This isn’t my usual journaling day for the “ski resort chronicles”. However, I’m home sick and for some odd reason, I’m possessed by the writing ghost right now and there’s a lot I want to put into words.
I’m not sure if it’s because I now actually live in the town where I work, or that I have hit the one-month mark since starting my work here at the ski resort, but I’m finally starting to feel a sense of home here on Mammoth Mountain, like I’m really a part of the group here. I get along really well with both my roommates and my coworkers. It’s such a good feeling.
For awhile, I was worried I’d gotten here too late in the winter season, and that all of the friend groups would be established. That was just some insecurity talking, though. It is always just a matter of not rushing, not stressing, and letting connections grow naturally.
Repeating for you and for my future self: Don’t rush, don’t stress. As long as you’re at least a little normal, you’ll form connections with other people naturally 🙂
The routine is nice, too. Here’s mine in a given work week:
- Wake up at 6am (much better than 4:45 in Bishop), clean up, throw on my layers and layers of subzero gear required to work in the snow all day (I generate a LOT of laundry these days), have a quick protein bar/orange/coffee.
- Head to the bus stop outside my apartment, drinking coffee to battle the post-night below freezing chill that’s still around at that point.
- Get dropped off at work. I used to read and drink coffee but now I typically hang out in the locker room and talk to coworkers- progress!!
- Work the ski lift from open to close, thankfully it’s a pretty dynamic job and the time doesn’t slog by. You can read about my typical workday here if ya wanna 😉
- Chat and pack up, then take two buses back to my apartment. Or one bus and walk the rest of the way if I need even more outdoors time, haha.
- Cook and rest. Despite liking the job, it’s a lot of socializing each day, and my introverted self needs some caretaking here in the form of podcasts and making dinner.
- Party or go to bed. It’s one or the other. There are a lot of fun themed nights at the local pubs, like karaoke and Latin music night and sometimes, we even have employee appreciation parties! It’s all so much fun. Some people are warriors and rally every night, but I usually only go out about twice a week. I like sleep 🙂
On my days off, I usually take one day to do an “introvert activity” like hiking or trying out a new restaurant strictly by myself. This is a non-negotiable for me, because I really need a whole day to recharge my social battery in order for a highly social lifestyle like seasonal work to be sustainable.
I take the other day to practice skiing the green circle slopes! Sometimes I take a lesson and sometimes I just hit the slopes on my own, it really depends on my mood. Either way, it’s still a lot of fun and I feel so confident and capable about my ability to ski in a way I’ve never felt in any other sport before (of which I’ve tried many).
And that’s really all!
The only other report-able event is that there are a LOT of beers here, and sometimes guests gift me a can or two while working, which I try at home after clocking out. I’m just now starting to get tired of beer, but I also love to pretend to know things about pretentious subjects, and so I’ve created an Untapped account to leave silly reviews on each new brew I try. Haven’t decided whether or not to link it to this account, seeing as the Worst Travel Blog Ever is a very serious and upstanding website 😉
Now THAT’s really all, haha.
Thank you for reading, and I’ll be sure to update both here and on Insta again soon. Bye!