It has been couple of weeks since I have posted any journals and it honestly feels like a million years have passed by. So much has happened so many things have changed and in the next couple of days a new year will enter and for the first time ever it will feel like a new era. On January 3rd everyone in my apartment will move out; all of the CP’s I’ve become good friends will go back home, and the CP gap will begin.
In the past week or so I have been crossed trained in taking orders in the Pizza Closet which is where we take room service calls from four different resorts: Saratoga Springs, Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarters, and Old Key West. I don’t think Ive ever disliked a job more in my life. It’s not difficult as long as you are able to manage the registrar and make conversations with guest, but the more I do it the more I realize that this type of work environment is not for me. I like hands on activities and being able to personally interact with guests. I like being able to socialize and move around. Working with pizza deliveries is awful because I have to pick up phone calls and stare at a screen for 8 hours. It is not for me. I cross trained in it because our location needed extra help but I am excited for the day when I don’t have to do it anymore. On a brighter note I have officially become a trainer which I was so excited to start doing!!
My first trainee was named Luz and she is a middle aged woman from Venezuela. She was so kind and willing to learn everything. The biggest problem I faced though, was having to teach everything to her in spanish. While she understands English, she has trouble communicating it back and she’s in constant fear that she’s going to say something wrong. I fear for her simply because I know that she has high motivation and she is capable of doing work but the fear is what is holding her back. This training shift was challenging because I had to really dig deep and translate everything I had been doing. Moving from a place where I was speaking spanish everyday, to constantly speaking english, it felt like I was losing a part of me. Training Luz reminded me where I come from and showed me that those abilities are still there even if I don’t use them everyday. As a spanish teacher she was able to correct me just as much as I taught her everything she needed to know. After having taken the leadership class, I find myself thinking about how I am applying the different forms of leadership and as I reflected on this interaction I was pleased to witness that even though leaders are supposed to guide the way, followers can do just as much teaching and it is important to open yourself up to learning. As I welcome this new position, I am eager to learn just as much as I am willing to teach.
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