Laura: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · Aug 1, 2013Read

Jose arrived very late yesterday, around 2 AM. I was sitting outside, writing in my diary and enjoying the cool air. We decided to have some tea and chat. The neighbor from upstairs had just come back from the laundry and joined us. Jose is a trained chef; every summer season he flies to the USA and works at a restaurant in Cape May from early morning until closing. He's usually exhausted after work. Today is his day off, so we could stay up a bit later yesterday. On his only day off, he cuts the hair of the local youth. Basically, he trained as a barber and is quite handy with clippers and scissors. All the haircuts are typical, with patterns shaved in using the clippers. He had a really busy day today; there's a line at his apartment! He charges 10 bucks. Guys, if you need a haircut, come by: 222 E. Rio Grande apt 1B – Monday! Morning. I dutifully got up at 8:30, had breakfast with everyone, and went to look for work. I was actually heading specifically to the Yankee Clipper hotel, as they needed a Russian girl. A rather nice woman said she needed a worker until at least mid-September! It's a pity, but I wasn't ready to sacrifice my travels. I continued my search in Crest. The hotels there are big, especially on Ocean Ave. Almost no one needs housekeepers anymore, or they need them until October. At the Lotus Inn, they offered to let me try, and if I'm okay, they'll hire me. They called the head housekeeper, Ginny, on the radio. I don't know where she's from, but her native language is Spanish, although her English is perfect. I was interrogated for a long time about where I'm from, what I'm studying, how long I can work, where I'm already working, and they even asked twice if I smoke. I need to pass a test. Ginny will show me how to do one room, and I'll do the other myself. She'll check it and that's it. Actually, Ginny paired me with a Spanish-speaking woman named Hilda, who showed me everything. Together we did 3-4 rooms. In the last one, Hilda left, Ginny came in, and checked everything. Seems like there were no major mistakes. The rooms here are cool. The hotel is 6 stories high, everything is at a very high level! They gave me a light white jacket, but if I stay, I'll need sneakers and white pants (my own). Apparently, those are the rules in all decent hotels. I spent two hours on this training. As for the salary, it's 8 an hour. Well, I was hoping to hear at least 9. You have to work from 8:30 to 13:30, but until you finish everything that needs to be done, you won't leave. As Laura (the boss) told me, we have team work here, everyone helps each other. Yeah, I think, very good teamwork, all the employees are Spanish-speaking. And if you stay late, it's on your own dime, no one will pay extra. And one more thing, she told me, "I haven't hired you yet." While it's slow, I'll call you next week! Fun times. Honestly, I was upset. Not because they didn't hire me, but I just don't want to work there. They actively use cheap labor, and that's not a very good sign for such a big hotel. At a large hotel, I filled out an application and waited about 30 minutes for the head housekeeper. They happen to need someone. The interior is designed in a paradise beach style: straw, palm trees, seashells... There are a lot of employees, only 4 people at the reception. Little palm trees, sofas – you can immediately feel the luxury and style in everything. And indeed, rooms are from 200 to 600 bucks a night. I flipped through the information booklet – huge apartments! There are all kinds, 2, 3, 4 rooms, kitchen, living room. Very chic. Although, I think it will be very difficult to remember where everything should be and how. The strict boss asked me about my experience. Actually, I'm lost on what to say about my previous workplace. I'm afraid they won't hire me without experience, but at the same time, if they call Kristina (which is standard practice) and ask how I am, it will be an outright refusal. Talking to this woman, I felt like an