It was my first day back and on my own with 10 rooms to clean from top to bottom and my muscles are SORE. Specifically my back from making beds, hauling laundry and vacuuming, my arms from cleaning showers and tubs, my hands from scrubbing, and my calves from bike riding/walking my bike up hills on the way home. I'm hobbling around crouched over like I'm 90 and I can't wait to go to bed. Next week we all have to go through "Manual Handling Training" where we get to learn how to manually handle things correctly, I guess. Here's hoping I'll be less sore after that.
But I'm not the only one feeling this way - today was a rough one for all of the housekeepers. This is because last night there was a flight cancellation and since the Hilton works with the airport that means we were sold out completely last night. Incidentally, since today is Saturday, we were also sold out for tonight (for a different group of people). You can see where I am going with this. . . In the span of a day, we had to clean all the rooms of both hotels with staff numbers for an average day of work (since the cancellation was unplanned, obviously). Not fun and slightly stressful. Even the supervisors were running around sweaty and red-faced.
After finishing my rooms (I still only get a small amount since I'm new), I was assigned to help a very witty Brit named Martin. It's a lot of fun working in pairs and Martin and I blew through rooms in a blur while he kept saying things like, "Bollocks" and "This is bloody hard work." Martin is new also, by the way. He started in the same orientation group as Sean.
But on a more positive note I don't have to go in until 9am tomorrow since it's Sunday (most guests sleep in on Sunday so there's nothing to do until they wake up and check out), Sean and I have two days off together this week, and my flatmate just showed up with a glass of NZ-made hard cranberry cider for me as a present. She's cool like that - thanks Kathryn!
gotta hand it to you. impressive perseverence in search of adventure