I'm aliveeee

So, what has happened since my last update..? Hmm...

I have been on the island since the 1st of July. The trip went all right, although it was a bit long, around 16 hours. I got to the hotel after I met with the driver of the hotel that was waiting for a couple flying in from the states. I was lucky because the person who was going to pick me up wasn't there and the couple were on a delayed flight. If they had been on time the driver wouldn't be there... As soon as I arrived they showed me to one room where I was going to spend the night. Sweaty I figured I would go to the beach, but I couldn't find my way out, so I went to have dinner instead. After dinner I went to lie in bed and slept right away. The following days I organized with my uniform for the reception, papers and get to know the hotel. I also went to Higuey, the largest city closest to us, to do a medical check-up. The experience from there was a bit different... We went to Higuey in a small bus that they call gua-gua. You can find them anywhere on the island and they are quite good and very cheap, but don't expect first-class... What you CAN expect are people traveling with live chickens, TV's or whatever your imagination comes up with.. While in Higuey we were riding on "motoconchos", those are normal mopeds/motorbikes and the drivers take you anywhere you want for a small amount of money. First time I went on them I was scared out of my mind. No helmet and the roads in Higuey were full of holes or bumps. My knuckles whitened when I held on to the back of the moped while cruising through trucks, cars and other objects. Luckily everything went fine, and we actually went on three other motoconchos that day... On the streets you could see people riding in the back of these mopeds holding big tanks of gas or even furniture.....

Well, I had a few days of vacation before I started to work. During these days I socialized with people or hung around in my apartment. One evening I was invited to a “babyshower” in the only bar close to us, and I had a great time. I met a lot of fun people and got to participate in a couple of competitions. I also wanted to go to the beach, but the day when I went I was stopped by the security man that said that I wasn’t allowed to swim because it was too late and the waves were too strong. Until today I haven’t jumped into the water. Yet...

The hotel

Excellence Punta Cana is situated next to the beach on the east side of the Dominican Republic. We are surrounded by fields of grass, trees and... nothing else... I was a bit surprised when I got to the hotel. I expected to have some kind of civilization close, but no. The hotel itself is very beautiful and not too big. Comparing to other resorts where you have to go in a golf-car between different areas, everything in this hotel is in a reasonable walking-distance. We have parrots and other birds walking around freely, which is nice to see. The hotel’s guests mostly consist of Americans. We also have some people from the UK, France and Canada. We receive a lot of guests coming for their honeymoon or to get married in the hotel. We have at least one marriage a week.

Around 3-4 km away from the hotel we have a “plaza” with a bank, a small convenient store, a few shops that sell touristic crap and a place with two computers that is said to be a place where you can go on the internet. What surprised me was when I got to the area of the employees. Apart from three buildings with rooms we have a big area where we eat our meals, buffet-style. The food is quite good and varying. We also have a big basketball court, which can be lit up when it’s dark, a gym, a pool-table area, a small shop and a place where you can get shaved or get your hair cut. Very surprising!! The “restaurant” is the meeting place, if not the pool-table area. I’m very happy with this and it’s very different from what I have experienced working in Spain.

My apartment

I live in “Carmen”, a complex consisting of apartments, around 3 km from the hotel. This is where some of the executives of the hotel live, for example the GM. We have someone from security guarding the entrance 24/7, a terrace with a big pool, sun beds and an area where you can grill. Excellent for pool parties! In my room I have a huge king-size bed, a sofa-bed, a kitchenette, fridge, air-condition, TV with satellite channels, bathroom and a small terrace with two chairs and a table facing the garden. I was very surprised about this but at the same time very happy to be able to live so comfortably. The only problem is that I don’t have an internet connection in the room, but as soon as I can I’ll try to buy me a USB-internet stick so I can sit at home. To get to the hotel I have to take a taxi. At 08.00, 08.30 and 09.00 we can ask the security guy to call us a taxi and they’ll take me without charging. To go back to Carmen I can call a taxi from the hotel at 20.00 and 21.00, without charge. If I want to go at different times I have to pay 100 pesos (around 3 USD), which is not a lot of money.

Work

I started my internship at the front desk, where I still am at the moment. Compared to Viva Bahia, the hotel that I worked for in Spain, we have a lot less to do. Even though the hotel has 452 rooms, and a 65-70% occupancy we don’t have much work. Since the hotel is an adult-only hotel the ambience is very quiet. Good for the people that come to relax. In the beginning it was nice, because I got to know the details without stressing, but now when I feel that I know a lot I get bored easily. The program that the hotel uses is exactly the same that I used in Spain, so I got into everything right away. Luckily I have great colleagues and we have a lot of fun! We spend the time talking and laughing and I know I’ll miss working with them when I’ll change to another department.

Time off

Everybody works 11-12 days in a row and then gets off for three days. Last week I had my time off and I was invited by a friend to stay with him in Baní, a small village around 5 hours of travel from the hotel. I had a good time and got to see more of the island than before. I liked that place and may go back again. In a few days I’ll be off for three days again and this time I’ll go to the capital, Santo Domingo. I was invited by a guest from Finland, who stayed at the hotel a couple of weeks ago. He told me that I could contact him whenever I wanted and he’d let me stay with him. I’ll try to visit the colonial part of Santo Domingo, where they have a lot of old houses. I also want to follow the steps of Christopher Columbus and see the remaining of that time.

Until then, take care. Hopefully I can be online more often.

Peace