Letter #2

The major turning point came in my life during my Year One holidays. I applied for a job as a bartender in the airport. Without any experience, I wasn't very sure that I would get the job. Who would want to hire a nobody for a bartender? My manager did.

For sure I didn't regret taking on the job. The bar was open-air and it was situated in the transit lounge, which means there's security and you need a pass to get in. I felt very important at that moment, like I was laughing at the rest of the people who couldn't get into the transit lounge at all. The job was quite a novelty to me. Within a few weeks, I managed to pick up the ropes from my seniors. There were only two of them.

Our bar was just a small bar by the poolside at the transit hotel. It served some food, basically snacks like sandwiches and burgers and drinks. From there, I learnt how to cook up some snacks using the grill and mix drinks. The burger there was terrific. The beef patty was so thick and juicy, my I tell you, it was worth your every dollar. When it sizzled on the grill, you could smell the juices from miles away. Plus the melted chess and sometimes the extra egg, whoa, it's one good meal. Sometimes, I did make for myself some burgers, of course without letting my bar manager know of course! As for the drinks, well, that was the part I like most. The usual orders were Singapore Slings and Pina Coladas, which the customers liked best. Others that were not ordered so often but popped up every now and then were like the Black Russian, the martini and stuff like that. Sometimes there were weird orders like the Purple Rain, which I had to refer to the cocktail recipe.

We worked two shifts, one in the morning from seven to four and another in the afternoon from three to eleven. Usually, when you work in the morning, it is a solo shift, which means you run the whole show. From making the food to mixing the drinks to washing the plates or collecting the dishes. Does that sound busy? It definitely does.