Oh to be a Waitress

Over the past few months leading up to my aliyah I have had many a conversation that went as follows:

Me- “I wanted to let you know that I have decided to make aliyah.”
You- “That is so wonderful. What are you going to do there? Are you going to study?”
Me- “Um, yes eventually, but not right away.”
You- “Oh sure, I understand. So do you have a job lined up?”
Me- Silence.

You can all rest easy because I am now officially employed by the people of Café Segafredo. Waitressing in Tel Aviv is kind of rite of passage for the 20 something community. Everyone has done it at some point for some reason for some amount of time. It is the fastest way to get a job and also the easiest thing to leave. (It even has a higher turnover rate than the ADL.)

Getting a job goes as follows:

Me- “Hello, I wanted to know if you are looking for more waitresses.”
Them- “Ummm, maybe. Do you have experience?”
Me- “Yes.”
Them- “You will have to work 3 half shifts without pay as training and then if we like you and you like us, you can start. If you are interested then, come back on Thursday at 5:00 pm.”

I worked my three half shifts (that are less than legal although more than common) and made it on to this weeks schedule. After working three 8.5 hour shifts in three days I discovered muscles in my feet that I have long since forgotten about since my days at Friendly’s.

Like all of the others who come to the wonderful world of waitressing, I do not plan to make it my next career move; rather I look at it as part of the Tel Aviv experience (and hope to find a better job in the near future).

I will leave you with one last dialogue that happens often at the café. I walk up to take someone’s order and see that he/she is looking at the English side of the menu.

Me- “Hello, what can I get for you today”
Them- “I would like a cappuccino and a glass of water.”
Me- “Sure.”
Them- “Your English is great. It sounds like you have lived in the States for some time.”
Me- (nod and smile) “Yes, a few years.”