“I sent my resume at random and spent six months in paradise”
In winter everyone wants to go on vacation to warm places, to bask in the sun while snowstorms rage in their hometown. Of course, not everyone always has the money for it. I didn't either, so I got a job at a hotel reception in Thailand. I don't consider it a career achievement, of course—but it was timely and greatly changed my outlook on life.
Getting the job
I'm from St. Petersburg, and do you know how many shades of gray there are in St. Petersburg in November? I love this city endlessly, but November is unbearable because autumn is already over and winter hasn't started yet. So, rain, window, courtyard, cigarette, internet. I had never worked in a hotel, and I had to create a 100% implausible but competitive resume.
The choice of hotel was aesthetic and intuitive. I had never been to Thailand, so I used Google image search. Based on the photos I liked best, I chose an island where I wanted to live. I did the same for the beach.
Then I found the only five-star hotel on that beach and sent my resume. The hotel hadn't posted any job openings, but that didn't stop me.
I did the same for several other destinations, using the same method.
Interview
Of course, I didn't expect any reply to my crazy letters to Thailand from Russia. But oddly enough, two hotels responded, so I even had a choice. The letters described all the conditions.
Interestingly, they asked for a link to my Facebook account. A time was set for a Skype interview with the manager. The interview lasted no more than 10 minutes. The next day I was informed that they would soon send a package of documents for obtaining a work visa.
Preparation and move
The documents took a long time to prepare and arrive—Thailand doesn't like to hurry. When I brought them to the consulate, it turned out that one important paper was missing, and I had to wait another month. That was when suspicions first crept into my mind that I was heading into a wonderful world of unhurried indifference.
At that time there were major floods in Thailand, and all friends and relatives said it was a dangerous place. January 2 arrived, and St. Petersburg was not far behind Thailand in water levels. But the consulate was open, I got my passport with visa and went on the flight.
My first impression of the hotel was wonderful. A welcome drink, handshake with management, and they let me have two days to sleep before work. By the unspoken rule of dealing with foreigners, the conditions were excellent: in one of the guest rooms of this most luxurious hotel. True, I also shared it with a girl from Vietnam, a person with an iron grip, perfect English, and a height just over a meter.
Work
In the first days of work, the Thai girls at the reception reverently stroked my greenish-white skin, constantly placed their hands next to mine, and meowed about something. They looked at me with horror when my skin turned scarlet, and I forever satisfied my passion for tanning—that day everyone wanted to take a photo with the lobster. Later the skin turned brown, and the girls kept sighing about how I had spoiled myself badly with it.
The wonderful work of Thai accounting—I was supposed to get compensation for the ticket. I won't go into how it happened, but they paid twice as much as they should have, apparently because of the excessive heat. But, as they say, nobody likes being told about their mistakes. So I decided not to embarrass anyone.
Everyone, absolutely everyone I met along the way, smiled. From gardeners in green robes peeking out of the bushes and sweaty cleaners, to the satisfied wealthy hotel guests.
After a week I realized that without a motorbike it's very difficult here; walking in the scorching sun can lead to heatstroke and exhaustion. I had to rent a motorbike and learn to ride it. It was scary because I had never driven anything but a bicycle in Russia. But at the same time, cycling skills help a lot with riding a bike.
When the earthquake occurred in Sumatra, there was a tsunami warning. The hotel was prepared for evacuation, everyone was gathered in the lobby. Everyone was evacuated from the beach. Some crazy people, including me, went to the beach to see if the water had receded—the first sign of a tsunami. It was a mesmerizing sight: a completely empty beach, the gentle colors of the sea, possibly holding deadly danger. Fortunately, nothing happened this time.
A few memorable things:
* Friendly Thais from simple families who work for 7,000 rubles a month, 6 days a week, 8-12 hours a day. Everyone is very smiling and friendly.
* Strange reaction of adult Thai girls to tampons. It turns out that many here believe that they are not allowed before marriage and therefore prefer pads.
* Beer with ice and toilet paper on the tables in Thai beach cafes.
* Lots of snakes. I almost stepped on one right at the entrance to my room.
* Passion of the locals. A hotel employee, an Indian man in love with a Russian girl living in Turkey, who tried to cut his veins and called me at 6 am at reception saying, 'Hi, I'm cutting my veins, call an ambulance.' The performance was exemplary and posed no threat to life. After the hospital, he was sent to India.
* British citizens of three generations in traditional Indian costumes.