Pleasure becomes work!

I seem to have just found myself a job! After months of job hunting and job applications without getting anywhere I had an idea....let's check out punting!

A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. Punting refers to boating in a punt. The punter generally propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole.
Punts were originally built as cargo boats or platforms for fowling and angling but in modern times their use is almost exclusively confined to pleasure trips on the rivers in the university towns of Oxford and Cambridge in England and races at a few summer regattas on the Thames. (Wikipedia)

Punting is a very popular leisure time activitiy in Cambridge and I have gone punting a few times already. Not as easy as it sometimes seems, but very fun and I always enjoyed it as you can see on the photo.

Now, this might be where you will find me most of the time in the near future-- on the river Cam taking the tourists along the colleges, punting and talking away.... They refer to Tour Guide Punters as 'Chauffeurs'.

First I have to pass a 'test' though, which I think just means taking my boss on a tour to see if I am good enough for the real tours yet. I will have to fill 45 minutes of tour talk AND, even more challenging, get this 12 person boat up and down the river in 45 minutes while I am talking, help!

So, over the next week I am studying 8 pages of information on Cambridge bridges and buildings and Cambridge University. I will also practise punting the 12 person boats. Those are bigger than the 6 people punt boats that I have been going on. When I feel ready I will do the test and my 'Chauffeur' career can kick off!

(I was told that my boss fell into the river 7 times in his first year. I will have to leave a spare set of clothes just around the corner at Matt's office I think, haha!)