My New Job: The Flower Girl

This week I began a new job at the Royal Beach.

Flower Selfie!

But before I continue, a little backstory: I had been working for a week in the VIP lounge at the hotel until the doctor told me I had a stress fracture in my right foot. I rested for a week and then hooray - my program coordinator found me a new job that is less demanding for the legs. I am back to work! Though it's a different kind of work...

I now work in the flower studio at the Royal Beach. We are a back-of-house team, which means we have zero interactions with the guests. There are only two or three of us working at a time so I have already gotten to know my two wonderful trainers quite well.

Gale made Aliyah more than 30 years ago from England and Ruti is a native Israeli. They are both very warm and maternal, constantly reminding me I should be sitting more. They are wonderful teachers in the art of floral design.

I love my new job! This is what I see every day:

A panoramic view of the work counter inside the flower studio.

Yesterday was only my second day and already they let me make arrangements from roses!

Before... (that green sponge is about to disappear!)

After!

Here's another one I did! Made from the same kind of roses lying on the counter.

Making the arrangements is quite therapeutic. It almost is like putting together a puzzle, only the puzzle has about six different dimensions - appearance, smell, cleanliness, size, feel, age (probably I am leaving something out...).

It is also nice to be learning something new, outside of the hospitality umbrella. And though the change is refreshing, I do miss service. To me there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the smile on a guest's face after you have made him or her feel cared-for. 

Eventually after my foot heals I think I will probably return to service, but for now I am so happy to be the newest flower girl at the Royal Beach! Who knows, maybe this'll even add a line to my resume... My flower mentors say that if you have the skills to work with flowers you can get a job anywhere in the world.

Ruti making a beautiful arrangement for [I think?] the lobby. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Gale... yet! ;) 

I am amazed by all of the arrangements we make for the hotel. I don't think I have ever stayed in a hotel with such nice vegetation. Where do all of these bouquets and vases go? Every single room in the hotel gets at least one arrangement, some get three, some get more.

Another nice thing about my new job is that I don't have to wear a uniform - though I'm not sure if it actually is nice because it takes me longer to get ready when I have to decide what to wear ;) And not to mention more laundry for me :'(

I am excited to see what is to come in this new job and hope every day brings something new and beautiful.

I Work at the Royal Beach Hotel

Two days so far I have spent working in the hotel industry in Eilat. For those of you who do not know, Eilat is Israel's resort town. The beach is lined with hotel after hotel and the almost-year-round beach weather brings in many tourists from all over Israel, Russia, France and many other countries. 

The program I am on has a partnership with the Isrotel hotel chain where the participants of my program work in the hotels. The hotel where I am working is the Royal Beach. Many Eilat-ians have told me that the Royal Beach is the most luxurious of Isrotel's nine hotels in Eilat. I work in the VIP lounge, or in Hebrew: the טרקלין (tarkleen). 

Only guests who are staying in special suites or who have paid an extra fee have access to the tarkleen. The tarkleen is open from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. There is an all-you-can-eat buffet that is changed four times throughout the day. In keeping with with the laws of kashrut the buffet is pescetarian (there are milk and fish but no other meats). 

In my two days of work most of the guests who have come into the tarkleen have been either Israeli or French, with a small sprinkling of Russians, British people and one man from Switzerland who had nearly accent-less English. Usually the guests approach me with their queries in Hebrew and 90% of the time I have no idea what they're saying. Nearly everyone is able to speak English though. The guests have been very patient with me when I try to practice my Hebrew on them. A lot of the Israeli guests tell me there are too many problems in Israel and don't understand why I came here.

In terms of the work I am not exactly a waitress. I do not take any orders since the tarkleen employs a self-serve buffet. Most of the time I am either bussing tables, polishing silverware or chinaware, or restocking miscellaneous items. Because of my prior experience in the food service biz, it was very easy for me to jump right in. The concept of hospitality here is almost the same, but the company culture is quite different. In order not to violate either company's confidentiality, all I will say is that to me it seems the work culture in Israel is a bit more laid back. I haven't decided yet whether I like it or not. At times it can be a smidgeon bit frustrating. 

The tarkleen usually has three of us "waitresses" working the room at one time, and an additional person is stationed at a desk at the entry to assist VIP guests with checking into the hotel and to ensure guests are properly clothed prior to entering the room. This additional person is called the "secretary." Maybe if I can get my Hebrew up to a higher par I can earn this role before my time in the program expires!

Working alongside me, my trainer Dana coincidentally is also a vegan. When I discovered this it was such a feeling of relief. FINALLY - another person who gets it! I am not alone anymore :) She tells me which foods in the work cafeteria are vegan and helps me with my Hebrew.

My vegan buddy Dana with one of the chefs!

It has been great to finally begin working and I am beginning to actually feel immersed in Israeli life. Maybe soon I will be able to help every guest only in Hebrew!