#SEASONLIFE Don'ts and what you should do instead.(part I)
Ofcours everybody lives their life in different ways and there is no set way. There is no written guide how to live the perfect live and I will certainly not pretend to be making one. In my past experiences I have seen certain things and attidus that work and some that don't. Some are always working others are guaranteed to give you missery and send you home crying in week 3 of your season. I am currently joined by 3 people who will for the first time ever be longer from home than they have ever been. I will try to give them the right advice to spare them the heart aches I had to endure in my first season. That same advice I will try to put down here.
This first part will be all about arriving on season and the mindset you need to get over the initial shock of this world changing experience.
I) DON'T: Think you will be living in paradise!
First and foremost, everything can be put into perspective. So does that wonderfull view you have of your last summer holiday experience. Remember that view of you sitting by a pool, sipping your cocktail while barbequeing yourself like a roasted pig? If you think that your season is going to be that scenario every day of the week, I have one thing to tell you.
Hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa... NO!
Yes, 9 out of 10 you will be set in an idyllic place. A fancy 5 star resort on a tropical island somewhere in the Meditaranean sea or one of those bouncing holiday places on the Spanish mainland where every day is a party. But what most people forget when they first venture out to season is that they are there to work, not to relax. Yes there will be a lot of swimming, sunbathing and relaxing done. Just not by you. You will be the idiot running around the hotel or bar working your ass in a sweat to deserve one small day off in the week. So you can exactly do that, sunbathing for as long as your skin can take it. This realisation is one big kick in the ballsack and makes most people break down into tears in their first week of work. You get to learn a whole new side of this dreamlike invironment. The early shifts or late nights are deadly at first. The stress backstage and how hot it actually is when you are not allowed to jump in the pool. Most of all seeing people laying on their ass all day whyle you are barely have energy left to breath is really emotionally tough. So what do you do to prevent yourself from becomming a little pile of missery in your first week?
DO:
First of all you need a healthy dose of realisme. You need to know that you will be working hard and long hours. But you also need realise where you will be doing this job. That you are one of the few lucky people that will not only have (mostly) amazing weather, but also incredible views, beautiful nature, an interesting culture, etc... Realise that normally you would be sitting behind a desk from 9 to 5 and having your breakes in a cold cantina somewhere. While right now you 2 hour mid-day break will concist of you quickly eating whatever you can and making the most of it at the local poolbar or beach. I know where I would rather be. When you keep this in mind, season doesn't seem so bad anymore. Which brings me to my second point
II) DO: Seize opportunity!
Under no circumstance should you be in your room, by yourself, other than for sleeping. You can watch your series and movies back home, or keep them for that one rainy day in the season. You have a two hour break? Go to the beach. You were done early with an activity, go quickly outside of work to have a short walk or grab a coffee before you need to start again. Are you having a late start the next day? You go out in the evening! You don't necceserally have to indulge in a night of questionable activies at the local barstrip, that is ofcourse always an option. You can also just go for a relaxing walk on the beach. Go watch the stars. Go to that duo singing in the local pub. Or have a night at the house with your colleagues. In short seize every little oppertunity you have to make the most out of your season. It is done before you know it.
DON'T: Stay in your room or workplace for longer than neccesary.
What you in no circumstances should do is just stay at home or stay anywhere near your work on your breaks or days off. If possible leave that place and go out, if not, go to a place where you can be away of all the commotion and stress from work. I used to be in a hotel that was in the middle of nowhere. The first thing on my to do list was a place to find for myself other than my room. The walls of your work invironment will come closing in very fast if you do not do this. Your season is shorter than you think, use every little moment you have to experience your life here to the fullest. If for you that means chilling at the beach or in your garden, good. Do you like having a quick drink or a stroll to the market, good. Just don't stay in your room by yourself. Like stated before, the only excuse is sleep, actual sleep! Don't give me that bullshit excuse of "I am tired and just need to chill and watch a movie". First of all, you can watch that movie later. Second, you can rest when you are death. Yes you will be tired, yes that second shift is going to be a bitch. But you can either go out and rest on the beach or bite your teeth and do something fun. Trust me, you will feel way more happy than you would just staying home.
III) DON'T: Think you will be living the same life as you did back home.
Not only are you in another country or place, you are also in another culture. You are not home anymore, where you know everything and everyone. You start from zero. What you think should be standard in every household back home, might not be so where you end up. You live will change drasticly. Not only the material aspect, but also the mental aspect. To every different culture there is a different way of thinking and a different way of living. Especially on season life. Don't think back about how life was back home, you left that behind. The sooner you get this in your head, the easier it is to become open to change.
DO: Be open to change and stay openminded.
This is closely connected to what I said earlier, seizing oppertunity. You might not have the same comfort as you had back home and you migth have a completely different schedule than you had before. Even the fact that you will be eating different kinds of food takes its toll on your body. In my experience, the heaviest thing is changing from a 9 to 5 day routine, to changing shifts. Late nights are followed by early mornings and long days. It takes time for your body to adapt to this. The first month is gruesome. 80 percent of the time you will feel exhausted and tired. Give your body time to adapt. But don't let this stop you from doing all the fun stuff. Bite your teeth, suck it up and push through. If you stay back home in your room you will have a combo of tiredness and lonelyness, recipe for depression is what I call that. Having fun gives you new energy. After a heavy work shift, go to that bar, even if it is for one drink. Go to the beach, even if it is just for 30 minutes. The fact that you did something will give you a good fun feeling. That will give you again energy for the next day. Before you know it, you will be adapted to this ritme of eat, sleep, rave, repeat. The first thing people often notice about a person coming back from season, is that they have become a bomb of energy. You can do more than you think and your body certainly can handle more than you think. Try new things, connect to the locals, learn about where you are. This all helps to connect to this place that you now call home.