Dear All,
How are you all? I am very, very well, having a fab time in France, in the snow!
Here is an update of what I have been up to so far, I hope you have plenty of time as I’ve been busy and this is a long blog!
I arrived back in the UK on 5th November and set about finding some work. Ended up working in a factory packing Quorn sausages, 12 hour shifts, putting 8 packets in a box- oh joy! Although this is a slight lie as I have never had so many breaks in my whole working life, one shift I only actually worked 8 out of the 12 hours I was paid for, how cool is that?
We had a lovely Christmas Day on 7th November. I would strongly recommend having Christmas in November, it was so much more relaxed, if we had forgotten anything all the shops were open, and there was no great pressure to run around trying to visit 100 people all in one day.
Anyway, in between work I spent a lot of time catching up with friends and family, I had some great nights out and some lovely nights in as well, you can’t beat a cuppa and a few biscuits when catching up on gossip, I apologise to all those I never got round to visiting, but time flew so fast and things got manic towards the end.
I hate packing!
I spent two days trying to work out what I needed to take away with me and what I could leave behind as my bag was so heavy I couldn’t lift it, there was essential stuff like ski gear, PJ’s, thick socks and sun block, then there was the not so necessary stuff like bunny ears and Santa hats, but then this is me and my priorities are a bit squiffy!
Eventually, third time lucky and after borrowing a monster sized bag with wheels (Thanks Jo) I managed to get myself sorted and everything went in (including the bunny ears).
So, 10.30 on Tuesday 8th December, Mum and Dad waved me off from Cleethorpes station and I was on my way. At last.
Our bus left Victoria Coach Station at 17.30, so I had a really good meal and a couple of glasses of wine when I got to London. Then we got the ferry from Dover to Calais and at about 23.00 we were finally on French soil, although we all much rather be on French snow!
Our destination was actually Meribel for training, we arrived 13.00 on Wednesday and it was a blue sky day and there was snow everywhere. We stayed in a chalet, Natalia 1, and had to run it like a chalet, cooking every night, cleaning every morning and in between lots of training on health and safety, food safety (I took my 5th food hygiene exam this year!) customer complaints and how to avoid them and how to put out a fire.
It was a full on week with lots of info being blasted at you from all angles, even just meeting the team of people we were going to be working with for the next 5 months, getting to know them and remembering their names, it was all quite intense, so on Sunday when we were all informed that we had passed and we were all going to Les Arcs, we went to the pub and let off steam! The only problem with the pub was, it was at the bottom of the hill. Not an issue on the way there, quite a problem with the hundreds of steps up on the way home, but if beer legs are the walking equivalent of beer goggles, then it was quite an easy stroll LOL.
So, Monday 14th December we finally arrived in Les Arcs 2000, our resort for the season.
Then the fun bit- you remember that monster sized bag I packed a few days ago? Well now I had to trundle it over snowy roads, up snowy steps across a snowy path, into a lift and eventually to my new home for the next 5 months.
There are 3 of us sharing a room, the accommodation is basic but clean and warm, and as we hardly spend any time here at all except to sleep, perfectly adequate. But what really makes the room something to write home about is the view. We have a massive picture window which looks out over snowy mountains, and a completely unadulterated view of Mount Blanc! It is wicked and makes opening the curtains in the morning a pleasure. Not wanting to make anyone too jealous, it is the same view I have on my walk to work every morning. Definitely the best commute I have ever had!
On Tuesday, one week after leaving the UK, we eventually got to see our Chalet, it is lovely, and now, after 4 days scrubbing, mopping, bleaching, dusting, hoovering , washing up and shining windows it is immaculately clean. Or at least it was until last night when our first guests arrived and messed it up L, but they are forgiven as they are all really nice and they brought chocolate, which is always good.
Thursday is our shopping day. We get a bus to Les Arcs 1600, and then jump on the Funiculaire, which is a monorail tram thing which takes us to Bourg St Maurice, then a walk to Intermarche the local super market. Then 3 hours, two shopping trolleys and one crazy checkout girl later, our weekly shop is done, all loaded on a delivery truck, which we have to race back up the mountain to meet when it drops off our shopping. Then the fun bit really starts. Imagine enough shopping for 14 people for a week- ok got that?- then imagine being on the 3rd floor- and when you open the front door, there is another set of stairs up to the kitchen. I am gonna be SOOOOOOOOO fit by the end of this season! Luckily the lift was working on our first shopping trip, but it has broken 3 times in 2 days, so keep your fingers crossed for the next shopping day.
Our first guests arrived on Saturday 19th December and we needed to trim up for Christmas so on Friday we had a really fun time doing arts and crafts. We made our own tree decs out of ginger bread cookies (I knew my cookie cutters would be useful for something!) and baked orange slices, then we cut hearts and trees and strung them on red ribbon to make garlands. As we were trimming the tree on Saturday morning, we realised we did not have a fairy for the top. So, digging deep into my memory of watching Blue Peter, using all my “outside the box” thinking and of course a toilet roll inner, we now have a lovely fairy called Mabel on our tree.
There were problems with all the flights on Saturday, so guests who should have arrived mid afternoon did not appear till 20.00, they were shattered, but after we had fed them, plied them with wine and let them know the skiing conditions for Sunday were forecast fantastic, they went to bed happy.
And that brings me to today, Sunday 20th December. I can’t ski today L I have no skis yet, I am picking them up tomorrow. Can you imagine how frustrating it is? All this white stuff, blue sky and an afternoon spare, but no skis! But then again, if I had skis I would not be writing this, and you would be sat at home wondering if I was still alive hehehe.
My hands are rough as hell from all the cleaning, our dish washer is broken, my feet ache, my legs are sore from running up and down stairs all day, I am tired from burning the candle both ends and my hair needs washing- but you know what?- I’ve never been happier!
The people I am working with are great and we really have a laugh, my tummy muscles have never hurt so much from laughing, everyone is really friendly and if the rest of the season continues as it has started, I’m in for a good time!
Now things are settling down I will try and update more often. Take care Everyone, next time I will add pictures as well xxxxxx
