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!

2013...a year of new beginnings...

By Andre Smith

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and got to spend time with their families. As I mentioned before, I was to spend the day with my American “family”; something I look forward to every year. The weather was superb! We started the morning with spicy bloody mary’s, a tradition and time to catch up. We then moved on to a delicious brunch overlooking the St. Lucie river and spent the afternoon touring the waterways on a boat. It was true bliss.

So the New Year has come and I can’t believe that we are already midway through February. We had a huge bash as work for New Years Eve, which was awesome as I got to spend it with my friends whom are mostly the people I work with.

I was fortunate to have New Years day off. It was time to celebrate the New Year with friends at one of my favorite bars called Gaunabannas. This place is pretty cool as it’s all outdoors and built under palm trees on the intercostal waterway. A great place to have cocktails and watch the sunset.

I also started the search this month for my own apartment. I kind of feel like I’m in an episode of House Hunters International. It’s a lot of fun apartment shopping and I’ve now narrowed it down to a shortlist of two, but have to wait until April before I can apply and hopefully get accepted. It’s quite a process here in the US to get an apartment, as there is such a shortage after the housing market crashed in 2008.  I just hope that I can get the apartment I want.

Work has been super busy since NY with events such as Superbowl, Valentines Dinner/Dance, golf days and just regular dinner. I’m so looking forward to the summer and some time to go and do some exploring.

I still sometimes think about how amazing this program has been and the opportunities that have afford to me because of it. If I hadn't taken that first step back in 2002, I would be now living and working in the USA!

1 Month in and the Festive Season rolls on...

By Andre Smith

Since my last blog, I have made the long haul trip to my new home in Delray Beach, Florida at Addison Reserve.

The day came to finally depart for the US. I couldn’t contain the excitement at the new beginning of my life in the US. The flight is a killer. This is the ninth time I have flown to the US and I dread the flight from OR Tambo to JFK… 17 hours long. Thank goodness I was able to get a comfy exit row seat with the extra legroom. This allowed me to sprawl out and get many hours of sleep.

 

 

I eventually arrived the next afternoon in sunny, warm and humid Florida. This weather takes a long time to adjust to. I’m finally starting to feel comfortable, but mostly thanks to air-conditioning.

 

 

It was great to get back to work and see familiar faces. Took a few days to settle back in, but now we’re well into the season and the Christmas holidays are upon us. Work has been very busy in general with thanksgiving the opening season party, all the golf events, bat mitzvahs and now the Christmas holidays.

Some other good news is that I bought my own car and now I have wheels to get around. It makes life a lot easier in Florida as everything is spread out.  I haven’t had a chance yet to get down to South Beach, but that will definitely happen in January once we’ve got through the craziness of the holidays.

 

Next step will be apartment hunting as I start to build a life here in the US. Details to follow…

I also got to experience a great American Tradition, Sunday Football. I chaperoned a group of members to my first football game at the Miami Dolphins Stadium. I was a good experience, but the game is difficult to follow, but I’m getting the hang of it. It definitely does not compare to Rugby, which I much prefer.

 

 

Our Xmas tree is up in our apartment and is starting to fill up with pressies. It’s tough to be away from home for the holidays, but when you’re with a group of people who are in the same boat, we all come together to celebrate. I’m looking forward to spending time with my adopted American Family and Xmas day with my housemates and the rest of the South Africans.

 

 

Back to work now… busy, busy, busy. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!