First Friday of Work

My Australian visa allows me to hold a variety of jobs throughout Australia. The visa is strictly for people ages 30 and under who want to get experience in tourism, healthcare, and a couple other industries. Since I have a background in tourism, I wanted to explore this industry in another country to see how it compares as well as gain more expertise to bring back to the States. Plus, it's the best way to meet new people! Before I left for Australia, I decided I wanted to have multiple jobs versus working at one place for six months.

Last night, I worked for a company called Dalton Hospitality. I was a server for an event for the College of Surgeons at the University of Queensland. The college had just moved into their new space in Kangaroo Point and they were having this event as a ribbon cutting ceremony. The gig lasted 5 hours and led to some new (and exciting!) gigs in the future. (I'll tell you more once set in stone).

I was essentially hired as a server, so I had to make sure beverages and bellies were full...easy. The best parts of last night were talking with the guests and learning more Australian words. At one point in the night toward the end, I had captured the attention of an entire table and spoke with them a good while about America (they originally thought I was Canadian).

Here are a few word differences I learned: fairy floss is what they call cotton candy, "no dramas" is another way of saying "no worries," what we know as appetizers is what they call canapés, and most importantly, don't ask people if they want cream and sugar in their coffee (cream to them is kind of like our sour cream- same consistency and not good to drop into liquids!).

Overall, really fun and enjoyable time at work. It reminded me of when I used to work at the Scout Lounge at U.S. Cellular Field 5 summers ago. High-end event and clientele.

Yesterday afternoon, I volunteered for the McGrath Foundation with Eileen. McGrath is a breast cancer awareness foundation and I was excited to help out! The high tea event was held in Brisbane's CBD. I helped with the mystery prize portion of the event. Guests made $50 or $100 donations and in return received a sealed envelope. In the envelope was a number that correlated with prizes donated from local businesses and McGrath Foundation supporters. Giving back is such an important part of my life that I was happy to do so in another country!