QRC - The Golden Ticket

One hour after conquering the final QRC exam, I found myself plodding through town with my friend Kate, both in a sopping wet suits. Our cold feet slapped the ground, leaving a trail of footprints through town. Tourists were befuddled, and I can understand why - we looked like two drowned rats. But we didn't care, because college was OUT! And we had just made an ice cold breakthrough into the next chapter of our lives! (Yep, we jumped into Lake Wakatipu).

Kate anchored herself in town, and I trudged along to my car which was in the Queenstown gardens. I couldn’t wait to hop into the fresh change of clothes which was crumpled up in a plastic bag on the back seat. My thick suit was constricting me, and yet, a brilliant sense of freedom filled my soul - no more classes, no more assignments, no more PE points. Finally, after the heavy slog, it was all over! I had finally arrived at the doorstep of my new life, which awaited me like the dry clothing in the car. I was officially set free from college work I had long become disinterested in. 

As I crossed the bridge to the gardens, I was reminded about all the times I had snuck away here between classes to sit in silence. I couldn't help but reminisce about the entire QRC experience, and smile. What a bubbling broth of experiences! Mincing words for an assignment the night before it was due, showing up to class hungover with everybody else, Fernhill Fish n Chip campaigns, shaking in terror before delivering a presentation, group skirmishes to KFC and 1876... The good and the bad all blended into one fabulous story that was simply unforgettable.

This video pretty much sums up the antics.

I was all smiles as I saw my emerald car beaming up me from the gardens car park. Oh what a wonderful friend! It was my noble steed during the final stretch of college, and it had taken me and my Queenstown companions on all of our adventures. When I thought about all the friends I had made here, a deep sense of awe warmed my bones. I had come to Queenstown a lone wolf, and now I was a rich man, abundant with friendships – the true wealth of life. 

I had a fond memory of some words spoken by Charlie Phillips at the welcoming ceremony 2 years ago, as all the fresh scallywags made the most of the opportune free wine and cheese. “You will make friends here,” he said, raising a glass. “Friends you will have for a lifetime.” Cheers to that! I had made good friends with my classmates, ‘me hearties’ - crew members scrambling about on the same pirate ship, slogging through the storms and celebrating the sunny days. I had also found myself allies with an extended brethren of legends from India, thanks to being friends with Sahil, a keen Indian tiger. Isn’t it amazing what just one friendship can open up for us? I now have a whole wallet of tickets to India!

As I reached my car, I was entertained by the trees above me, which were celebrating the birth of Spring. I was feeling too jovial to hop in and drive back to Shotover Lodge, so I grabbed the bag of clothing and went to embrace the afternoon drift. Garden-goers were smiling up at me and my slick suit, and I returned their smiles with gusto, amplifying my hospitality spirit. QRC had adopted and nurtured this spirit over the 2 years, and I started to feel proud about my decision to make the leap of faith and move to Queenstown to study Hospitality Management.  

I was deep within the gallows of my high school when I first caught wind of QRC. Like an elf coming heal my career confusion, a pretty blonde lady named Laura sprung out of thin air, holding a sparkling ticket to Queenstown. She handed it to me – a ticket to study in the most magical place in New Zealand. I looked around to see if anybody else in the high school had seen her - apparently not. I felt like Harry Potter, receiving a letter of invitation to a school of witchcraft and wizardry. When I turned back to thank Laura, she had disappeared.

I had the ticket – the opportunity of a lifetime. But I didn’t have the courage, and if I set sail to Queenstown the following year, I was bound to end up shipwrecked. So I took a working gap year to harness my inner strength, and hoist myself into a position of confidence. Under the wing of Paul and Jo at Ristretto café, I established some goals, and started carving my career in hospitality with absolute conviction that I had found my lifelong career path. 

I grasped my ticket to QRC ever so keenly, making efforts to transmute it into a golden ticket. I had scouted a scholarship called SixStar that offered to pay the whole tuition, and with an iron will, I spun my ticket into gold, and sailed to Queenstown the following year aboard the rainbow express.

And now here I was on the other side, adept in Hospitality Management, and light and bubbly without a student loan weighing me down. In the gardens public toilet, I removed my thick suit for the last time ever, and slipped into my fresh change of clothes. Folding the suit up, I placed it in the plastic bag, and strolled out into the gardens to soak in the final moments of my victory. 

I was serenaded by the beautiful gardens; peace filling my heart like rose petals. It made me see the ultimate truth of QRC, and it was overwhelmingly wonderful. Sure, I had emerged out the other side with knowledge and skills in Hospitality, but that was only the beginning of what I been given! To live in one of the most magical places in New Zealand, to be prosperous with experiences and deep friendships, and to have been granted yet another ticket with the internship experience which multiplied these benefits…None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for QRC! Queenstown Resort College is a gateway! One with laurels and delicious flowers around it. It is a bridge to paradise! As far as the genuine boons of life are concerned, QRC is indeed a school of witchcraft and wizardry.

I had an epic journey! It was so epic, that it took me 28 stories to write about! It is all here on my blog, and if you read it from the beginning, you will see what a magnificent journey it was for myself. My studies in the institution were only the beginning – I spent most of my time investigating the hospitality of my own heart. Hospitality is all about service, and I always asked myself ‘what is the highest service I can offer to the world?’ It was a question that was being answered every time I was seduced by the deep mystery and beauty of Queenstown and the South Island. I wanted so desperately to share the wonder and the homely spirit of the mountains through Art. Queenstown in its very nature is hospitable! Just go the the waterfront to discover the depth of this statement. 

I had come to Queenstown to study hospitality, and now I was following my heart, sailing into unchartered waters: the quest to discover and unlock my highest hospitality. I was starboard, peering through the telescope, focussing my sights on Music and Writing. These are my greatest gifts, and I knew that it was my duty alone to cultivate them, and share them with my fellows. And even if my endeavour failed, I still had my badge from QRC, the ticket to some incredible hospitality positions. What could possible go wrong?

Sitting in the Queenstown gardens in my dry outfit, I couldn’t  wait to see what adventures were to come. I had accomplished my goals in hospitality, and now it was time to take to the ocean, and pursue my dreams! 

And it was all thanks to QRC - The Golden Ticket!