The Great Adventure

By Amy Bruigom

I was on the Workaway programme in 2014 and am now getting geared up for my second season in the sunny state of Florida.

Having this opportunity to travel and work in America for the second time around is one of the greatest adventures one could ask for. Getting the opportunity to meet loads of great people from all over the world, all with diversity in culture, race and religion and being a part of what is better known as the American Dream.

My first season I went on the programme as a hostess and I am now granted the opportunity to go over as a server, allowing me to experience two different fields within the country club sector and also helping me gain that international experience I wanted and needed from the beginning, to better myself in the Hospitality Industry. 

Now that I am in the final stage of my visa application, approvals and booking of flights, I find myself getting more and more excited. Purely for the fact that I know my next chapter in life is going to be filled with the excitement of hard work, new beginnings and great adventure.

For all those who are still to go over, brace yourselves for the greatest adventure yet and remember to make the most of every opportunity given to you.

Xoxo

THANKSGIVING (in every sense)

By Nasiphi Sobahle

As we all know that "Thanksgiving " is amongst the well/ most celebrated public holidays in the United States of America, where families gather, cook up a storm & enjoy quality time with friends & Family. The purpose of this holiday goes beyond the family gatherings and Turkey,  research shows that the nature & scope of the holiday is quite broad & extensive.

I believe for us at Hunters Run, Thanksgiving is the Kickstart to our winter season, the majority of our club members have family up North, mainly in New York & New Jersey and due to the current season (Winter) , we cater for this large group that travel to Florida over the Thanksgiving weekend and the bonus for them is of course the lovely & warm weather of the Sunshine State.

Now, Thanksgiving at Hunters Run is celebrated in every sense, and after a week of hype and buzz around the public holiday, The club was very busy and we managed to provide not just good member service but EXCELLENT MEMBER SATISFACTION overall leaving the members and their families with long lasting Thanksgiving memories.

 On November 30, a week after the craziness of Thanksgiving,  Hunters Run organized a year end employee party for us and in more ways than one, this party is known to be one of showing gratitude, appreciation and acknowledgement to the staff of the club from all departments and the one thing that really stands out for me is the fact that we always have a member volunteering his time to serve us in return of saying "Thank You" and we could have never asked for a lovely Bartender like Mr. Jack Eickelcheck (Member at Hunters Run) , Such a beautiful and kind gesture. .. hence "Thanksgiving in every sense."

Happy holidays my Dear South Africans, Irish and Romanian peeps.

The visa appointment

By Megan Nevett

My name is Megan Nevett and I’m 22 years old. I just completed my studies in Travel and Tourism Management. I realized that travelling is my passion, so when I got accepted to work at Palm Beach Country Club, I was over the moon with excitement!

It feels like a life time to wait, as it is still months before I leave, until suddenly I wake up one day and I have less than a month before I go!

“VISA” I thought to myself. That is the next big thing I need to get done which really isn't as scary as people make it out to be. To be honest, you spend more time going through security than anything else. What people should however tell you is to relax and not to worry yourself into a panic… Oh, and make sure your Uber cab driver knows where he is going! I have learnt this the hard way!

  

I met with a Workaway team member at the Red Café before heading to my appointment at the consulate."Your visa will be ready for collection in five to seven working days." Three questions and a one minute interview later and that was one of the most expensive and important interviews I have ever been to. 

The good news however was that it's all over! Now there's nothing more to do other than pack my bags and make sure I make the most of my time left in stunning South Africa and prepare for the ride of a life time!

PS. The consulate really doesn't give change!

ARE WE THERE YET?

By Nasiphi Sobahle

“ARE WE THERE YET?”A question we have all been asking ourselves on a regular basis, from our respective home countries until reaching the United States of America. For most, today (Nov 23 2015), marks one month of our stay in the USA… but the question still remains… “ARE WE THERE YET?”

This is somehow a lingering question to most because we simply do not know what the season has in store for us, I am more than certain that returners keep telling you how crazy it becomes once season hits. That you even forget the simplest things like days of the week because we invest so many hours at work more than we are in our luxurious apartments, but I do believe that we all have a vague idea of what to expect.

With one of the most popular and well celebrated holidays in America approaching, Thanksgiving is certainly the one public holiday that really kick starts the winter season in most Golf Country Clubs in Florida.

Training at our club went very well and I am more than confident that Workaway has provided our Club (Hunters Run) with the BEST group that is as “Dedicated to excellence” as our slogan at Hunters Run states.

You know the saying “First Impressions Last longer”?

I have witnessed it so many times since being at Hunters Run. From members sending out gratitude emails to HR & our food & Beverage Director about the exceptional service they have received from the internationals to the members politely giving a simple response of having had a good dining experience once again. I have to say that this is because we have had the best Training Manager, Mr. Steve Krall.

With all the above being said, I would like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Especially our new internationals J

Yours in Hospitality

Hunters Run, My New Home & Family

By Alicia Vosloo

From packing, to goodbye tears, checking in, exchanging rands into dollars, boarding, and not to long after that, being on a flight leaving South Africa. From that moment on it was all excitement running through my body.

On the plane, me and about 30 other Workaway participants from different country clubs were having dinner and getting ready for the long flight ahead, with lots of entertainment and hospitality that was out of this world, such as very friendly and helpful staff. From dining, to movies and getting some sleep, the people of South African Airways helped us to remain calm and continued to help us throughout the flight.

Several hours went by before the pilot announced that we would be landing in about two hours at John F. Kennedy International airport New York City, one of the biggest airports in the world. The most unforgettable moment was to land in New York City. We went through security to get our bags, checked in, and went to terminal seven where Jet Blue, our next flight to Fort Lauderdale, was waiting for us.

On the plain and ready to take off, about two and a half hours went by before they announced that we will land shortly. Then, touch down! We landed in our new home town of Florida where we all went and waited for our bags. One of the Workaway representatives from Florida welcomed us warmly and split us in to our Country Club groups, in which we needed to go to our buses that took us to our new homes for the next six months.

The exciting part just began, the bus driver said he was going to stop at Walmart. This is a super market with all the things you could need to buy. We bought soda, bread, bagels, my new favourite ham pastrami and all sorts of goodies before paying.

Next stop, our new home at Ashley Lake Park, roughly fifteen minutes away from Hunters Run. What a beautiful tropical place to be and I can call it home.

They gave us time to settle in, recover from the jetlag and explore. Days went by and finally the day that I had been waiting for arrived, my first day at Hunters Run. I was a little bit nervous but very excited to finally meet the Hunters Run team. This included Mrs. Watkins (Chief Operating Officer) and all of the managers as well as the executive chef and other staff. We had breakfast and then the presentation began where everyone introduced themselves and you got to meet everyone personally. They really made everything so easy. Wells Fargo Bank met with us as well and briefly went through everything with us and explained how every thing works.

Hunters Run welcomed us at the Shining Star Awards where there were staff who had been working there for more than fifteen years and still they were so proud to work for Hunters Run and displayed dedication to excellence. The next few weeks we will be training to be the best servers and friends in order to do our jobs to perfection and be a part of the winning team.

The Country Club is beautiful and everyone is helpful and friendly. Everyone is so warm and it feels like we’ve already been here so long. The members are friendly and everyone makes it feel like home. I can’t wait to see what is still in store for me. I will learn from the best in order to be the best! I am so proud to be a part of the Hunters Run team and their dedication to excellence.

Bon Voyage

By Melissa Chauvet

With time drawing closer to an end I would like to thank Workaway International, and honoured for being the Durban Representative.  Many Candidates have already taken on their journey to the United States, I wish them well on this great opportunity and adventure.

New candidates, and returners including myself will be leaving in January. I look forward to seeing familiar faces as well as new ones making the new comers feel welcome and comfortable in their new surroundings.

For those first time flyers I hope the flight was a good one and the lay overs were not too bad. Many candidates have already been in Florida for about a month and I hope they’re loving the experience and making the most of it.  I can only speak from experience for the new comers you will adapt soon, as the American’s make you feel at home. Once you have your apartment and settled in with your house mates it eases the whole journey of knowing you doing this as a team.  For those who will feel the old homesick creeping up, its natural and with time it gets easier.  For the Girls!!! Treat yourselves to some retail therapy. That definitely helps for the blues.