"A thousand-mile journey begins with one single step."
Welcome to the online diary of a girl who took the next big step after her college graduation. She's now a thousand miles away from her home country for the first time - in one year.
Izelle Valenzuela.
Fabulous since 1990.
A faithful member of God's army.
Yes, I will still praise You, Lord. I may have a weak body and spirit right now, but I know you can replenish it and make me stronger than ever. I won’t let negative thoughts to damage my positive thinking right now. Every day is a blessing, so whatever I may face, it is a blessing.
It is truly a pleasure working in BCC. Yes, it is tiring and there’s pressure, but I always thank God because I am still working and I’m not an unemployed person. Plus, BCC is a prestigious place. Not everyone can be a member and I’ve seen how the membership process goes, so yeah, we’re very strict. Haha :) I am working so hard everyday, but I don’t care if no one notices, I don’t care if my boss doesn’t appreciate or see what I do, I just work and give my best. Well, the members see what I do, even though they don’t take a minute to answer our comment cards, I don’t care. I know they left the club happy because I gave them the best service I can render. I’ve been getting more and more compliments the other days from them and it just feels so good. Yesterday, our van driver was at the front desk and he overheard the ladies that I served talking about me. “She is so pretty and she did a great job. I think her name was Grizelle.” That made my day :)
All glory and praise goes to HIM, because if not for this everyday life, strength and wisdom that He is giving me, I would not be where I am right now. God deserves the best other than anything else and I am going to continue to give Him my best every day of my life.
I haven’t been updating this blog for the past 3 months because I am freaking busy with work and going to places. I will try to update this more I swear. I don’t want work to suck the life out of me and blogging is one of the things that keep my sanity. I also have a journal, that’s why I didn’t blog more often. I bought this journal for $16 because it is worth it. Last piece on a closing down bookstore and I felt it was for me so… Yeah. Haha! Look!
There it is! Isn’t it pretty? hihi. I found it so meaningful so I dropped the Audrey Hepburn journal on my hands and bought this one.
A lot of blessings have been coming my way and I want to announce to the whole world that I am now officially a Server!
Yup, from black bow tie and black apron TO green necktie and white apron! I am so happy. I’ve been doing great on being a server and I receive lots of compliments from my managers, my colleagues and the members that I serve at the club. I thank God for giving me the wisdom, strength and continuous passion for this job that makes me strive for the best in every shift I work on. Best compliments so far I’ve received are: “You did a great job tonight! Thanks so much!” “Hey, know what, I am so glad I made you a server. You’re doing a great job.” “She is awesome, I will request Grizelle to wait on us every time we come here.” “You are outstanding!” “What you did tonight was superb!” “You are so nice, Grizelle. I hope there are a lot of you here in this club.” …and all the nice words go on and on. Those takes all my tiredness away. :’) Thank God for everything!
I’ve also been traveling a lot these days to the neighboring states of Maryland but I will do a separate post for those. My sched’s not so busy for this week and next week so I will be updating more since I have no plans on going anywhere after work for the next weeks because I am saving up for something and a lot of things.
That is all for now folks, I hope I could update more soon because I have a lot more things to share about my adventure here in the land of flowing milk and honey. BTW, I gained a lot of pounds. I have to lose them soon. BRRRR. I hate it. Kthanksbye.
July 4th, as you all know, is the Independence day of the United States of America. And they celebrate this bigger than New Year’s eve. Seriously. Haha.
Tables are all in red, blue and white
CAKE! Trust me, it is so yummy.
So Baltimore Country Club has an annual event for this, and we’ve been preparing for it for a long time. I didn’t know it was THAT big since it is my first time but then WOAH, It just surprised me because one) we are so busy for 2-3 weeks for prep, two) there were 1500+ in attendance for the event, three) fireworks lasted for 20-30 minutes and from what I’ve heard, it costs 10k dollars ++ for JUST THE FIREWORKS.
With the Romanian interns
At first I was pissed because we had to buy our own khaki shorts and white tennis shoes as our uniform for the event, but then when I wore it, it was comfy so, whatever. It was so easy to move around unlike our day to day uniform.
Dessert Station w/out the desserts haha
I was assigned at the dessert station during the event and man, it was so chill. We just prepared the station and waited for people to come get some sweets after dinner. We were just dancing to the music the whole time and believe me, people come more when we were dancing hahahaha! We looked like crazy but we don’t care, we enjoy what we’re doing.
I also joined the flash mob, which is a dance, that is a surprise for the guests since they have no idea there was a dance before the fireworks. And we danced Katy Perry’s “Firework” too, really appropriate to dance before the actual fireworks :p I have a video of it but i haven’t uploaded it yet and it’s not so clear so.. next time. Haha!
Pizza partyyy! spot me hahaha :p
Halfway through our cleaning process after the event, we had a pizza party! Tons of Papa John’s pizza in the Patio. Hahaha! Just imagine how many people worked for 1500++ people and how many boxes of Pizza the managers had to buy for us. It was truly a Pizza party.
After everything was done, i just felt so happy. It was a fun-filled day, and the event was a success. Everyone is happy. We delivered Gracious Hospitality to everybody. As what the managers said the next day, it was the best July 4th celebration after a really, really long time. It was just “awww” knowing that and i’m glad I’m a part of it.
BCC - Gracious Hospitality :)
A lot more is in store for me at work, so I’m gonna keep doing what i do best and do better on what I don’t do best. I’m happy God gave me BCC. He truly knows what’s best for me.
One of the things I learned through my Tita Efer when we found out she was sick. She has a different attitude and outlook about things. So when I found out she’s ready to go home to Heaven, I can’t stop crying because I know she can do it, she can wait for me til I come back home because she is a strong woman. But God has His own way. He took her before I can even come back. It is so hard for me to accept it. She is my mother in faith. She is my teacher. My aunt. My mentor. My spiritual adviser. My partner-in-crime. She is a woman I could not bear to lose.
It was 8am in the morning when my Mom called me. I was so irritated that I answered very rudely. But then when she said, “Anak, kalma ka lang. May sasabihin kami sayo.” Right then and there I knew what she meant and immediately cried and screamed like crazy. I told them I wanna talk to Tita Efer before she loses her breath. I didn’t care anymore how much it costs for a call — I just wanted to talk to her. She can’t talk anymore, but she can hear me. It’s so hard not to cry while I was on the phone. I wish I was there, holding her hand, kissing her cheek, letting her know we will see each other again and that this is not goodbye. But I can’t be home. I’m miles away from home. It was so painful. It was so hard. Terrible, darkest day of my life so far. I don’t know how I can face that day when I still have to go to work for one whole day. I can’t bear the thought that anytime, she’d be gone.
I was at work when it finally happened. I felt it. I don’t have my phone and no one told me what time is it exactly happened, but I really felt it. Good thing I was in this little room where we stay to wait for this little private party to finish, so I cried and cried there. I was with a server that time, Mama Brenda, and I told her what happened. She was so kind and shared her own story as well. Felt really better when someone understands what I go through.
When we were cleaning the room where the private party was held, I started singing “Better than I”. That was the song we played continuously when we were at the hospital. I believe it was one of her favorites. As I sang, the wind started to get colder and my co-intern felt uncomfortable. I started crying again because I know that Tita Efer was there and hugged me through that wind. I can’t contain my feelings. A lot of my managers and colleagues saw me and they started hugging me. Thank God for nice people around me. They really cared about me.
Each night I cried. It was so painful that I feel like a part of me was gone. It took me days before I realized I should not be sad. I really should not be. Because Tita Efer is safe now. She’s happy. She’s peaceful with our God, and that one day, I’ll see her again.
I’m not sad anymore. In fact I’m happy. Because now I’m 300% sure I have an angel. She’s watching over me now.
Tita Efer, thank you for all the memories. Thank you for being the best aunt I could ever wish for. Thank you for always making me feel warm at night because i can feel your embrace. Always know that no matter how far Heaven is from here, you’ll always be in my heart and in my mind, and all the things you taught me will be forever cherished. I love you so much, my angel butterfly. Til we meet again.
Second Sunday worship at Grace Fellowship Church finally arrived. God is so good He gave me a pm shift last sunday so I was able to attend church and thank Him for all His blessings. I brought with me Hazel, one of the work and travel students, to church that day. Her eyes were so chinky because she slept 3am but still woke up early to go with me. Aww :’)
We arrived at church early, so we had breakfast first and I also showed her around.
Media section: where you can buy CDs and books.
outside the worship room.
Youth Ministry booth
Next Steps booth: finding small groups
VBS registration area
As worship started, I felt so happy because one: I have someone with me, two: she’s happy to be there with me also and three: I feel so safe.
Worship was great, a new song again yet to be downloaded for everyday listening entitled: Your Love Never Fails. Here it is:
Listen, listen!
I loved this song. I hope you did too! :D
From the Inside Out by Hillsong was also played and I am so glad they did. It’s one of my favorites!
After the worship came the offering and announcements. They played a video about “Memorial Day”. It’s an American Holiday and also marks the beginning of summer. After that inspiring video, one of the youth leaders went up the pulpit and said.. “What if we consider the Youth of Today, the Church of tomorrow?” It got me thinking. “It is a big step for the youth, but why not? Why not think that we are the church of tomorrow instead of being just ‘youth’ of today.” He added. I was so inspired that yes, I placed it as my status in facebook hoping that I could also bring my co-youth on fire for Christ thinking about this one.
Preaching came, and I learned a lot. I mean, I was reminded once again. I’ve heard of this many times but you know, it’s better if we get reminded once in a while about things since we have gazillion thoughts everyday.
The preaching was entitled, “There’s Still More”. I want you guys to download and listen to it, because it inspired me a lot. So here’s a link to the audio and I hope you take time to listen because this is God’s word. Worth listening.
After the worship service, we went out immediately because we need to catch the bus going to the mall. I made Hazel come to the welcome desk first because she’s a newcomer and I want her to introduce to the friendly people there and make her feel that Christians, no matter what race, are all the same and are more hospitable than anyone in the world. So there, I saw Donna and got surprised because she still knows my name after 2 weeks of not being able to attend church. She is so friendly and introduced me to one of the usherettes that gave me the Preaching CD for FREE! I just told her that I wanna buy the CD cos I want to send a copy to my Pastor and I also told them about the great blessing and achievement that Pulo-PBC had, and then she ran and immediately gave me a copy! I told them I was going to buy next week because its going to be sold in a cheaper price but they gave it in an instant for free! Oh how I love Jesus and His blessings!
Hazel and I went out, waited for the bus for 20minutes and still hasn’t arrived then a car parked in front of us and it was Donna! She told us to hop in and she’s gonna take us to the mall. I was so happy! Countless blessings again for today, I thought.
So yeah, we went to the mall and looked around for stuff. Guess what I got?
Yes. Forever 21. My favorite apparel store in the world. Bow.
Good news alert: My request off on June 5, Sunday, was granted! Thank God! I can attend church again and this time, my girls, Krizzelle and Richelle are going with me since it’s Richelle’s off too, and Krizzelle is going to switch her day off with another person. Yey! I’m so excited!
Thank God for everything. Thank God for His unending grace.
There are days in my life wherein I feel so sad and down. Especially when things and people at work don’t go well. There’s this one time that I was misunderstood, or should I say, there are just people who doesn’t know the phrase, “Mind your own business”. There was this one day that I was assigned as a Runner (one who runs the food out from the kitchen to the server) and I said that I’m used to being a Server Assistant than being a Runner. Sadly, some people just don’t know what they’re talking about and they said it to one of the employees. I was shocked when he said to me, “So what’s this thing that I heard? You don’t wanna be a runner?” I am really disappointed because that’s not what I meant. So I told him the real thing. I said I’m just used to being an SA than a Runner. Good thing he didn’t mind it much. It really affected me in my shift that morning, but you know, its just how we react to it. I did my best and just focused on the job that was given to me. I also had a shift that night, still as a Runner. God really knows how to cheer me up. I got to train a new employee from Niagara University in NY. Well, I have to admit I’m not yet good in being a Runner but I still did my best and asked questions from people who were there longer than me to make sure I was teaching the right things. It was a good shift. The next day I was an SA, and I was so surprised they gave me another trainee. She’s the daughter of our HR Director and she’s from a university in Virginia. It went out so well because I know almost everything about the SA’s job. I am so glad they gave me this opportunity. They trusted me with training people. It’s because they see that I’m doing a good job.
I go home really tired from work, legs aching til I wake up then I still have to go to work, do household chores, fix my things, get in touch with the people back in the Philippines and so much more. Our job is really tiring, but I’m really passionate about it. I hope that passion won’t die. Heehee. Thank God He never lets me forget my personal quiet time. I love how He reminds me of His blessings everyday.
There is really beauty in everything. We just have to see it. And it depends on how we look at it. There are blessings — they’re countless. Even if there are people who’s trying to ruin my day, I won’t mind. (Yes I do, a little. Haha!) But I will never, ever, let anyone push me to the ground when I’m about to fly.
Anyway, do you know who’s going to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania next tuesday?? ME! and all of us! BCC is shouldering half of the entrance and transpo’s free! I’m so excited though I don’t like rides that much. Lol. 3 weeks at work and really enjoying it! Thank God for giving me this company of happy, caring and loving people.
When I found out that my other day off landed on a Sunday, I got so excited! I really thanked God because He knows that I need to go to church already. I need to be in a community where I can really feel His presence around me. All my friends had duty yesterday and the others don’t wanna go, so I had to go alone to the Church.
I arrived 9:58am at the bus stop in Cranbrook/Ridgely road, 9 minutes early for the bus to Lutherville. I looked around and took some random photos because the weather is so nice. God is great.
Since it was only a 10-minute bus ride from my place to the church, I got there 30 minutes before the Worship service started. I was welcomed with two usherettes who made me sign a newcomer’s card and then gave me freebies! They were really so nice and was so accommodating. I wandered around the place and man, it was big. It doesn’t look big on the outside so I was so surprised. They have different booths inside like a fund-raising booth, a small group booth, an international youth help booth and lots more! They also have a library and a nursery plus an outdoor playground that I’m sure my little brother will enjoy if he’s with me here.
The worship service started with a couple of songs led by the worship team. I loved all the songs but my favorite was You Never Let Go by Matt Redman. Really nice song. I was so teary-eyed because I miss my Pulo-PBC family! I miss seeing familiar faces around me :( Then after the singing, they already passed the offering plates. There were also a couple of announcements which are really interesting since they have this Newcomer’s Reception on June 5. Preaching came after the announcements. It was simple but very timely for me. The passage was Acts 26-28. It was about Paul, who didn’t quit serving God. There are times we say, “Oh no, not again!” when we do the same mistakes all over again, but we shouldn’t quit because there is always a lesson in every mistake. The pastor also said that “No day is ordinary. We just have to see it.” We have to look around to see what we can do for Jesus and everyday will surely be extraordinary.
I met a new friend named Betty, works in Chili’s, has a 5-year old daughter, and is looking for a church she can call “home”. We both agreed that this church is the one.
When I got home the other interns and I went out for lunch at Oriental Star. We had a sumptuous lunch! I was so full!
Here are the contents of the loot bag they gave me at church:
Newcomer’s reception invitation, May 2011 newsletter, welcome letter, a leaflet that contains a brief introduction about the church and a book that costs $15 with the signature of the author at the first page! Coolbeans huh? :D this is a nice book. I can already say with its title ;p haha! I’m excited to read it and I know it will really be helpful for me.
There are a lot of things happening in my life now. But I always make it a point to remind myself how God is to be praised for all of this. I am so happy and I feel so overwhelmed by His blessings. He never leaves me alone. I can feel it.
My first Sunday off was really a long day for me. Oops, rephrase. LONG, BLESSED DAY.
Yesterday and Today is my day off. So yes! You know what it isssss! ;)
Monday
We went around Hunt Valley, where we bought our US Phones and activated our US numbers, then bought some necessities for work. We mostly just walked around the mall and explored the different means of transportation here around Maryland. It’s so cool because we only paid $3.50 and its already a day pass. Unlimited ride! Heehee.
We also went to Walmart Supercenter which is open 24 hours (Ikr?) and shopped for groceries for atleast 2-3 weeks so we don’t have to go out. Kuya Alan drove us to and fro so we saved a couple of bucks again. People here are so kind. We’re so thankful to him cos he had paperworks to do but he stayed with us and helped us shop. We got home around 12am already! I was so tired. Not just because of the walking but also because of the computing :| :s I kept my hands tied all this day because I saw a lot of things I wanted to buy. SRSLY. I just bought things I need. So far, I have XOXO and Nine West items. Got it so cheap!
Tuesday
I cooked stir-fried veggies for lunch and went to ate Arra’s place to eat. She cooked chicken breast nuggets and it was so good! She also cooked rice and I ate a lot. I missed eating food like that. Then came afternoon we went to Hunt Valley, Target and Dollar Tree with Sam and Bea. They were hospitable enough and gave us a ride. Hihi. Krizzy and I’s fave spot at Wegmans: CANDY STOREEEE! Weeepee! We were so happy we had to take pictures ;p Butttt.. we didn’t buy anything. So, yes. Just photos. Lol.
Tonight we’re gonna go to Bea’s apartment because she cooked something for us. I wonder… Yey! Dinner out! Or should I say.. Dinner in another apartment. Lol. Tonight’s gonna be good.
One: It sucks to hear sad stories and sad news from the Philippines. It’s hard to squeeze it in and I’m far away and I could do nothing about it. Makes me wanna pack my bags and just leave already. Kung alam nyo lang.
Two: I miss my loved ones back home. Days are slowing down and I feel like I’m going to be here forever. Well of course I’m not, and maybe I just feel this way because of number one.
Three: It’s hard. Working here is not a joke. SERIOUS BUSINESS going on right here. Every minute is important. No one is late, ‘cept of course for the lazy Filipinos. It’s in our nature, but some of the Filipinos here have learned already how to be prompt all the time. I guess that’s the first lesson one has to learn about being here. It’s so different from the Philippines. My body feels so tortured every night when I go home. The only thing that keeps me going is that when I see that it’s not just me. We are all tired and they are experiencing this same feeling like me, maybe even heavier, because every one of us has our own share of problems and things to think about.
Four: It’s hard to budget. Taxes are so high. It’s so disappointing to hear others saying that its half of the allowance we’ll receive. It’s not what I expected :( Too sad. Really. But I’ll just look on the brighter side. Again, it’s not just me. All of us. I’m not alone.
America is fun, but it’s not all there is. Not all the glitters and glam. You will have to really work hard to get THERE. You know what I mean? It’s not easy. But I’ll just keep going. Wala naman akong magagawa eh. Hahaha! I’ll just think about the lessons and knowledge I’ll learn from every day of work. Cos I’m really learning, in all fairness. Hahaha. Oh and I have only one day off next week. What is PAGOD? ugh. If you can only feel my body pain. Lol.
I have a lot of expectations before starting work. It’s like a nightmare for me because I was so nervous to work. But of course what I feel will never hinder me from being effective in my workplace.
Expectation: When you’re a newbie, you are like an outcast.
Reality: When I came in for my first day of work, what welcomed me was smiling, happy people who all greeted me. Everybody was so friendly and warm. As they’ve said in the orientation, “no one is more important than the other”. Well, its certainly true! It’s a stress-free workplace. Everyone seems to be at par with each other. At first I was just smiling and saying “Hi” to everyone who greets me, but then I was surprised because they were too friendly I started making little conversations. They were so approachable and trains me with things I need to know about the Club. (Baltimore Country Club = “The Club”) God is good.
Expectation: When you did something wrong, your manager will be mad.
Reality: There’s no such thing as that. As in super. What’s funny is, my first task was to pour water on the Member’s (We refer to guests as Members because no one comes inside as a guest w/out a member accompanying them, all who comes to the Club are members who pay no less than $60,000/year. I know, right?) water glass but then I accidentally poured it on the wrong glassware. I poured it on a wine glass :| Ew, so embarassing. Why? Because I got confused. Don’t judge, I have my explanation. Hahaha! The water goblet in Manila looks like the wine glass here, and the water goblet here looks like the white wine glass in Manila. Good thing another trainee approached me and said, “Go back, its a wine glass not the water goblet.” The manager in charge saw me and just imagine my fear! But then, he approached me, tapped my shoulder and said, “What did you do earlier? You placed water on the wine glass, didn’t you?” I said sorry, I got so confused because bla bla.. (stated my reason) then he was like, “That’s okay, it’s your first time. I know with that you’ll do better.” with a smiling face. I was so surprised! Not even a hint of madness! God is good.
Expectation: When you break a glass, spilt something or generally, did something wrong, you’ll have to pay for the waste, etc.
Reality: That’s only in the Philippines! Break as many glasses as you can, make wrong orders, spill all the iced tea and soda on the floor, you’ll pay nothing. Well of course if you did something wrong you shouldn’t be proud, just say sorry and they’ll accept it then everybody’s back to work. On my second day, I tried carrying a big tray of glasses filled with iced tea. When I was about to put it down, my knees felt so weak and it bended a bit. Good thing my friend was behind me so she helped me place it on the tray jack but one glass fell. It didn’t break, but guess what, the iced tea got spilled all over my uniform. My manager saw me and just said, “Oh that’s what happens when you carry more than you can.” Again, not mad. And I won’t be charged for the waste as well. God is good.
System here at The Club is so different from what we have back home, so I was really surprised and thankful because God placed me here. Everyday will be a day of learning for me. I already learned a lot from my first three days and I’m willing to learn more. I am also happy everyday because I receive compliments. Haha! There’s this time when two of my bosses and a member said I looked good, a cute kid staring at me while I pour water on his parent’s glasses and members saying thank you for the nice service.
And oh! I already saw the church I want to attend. It’s name is Grace Fellowship Church, and I can get there by a train! Yippee! I hope when I get steady with work I can request for off during Sunday. Please pray for me :D
