Growth Santana

Acting as a Hostel Manager Professor-Coach

After applying continuously for jobs for four years (hoping to grow by way of abandoning my tenured position at my university), I accepted the first offer I received: a hostel manager. Surprisingly, it a job that allows me to keep the professorship that I fell back in love with over the last year, and it is a job that allows me to shine in all the ways I know: stranger relationality, collaborative leadership, and practical problem-solving. Still, it’ll be a journey as I learn the ropes of the hospitality industry — though I’ve dabbled; I was a manager at the Winnetu on the Vineyard in 2018, a waitress here an there before that, and a blackjack dealer in Reno back in 2009 — but I’m up for it. Bring on the growing pains. [insert sweating while laughing emoji).

You can start from the beginnng with me or scroll down to the bottom to catch me where I am in auditory format.

• 5.4.26
  I start training tomorrow here at the Boston Hostel.  It took me about an hour to leave the parking garage after I arrived. I sent text messages that needed to be sent (not really). When I finally made it in here after 5pm, I walked up to the registration desk and introduced myself as part… Read more: 5.4.26
• 5.5.26
  I slept well enough to wake up at 5am and nonchalantly kill time until I could head to a coffee shop. Once there I worked on work (revamping my business communications course book) before it washed over me (on the walk back to the hostel to get ready for the first day of training) —… Read more: 5.5.26
• 5.6.26
  This morning the same Cafe from yesterday made sense, but only for coffee. I wandered past a place I planned to “a la cart” but ended up with a gorgeous plate of food that was so completely delicious, I struggled to stop shoving it into my mouth as quickly as I could. I got back… Read more: 5.6.26
• 5.7.26
  I starting fighting with the internet around 6:30 am. It got bad. I had to keep reminding myself that throwing my laptop wouldn’t solve the problem. I was determined to get my writing in shareable form on this website. I couldn’t put my dukes down once they were up. I have a mountain range of… Read more: 5.7.26
• 5.9.26
  Driving drive down from Boston to Hyannis, then pulling into the parking lot was exciting. I took a picture at the intersection as memories of eight years ago – when I first visited as a single/divorced woman – flooded back. (Okay – so, back then, I immediately hit it off with a just-my-type, nerdy, handsome… Read more: 5.9.26
• 5.10.26
  I tried two other cafes before ending up here, at the one closest to the hostel. The other two felt weird. I didn’t get far past the entrance to the Nirvana Cafe in lovely and quant town of Barnstable. And the Old Kings Cafe looked attractive on the outside but felt corporate and freezing on… Read more: 5.10.26
• 5.11.26
• 5.12, 13, 14.26
  I’m getting my sea legs: I fix a bench, meet my new boss, use my company credit card, plant some flowers, attend a four hour English Department meeting in Worcester…
• 5.16.26
  Opening day antics. Good learning and laughing with great new colleagues and guests.