3:52 p.m. - 2002-06-22
What have I got myself into? Part 2
I've just had the most ungratifiying experience to date in this country. But I'll get to that later.
Where was I?
I was last talking about my first day on the job at the Globe Pub and Restaurant. The first day went by with relatively little (but definitely existent) mishap. During the lunch shift, I was serving food in the restaurant with no great difficulty, and since it wasn't very busy I was feeling somewhat secure about my ability to do the job. The lady who was training me was friendly and helpful and I wasn't having such a bad time. All good there.
In the evening, I was training in the pub. I didn't actually do much of anything related to the art of serving drinks. I spent most of the evening watching other people work and staring at a computer screen. You see, the ordering system runs on a computer screen (much like what you would normally see in a restaurant or bar) and I was supposed to learn where everything was and how to use it and what not. I spent about 4 hours in front of that computer screen because Eddy (whom, if you haven't guessed by now, is my manager) was going to test me later on. I had Oolah (the assistant manager) test me every once in a while on the computer and even on where all the various liquers and beers were situated at the bar. I was feeling pretty confident about the use of the machine, and, in all honesty, I pretty much learned everything I could learn from fiddling with the computer screens by myself.
Then this happened: When Eddy finally tests me on the accursed thing, he figures it would be fair to give me a trick question (i.e. something that I could never have figured out on my own). When I get that wrong, he concluds that I'm not trying hard enough to learn and that I need to spend more time standing in front of it.
I was quickly coming to the conclusion that my boss is an idiot. To date, I have yet to discard this thought and it is pretty much confirmed every day for me.
The evening goes by without any other major event, and at the end of the shift, Eddy calls me into his office. He tells me that he "likes the way I'm carrying on". (Incidentally, I originally thought he'd said he didn't like the way I was carrying on, and I got a bit defensive. However, the misunderstanding was soon cleared up, though his strong accent still confuses me to no end all the time). He informs me that he thinks I need a lot of improvement but that I have "officially" been hired on. Well, woo hoo for me.
I should have declined his offer of employment that day. But, again, hindsite really is 20/20. I decided to stick with it, and tough it out. Maybe Eddy wasn't such a bad guy. Maybe I'll really like the people I work with. Maybe I'll turn out to be a star employee and be loved by all. Maybe I'll get hit by a car and have to be sent home.
Since that first day, I've come to increasingly hate my boss and my job. Eddy is a complete an utter moron. I don't know...maybe he has some redeeming quality that makes him a good restaurant/pub manager, but all I can see is that he has the people skills of a rabid skunk. Everyday, I'm told about some thing that I've done wrong (whether it is that the till is short, and it's probably my fault and not the fault of the other girl who was also using it, or that I'm incapable of closing the back door at night so he'll let me out the front door so he can lock it after me). He tells me about rules and procedures that I've never heard about before and says "I tell you one last time. I told you before blah, blah, blah...". And, while he's not malicious about it, his delivery is just so condescending and petty that I feel the need to scream. It's just getting a little bit much for me.
Now, I will admit that I may not be the star employee that I envisioned previously. I do make mistakes and I don't know all the rules and procedures and so on and so forth. But (BIG BUT) I'm not an idiot, which is how Eddy treats me.
Even the job itself is becoming a bit of a downer. (Since the second week, I've officially been put on the bar at lunch and dinner, which is a good thing, but not really enough to like the job any) The hours are just a little too long for me. I start at 12 and finish somewhere around 11 (depending on how busy it is) with a two (but sometimes one) hour break. I don't have enough time to go back to the flat, so I usually just grab lunch, and hang around the bar reading a book. As for the work itself, when it's busy, it's not so bad. However, it's not so busy most of the time, and I end up either standing around watching the seconds tick away at an alarmingly slow rate, or do pointless, monotonous tasks (such as cleaning bottles - has to done everyday! - or cleaning shelves - has to be done everyday! - or some other inane task). All in all, the job kind of sucks.
As for the people. Well...some of them are nice, and I have good conversations with them, but most of them are just "not my type". You'll have to excuse me if this sounds a little snooty or lazy, but they're not. I just don't click with any of them. And this one girl I usually work with is just plain bossy. Not in a directive sort of manner, but in that "I'm going to 'ask' you to do all the tedious stuff while I stand here waiting for customers to serve, because I've been working here a whole month longer than you so I have loads of seniority, and you're going to do them. Nah." I don't like her.
I'm going to take a break now...I need a smoke (surprise, surprise). But I'm finding all this very theraputic, so I'll continue in a bit.
Cheers!
