I had a great week working at Gus’ Pub in downtown Halifax this week. The clientele they have is quite eclectic. During the day, they will have customers who have been going there daily for 20 — 30 years. At night they bring in a much younger crowd of students because they have bands playing every Wednesday — Saturday night.
It was my first time as a bartender and I was a little nervous that someone would ask me for some mixed drink that I had never heard of before. Luckily they only serve beer, and old fashioned high balls: rum, vodka, gin, etc. so it would be pretty hard to mess things up.
Dealing with money is something I wasn’t used to and adding up drink totals and giving back change took some time getting used to.
The first table I had were three people who have been following a long with One Week Job. They heard that I was working in Halifax this week and so came in for a beer. It was awesome to meet them. They were really excited about the project and to hear my stories. It was really cool, I referred to my week as a Veterinarian in Cambridge, and one responded with, “oh yeah, I saw that episode.â€Â
Jen, Jackie, and Will, it was great meeting you guys, hopefully next time I will be able to sit down and have a beer with you!
I probably explained the concept of One Week Job to about 100 different people in the last few days, though it’s always great to see the disbelief on peoples face when I tell them what I am doing. It reminds me that, “oh yeah, this is quite the journey I am having.”
I liked working as a bartender and enjoyed the interaction with people. As a bartender, you kind of see the party from an external perspective. It’s like going out on the town with friends as the designated driver, though there is not that associated awkward feeling as you see your friends become more intoxicated, seemingly having more fun, and you just can’t relate. As a bartender, there is not the expectation that you should be drinking as you are working and must keep a clear head.
I am heading back to Vancouver next week to get myself organized at home, then to Victoria, British Columbia where I will be working as a Climbing Instructor. After that, it’s off to Atlanta, Georgia where I will be a tradeshow salesman.
Ian is working hard on the Roots episode, and it should be finished by mid next week.
Tonight we are having lobster which I am pretty pumped about!
Cheers,
-Sean