I used to work in customer service in a yachting start up. The vibes at work were great but the pay-check was not amazing. After some detours, me and my manager decided to break our contract at the beginning of 2022, which arranged both of us.
I spent a month in the Alpes, skiing, eating fondue, smoking joints and drinking chartreuse.
After that I came back to my house and boyfriend in Bordeaux, but I could not do it anymore. Something inside of me felt like I might die If I stayed there for another second. The urge to leave was stronger than me.
It’s been some time since I don’t write. It’s been some time since I don’t do much really. I am in a train heading to Marseille. After, I must take another train to Hyères and finally, a bus that will take me to my destination.
Now, why leave everything to go to the other side of France to work? Because I just couldn’t take it anymore. Depression was killing me, I felt like sinking, everything in Bordeaux seemed dull. Times have been hard since the last hospitalisation. I fight constantly with myself. I lost all my interests. I developed a problem with alcohol. Thats why I needed to leave. I needed to feel like me again. Vibrate. Breathe.
So after two trains and one bus I arrived to Rayol-Canadel. The wind was blowing like crazy. I called the hotel when I was at the picking point as instructed and a lady came to pick me up at the bus station. She took me to the hotel but I could tell she didn’t really knew what to do with me so she called the person who did.
The hotel was small and beautiful. Few guests. I started working in a 4 star hotel as a “Chef de rang” which is just a fancy title for waitress.
A., the manager, was a living demon. She was a beautiful woman, from the Maghreb, who had worked her ass off to be where she was today. Of course, a woman who did not know how to properly set a table was none of her sympathy. She gave me hell constantly and made remarks about my performance at work.
I am told to pick up my uniform and go to sleep because I start at 8:00 the next day.
The uniforms are very ugly. There’s a jean skirt down to the knees, a baby blue polo and a granny-like-knitted-sweater. In addition to be ugly by definition, they gave me XL sizes.
I took a shower and went to bed. I am sharing a 10 square meter room with other two girls. It’s inhumane. You should’ve seen the freaking closet. A nightmare. I lay down in bed and my head feels better. I am no longer afraid of losing control. I have hand over my thoughts which is something I cannot say all the time.
I woke up at 7:30. I quickly did my hair, brushed my teeth, put on that awful uniform and came up to the reception.
A. was not there. There was only R. R. is this danish lady in charge of breakfast buffet. I start by receiving peopled taking them to their tables. I have to cross their names off the list and be alert in case something is missing from the buffet.
The service gets complicated the second A. walks in. Her first comment was
-What are you doing standing doing nothing
-If you have nothing to do you pick up plates, do more services, but you DO NOT STAND STILL. She is a bit right, I do not do more than what I am asked to do. I made some mistakes during the service like standing still, grabbing crumbles with my hand, not to rinse before putting plates in the dishwasher, and I am sure there are plenty more. Sometimes happens to me that when someone is giving me orders my brain unbranches and goes on vacation to Hawaii. I retain nothing. I need to be more determined.
I finished working at 14:00 and went to the beach near the hotel. Is very small. The city where the hotel is is even smaller, the beach is 20 minutes walk away. It is a pretty walk among the hills with an ocean view. I sat in a beach club and drank a frappuccino that costs me 7 euros. It wasn’t even half a glass.
I came back to work at 18:30. This time, in the semi gastronomique restaurant near the pool. Since it is my first day, A. makes me do simple stuff. Polish silver, wash dishes, prepare tables and clean them. I learned some tips that I am sure I’ll never use again: like if your put silverware in hot water with vinegar you can polish them easily. .
The chef cooks for the staff. There is meat, vegetables, chicken and crock monsieur, He is very susceptible to flattery. Every time I picked up a table he would ask me “so?” And I would say “excellent chef”
I survived my first week at the hotel. I worked Sunday on my arrival, I rested Monday and Tuesday and worked Wednesday to Sunday. Everything was fine, R., the breakfast lady was gone so L., my roomate, was in charge of breakfast. There were two girls on subcontract who were there to clean dishes, sweeping, vacuuming and all the boring parts. Thank god for them.
During our pause, I encouraged my roomates to do some exercise. We went running, I keep getting better at it.
At night, there was no A. thank goodness. Only. J., who is the restaurant manager and is a very kind and professional lady. She would never dare to make comments the way A. did. I liked working with her.
Dinner service starts at 19:00. The staff eats at 18:30. I start by making a tour to the pool, to check for any left out glasses and cleaning tables. Afterwards, we need to prepare the inside tables or do the “dressage” which is another fancy word for setting everything up. You put the napkin, fork and entry knife next to each other, a little dish for bread, a water and wine glass.
There are 14 tables. Two tables of 5, one of four and the rest of 2. Every table must be correctly prepared before the service. All the silverware well polished. All dishes must be clean and nothing left in the cleaning machine. We only take tables with reservation. When the customer arrives we cross his name off the table and we let themselves install whenever they want.
We immediately arrive with the menu and the chef’s suggestion board. We ask for beverages and bring the “amuse bouche’ which is a little entry offered by the chef. They are normally guacamole cornetos, codfish accras, eggplant caviar, hummus, etc. They always look very tasty.
Since I am new, J. only allows me to take the beverages and desserts. I am okay with that. I still don’t have access to the cashing machine so most of the time I am walking around like a zombie to see if someone needs something.
My chores include changing silverware after the entries for the big silverware. And finally, the big silverware for the dessert silverware, which is generally only a spoon or a fork and knife in case of the tart. Between each dish, I must notice to the kitchen so the kitchen staff are aware the table is ready for the next dish.
The other chores are to gather crumbles from the table, verify the client has bread, or pick up the dishes the second that are done. I like the service at the restaurant. Specially talking to the customers.
The nightmare comes when the restaurant closes and it is time to clean everything up. You not only clean everything, you prepare everything for the next day as well.
First you have to pick up the dirty dishes, clean the tables, and “redresser” all the tables for the next day. You have to clean, dry, and arrange all the glasses and cups, fold napkins, polish silverware, clean coffee machine, refill water bottles and take out the trash.
After two weeks in the hotel I decided I didn’t want to stay. A., the manager was a living nightmare. She talked badly to me, threatened me on a daily basis with firing me and her whole energy was just exhausting. I didn’t see myself bearing that for 6 months. So I went to Mme. T., the hotel director, to thank her for the opportunity but unfortunately I won’t be staying for the season. She asked me why and I said the truth, that I was not comfortable with A.’s management. She thanked me for my honesty and professionalism.
So I worked at the hotel for around three weeks, and then out of pure and random chance, one day walking around Saint-Tropez I found a job as a galerist.