US Diaries: Florida Part 2

This was our second time this year in Viera, Florida, but this time it was Fall and not Spring. The difference is very little because it's always pretty warm and sunny in Florida, but this time it was a bit colder than last time for sure. We were lucky to be there because the rest of the country was pretty much buried in snow.

So after tear-down in Brunswick, we slept for six hours, then got up and drove to Viera. The bus broke down along the way, so instead of four hours, we drove about five. We were behind the bus, so it caused a delay, but not as much of a delay as for the people that were in the bus - they only got to Viera at eleven-o-clock that night, instead of five. So that sucked. The rest of the people had to pull wire (electricity) that evening for the bunkhouses.

We had to work on Monday - unfortunately - and Monday night we did laundry.

Monday's rainbow

Tuesday was our off day and there was an opportunity for us to go to Universal Studios - whoever wanted to go. It was kind of expensive to go - that's true - but i would do it all over again! It consists of two parks - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. You can buy a ticket to enter either one or both of the parks for the day. For one park it's $102 (incl. tax) and for both parks it's $144 (incl. tax) - so it's better to buy a ticket for both.

The parks close at seven at night, so because of the limited time we had to prioritise what to do. That really sucked - it would've been awesome to do everything in one day. If the waiting times were too long for some rides, then we would skip it or come back later depending on how bad we wanted to ride/see it. So the rides that we went on was The Mummy ride, the Harry Potter rides (there's five), Jurassic Park - altogether seven rides for the day. And then of course we got to see some amazing things like Diagon Alley, Marvel Superheroes, Suess Landing (Dr. Suess themed stuff), Transformers and more.

This day was beyond cool for me and I'm so glad that i could go!

The next day it was back to work and it was so for the next week basically. It was a fairly busy spot especially at the start and i also had a lot of work in the office to do since it was the last spot. On Monday we were closed due to rain, so we just stayed in and watched a movie.

On Thursday we visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. That was an amazing experience in itself too! The rockets and the shuttles are massive. It was just awe-inspiring to think that those things have been in space. And they had a shuttle launch simulator which was pretty intense! I wouldn't go to space - it's really big and scary! But it's amazing that humans are able to do it.

Our last day for the year was on Sunday. We opened at one, closed at ten-thirty and began tear down. The things in the office took forever to do the last night. People don't always believe me when it takes me the same time in the office as it does to tear down a ride, but admin is tedious at times and i had a lot of things to complete and get done before we go back to South Africa.

We finished around five, showered, got into bed around seven, slept three hours until ten and then had to be back at work for pay and i had some other things still outstanding to take care of. Around noon or one we decided to go to the mall one last time (it's more of a strip mall than an actual mall), but i didn't do any shopping. Then we got back to the lot, I went back to work and worked until about seven that night. We had a BBQ/Braai for one last time, then we went to pack and get everything ready for departure the next morning.

At four-thirty the next day we got up to pack up the bunkhouses and do the final packing. The bus arrived at six-thirty, we got on and were on our merry way to the airport in Atlanta. It was a seven-hour drive that went by so fast. Then at the airport we had to wait about six hours for our flight. We ate and shopped and ate and shopped and finally we boarded our plane.

It was an exhausting and long fifteen-hour flight. After watching three movies and taking one-hour on-and-off naps, we finally arrived in Johannesburg at six-thirty Wednesday night. We got our bags and were greeted by very eager, teary-eyed families. It felt surreal to be home. We were all so tired that you could hardly make sense of anything. My two aunties and uncles and my cousin came to greet me at the airport - it was a total surprise!

I still had to fly all the way to Cape Town and it was already past seven (after we got our bags and everything) so we went to check in and found that my flight had been delayed to nine-thirty instead of nine-o-clock. So we went to have coffee, then i said goodbye to my family, then i went to wait for my flight. It was delayed even more when i got to the gate - it was now boarding at nine-thirty instead of nine. So we only left Johannesburg ten o clock that night. I finally made it to Cape Town at midnight and by this time I was beyond exhausted.

My dad and my sister were waiting for me and it was so weird to see their faces - very unreal actually. My mom and brother were waiting up for me and it was good to be back home!

Now there's the struggle with jet lag - I really thought it won't be that bad, but it is really bad. That first night I couldn't fall asleep until four in the morning, then slept until about nine. I was tired again by two and took a nap until nine Thursday night. Then woke up and couldn't sleep until three Friday morning. Then at seven i woke up - wide awake - only went to bed midnight Friday. Then I was awake again Saturday morning at seven- thirty, but I was still tired, so I got up for about an hour-and-a-half and then went to back to sleep and slept until two-thirty the afternoon. This isn't just your usual laziness or tiredness; this is legitimate exhaustion - and confusion. Since we flew from West to East, the jet lag is worse. And if you travel forward in time for more than three hours, it takes longer for your body clock to readjust. It can take several days actually.

But besides my issues with sleep, it feels really good to be back home!!

US Diaries: Florida

It’s been two months and five days since I arrived in the United States for work. That is crazy. I have no idea where the time went. And to say that we only have six months and like a week left is totally surreal. I don't have a lot of free time on my hands to do blog updates and also not to do them very well, but it's at least something for now...

The first thing I can mention about Florida is that the weather sucks (in my opinion). It’s hot and humid and rains at random. And since we worked outside a lot, we got wet so often and it just wasn't my cup of tea. I know, I KNOW, I shouldn't complain about Florida because I'm actually lucky to be in America in the first place.

Our first spot was Miami. I didn't get to see a lot of Miami 'cause we worked long hours, but the overall vibe was pretty cool and the actual carnival was amazing - the biggest I've ever seen in my life. It apparently had a total of like 200 rides and I probably only went on fifteen or something. While we were in Miami, everyone went to South Beach on their off days; I didn't go because it felt like too much of a mission to get there (by bus) and the days we had off, I just wanted to sleep. In the beginning it was really hard for me to adjust to the long hours. One thing really awesome about Miami: the sunsets! They were almost always pink, purple and orange. It felt pretty great to be a part of a big event like that and looking back, I kind of miss it even though we worked our butts off.

Fireball

 Miami

 Miami Sunset

Another Miami Sunset

After Miami, we went north to a small town called Eustis. This town felt a bit more like we were actually in a different country in comparison with Miami. It's a very swampy area and reminded me of those reality shows on TV where the people catch fish and alligators and snakes in the swamps. It was exactly what I expected some parts of America to be like!

While we were in Eustis, I finally got to go to the beach. We left early one morning and took the hour-and-a-half long drive to Daytona Beach. It was a stunning beach. The sand was white and really clean, there were cute shops and a big wheel. And you could rent two chairs and an umbrella for the day. The water was also warm enough to swim unlike the Atlantic Ocean where I live.

Work-wise i learned a lot; it was the first spot where we did all the tickets and wristbands for the fair because in Miami one of the other units handled it. So it was really exciting to get to know my actual job! Overall i think Eustis was a good spot.

Sunset on our drive from Miami to Eustis

 Eustis Fair Grounds

Daytona Beach

Our third spot in Florida was Viera. I didn't like Viera at all. The only good thing about it was that we were able to go to Cocoa Beach which was only a thirty minute drive. Even though I prefer Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach was still a nice beach. The best part is the awesome clothing stores they have nearby where you can buy all kinds of beachwear and clothes and souvenirs. Although we later found out that this beach, which is in Brevard County, has one of the highest shark attack rates in the world and there was an actual shark attack during our two-week stay. In my opinion they should have the flag system we have in Fishhoek, South Africa to warn people if they spot sharks; quite strange actually that they don't have one.

The actual spot where the fair was held is right next to a Baseball stadium. So the rides are set up on a big open field. The area wasn't that bad - in actual fact it was a clean, sunny, rich area - but I think the overall vibe wasn't that great and by that time I was so over Florida.

We'll be back in Viera the end of the season - November - and I really hope that we'll be able to go to Disney World then.  

 Water Tower of Cocoa on the way to Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach

We’ve been working what feels like non-stop ever since we got here, but I think it only feels that way because we work such long hours. I think I’m at that point though where I’m slowly settling into this lifestyle. For a while I missed home and my comfort a lot, but I'm getting more and more used to this environment – which is a lot to get used to. And also I do occasionally speak with an American accent but only so my American co-workers understand what I'm saying and not because it's rubbing off on me, I swear.

I'm really glad I made the decision to come work here in America...I'm learning a lot about life and people and as always, myself. I also met someone really special on this exciting journey, which was the last thing I expected to happen, but when you look back at how events unfolded through the process of getting here, you realise it is all meant to be.

Our current spot is Antioch which is a fifteen minute drive from Nashville, Tennessee. But I'll have more on that in my next blog update. I'm also planning on doing a blog about how different America actually is to South Africa.

Until next time.

On My Way To the US of A

I live in South Africa and I've always wanted to travel and explore the world, but unless you have lots of money (which i don't), it's pretty much impossible these days. So the next best option is working overseas; that way you earn money while travelling. That's exactly what i decided to do and here's my experience in the pursuit of discovery:

About two or three years ago I heard an ad on the radio for jobs in America. I still remember I was driving home from work and at the next red light, I quickly saved the name of the company (Away2xplore) on my phone. I've wanted to work overseas for quite some time now and a few years ago I almost went Au Pairing overseas through OVC, but decided against it because I'm not really that fond of children. But I really wanted to go; and especially to America. So when I got home, I checked out the website for Away2xplore and I really liked what I saw; it looked legit (very important) and everything I wanted to know, was on there. I checked out the Seasonal Carnival Jobs section where, if you're a guy, you mostly work on the rides and if you're a girl, you either work at the game stands, food stands or ticket booth.

At the time I couldn't apply to go work overseas because, not only did I have a good stable job, I also had debt. Lots of debt. But I was very determined to go work overseas, so I made a plan to pay off my debt. It was hard at times because often things would come up that I didn't budget for and it would set me back a little, but slowly it shrunk and after about two years, I was basically debt free. I still had my car, but by now I was able to sell it at a small profit. So the end of June 2013, I was ready to quit my job and go work overseas.

I filled out the application on Away2xplore's website. It was maybe a little too early since they didn't start recruiting for 2014 yet, but I followed up in September to make sure they still had my application and they did! They told me to wait for a call. The end of September that phone call came through for an interview early October. I organised with my then-current job to leave early and went for the hour and a half interview. I had to answer a wide variety of intensive questions, which was actually quite fun. I also had to do a drug test (of course). Then I filled out a bunch of paperwork and left there feeling confident. I haven't done many interviews in my life, but I do have one tip: never be over-prepared; just be yourself and answer honestly.

So for the next month I waited patiently to be notified whether I've been accepted or not and by the end of October - either in my last week or on my last day of work - I was informed that my application had been approved! It was an amazing feeling; knowing that you are one step closer to achieving a (basically) life-long goal and the prospect of GOING OVERSEAS was beyond exciting. In order to secure my application as well as my visa appointment, I had to pay a part of the Visa fees as soon as possible. And of course I didn't want to let this opportunity slip through my fingers, so I did!

The next step was orientation and contract signing. I made my appointment the end of November and had to take my parents with to sign sureties that if something had to happen and I don't fulfil my contract, they pay the cost of the trip. Which is only fair since it costs Away2xplore R25000 per person they employ. At orientation I got my visa application form that I had to fill out - they do the application for you, but you provide the details and now I just had to wait for my visa interview date.

The work permits came through in the new year and I received my US consulate interview date - which was the 12th of February at 10:30am and I had to be there at 10am. This was an interesting process, since I've never done it before, and I was ridiculously nervous because I was scared that they won't give it to me for some odd reason. But it was completely different than I expected. I thought it would be a legit sit-down interview where you get asked a million questions and then at the end they tell you whether it's been approved or not.
The actual process is signing in with security as you enter, then you go outside (inside the consulate) where another security will point to a door that takes you inside the actual consulate. It actually looks exactly like a bank; there are five counters with glass separating you and the people who work behind them. You wait in line, then go up to one of the counters where they take your fingerprints on a scanner-thingy, then you sit down and wait to be called to another glass window for the interview. They don't tell you anything about the process though, so I kinda had to figure out for myself what was happening.
I probably waited about fifteen minutes before i was called to the interview window and it was one of the weirdest moments in my life. Firstly you talk to the person behind the glass over a phone. Secondly he has an American accent and although it's easy enough to understand, you kind of wonder if you heard him right. He asked me to scan my left index finger, and I was so nervous, that I second guessed which finger was my index finger! He probably thought I couldn't understand English (you'll see why in a bit) which would not help my case.
Anyway, so after the finger-scan, he asked me one or two questions about why I was going, where I was going to work and why I want to work there. He then asked if I had received my booklet about working in America (it basically covers your human rights) and if I understood it. This is what I'm talking about - either it's protocol for them to ask, or he wanted to check if Ii could read and understand English (probably the former), it felt like the latter though. Then he asked me to pay two windows down and bring him the receipt. There were two things to note here: firstly the cashier was literally at the next window (there was a sign above), which wasn't two windows down, right? So at this point I felt like he was definitely testing me. Secondly this meant that my visa was actually approved! But I was so confused with his two-windows-down instruction, that I kept looking at him (even though he wasn't looking at me anymore) to make sure I was at the right window. But after a few seconds of looking around like an idiot, I just decided this must be "two windows down". So I paid my fee and returned to him with the receipt. He signed it and gave me my forms. Then I had to go to the DHL counter and pay a courier fee to send my visa and passport to Away2xplore's head office in Johannesburg and I was done! The fact that I was going over with a recruitment agency, helped a lot with the approval. It felt so good but so weird at the same time because no one officially told me I had my Visa (I checked my papers a million times though) and no one congratulated me. So at the end of the day I realised that it wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it would be. But I was so relieved.

Now I only had to wait for the departure date! I got the call Tuesday the 18th of February to say that I'm leaving the 4th of March (in two weeks!) and all of a sudden reality sunk in. I kind of panicked because there's a lot that you have to organise before going overseas. Luckily I'm a list person, so I've been making lists since I went for orientation last year and I was ready to start packing.
First I got my medical kit, which consists of everything under the sun. My mom is a nurse, so she made me buy everything she could think of in case something went wrong. It cost a fortune (medicine is expensive!) but I'd rather be prepared. I also bought my toiletries.
And I also decided to pack up my room before I go because I have a lot of stuff that I don't want people to necessarily touch or take and also so it won't gather dust.
We're allowed to pack one big suitcase and then have your hand luggage that you take on the plane with you. I didn't have a proper suitcase, so I went and bought a massive 75cm one. Come to think of it, I really hope I won't look like a fool with my gigantic luggage, but I just have so many things to pack! And of course I want to bring stuff back as well. (Edit: the 75cm suitcase is too big! So i'm exchanging mine for a smaller one that can only take up to 20kgs!!). I'm planning on packing my suitcase the weekend before I leave. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it!
I also haven't slept very well lately. That's due to nerves and excitement as well as over thinking - I'm a huge over thinker (unfortunately). And there's just one thing I want before I leave South Africa: Col'Cacchio pizza!! My family and I will do my farewell the Sunday/Monday night before the Tuesday of my departure. Again, lump in my throat!

So my conclusion is that when working overseas, you are able to save a lot of money because you have minimal expenses (unlike where you live because of rent, car, groceries, petrol, etc), but also you will have to give out a bit of money in order to go and save money. Away2xplore offers Travel Insurance which is like a Medical Aid but it also covers your travelling (loss of passport etc). It doesn't cost that much (R1900, R2000 or R2400 respectively for the three options) and you will be covered outside of work hours if anything had to happen. (During work hours, your employee pays for medical emergencies). They also offer and additional ticket option where you pay a small amount (R1980) before you go and if there is a death in your immediate family, you get a return ticket and you get one week unpaid leave to attend the funeral and grieve. So besides those two options, you only have your visa fees to pay which is around R3000 because of the exchange rate.
My medical kit was about R700 because, as I said earlier, I bought everything under the sun. Toiletries were R400 because I'm a girl and we use a lot of stuff. My huge suitcase was R850 at Game (which is actually cheap in comparison to other places - Edit: the smaller suitcase is about R1100). Then you also need to buy some pants and shoes for work (if you don't have), which cost me about R500 (I buy cheap - Mr Price and Pnp Clothing). You also need a battery operated alarm clock and a padlock for your trailer (which you can buy overseas if you want). Your accommodation is included, you only pay your taxes, food and entertainment.
So in the end you do need to put a bit of money on the table, but at least you don't pay for your return ticket and you will make more than enough money to bring back home. So it's so worth it in the end.

I'm looking forward to an experience of a lifetime and did I ever mention I absolutely LOVE carnivals? As a child we used to go to the carnival every year in my hometown and those were the best days of my life! I think I can definitely say that I've come full circle.
Apparently we're starting is Miami, Florida and so that's probably where I'll fly to. I have two thoughts on that; firstly, Dexter!! And secondly, I can't believe I'm going to Miami! It just feels absolutely unreal at this moment.