One of the interesting things about housekeeping so far is that our team of cleaners has become really tight. This is not because we are all naturally the best of friends or similar in a lot of ways, it's simply because of the fact that the job is really tough. I think this could be one natural pathway of groups - when things get hard, the group bonds together in a really strong and special way. There's really no way I could get through the day without the help and encouragement of the other housekeepers. And I'm not saying this in a super cheesy cliched way - I'm talking about the times when we catch each other in tears after a guest has said something mean and stop to give them a hug, make them a coffee or sneak them some chocolate. We all know exactly what everyone else is going through every day and that is hard to find in anyone else.
The other housekeeping ladies (and a few guys) are aged anywhere from 24-40 and are Brazilian, Argentinian, Chilean, Indian, Fijian, Kiwi, Vietnamese, Japanese, Czech, Malaysian, German, French and English. We all give each other rides everywhere, share the food and loot that we find in the rooms, eat all meals together, help each other finish up our rooms at the end of the day, translate for each other and hang out together after work and on days off. It's the most I've felt truly part of a real team in a long time. The last time I've felt like this was in graduate school where we all planned lessons, studied, took classes and hung out together. . . all the time. That group of friend was hands down my most favorite thing about graduate school and I know that working with this cool group of housekeepers is going to be my favorite thing about housekeeping too.
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