My First Season

Gary Sirota

My guest today kept posting one amazing photo after another on the various EXGO Facebook sites, that I asked him if he would agree to come on and share his story. His first season was in 1979 in Club Med Martinique as a Snorkeling/Picnic G.O. From NYC but now living in beautiful Arizona, please help me welcome Gary Sirota!! Gary worked for Club Med from 1979 to 1989 with a few various stints here and there after that. He worked in such villages as La Caravelle, Paradise Island, Copper Mountain, Magic Isle, Cancun, Sandpiper, Eilat, St.Moritz, Vittel and Moorea. Serge Trigano interviewed a seventeen and half years old Gary in New York City when he applied (no pressure, right?!), and he was sent to Martinique not soon after. Gary has very vivid memories of his time in Club Med, so if you were an early 80s G.O. or want to know what Club Med was like back them, then this interview is for you!! In Magic Isle alone, Gary met David Lee Roth, Pat Benatar and Bob Guccione along with some Penthouse playmates. Gary eventually became a Bar G.O and then Chef de Bar and has one amazing story after the next!! He mentions a lot of names from the past and the three things he misses the most about Club Med. Please enjoy! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Lee Siegel

Today’s guest worked for Club Med from 1988 to 1991. His first season was in Club Med St. Lucia in 1988 as a Carpenter. From Potomac, Maryland, please help me welcome, Lee Siegel! Lee worked in the villages of St. Lucia, Copper Mountain, Eleuthera, Playa Blanca and Punta Cana. He may have started out as a carpenter, but he worked his way toward Bar G.O. and then Chef de Bar. Even though Lee had never bartended before Club Med, he became so good at it that his “Goombay Smash” cocktail beat out several locals in a contest in Governor’s Harbour in Eleuthera! Lee met his future wife Lisa in Club Med Playa Blanca in 1990/1991 and I am happy to report that they recently celebrated their thirty-year wedding anniversary in November 2022! Before Club Med, Lee was working as a Bouncer/Doorman at Bennigans in Westminster, California. One of his co-workers went to Club Med on vacation to Turks and told Lee that they really should be working there! Lee applied and was sent to St. Lucia as a Carpenter. As an 80s G.O., Lee has a lot of great stories and he is kind to share some of those with us. Want to hear a New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration gone awry in St. Lucia? We have you covered! Never heard of a Scorpion Bowl before? (me neither!). Did his future wife sabotage her AC unit in Playa on purpose just to see Lee? Tune in to find out! After Club Med, Lee became involved with the jewelry, diamond, gemstone and high-end wristwatch business and graduated from the Gemological Institute of America. We end the interview with the three things he misses most and how he would not be where he is today without Club Med. **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out Lee’s website below:

Sell Jewelry, Diamonds & Gold For The Best Value & Immediate Payment | Just Jewels USA

 

Anna “Rubia” Ferdinand

My guest today’s first season was in Club Med Punta Cana in 1998 as a Hostess and she has had some bad luck with hurricanes! From Ottawa, Canada, please help me welcome, Anna “Rubia” Ferdinand!! Anna has held many jobs within Club Med: Reception, Boutique, Excursions and Chief of Excursions. Anna worked for Club Med from 1998 to 2004 in the resorts of Paradise Island, Martinique, Turks and Caicos, Playa Blanca and Ixtapa. Before Club Med and right after high school, Anna was working in retail in downtown Ottawa but really wanted to travel. Anna discovered a local company that had all the addresses where to apply to work on cruise ships and at Club Med. Club Med called a few months later and set up an interview in Montreal. For her interview/audition, Anna did a cartwheel and then sang “Happy Birthday” standing on a chair! You think you have some Club Med hurricane stories?! Anna may have you beat! Anna was at Punta Cana for only one week when Hurricane Georges had his way with that resort (in terms of destruction of course) and the G.O.s were sent home (jealous!). Her second season (in Paradise Island) involved a hurricane as well (Floyd), but you will need to listen to this entire episode to find out what happened! Anna took a short break in between seasons to work on Sark Island, a small, royal fief island located in the southwestern English Channel. You must hear this story because it has all the markings of a romantic comedy about to happen (picture the 2010 movie Leap Year with Amy Adams). Did Anna meet a sexy, recently widowed farmer with two charming kids while she was there? You’ll have to tune in to find out! I hope you enjoy this interview with an extremely positive and upbeat person. If you are sad or feeling down, listen to this episode and you’ll forget about your worries for an hour, guaranteed! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out her website and Instagram below:

Home - Play! Joyful Fitness (playjoyful.com)

Play! Joyful Fitness (@play_joyful) | Instagram

 

Sharon Lee

My guest today is from beautiful San Diego, California and her first season was in Club Med St. Lucia in 1986 as a Snorkeling G.O. Please help me welcome to My First Season, the amazing and funny, Sharon Lee! Sharon had quite an interesting route to Club Med. She went as a G.M. with her mother to Club Med Ixtapa when she was sixteen years old in 1984 and loved that week so much, she knew that she wanted to work for Club Med one day (and one day very soon!). When Sharon graduated from high school at seventeen and a half years old, she bought a one-way ticket to St. Lucia, in the hopes of finding a job at Club Med. She met the Chief of Village and he let Sharon stay au pair for two weeks on a trial basis. Well, she wound up staying the whole season and her Chief of Sports was none other than the incredible, Hansel Moss! Sharon’s second season was in Club Med Martinique in 1987 as a Hostess and she worked with the one and only, Angie Boucher! Her third season was in Club Med Sandpiper in 1988 and Sharon did one last season in Club Med Paradise Island in 1992. We also talk about her love of travel and her passion project, “Culture Club: Real People, Real Places, Real Adventure” (please see the link below). She is also a member of “The Traveler’s Century Club”, which is for travelers who have visited one hundred or more countries and territories (Sharon has been to 103!). I hope you enjoy this episode with a very funny lady!! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out Sharon’s Culture club website:

cultureclubshow.com - Real people, Real places, Real adventure

And her Instagram:

Sharon Lee (@therealsharonlee) | Instagram

 

William Connors

My guest and I worked together in Club Med Columbus Isle during the 1999/2000 season, but his first season was in Club Med Turks and Caicos in September of 1995 as an Aide Econome. From Montreal, please help me welcome, William Connors! Before Club Med, William was studying Hospitality Management at Carleton University. He also taught English in Japan for two years, from 1991 to 1993. He then got a scholarship to Schiller International University in Florida and obtained a degree in Business Administration in Hotel Management. William met a guy in Montreal who had worked for Club Med as a Windsurfing G.O., and suggested he give it a try. William’s first season in Turks had quite the star-studded lineup of G.O.s: Ye was the CDV, Cookie at Animation, Hendel at Landsports, Steve Riely was Chief of Sports and TinTin was at Snorkeling. William worked in the Club Med resorts of Valbella, Switzerland (which was his second season), Cancun, St. Lucia, Columbus Isle and Paradise Island. We cover a lot of ground and stories in this interview, as William is one of the first EXGOs from the Food & Beverage team, specifically the restaurants, that I have had on, so he has many great and funny stories from an area of the village you might not be that familiar with. You must hear the “exotic dancer/The Little Mermaid” story from Cancun 1997 and the “pumpkin” story from St. Lucia 98/99! William has been living in London, England the last twenty years, so I ask him questions about that as well. William tells us who his favourite CDV was, his favourite Crazy Signs and the three things he misses the most about Club Med. Please enjoy! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and is free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out his social media links below:

William Connors | LinkedIn

POSDoctorCanada (@posdoctorcanada) | Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Ouimet

My guest today hails from beautiful Montreal, Quebec and his first season was in 1996 at Club Med Punta Cana as a Boutique G.O. Please help me welcome to MFS, Steve Ouimet!! Before Club Med, Steve was a singer in a rock band and he also managed a clothing retail store (Neon) in Montreal. From 1996 to 2007 he worked in Club Med resorts such as Magic Isle, Haiti, Club Med 1, Varadero, Cuba, Cancun, Playa Blanca, Paradise Island, Crested Butte, Columbus Isle and Djerba la Douce. When Steve was eighteen years old, he went to Club Med Cancun as a G.M. in the late 80’s. During Steve’s first season, he actually thought he had to be at each activity (like beach volleyball for example) if he was not working at the Boutique! This went on for ten days until someone told him he did not have to do that! Steve may have started at the Boutique but went from there to Sailing, to Landsports, to Chief of Sailing, Chief of Sports to finally Leisure Manager. Do you want a ton of stories?! Steve has them!! From Skydiving with Aureo Stern in Club Med Varadero, to performing a G.M. Show number with Uncle Larry, to crossing the Atlantic Ocean twice with the Club Med 1 and actually witnessing the Club Med 1 and Club Med 2 pass each other on the open water, Steve had quite the adventure in Club Med! The interview ends with Steve telling us the three things he misses the most about Club Med and the names of some of the incredible people he met and became friends with. **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out the link below to see the 4-star hotel in Paris where Steve is currently the General Manager:

Boutique Hotel 4* | Maison Barbès | Montmartre, Paris (maison-barbes.com)

And his Instagram:

Steve Ouimet (@steve_ouimet.art) | Instagram

 

 

Dean Barbour

My guest today went to Club Med Cancun for a two-week vacation in December of 1989. He started as a G.M. that week, but wound up as an au pair Snorkeling and Picnic G.O. We will get into that and more on this episode of My First Season. From Maple Ridge, British Columbia, I am pleased to welcome to the podcast, Dean Barbour! Dean was looking to relax for two weeks when he went to Club Med Cancun as a G.M., but he ended up tearing the ligaments in his ankle and was on crutches for the rest of his stay. The G.O. team showed exceptional care for Dean during his vacation and this made him approach the Chief of Village, Ye, to see if he could work there. Dean moved to Sailing a few months later and then to Landsports. After Cancun, he went to Club Med Huatulco in December 1990 to November 1991 as Landsports. While at Huatulco, he starred as the love interest in a Nathalie Simard music video called “Reste Ami”! While everyone from Quebec knows who pop singer Nathalie Simard is, we will explain in the interview for the rest of the world who does not! From the second Dean sent me this video, I had so many questions! He was very kind and patient to discuss this hidden piece of 90’s gold with me. Not since Barney Stinson uncovered the “Robin Sparkles” video in “How I Met Your Mother”, has there been a greater video! I see your “Let’s Go to the Mall” or “Sandcastles in the Sand” and raise you one “Reste Ami” video (or as I’m calling it, Floorplans in the Sand-you will understand why once you watch the video!). After Club Med, Dean studied Dramatic Arts at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and then got a Business Administration degree at Mt. San Antonio College in California. The interview ends with Dean telling us the three things he misses the most about Club Med. Please enjoy this episode with a very funny man!!**My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and ad-free and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Here is the famous video with Nathalie Simard that we spoke about. Dean is the shirtless, blonde hunk in the video. Please enjoy!

Reste Ami 1991 - YouTube

 

“DJ Wej”

My guest today and I just missed crossing paths in Club Med, but his first season was during the summer of 2003 in Club Med Cancun as a DJ/Animation G.O.  From New York City, please help give a warm welcome to DJ Wej!! Before Club Med, Wej was pursuing a Criminal Justice degree from Long Island University. Not really wanting to use his degree, he took a friend’s advice that he should check out Club Med. Wej had his interview in New Jersey and at first was offered a Club Med Artist contract. He politely declined that and waited for a contract, which came in the form of a DJ contract to Cancun, not long after. Wej worked in Cancun for one year and then worked for six months in Club Med Turks and Caicos. Wej has very vivid memories of his first week in Cancun and shares them all with us. Wej shares a very funny JoJo incident, a story about G.O’s in Turks chartering a plane to Cuba on their day off and the three things he misses the most about Club Med. We also get into what he is currently doing now and we talk about his Tik Tok account and the many videos he has on that platform. I had to ask Wej about his Tik Tok video where he went from New York to Naples, Italy, just to try a sandwich (true story)! I hope you enjoy listening to this interview as much as I enjoyed recording it! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out Wej’s social media:

privatejetsetter420 (@privatejetsetter4) | TikTok

Sativa Dave (@privatejetsetter420) | Instagram

 

Marlis Butcher

This is part four in the series, “Amazing Women doing Amazing Things”. In July 2019, my guest today accomplished her goal of visiting all forty-seven National Parks of Canada, making her the first-ever visitor to do so. She is an accomplished wilderness adventurer, Nordic skier, backpacker, kayaker, canoeist, cyclist and world traveler. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and The Explorers Club. Her work has been published in Canadian Geographic Magazine, CBC News online and The Explorers Club’s “Far Afield” magazine, among many others. Her book called “Park Bagger: Adventures in the Canadian National Parks” was published in 2021 and it chronicles her adventures being the FIRST visitor to all of Canada’s National Parks. Everyone, please help me welcome, author Marlis Butcher!! Marlis grew up in Montreal and has a B. Com from McGill University and an MBA from Concordia University. In visiting all forty-seven National Parks, Marlis has had her share of adventure! From snowshoeing in -40 degrees in the Southern Rocky Mountains to witnessing Polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba to a travel horror story that took her eight long days to get to the Central high Artic, Marlis’s book recounts the visits to each National Park in great detail. Her book will make you want to visit Canada’s National Parks and also inform you that not all National Parks are accessible by car (like I previously thought!). Marlis is a skilled photographer and her book is full of beautiful pictures that she took of the many parks she visited. At the time we recorded this interview in August of 2022, Marlis was leaving the next day to visit the forty-eighth National Park, Thaidene Nëné, in the Northwest Territories! I hope you enjoy this interview with an extremely interesting and kind person! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out her website below to find out more about Marlis:

About – Canadian Park Bagger

 

Doug Evenson

My guest today who worked in Club Med in the early 1980s have never met, but he came to my attention when I saw him post the most excellent photos of his time in Club Med in the 80s on the Official Club Med EXGO Facebook Group. His first season was in December of 1980 in Club Med Magic Isle, Haiti as a stagiere Choreographer. Born in and raised in Alhambra, but now residing in beautiful San Diego, please help me welcome to MFS, Doug Evenson!! Before Club Med, Doug was that rare athlete (football & basketball) who also won a theatre scholarship. His father went to a Club Med in Guadeloupe in 1976 and told Doug that this is the place that he should work! In 1980, his best friend saw a tiny Club Med ad in the newspaper looking for theatre folk. From that ad, he got his interview and it took place at the Universal Hilton in Hollywood, California. The first part of Doug’s story takes place from December 1980 up until October 1986. He worked in Club Med villages such as Cancun, Copper Mountain, Paradise Island, Ile Maurice, Bora Bora, Fort Royal, Playa Blanca and Eleuthera. Doug was even present when the famous (or infamous) 1983 movie “Copper Mountain” starring Jim Carrey and Alan Thicke, was being filmed at Club Med Copper Mountain! Doug has so many interesting stories to share during this interview. Some highlights are The DC-3/Cancun/Chichen Itza story, the submarine story, lunch with Pierre Salinger (Press Secretary for President John F. Kennedy), hanging out with Rita Coolidge in Copper Mountain, Bar Games with Sean Connery in Paradise Island in 1982 and driving his 1969 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia to Copper Mountain from California. I really hope you enjoy this interview with one heck of a raconteur! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.