Hey guys! Today I’m going to be writing about my first ever job. I’m working at a hostel called Ati, training in Reception and it’s been such an interesting and weirdly cool experience so far. This is the same place that next months Hive Hub Guatemala will be.
What’s extra strange for me is that the area that’s now the kitchen used to be my parents’ bedroom — like, my actual parents’ bedroom — so seeing it all transformed into this whole new space is kind of surreal. It’s like walking into a totally different world, but with little bits that still feel familiar, which makes it even weirder.
About two weeks ago, my parents set me up with a job at the hostel. I didn’t really expect to be working this soon, but I’m kind of glad I am. In the first week, I worked three days, each for five hours. This week, I’ve worked more days — I think four — but the shifts have been shorter. So it’s sort of evened out in terms of time, just spread out differently. The whole experience has been really fun so far, even though I definitely still feel a bit nervous sometimes.
One of the main things that makes me nervous is that I feel like I still look too young to be working. Like, I keep thinking someone’s going to walk in and be like, “Wait, how old are you?” But surprisingly, no one has questioned it yet, so I guess I must look convincing enough. That’s a bit of a relief, honestly.
During the first week, since I didn’t really know how anything worked, I mostly helped out with small tasks — the kind of things that people don’t even realize need doing until they start working somewhere. You know, the behind-the-scenes stuff that just magically happens when you’re a guest but actually takes effort from someone. I folded what felt like a million napkins, squeezed so many lemons to make fresh lemon juice (no joke, I think I squeezed like a thousand lemons in just three days). I was squeezing lemons for hours. My arms were basically getting a workout without even going to the gym.
Since it’s technically low season right now, there are some days where there isn’t that much to do. I’ll just kind of walk around hoping someone gives me something to work on. The thing is, because I’m still pretty new, I don’t always know what I’m allowed to do. Like, I don’t know if I can go behind reception and grab things, or if there’s a list of things I’m supposed to follow, or if I need to ask before doing certain jobs. I’m still figuring it all out, kind of finding the rhythm of how things work.
Hopefully by next week I’ll be more settled into the job and feel more confident. I’d love to start learning how to work the reception properly and get more involved with the front-end side of things, not just the small behind-the-scenes stuff. It would be nice to actually know what’s going on all the time and feel like I can help without waiting to be told.
Even when there’s nothing much to do, the view here is amazing. You can just look out to the lake and watch the waves roll in, and it’s honestly super calming. So even when I’m not actively doing anything, I’m never bored in the annoying kind of way. It’s like peaceful boredom, if that makes sense.
Another really nice thing is that since we used to live at the hostel, we had to leave our dog here while we were traveling — and she’s kind of become the unofficial restaurant dog. Now that I work here, I get to bring her with me. Everyone knows her and loves her, so she’s allowed in. It’s honestly the best thing ever to be able to take little breaks just to pet my dog, sit with her, and stare out at the view. It makes the job feel even more relaxed and enjoyable.
My brother is super jealous that I have a job and he doesn’t. My parents told him he’s still too young for a reception job, so for now he has to wait. Whenever I complain even a tiny bit — like when I have to wake up at 7 AM to get to work — he immediately goes, “At least you have a job! Do you wanna trade?!” And I’m like, “No, but thanks for the offer, hahaha.” It’s kind of funny how quickly he switches from being annoyed that I get to work, to offering to take my spot the moment I say anything negative about it.
Overall, I think it’s a really great experience for me. I’m learning a lot, getting some real-world experience, and it’s not an overly hard job, which makes it a pretty perfect first one. I get to be in a familiar place, around people I know, with a good balance of work and chill time. I’m honestly really grateful that this is how I’m starting my working life and im pretty excited that next month hive hub is happening here and by then I will be professional at reception haahah!! Im especially excited that @ninaeatshere is coming since I played pool with her at hive fest and she was lots of fun!!
Here is the world map pin!