Week 7 & 8: Working in Whistler

It has become something of a habit (dare I say a hobby) that when starting a new job, one of my first priorities is to locate the best place to go to the toilet. As crude and unnecessary as this sounds, I seriously believe that the only place one can find peace and solitude at work is in the toilet... but unfortunately not all toilets offer this - some are noisy and messy and shared with god knows how many other people. So, I'm sure you'll agree that location is key.

At my previous job at the University of Surrey, my favourite toilet was located right on the top floor of the Psychology building, up a flight of stairs that did not lead to anywhere apart from the said toilet. As a result very few people frequented this toilet and I could be sure to have a nice moment to myself away from the stress of everyday work.

So when I started my current job in the Four Seasons Hotel, I immediately set about locating for the best place to go to the toilet. I thought it might save a lot of fruitless searching if I just asked current staff members, but decided against it as I don't think this would be the best way to make new friends and it would probably alienate a lot of people. However, after a few days working, I discovered quite by accident an unmarked door on the 6th floor of the west wing which lo and behold contained a hidden staff toilet. Success! I felt like Mary Lennox the moment she opened to the door to the secret garden! So while the working day doesn't exactly fly by, it has become a lot less stressful.

As the staff are reminded daily, the Four Seasons Whistler Resort has recently been awarded 5 diamonds by AAA making it the only 5-diamond resort in Canada. It is ridiculously classy; rooms at Christmas range from about $800 (£400) to $4000 (£2000) per night. At the Four Seasons, even dogs are given bottled mineral water to drink!

For that price, the hotel apparently offers a incomparable, unique and innovative level of service. The staff, for example, are all encouraged to address the guests personally using their names. Groundbreaking, eh? When delivering a bathrobe to a guest, you are encourages to say "Good afternoon Mr Smith. How are you? Here is a bathrobe. Bye". However, the guest names are never as straightforward as 'Smith'. I had a Mr and Mrs Surface a few days ago. Although this name is not rude, complicated or difficult to pronounce; it is hard to say "Good Evening Mr Surface" confidently without vocally implying that you think there has been an error on the system. It could be worse though. One room attendant told the story of how she had to service the room of a Mr Kuunt. In that instance, the 5 Diamond level of service went out of the window and a simple "Good morning" was enough!

So, just to give you an idea of what goes on in my job - a typical day will probably involve:

• stocking the linen closets with fresh linen
• vacuuming the corridors
• delivering specialist items to rooms
  
• going to the secret toilet
• cleaning the secret toilet
• dealing with any guest requests

Unfortunately, when all of the above have been completed, my job normally involves just wandering around the corridors and looking busy - an activity that can become dull very quickly. Sometimes I pretend the hotel is haunted just to make the day go a bit quicker, but it is not overly satisfying. If a river of blood came sweeping down the stairwell and along the corridor then it would probably be my job to clean it up.

The astonishingly high prices means that the hotel attracts a certain type of guest. Sometimes celebrities check-in for a week of skiing... we did apparently have wacky comedian and notorious baby-denier Eddie Murphy staying a few days ago. Unfortunately I didn't even see him, yet alone have any contact with him. Maybe that's just as well, as I would have had to fight an overpowering urge to put a cot into his room.

All in all, the job is not bad. It is bloody boring and sometimes quite degrading, but I wouldn't call it a bad job. I am lucky to be working with such nice people and the good aspects of the job just about outweigh the bad! Having another four months working in that place is a slightly daunting thought, but as I keep telling myself, 4 months is less than half a pregnancy. And in that thought there is a lot of comfort to be obtained.

Right, I'm off. It is 8.30 on Christmas Eve and I should probably be doing other things... like placing the presents I haven't got under the Christmas tree that doesn't exist! Ho ho ho. Hope everyone is well and have a very Merry Christmas!

Chris

Weeks 5 & 6: Up Into The Mountains

Sorry for the massive delay in writing this blog entry. I have had quite a lot of stuff to do and the Internet hasn't been particularly accessible. But I don't really have any proper excuses...

So since the last entry I have left Vancouver and moved on to the Whistler Ski Resort, which is about 3 hours up the road... Although 3 hours does not seem like much, this definitely feels like the first significant 'step' I have taken in my traveling. And if the size of the 'step' is proportionate to the amount of opposing doubt, then this is probably going to be the biggest step I am going to make while over in Canada.

Just to fill you in... I had already sorted out a job in the Four Seasons Hotel in Whistler before coming to Canada. They held interviews in London and I was lucky(ish) enough to get a housekeeping job. Before coming over to Canada, I assumed that I would be sick of Vancouver after 5 weeks and be itching to move on to somewhere more permanent. But that really was not the case. It was friends I made in Vancouver who made it so very hard to move on. I apologise if that sounds sickly, but it is the truth; I miss you guys such a lot and really appreciate how easy you made it for me to settle down in Vancouver.

Right, enough of the soppy stuff. Whistler, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, is essentially Narnia with more Australians. I am still half-expecting Mr Tumnus to emerge from behind a tree clasping a can of Fosters*. It really is a beautiful place; the looming mountains surrounding the village and snow-covered fir trees refuse to be smothered by the large amount of commercialism. It is refreshing that the town doesn't need to succumb to the tourists and become tacky, there is so much natural beauty here already that twinkling fairy lights just wouldn't add anything.

As I have never skied or snowboarded before, moving to Whistler for 5 months seems a little strange - especially as the majority of people who work in Whistler for the season come solely for the winter sports. When meeting people for the first time, most ask "Are you a skier or a snowboarder?". It sounds a bit pathetic to say "um, neither, although a few years ago it was a bit snowy and we got the sledge out of the loft". So at the moment I feel a bit irrelevant... like a guy who has never watched Star Trek turning up at a Star Trek Convention and just wandering around aimlessly, making small talk about the weather and the free buffet but subtly trying to direct all conversation away from the subject of Star Trek.

That said, I did have my first skiing lesson the other day and by the end of it I could do a 'trick'! Well, I call it a trick, I'm not sure if anyone else would - Imagine skiing down a hill in a straight line and then suddenly moving your legs so that you are skiing at a 45' angle to the right instead. And then after that, continuing to ski down the hill in a straight line. I think the pros call it a 'turn' or something, but I'm not really into all that technical stuff! Anyway, I can't deny it, the lesson was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the liberating feeling of drifting down the slope and pulling some 'turns' in front of the ladies! I hope that in a few weeks time, I will be into skiing as much as everyone else here.

Apart from skiing and snowboarding, and talking about skiing and snowboarding, many of the folks in Whistler like to drink lots of alcohol and then talk about skiing and snowboarding in a louder voice. This was illustrated the other night when a hippy Australian in a bar shouted "Who wants to get drunk?" over the PA system. The general consensus clearly seemed to be "yes, we would like to get drunk". There were a few cautious punters who shouted "yes, but in moderation" and a few people who didn't bother shouting back because it was a waste of energy which could have otherwise been spent lifting a beer. It is unfair to say that Whistler is one big binge-fest - there are a lot of people who don't have any interest in drinking - but going out partying every night seems to be the norm. I don't have a problem with this, but I guess after 3 years of university, I just can't be bothered with it all the time.

Something I do adore about Whistler is the atmosphere and general buzz about the place. It is hard to explain, but as a general point, many of the people who live in cities are there because they were born there, or work there, or have connections there - but in Whistler the people here want to be here. And as a result there is a general positive attitude around the place and an excitement that only occurs when people are deeply passionate where they are and what they are doing.

So at the moment, I am desperately trying to adjust to the way of life up here and get into the 'Spirit of Whistler' (as the locals call it). I think this will just take time, although I have a funny feeling that to fully appreciate the Whistler Spirit, I may just have to pour it into a glass and down it in one. Only time will tell whether I am able to do that or not...

I know that was a bit of a confused blog entry. I hope it didn't sound too negative, because that isn't how I feel at all; I am very fond of this place. I guess I am just trying to thrash out my thoughts and feelings and arrive at some kind of conclusion, but have failed to do so!

Anyway, photos of my last week in Vancouver can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/chrischivers/TheFifthWeek

And photos of my first week in Whistler can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chrischivers/TheSixthWeek

Hope you are all well and just in case I don't post another entry for a while, have a lovely Christmas!

Chris

* I am unsure if Mr Tumnus has hoofs or hands - can someone let me know please as this will affect whether he can hold a can of Fosters. Thanks.