The Rollercoaster Ride

By Tanita dos Anjos

Today marks a month since I arrived in the sunshine state, Florida! Wow! What a month it has been! I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster ride filled with both highs and lows! After saying goodbye to loved ones, flying for almost 24 hours, going through passport control and collecting my bags I could finally say that my feet were on Florida soil and what a great feeling that was!

All the Workaway candidates grouped together and we all hopped onto a bus and after leaving the airport, majority of us were already in awe! We all knew we were very far from home and I don’t know if that scared me or excited me more.

We stopped to get some supplies to last us for the first few days of being here before we were dropped off at our different accommodations. Once we had met our housemates and unpacked our things, the settling-in began.

So many questions about so many different things were asked that night but the question that popped up most was; “What do you think working at Boca West Country Club will be like?”. I may not have been here the longest time but what I can honestly say so far is that it has been amazing! The people here are always so kind and helpful, I know this because I got lost about 7 times and each time there was somebody kind enough to show me where I went wrong and send me in the right direction. I also often had lots of questions about how to do things or where to find certain things and every single person I asked, smiled and helped me.

I think it’s safe for me to say I’m finally settled in and getting into a routine of how things work over here. However, it hasn’t been easy. I’ve been homesick, and I’ve doubted if I could really do this, but with the support I have back home and the support I’ve gained here from some pretty incredible people I’ve met I know this journey is going to continue to be a rollercoaster ride! One filled with many ups and many downs, but this ride only comes to an end in April 2019 so for now I’m going to buckle up, throw my hands in the air and simply enjoy the ride!

‘Tis the Season…

By Sonia Marques

The Winter Season at Addison Reserve Country Club is typically always busy, with plenty to do for both the members and the staff.

However, during the Holiday Season the club is even more busy as most of the families of members come down to Florida from up north. The holidays mean hard work and long hours for us and therefore it is important to keep a few things in mind during this time; such as getting enough rest, keeping healthy and enjoying your off days.

Country Clubs and the work environment are not the only places that are festive during the holiday season. America knows how to celebrate and if you want to witness this first-hand, you should go downtown and see the Christmas decorations and lights.

For most, the holidays mean spending time with family and friends. This may be a tough time to be away from home for most of us. However, being a couple months into the working season, we should have already made many friends, some that even feel like family. So, decorate your apartments, buy a Christmas tree and plan a lunch or a dinner with these friends. This will help you to enjoy the holidays and celebrate accordingly with your new friends that have become family, in your home away from home.

On the bright side, change is good and this might very well be a Christmas and New Years to never forget.

“The measure of who we are, is what we do with what we have” – Vince Lombardi

‘Till next time,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Workaway International - The Golden Ticket!

By Nasiphi Sobahle

FLORIDA IS A PARADISE!

By Nzuzo Mkhungo

Palm trees, hot wind in winter and beautiful scenery was what I walked out of the airport to see! Florida is a “heaven on earth” I tell you. The past few days I’ve been here have been amazing and quite the experience to my life in travel and career.

I have new roommates of which I came with from home on the same plane and same time, were more like family. We think of each other as family and share the greatest of plans and ideas as to our stay and so forth. The names are Kanyane and Neville respectively. We have done the most already: we went to the pool for the first time and it was a blast, then we went shopping for the first time at Publix. Oh my God! If for one second you think Shoprite is a very busy store than think again AMERICA is a GOD in variety of brands in absolute everything, the isles are so big, and everything is just extra. We made some friends at the shops who think our accent is cute and weird while we share the same sentiment of their accent.

First day at Admirals was great, the staff is so friendly, and it feels like a South African kitchen on steroids. We met with all sorts of people from all over the world (Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Americans). This week we’ve been a bit busy   preparing for Thanksgiving but work all in all has been amazing. When the place you work for fascinates you and the work you do does as well, life is honey!