Settled

Small Jerusalem hotel seeks services in exchange for room. Short-term 3-4 months starting immediately. Prefer English-speaking , with current visa. Services include helping with coffee shop and relief shifts at front desk. Hebrew helpful, but not required. Email your information.

I have a job and a place to live! A free room and breakfast at a small hotel in exchange for working at the reception  desk of a small hotel.

Maya, a friend from ulpan, found the advertisement on Janglo just a few days ago and forwarded it to me.

I applied immediately and had an interview the next day. Relying on public transportation to reach a job interview on time was nerve wracking. I took a bus, got off at the wrong stop, and wandered around lost, but still managed to be early for my first interview. After a second interview and two training sessions, I know how to get there.

A French girl assigned to the bed above mine at the Post Hostel took great interest in helping select my wardrobe for the second interview. That was a very good thing, as was her lecture after I was offered the job. It took more chutzpah than I usually exhibit, but I wrote to the boss and asked her to confirm the details of our agreement in writing.

I am required to work a few more hours than I'd believed. Maya was disappointed. She thought that 40 hours a week for room and board was unfair and she didn't want me to miss the last few weeks of ulpan. However, I haven't reviewed my finances since the apartment fiasco and I still don't want to.

I doubted my ability to make a wise decision. One morning, Zakai, a newer student in the class, heard me explaining my dilemma and pointed out that taking the job would solve two problems at once, expenses and a place to live, and that, in the grand scheme of things, missing the last few weeks of ulpan would be insignificant.

His points made sense, so with some trepidation, I packed my bags and schlepped them across Jerusalem. I think I made a good decision.

My responsibilities are shamefully few. All I have to do is set the tables for breakfast and make a list of rooms that require cleaning. I've gotten in the habit of emptying the dishwasher, putting the dishes away, tidying the lobby, and in the morning, bringing in the newspaper and bread delivery. I've also started making a list of people checking in and out the next day, noting which bills have been paid. I hope it helps the next person on shift.

Everyone who works here is very pleasant. Samy who trained me, came in half an hour early the first morning to relieve me and gave me his phone number so I can call with questions in the middle of the night if necessary.

My bed is comfortable and the bathroom is decent. There is no desk in the room, so I have to study in the lobby/dining area, but it's usually quiet enough. It's nice to hear bird song instead of city traffic.

So far, I've only worked night shifts (midnight to 8 o'clock) and haven't missed ulpan once. However, I can't make myself sleep during the day, so my brain is very foggy. The building is very old so I hear every person talking in the stairwell or hallway, every key opening a door, every tv, and even the phone ringing in the lobby. Something usually wakes me as I'm drifting off to sleep.

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I've seen my boss deal with employee errors (not mine-- yet) with tact and she is probably the nicest boss I've ever had. After my first week, I mentioned to her that I hadn't been sleeping and she told me that I should get a pillow and blanket from the linen room and sleep on the couch by her office during my shift. (I recall pretty clearly, her husband telling me during my first interview that sleeping on duty was not allowed.) If all the guests have checked in, I curl up at 2:30 and sleep until a box of bread slams against the front door around 5:00, acting as my alarm clock. It's not quite enough sleep, but it helps. The other "volunteer," Andrea, told me that it took her about three weeks to sort out her sleep, so soon I should be straightened out sometime next week.

I'm the only monolingual person here (everyone else speaks between two and four languages!), so I'll probably continue to be scheduled at night. And since the other volunteer is going to Hebrew University, I'll probably continue to get exactly the same schedule I did the first week. It means that, if I ever want to, I could be shomeret Shabbos again.

For now, I just want to finish ulpan and take the exam. I'm not sure what's next. Perhaps I'll stay here over the summer and take a second ulpan. If I learn to make do with one meal a day, my only expense will be the bus and incidentals.