Should I or should I not?

By Carmille Cole

These are the words that kept playing in my mind. Nevertheless, I took on a new challenge and this is where I am today. My name is Carmille, I am 34 years old and this is my story.

In August 2016 I accepted a job to work in Dubai. I was very stable and quite set in my career. However, I was still thinking; “Should I or should I not?". I went on vacation that month, after returning home, I did research and decided to pursue a different career path with Workaway International.  In October 2016, I found myself at Fountains Country Club. It has been such an amazing journey so far!

I boarded the plane and happened to sit next to Workaway participants. Little did I know that one of them will eventually be my roommate.

We arrived in New York and decided to hop on the sub-way. We didn’t even know each other yet, but we had a blast! The autumn weather was perfect – the leaves were perfect shades of yellow and orange. I still couldn’t believe that I was in New York City!

My first day definitely set the tone for the rest of my stay. Since then, I have enjoyed working and spending time exploring with the rest of the group. I worked a Halloween Party for the first time - with face painting and all. The events are on another level here, it is always very interesting and exciting and I always look forward to the next one.  Guests were fascinated and intrigued by our beautiful South African accents. While the work was hard, I definitely had much more fun.  

This experience has given me the opportunity to travel. Places like Miami and Cuba have always been on my bucket list and I am happy to say that it has been ticked off. Cuba was mind-blowing. The warm welcoming locals, their culture and cuisine is amongst the best I have ever come across in my time traveling. It didn’t hurt that Cuba is also the birthplace of Mojitos and Cigars.

I am happy to say the end of my time in the USA brought along something better - I have landed the position of head recruiter for the Workaway International office in Cape Town. With this, another adventure awaits. I get to meet new people from all walks of life and this is one of the biggest reasons why I enjoy hospitality so much.

With that said, I am looking forward to meeting you and sending eager, passionate people to the USA. Remember that you should be willing to go the extra mile and work hard while having fun! This opportunity is not just mind blowing but an experience of a lifetime.