WHAT HAPPENS TO A NOMAD SOUL WHO SETTLES DOWN?

This is my story for this Summer. I was tired of traveling so I thought to stop for a while. The first 2 weeks resting is alright but after that time you feel useless and don't have nothing to do. Your bank account goes down until almost zero because you are only spending and not earning. Let's try to find a job now! 

Luckily is not that hard to find a job during Summer in South Portugal, if you are not so picky of course. Mostly you will find jobs in hotels, restaurants and bars and many of them in front of the beach :) I deciced to work in a pub in Vilamoura Marina, I worked there several times: Cds Store, Irish Pub, Bella Italia restaurant, Toys Store so I know my salary would be something like 700€ but in bars/pubs you get great tips, sometimes another salary. This means I could live well during Summer and save for my next trips. (Also for the first month in Lisbon). 

I left 3 CVS in the bars I enjoyed but I got a call from the boss of a completly different bar. It was meant to be. I never heard about this tiny bar before but as soon as I knew it was an irish pub I said yes. Irish people are fun and so damn easy going. The schedule was only one day off but it was a mix of day and night shifts which means no routine, yes please.  The first month was great, learned so many different things and was so happy. The second month was more of the same, I started being tired especially to work until 2am. That's when I started dreaming of my next trip again. I definitly want to travel Asia again after traveling Central and South America. The best thing is that my best friend Ana had the same plan without talking with me - twin souls? 

I promised to stay until the end of September, we weren't sure if Bruno is going to College in Lisbon (now we know he will) on October and also 5 months of working was more than enough. Although I love my bosses and coworkers I have to deal with their problems since we spend so much time together (Thanks godness I work with each of them 2 shifts only), not that I don't mind but that energy gets into me and I feel weak. Many times I had to deal with stupid costumers, drunk, calling me bitch and trying to touch my butt, some were pretty rude and I don't have the patient anymore. I was always polite but inside me I was ready to explode and scream loud. 

This is another experience to add to my life. I guess I was really happy before as a waitress or barmaid but now I'm not anymore. At least, full time. Same with other jobs. If you aren't freelancer or work for yourself somehow, you will have to deal with coworkers personalities when you also have your bad days. Of course, there are not so good things about being your own boss, but that's what I want for my life: Be able to work anywhere in the World, planning my own schedule, get paid fairly. 

Time wise, it really sucks working 8hours/day and the worst: one day off only. Me and one coworker exchanged some shifts so we could have 2 days off. At least I got a chance to go to some festivals because of these shift swaps. But guys, working 16 hours straight is not easy at all, the last working hours I was destroyed... guess I can feel my thirties now hehe like I'm really really old :P 

These last months I felt I didn't have time. My books would pile up (I took more then a month to read a book I was enjoying), my friends who are living overseas would come to visit and I barely could be with them once or twice, my day off was far away but rushing, my house needed to be clean urgently. And oh boy, so glad they feed me in my job, didn't have to waste time cooking ^_^ So, by the time I woke up, I only had 5 hours to live that day!! Wow that not too much. I know it's probably your case or mostly of the people but it's not for me. Perhaps I just need to find a perfect fit for me, a job that feels like a hobby? Looking forward to find you my dear!

So yeah, imagine a traveler who is free to go anywhere, who wakes up and decides to go to a sunny place with beach and the next week wants to do snowboard, the real freedom, you know. And now imagine a person working with mostly no time for what they enjoy in life? No fun. It was a huge struggle but I'm glad it's over. I feel proud of myself because I made it until the end :) 

How did I survive? My day shift was quite sometimes so I used that time to plan in my agenda and make lists. This way I started focusing in what needs to be done and what is more important. Like I said, my days off were spent somewhere far so I needed to plan ahead with train schedules and friends. In my day shifts I tried to have dinner out with friends and family and instead of taking a nap after work that was exactly what I needed, I forced myself to get sh*t done and go to bed early like 11pm or so. Since nearly all my friends work during the day I used to go to the beach from 2pm until 5pm and work at 6pm or using that time to finish house chores, or go for an ice cream. 

 It's true back in May I needed a job, I was feeling down, I didn't want to travel and needed to settle down. But now it's obvious that two months is more than enough time to settle. Now I know. I don't want to repeat same mistake in Lisbon. Anyway I have a trip planned after 2 months in Lisbon... great timing hein? This trip is very important because I will travel with Ana (we have so much to catch up, really need 24 hours together) and when we separate (she also wants to travel alone) I want to rent a bungalow in front of crystal water sea and white sand and think... think about life.