Work Adventures

I had my first job at the age of 16 and since then, I have spent countless hours doing the most random of things. The other day I felt compelled to list every single job I've had in the past eight years. As I jotted down the title, the good, the bad, the amazing and the unbelievable experiences filled my mind. I count them all as life experiences. Experiences that have impacted me and molded me to be the person I am today. Experiences that are my life stories.

I'm a hard worker. Always have been. Always will be. I'm trusting (sometimes too much), responsible and reliable. I've got my amazing parents to thank for that. My myriad of jobs is not a reflection of a poor work ethic, instead, it's an expression of my dedication as well as my love for adventure. Below is a look into my work history and the memories that are forever-instilled in my mind. I've been known to juggle three jobs at one time; hence the length of my list. They are in no particular order.

I have:
*had my arms bicep deep in pizza sauce as a pizza maker.
*measured hips and necks of potential models as a talent scout.
*packed boxes of food for backpacking trips as a pack-out cook.
*dealt with 40 rowdy hormone-crazed high school boys as a substitute teacher for a weight training class.
*asked customers if they'd like to add a loaf of bread to their purchase as a counter person at a bread company.
*cleaned work-out equipment and folded pink towels while watching muscular college guys lift weights as a fitness lab supervisor.
*ran around wearing a blue wrap-around skirt and a red polo shirt taking orders from Orange County's fashionistas and getting mistaken for my twin sister at a boat-themed restaurant in South Coast Plaza.
*watched city kids taking pictures of a machine bailing hay in a field as a counselor at a summer camp.
*taken orders from celebrities from ER and Will and Grace as a server at a Studio City restaurant.
*taught Greek children the alphabet as an English teacher on a lonely Greek island.
*used a fire extinguisher to put out a fire in an oven full of chicken for 100 people as a chef for a student organization in college.
*ridden a bike and spouted encouraging words through the microphone attached to my ear as a cycling instructor.
*chopped tomatoes for hours while daydreaming as a salad cook on a kibbutz in Israel.
*hung the coats of New York's culturally conscious while working coat check for a temp assignment at a NY museum for a few hours.
*written an article about my experiences teaching English as a foreign language as a writer for an educational publication.
*painfully ironed creases down the sleeves of my white collard shirt as a server at a chain restaurant.
*stood on a Palm Springs golf course taking pictures of celebrities standing by a motorcycle as an intern for a Hollywood product placement company.
*cut pumpkins from the ground and thrown them onto a truck as a field worker on a kibbutz in Israel.
*yelled the days specials in the ears of old women while a man stood on a stage singing in Hebrew as a server at an Israeli restaurant.
*written an article about having the time of my life on a kibbutz in Israel as a freelance writer for a travel magazine.
*transferred callers to the appropriate editorial staff members at a New York newspaper as a temp.
*sprayed dishes at lightening speed as a prep-cook at a summer camp in Yosemite.
*attempted to read a poorly translated sentence in Turkish while speaking on the phone to a business owner in Turkey as an editorial intern at a travel company.
*wore a corset, skirt and scarf while selling gyros and falafel at a Renaissance festival.
*stood in front of a door waiting for people to stop at a large menu outside so I could run out and convince them to come inside as a server at an unsuccessful New York restaurant.
*chopped the ends off onions while tears uncontrollably ran down my face as an assembly line worker on a kibbutz onion factory.

The list ended up being slightly longer than I thought it'd be. Some of those jobs were merely short stints, others lasted much longer. Regardless of the length, they impacted me. Cheers to the things I've done and the randomness that lies ahead!