear off and I began to realize that Banff was not the kind of place I wanted to live. But I thought I'd hang in there and at least give the job a try since I was so stoked about it. I started having seriously sketchy panic attacks (for those of you who knew me back in grade 7, you can compare it to that). I wasn't able to eat anything, had trouble breathing and ended up spending quite a lot of time sleeping in the hostel with the hot Australian guys coming in to check on me every now and then. I was a wreck.
Finally orientation morning came and I got to go to the hotel which was insanely beautiful and everything I expected it to be. That is, until I actually went through the staff sections of the building. The staff occupies the bottom floor of the hotel which is of course expected. There's a seperate elevator for staff which apparently only works half the time. There is also a special staff entrace at the back of the building where the garbage truck stops to pick up it's trash. What really got to me is the way I felt like the staff were practically being told that they are on a lower level than the guests. If a staff member even walks into the front door of the hotel, they risk getting fired on the spot. There were so many restrictions in place that I felt suffocated.
Those of you who know me well know that I make big decisions pretty fast based on my instinct and I stick with them. I decided immediately after orientation that I wasn't staying. I knew I'd hate working there and to me money isn't everything. I'm the first one to admit that I was homesick - thinking about the kids more than anything and not wanting to miss out on their lives even for six months. I'm not the kind of person who can suck up to rich people who are trying to decide which $200 mud to put on their feet and I'm not the kind of person who can work in a miserable job just for the money.
So I explained to everyone my situation and they were all very accepting. Nicola was phenomenal - she understood my reasons exactly and we talked over dinner. I made arrangements to stay in the staff accomodations for a few days until I could get a plane ticket back home. The girls I was supposed to stay with were nice enough, but annoying as hell. How did I expect to be able to stay in a room with two other people? Hell I can barely stay with one. Fortunately I was able to get a plane out that night. Left the hotel at 8 and took a shuttle into Calgary.
We stopped in Canmore to pick up another guy, Mike, who talked nonstop until we got to the airport at 10. We both had a few hours to kill before our flights left so we got some coffee, walked around, and talked about everything under the sun. He was a lot of fun. I wonder how he's doing.
Once I got home I had to face the family, which was far harder than leaving in the first place. I owed them a lot of money and felt a lot of disappointment from them. The most I can say without involving you all in my family life is that it was really rough. Thankfully Jenn and Nick got me through the initial crisis, and the money issues are out of the way.
I've been keeping myself busy redecorating mine and my parents' bedrooms. Painting, laying flooring, moving furniture - I've never worked so hard in my life. But it's been fun and time-consuming so I'm happy.
As of now, I'm looking for work around here. I've lined up a two week gig with the Canadian Diabetes Association for $400, and have resumes everywhere. I'm also hoping to go back to school asap. I want to dosome business courses and finally take the steps to do what I've always wanted.
So that's my life in a nutshell. Thanks for listening guys.