My Travels!

By Nivedna Sewchurran

Being on the Workaway program brings great opportunities for work experience, as well as travel. Since this is my 8th season with Workaway, I have had the chance to not only meet great people, but also got the opportunity to travel in and around the U.S.A.

From Las Vegas, Nevada, to the crystal clear waters of Key West, dozens of waterfalls in North Carolina, and let’s not forget the thrill of The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia. There is so much to see, so much to do, these are just some things that I got up to.

So not only do you have the opportunity to work abroad, but also have fun while doing so. Being in the states, makes travel a little easier, so after a day of hard work at the country clubs you could always head to the beach to unwind, or travel down to Miami which is home to, South Beach, a beach like no other of course.

But also let’s not forget the theme parks, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Disney, and SeaWorld. All of which makes you feel like a kid again.

It’s like a little reward after months of hard work at the country clubs, you get to indulge in a little VAY-K. All that hard work why not take a little time for yourself.

Jupiter Hills.....My Favourite!

By Nivedna Sewchurran

Workaway has been there for me from day one, and continues to be there today. When I was scared, to enter a new country by myself not knowing what to expect on the other side Workaway was there.

Going to my first club which was St Andrews was amazing, it was huge with 4 golf courses and over 2 thousand members. After my season was done there, I moved on to a much smaller club , being Boca Pointe, with just 1 golf course and membership being much older than my previous club. Over the seasons I moved around in search of my perfect club, and ended up at, I think might be the highest shoreline point in Florida, being Jupiter Hills Golf Club.

Jupiter Hills is like no other club I know. The membership is amazing. They are very curious of my background, family, desires, and truly concerned about me. The management team is more like family than bosses. They enjoy people with personality and encourage us to use it with the membership. Our food and beverage manager Andrew Zaino is not only the best at what he does, he is the most caring person you will ever meet. Our GM Atilla Kardas has a welcoming personality and allows us to do our jobs without micro - management. The culture established at the club is stellar and gives us a comfortable level not found in most clubs. So although I am so far away from my family and friends, Jupiter Hills is my home away from home!!   ~ Johnson~

And we're out of the starting blocks...

By Renee Van Der Watt

After four years in the USA I had mixed emotions about coming home, how things would have changed and where I would fit in but the last 6 months have been the start to the most exciting chapter in my life.

Not only am I planning my perfect South African wedding but also I am happy to be 'home' with my Workaway family as we start the new recruitment season.

And boy did we kick it off in style at Cape Town's first big presentation of 2013. We had a record number of keen applicants. The queues were long but the attitude was positive and the excitement is building. It's going to be a good season so if you haven't attended a presentation, our next is on June 8th. :)

Seeing all the new and smiling faces makes me think back to my first presentation 4 years ago. All the questions I had and nerves about whether or not I was good enough to grab that opportunity. Well, I worked hard and now I have memories that will last a lifetime. Never in a million years did I think I would see NYC, San Francisco, Washington DC and swim with dolphins in Key West, just to name a few.

Now that I'm back I'm off to explore the splendor that is South Africa. Where is my first stop you ask? Well wine tasting naturally! Vrede en Lust has amazing wines for every palette and the best part... it is free for couples. So why not take a loved one out to the amazing Franschoek wine valley.

LETS GET IT STARTED!

See all the newbies at first interviews...

The end of the season...

By Andre Smith

The 1^st of May brings a new start for me as I finally found a great apartment and will make the move from my very comfortable Workaway apartment into my own space. The apartment is in a great location, so getting very excited in building my new home here in the US.

At work we’ve started the slowdown with the seasonal members starting to make their way to their summer homes up north. We’ve still been busy though with events which included the End of Season party for the members. The theme was Wizard of Oz.

We transformed the entire clubhouse with décor and characters that took our members on a magical trip. I’ve attached some pics, which includes the look for the Main Dinning Room, which was setup as the Emerald City. Some of the staff dressed up in character to add to the ambiance of the evening.

It took a lot of work to get the setup done and breakdown went on into the wee hours of the next morning. The staff was exhausted, but in good spirits the next day knowing we pulled off such an awesome event.

This coming weekend we are hosting The Sport Legends dinner, which is a fundraiser event for charity. Everyone looks forward to working this, as there will be many big players and celebrities from the sports and broadcasting world in attendance. I will post some pics in my next blog.

As the season winds down for the members, it also winds down for the staff. In the next couple of weeks all the Workaway participants will make their way home or off to a new adventure at a country club up north. It’s going to be sad to say goodbye to everyone that I’ve come so close to the past season, but know that some will be back again in just a few months.

It would’ve been about this time for me to return to South Africa too to resume the recruitment season and get to meet and recruit all the new applicants for the upcoming season. I know the season will go well and I look forward in meeting all the new participants to join us.

The Beginning!

By Jasper Burger

So here we are again. Making preparations for the upcoming recruiting season and the beginning of an exciting new season is upon us. The start of this season requires heavy strategic planning on our part to get all you Hospitality people and Golf fanatics out there to attend our upcoming presentations. That being said there are very exciting times ahead as participants are returning home to family and friends and some are continuing their stay up north for summer in the US.

After eight successful seasons in the US I enjoyed home this past season catching up with family and friends doing the normal South African things. Watching rugby, having a braai with the boys, watching a little more rugby and just enjoying the South African way of life. I am excited about getting the recruiting season started again as well as meeting cool, new and curious applicants.  It is always a blast getting to know applicants better as the time goes on with the recruitment process. 

My first presentation that I have had at the Capital Hotel School in Pretoria already generated a lot of interest. So for all you keen future applicants out there I am looking forward to meeting all of you and am very psyched about starting our journey together.

And the countdown begins...

By Andre Smith

So since my last blog, I’ve been completely absorbed in work as it’s been one of our busiest times of the season. However, the season is starting to wind down and we’re just a few weeks away from Easter, the end of the winter season in Florida.

This weekend has been super busy with an even more grueling week ahead. Tomorrow is one of the biggest events that almost every Florida club hosts… that is Passover. We’re expecting about 450 people to come for dinner, but some of the bigger country clubs like Boca West, Polo and Woodfield will serve between 1200 to 1500 people for dinner. Whew! That is a lot!

 

 

The setup is huge and the service is fast. So looking forward to a busy day.

Something I am looking forward to is our end of season event for the members. The theme is Wizard of Oz. There are some very funny crazy ideas going around as we brainstorm and plan this extravaganza. There will be some pics to follow…

The weather is starting to heat up. The past few days, well since the start of spring have been very hot and humid. Our average nighttime temp is about 24°C and day time around 32°C with high humidity. It definitely takes some getting used to. I’ve got a feeling that the summer is going to be brutal.

 

 

Also, going on at the moment is the search for my own apartment. I’ve been on the lookout and have narrowed the search down to two finalists. The downside is that both communities are full and there is no availability at this time. As I mentioned in a previous blog, it is very hard to find a great apartment, since the economic collapse of 2008 more people have opted to rent than purchase a new home, therefore the demand exceeds the supply. I am hoping to hear some good news at the beginning of April whether I’m in, so hold thumbs.

 
So the next few weeks will see the season start to wind down and everyone is getting ready to start their new adventure… going up north for the summer, going back to South Africa or starting a life in a new country. I look forward to sharing the next part of my adventure and hope that if you are reading this and wondering whether you should take the leap and apply to come work in the US for six months… I would highly recommend it as I never guessed that I would be doing what I m doing now and living in the USA and Florida of all places. Who knows were this opportunity will take you…

Well over due!!!

By Kenan Manthe

So on the 17th of October 2012 I left South Africa coming to America expecting to experience some new things in life!!! Well I got a lot more than what I bargained for! Firstly sitting on my quite eventful flight from Johannesburg international to JFK international I had a nice comfy isle seat and next to me was a very informative lady from South Africa who had immigrated to America in 1994 she was quite helpful in giving me a few tips for my journey to the USA! The flight was quite long but meeting fellow Workaway people on the flight made it go by fast then once landing at JFK it was quite weird how all us Workaway people grouped up and we found our way through the monstrous airport to check in for our flights to FT Lauderdale! Upon arrival at FT Lauderdale we met people from Workaway who ushered us on to a bus to take us to do our first lot of shopping and to our apartments where we met our housing managers Annie Snell and Angela Herrington the 2 ladies who will go out their way to help anyone! The following day was orientation at Boca West where we got to meet all our colleagues and our managers and our GM Mr D "aka Pappa D"! And so our season was under way first few weeks was training for all departments! In the catering department during our training we had functions to serve and attend to where we had to rely on everything we had learnt the days before but mainly one another and this then created the unbreakable bound of the famous Boca West banquet crew! We are the smallest department at Boca West but there is no set up or serving or even a brake down too big for us! We have done banquets for all sorts of events from community meetings, weddings to cancer awareness groups and from 12 people to 700 people in one single seating!

 

 

 

It wasn't long before most of us who are on our first season had to experience Christmas away from our families and friends and especially from HOME! But we all made the best of it and pulled each other through it and in turn we all had quite a good Christmas and New Years some experiencing it at their apartments while most did the whole Miami South Beach excursion for New Years! LIFE IN AMERICA is good! Experiencing life on a different side seeing how easily everything works!

 

 

Boca West has taught me several things and opened my eyes as to how broad the hospitality industry is and I have a background in the hospitality industry and here I felt like an utter new bee with lots of place to grow and learn new things! 

Charlotte and team make it very clear in presentations that this is not a working holiday! Which is so true but if you work hard you can play hard like South Beach or Key West are not TOOOOO far they still far but worth a day visit or longer if you have the off days! And these ladies on this program love Sawgrass every time you see someone and ask them what they doing their off day most common answers are either Delray Beach or Sawgrass mall hahaha LIFE'S EASY if hard work is put in!

 

 

As our winter season slowly draws to an end many of the Workaway participants are either planning their trips up north for the summer season or the ones that are returning home to SA are savouring every moment here in sunny Florida and loving life!