I am speaking English I swear!

Hey Everyone,

Hope you all had a nice Bank Holiday weekend back in Ireland. I always love the Jazz weekend so I am gutted I missed out this year. I was working at the weekend but I did get to go out Saturday night to join friends for one of their Birthdays. So just a little update for you all. The job is going well. I got some great feedback today  and they seem to be really happy with me which is great. I am still getting used to how different it is, the hours etc but so far so good.

What I am going to talk about today is the fact that people are having a hard time understanding me. Its kind of funny really, sometimes its because I talk too fast but most of the time its because I use completely different words to what they normally use.This post is a little guide for anyone who has either experienced this when in Canada or for anyone planning on moving here...

• Rubbish: This isn't a word here, they have no idea what you are saying when you ask, "will I take out the rubbish?" Its Garbage!
• Hoover: I didn't realize hoover was a company name for what they understand as a vacuum cleaner! I am never going to be able to call it anything else though. Its a bloody hoover!
• Toilet/Bathroom: They do understand when you say it but you get some odd looks so its the washroom/restroom if you need to do your wees and poos.
• Jumper: I still laugh when I think about this one.. Me and Parker were doing a promotional job a few weeks ago and he left his jumper on one of the chairs. He asked the manger could he go back and get his jumper. The silence and blank stare was hilarious and I just shouted over..."Your SWEATER Parker". So if your looking for  something to keep you warm, get your sweaters out guys!
• Half Seven: I keep doing this when confirming reservations or giving someone the time. I say half seven, eight or whatever the time is and they can't for the life me figure out what I am talking about. Its Seven Thirty... This one I am really struggling with getting use to saying.
• Plaster: So today I cut me finger in work and asked for a plaster. They laughed and I figured out it was a band aid I was looking for."'Plaster is for the walls Zita". They are right though.
• Gawk: Ok, I'll let this one slide as even people from different parts of Ireland might not understand that gawk is another word for vomit. So when I said, " someone got the gawk", I guess its fair if they don't know what I am talking about.

To be fair when you think about it, the words they use make waaaay more sense then the ones we use. Like jumper, what the hell? You don't jump into it, why is it even called that? If I come back home using these words for awhile, forgive me..But for now I need to learn the way Canadians say things so I can communicate with the world!

Hope this guide helps others survive the communication barriers between us Irish and the Canadians.

Have a great week:-)

Talk soon xx

Zita J

FALL-ing in love with Toronto

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. I was working all weekend and I'm working tonight too so before I go get ready I said I would fill ye in on what I got up to on my day off last week. I want to try make the most of my days off especially before it starts to snow. At the moment the temperatures have dropped to about six degrees with a real feel of about three degrees. I think its very cold but every Canadian I say that too just laughs at me! I need to buy a seriously warm jacket and unfortunately due to my allergy to feathers ( ya I am a weirdo who cant breath properly if I am in close contact with feathers) I can't buy a jacket lined with goose feathers and apparently they are the warmest. It is lousy on Parker too though because he can't buy one either. I am sure we will find a non feather extremely warm jacket, so not panicking just yet!

So, on my day off last week we decided to take a trip to a place called High Park. I have heard about this place and to be honest I should of went during the summer but I am so glad I did make it there eventually. It spans 161 hectares and is both a natural and recreational park. It has sports facilities, a playground and even a small zoo. The main reason I wanted to go there this week was to see how pretty it looks during Autumn.

I know lots of people say they love Autumn but for me this time of year always holds a special place in my heart. Since I can remember, we used to transform our home into a haunted house and throw a party.We were the original nightmare realm! About a week before Halloween, we used to get ready for it. We made a fake graveyard in the garden. My dad use to make life size dummies by stuffing painter suits with insulation and he would put them around the house and garden. We would decorate the inside of the house and even have a smoke machine, no lights were allowed to be on, only candles! We would have a party with family and friends and everyone had to dress up. It was the best time of year.

As Halloween was so important to me as a child. I am trying to do as much Halloween/ Autumn things as possible. Visiting High Park was a good start! Walking around this city and seeing the beautiful colours of autumn. Watching children dressed in costumes already and even some adults, seeing houses decorated on the outside (never as good as ours was) is making me FALL in love with Toronto even more.Get it, Fall..another word for Autumn! I'm very clever. Haha.

Have a great week:-)

Talk soon xx

Zita J

I am thankful for...

Seeing as today is Thanksgiving in Canada, I said I would embrace the culture and write a post on what I am thankful for. Myself and Parker are not really celebrating Thanksgiving, in fact as I am typing this we are waiting on a pizza to be delivered. I have work in a few hours and I am working late so we are not embracing the whole Thanksgiving culture today. However I am going to be writing what I am grateful for right now...

My health: 

They say your health is your wealth, so although I am the allergy queen and always have sinus problems, asthma, colds etc. I am thankful that I can get up every morning and embrace each day. 

That I have a job:

Today is my first proper shift as a hostess. I am a little nervous as my training is over and I "go live" today. The job will take a bit of getting use to. Its not just as simple as sitting people to their table and I have found that I underestimated the importance of a hostess in a restaurant up until now. Like any new job it will take time to learn everything but with that said I am thankful I have a job. That I get to go to work and get paid so I can enjoy my time off, pay bills and keep living in our lovely apartment.

My Friends:

In previous posts such as, What I am leaving behind I have mentioned how I have the best friends in the world. Well that hasn't changed. The friends who I have left behind have still made me feel so special and I am thankful for them. Skype, Snapchat and whatsapp all help when I miss them. Just seeing one of them for even 5 minutes on a screen puts me in a good mood for the day and I instantly feel like they are not so far away anymore. So in one way I am also thankful for technology. Not only am I thankful for the friends I left behind but I am thankful for the ones I have here with me. Its kind of crazy that there is a group of us here and the numbers are still growing. While I know some of them over 10 years, some of them I am just getting to know. Going out every Friday night or staying in on a Saturday night to watch a dvd with them, makes missing home easier and I am proud of our little group for making the change to move here. I am thankful for them for making this adventure that bit easier.

My family:

I am thankful for my family. Their support both prior to moving and right now is incredible. They have put up with tears, worries but also they have listened to my embarrassing stories and laughed at me, just like families should. Like I mentioned with my friends, seeing them on screen really helps as I feel I am right there with them. its not easy when you want to crawl into the computer and be with them but that comes with the package. I am thankful for them and all they have done for me to get me where I am today.

My boyfriend:

Last but certainly not least is..Parker. I really don't know what I would do without him sometimes. He is what keeps me together. Without sounding too cheesy and getting mocked, he is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Together 5 years in December and I love him just as much today as I ever have. He is a domestic god and keeps our apartment in tip top shape. He puts up with a lot from me and I am so thankful for him.

I am sure there is lots more I am thankful for but I won't bore you with pages and pages. Even though it might not be Thanksgiving everywhere. It is no harm to have a think about what you are thankful for today. We should take the time once and in awhile to realise what is good in our lives.

Have a great day everyone and Happy Thanksgiving!

Talk soon xx
Zita J

I gots a job bitches!!!!

Hey Everyone, 

Hope you all had a great weekend :-) As some of you may have seen from my Facebook... I GOT A JOB! Woohoo! To be honest I am very lucky, I have been looking for about 3 weeks and this was only my second interview. You'll remember the first one from my post Reality Bites , where I was offered the job but it was door to door sales and then with the coffee shop I didn't get to the interview process because they wanted to interview people with more experience. So when I think about it I should be very happy with myself that I got two interviews and got offered both jobs.

So, the interview was last Thursday and it was an open interview from 2pm til 4pm with multiple openings, bartender, server, hostess etc. I went for the hostess role as I have lots of customer service experience so I felt it was suit me the best, Besides the other roles you needed two years experience working in a restaurant so that was me out straight away. I was a bit hesitant about going to the interview but after being persuaded by Parker, I went along. 

When I arrived, there were other people there too filling out interview forms and the manager was just interviewing people in the corner of the restaurant one at a time. It was a bit nerve wracking watching others being interviewed. When it came to my turn I remained calm. The manager was very friendly and I felt I was chatting to him for ages. The restaurant/ bar is called the Bier Markt and they specialize in beer and have over 150 types. One of the questions was, do you drink beer? I said yes and smiled but I quickly explained how just because I am Irish doesn't mean I am an alcoholic, which went down very well as he laughed. The rest of the interview was good and he smiled throughout which put me at ease. He told me that they would let people know the following week but at 9 pm that night I got a phone call saying I got the job. I was delighted! Below is a picture of what it looks like from the outside.

Yesterday I went for an orientation where I learned more about my role and whats to come. I begin training tomorrow...eeek! In order to work in restaurants and bars in Toronto you need to have what is called a smart serve test completed before you can begin working there. Its an online exam and apparently it isn't that difficult so I will be doing that this week. Also in order to work in the Bier Markt I have to do another exam that can take up to SIX hours which a lot of people fail a certain section. If you fail more then 3 times you have to contact the manager and he logs you back

in, which is awks because he knows you have failed. So fingers crossed I pass first time. 

The job itself should be fine, I will be looking after reservations, greeting people, seating them etc. The money isn't great however I do get some tips so fingers crossed I'll be able to survive. Its something new and not childcare which is the change I want for the moment. It is also a 10 minute walk from my apartment so commutes to work in the winter should be okay. The down side is I will be working weekends and probably late at night so that will take getting use to but I am going to give it a chance and see what I think. So wish me luck on my new adventure. I'll keep ye posted!

Talk soon xx

Zita J