The last 33 days...

December 3^rd 2010 – a day before two of my favorite people’s birthday (Jay Z and Rachel Jetter) – I arrived in “the land of milk and honey.” Over the past 33 days, I have endeavored in several adventures. Some of these adventures have been fun and successful. Others haven’t been as much fun, but they were always successful. This is a brief summary as to what I have been up to.

There are two major things that I have been doing since I got here—the first is working. Although I have worked in many different fields prior to this trip, this is the first time that I have worked full time in a field that has nothing to do with my potential future job fields (Engineering or Finance). Currently, I am working in the Hospitality Industry at a golf resort in Aventura, Florida called The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club. More specifically, I work in the Cascata Grille, a restaurant within the hotel. Although the hospitality industry is no easy place to work, especially for people with little or no patience, the experience has been fulfilling so far. With the likes of James Caan, Jack Nicholson and Michael Jordan (a regular!)  among the resort’s guests, there is always a sense of enthusiasm when one goes to work and sees who has checked in. I mean, big names mean big tips right? Moreover, with such big names and other big businessmen always coming into the resort, there is always an opportunity for networking and eavesdropping on “rich talk.” Along with a bunch of other South Africans working at the resort on the same program, l live about half an hour away in Fort Lauderdale. This is a perfect place to stay given the proximity to Las Olas Boulevard and the short drive from downtown Miami.

The other activity I have spent half my time partaking in is tourism. Not as a business or industry, but being a tourist myself. Seeing that I am in such a beautiful state with more to offer than one can handle,  I think that failure to spend at least a week touring the place would be offensive not only to myself, but to Mother Nature as well. As a result, I went all out and toured as much as I could! With my favorite touring partner, Sabrina, in town for the week, we took to the streets, the waterways and the beaches of Fort Lauderdale and also did a bit of Miami. We went to every part of this place that we could go to within the given time period. From Fort Lauderdale beach, Las Olas Boulevard and riverfront, the Science Museum, the all too famous Sawgrass Mills, to the even more famous Ocean Drive on South Beach. We did so much that after that week, I felt like I had lived in Fort Lauderdale for about a year yet I had only been here barely a fortnight. Superb food at some of the finest restaurants only made the experience even more memorable. My favorite night was probably at a sports bar a couple of blocks from our hotel. Watching the Celtics game while having the best pork chops ever and a disgusting beer on the side, who could ask for more? Although I did a lot of touristy stuff, I believe one would need at least a month of just traveling and sightseeing before they can claim to have exhausted what this place has to offer.

In-between work and travel, there have also been other adventures. The bus rides probably being the biggest highlight. It’s like the bus is a TV show and every ride is an episode. You see some of the weirdest things ever on the bus. I have also enjoyed going out while I have been here. The nightlife, of course, is quite intense. Within 48 hours of being in the country I was being shown the ropes by Kuda and Kelvin. Yes, trust me to find a bunch of Zimbabweans everywhere I go. I mean, they are everywhere anyway. New Years Eve with the South African group that I live and work with was lots of fun as well. We kinda took over every place we went into. Felt like I was back in Cape Town, in Long Street, in The Dubliner. Good times!!

I hope this has to shed more light as to what I have been up to. From here on, its real talk people! I hope this post will help readers understand some of the things I will be referring to in my posts to come.

Posted in: Travel, USA