I have been avoiding this blog entry, like I have been avoiding packing. It's called denial, I believe, but regardless of how long I procrastinate, my plane leaves tomorrow morning at 9:30 am.
Everyone has been asking if I am excited or sad or nervous and it's all of the above. I am looking forward to lots of things back home, specifically certain people and certain foods. But I am also anxious about starting over, finding a job, making progress.
I don't really have words to properly grasp my experience here. I have seen some beautiful places and had some once in a lifetime experiences, but what I will miss most, by far, are the amazing friends I have made. I have people on the east coast and the west coast that I can call friends, and lots of people in the middle. I have met people from all over the world, and made contacts that I plan to keep in the future. I am really going to miss all these people. I really wish Australia wasn't 24 hours of plane rides and $1000+ to get there. Aren't we supposed to have figured out teleportation by now? I mean, come on, it's the year 2013. But regardless of the time and the price, I will be back some day. I have to come back. I have to see what happens to everyone here as they move on in life and make and build families. I hate I am going to miss so much, but when I think about it, I have missed a year worth of stuff back in North Carolina too. Forget the teleportation, can't we figure out how to have a person be in two places at once? I know I was promised flying cars by now, so it's the least they could do.
I love you, Australia. I will be back some day.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
My sunny week in Perth!
Soooo, I was very lazy and didn't update the whole time I was in Perth, despite the fact that I had wireless internet access that entire time. Truly, I was too busy enjoying life. Lying on the beaches in perfect weather, taking a dip in the pool, enjoying a beer or wine while watching the sun set on the west coast of Australia. Man, it was nice.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tasmania!
Well, I know some of you have been anxiously awaiting this blog update. Sorry it has taken so long; I have been a slacker. I am going to do this as one massive update, divided into days.
Day 1: March 19th
The morning didn't start off too well. I got out of the house with everything I needed, on time, but took a bus that took me too far and ended up having to walk a few blocks and missed my bus by literally 10 seconds. But I was ok, because as usual, I was paranoid and left extra early, so catching the next bus 15 minutes later didn't mess me up. But I did have to stand on the street with all my baggage for 15 extra minutes of fun.
Plane rides were pretty uneventful. I did sit next to a gorgeous Aussie on my flight to Melbourne. He had long eyelashes, a perfect smile, and just the right amount of beard stubble. He was also friendly and I wanted to take him with me, but I didn't think I would be able to cram him into my carry on.
Some guy took my window seat from Melbourne to Hobart, and instead of making him switch, I just sat on the aisle. I regretted it later because it was a really clear day and he got some great pictures from his window seat of the mountains on the approach to Hobart.
I landed, took the shuttle, checked in. The girl behind the desk asked me if I was from the south, completely skipping if I was American, because I could tell from her accent that she was also American. I was surprised, as I don't really think I have a true Southern accent. I told her I was from North Carolina, and then she said she was too. My first North Carolinian I have ever encountered in Australia. She was from outside of Wilson and went to App State. She had lived a year in New Zealand and made me regret once again not working an NZ trip into my time down here. I will do it in the future, though. I did some light grocery shopping for lunch and snacks for the week, then grabbed dinner, and pretty much went to bed. I had a top bunk, and could tell the fitted mattress had not been changed because it had someone else's head hair on it. It was too late to get a change as reception had closed, and I was only here until 6am, so I deal. I sleep with my earplugs, but despite this, I am in a room with 2 violent snorers (I can hear then loudly with the earplugs!) and one of the snorers is a sleep talker/ shouter. He kept shouting in his sleep! Thank goodness I was only here one night.
Day 2: March 20th
I got up before my alarm went off because I couldn't sleep with the chorus of snores/screams. I got ready, dropped the key in the early check out box, then walked to St. David's Cathedral. I ended up waiting 30 minutes because the guy was late, but I met 3 girls from Taiwan who were also waiting for the same tour. Finally he came, we met up with another van, and we were off. Most of the day was driving; we had to go all the way up the coast. Tassie is so beautiful. I wanted to take lots of pictures from the van as we went along. Every location seemed like it could be a postcard. Our destination for the day was the Bay of Fires. It was gorgeous. We spend 2 hours there, and I took almost a million pictures. Here are a few:
It is called the Bay of Fires for 2 reasons: 1) when the white people pulled up in their ships, they saw the Aboriginal people in the area had set fire to the forest as a method of hunting kangaroos and 2) even when the forest isn't on fire, the rocks around the bay have orange lichen on them, looking like fire.
After the Bay of Fires, we went to a waterfall nearby called St. Columba Falls. It was also very cool, and the walk down to the falls was through an amazing little section of rainforest. I love the rainforests here, with the huge taller than a man ferns that make me think I am in the dinosaur era. We also saw an echidna on the way- my first monotreme in the wild. Pictures below.
We checked into a backpackers in Bicheno for the night. This place has great wooden, sturdy bunk beds and a curtain you could pull across for privacy. I loved it and slept well that night.
Day 3: March 21st
I woke at 6am, got ready, ate free breakfast provided on the tour (just cereal, toasts, spreads). We went to a "blow hole"- a cool place where the water from the ocean crashes into rocks in a way that shoots the water up into the air. Picture below:
Today was Wineglass Bay. I was excited, but it was going to be an ugly, rainy day, and I knew Wineglass Bay would be a place best observed on nice days. We had a looooong walk up to the lookout, then a loooong, uneven walk to the beach (on rocks), then a long walk up, then back down to the car park. I feel like on a nice day, the beach would be nice, but on this day, it didn't feel worth it. It rained all the way back to the car park, so the rocks were dangerous and slippery and it took longer, about an hour and a half, to get back. I wore my poncho to shield my electronics in my bag, which just made me madder, because no one looks cool in a poncho.My camera decided to be full on the way up, and my camera for some reason didn't like my other chip I was trying to use, so I deleted some of the blurrier pictures from the day before to make room for Wineglass Bay. The few nice pictures I got from today:
This was when I had finally conquered all the uphill, slippery rocks. I was a little happy. And angry.
These wallabies were like squirrels- not afraid of humans, just chilling on the walkways and coming right up to us.
We stopped in a small town (really, just a gas station and a restaurant) for lunch, and I decided because of my soggy walk, I would get a bacon and egg sandwich for lunch instead of eating peanut butter. We then drove to Ross, population estimated to be about 3. We walked around a little, then drove to a wildlife park. We saw a Tasmanian devil be fed, and took a picture with a koala, and fed some kangaroos. Here is a few pictures:
We then drove back to Hobart and checked into the YHA near the harbour. I walked to the harbour to refresh my memory, then walked back up to a restaurant near the hostel. I saw it was happy hour, so I had a couple of beers, but they didn't serve food, so I left to find dinner. Some people from my tour invited me to eat with them. We went to a hotel that had $5 steaks with fries, and I added a side salad for $2.5. I found out later after seeing a sign on the wall that on Thursdays this meal is free if you mention the sign. That was a little upsetting, but it was a great $5 steak.
Day 4: March 22
We left the YHA and drove to Richmond, where we saw the oldest bridge in Australia, built by convicts. It makes a nice picture, especially with the ducks:
We then drove to the peninsula and a national park. He somehow tricked us again into walking in the rain, but I did get some good coastal pictures along the way:
We drove through an area called "Doo" Town because everyone has the word "Doo" in their house names, like beach houses- "Doo-gooder", "Doo-Wop", etc. I saw a less impressive blow hole, and got an amazing berry sundae at a little food stand- have to give you the picture:
We next went to Port Arthur. The tour guide for the walking tour was awful, trying to put on a show instead of giving information, but I stuck with him for more than 30 minutes before setting out on my own. The grounds are beautiful, and pretty well reserved. Port Arthur was a prison for repeat offenders, and had a reputation for being hard. It is set in the middle of no where, with a port. It is a gorgeous setting, but prisoners trying to escape would most likely die in the bush as they were miles and miles away from civilization, and many couldn't swim at the time, so the port route wouldn't be an option either. They worked the prisoners hard, but for prisons of the time, Port Arthur had one of the lowest mortality rates. They had a very nice hospital, and focused on keeping prisoners healthy, as to have more people they could put to work. Most prisoners died of respiratory illnesses like pneumonia rather than anything work related. We also got to go on a cruise around the Isle of the Dead, a tiny island in the port where they buried the dead prisoners. They told us a story of a groundskeeper that once sent smoke signals to the main land and demanded to be removed from the island because he saw demonic spirits. He didn't even return for his belongings and refused to ever set foot on the island again. Overall, I enjoyed Port Arthur. A few pictures:
We rode back to Hobart and said bye to one another. I checked back into my hostel from a few days earlier, but this time I wasn't in the room with the snorers and screamers. I really enjoyed my time in Tasmania. It is a really beautiful place, and reminds me a lot of the Appalachian mountains. I also love Hobart. I hope to see the west coast of Tassie someday.
Day 1: March 19th
The morning didn't start off too well. I got out of the house with everything I needed, on time, but took a bus that took me too far and ended up having to walk a few blocks and missed my bus by literally 10 seconds. But I was ok, because as usual, I was paranoid and left extra early, so catching the next bus 15 minutes later didn't mess me up. But I did have to stand on the street with all my baggage for 15 extra minutes of fun.
Plane rides were pretty uneventful. I did sit next to a gorgeous Aussie on my flight to Melbourne. He had long eyelashes, a perfect smile, and just the right amount of beard stubble. He was also friendly and I wanted to take him with me, but I didn't think I would be able to cram him into my carry on.
Some guy took my window seat from Melbourne to Hobart, and instead of making him switch, I just sat on the aisle. I regretted it later because it was a really clear day and he got some great pictures from his window seat of the mountains on the approach to Hobart.
I landed, took the shuttle, checked in. The girl behind the desk asked me if I was from the south, completely skipping if I was American, because I could tell from her accent that she was also American. I was surprised, as I don't really think I have a true Southern accent. I told her I was from North Carolina, and then she said she was too. My first North Carolinian I have ever encountered in Australia. She was from outside of Wilson and went to App State. She had lived a year in New Zealand and made me regret once again not working an NZ trip into my time down here. I will do it in the future, though. I did some light grocery shopping for lunch and snacks for the week, then grabbed dinner, and pretty much went to bed. I had a top bunk, and could tell the fitted mattress had not been changed because it had someone else's head hair on it. It was too late to get a change as reception had closed, and I was only here until 6am, so I deal. I sleep with my earplugs, but despite this, I am in a room with 2 violent snorers (I can hear then loudly with the earplugs!) and one of the snorers is a sleep talker/ shouter. He kept shouting in his sleep! Thank goodness I was only here one night.
Day 2: March 20th
I got up before my alarm went off because I couldn't sleep with the chorus of snores/screams. I got ready, dropped the key in the early check out box, then walked to St. David's Cathedral. I ended up waiting 30 minutes because the guy was late, but I met 3 girls from Taiwan who were also waiting for the same tour. Finally he came, we met up with another van, and we were off. Most of the day was driving; we had to go all the way up the coast. Tassie is so beautiful. I wanted to take lots of pictures from the van as we went along. Every location seemed like it could be a postcard. Our destination for the day was the Bay of Fires. It was gorgeous. We spend 2 hours there, and I took almost a million pictures. Here are a few:
It is called the Bay of Fires for 2 reasons: 1) when the white people pulled up in their ships, they saw the Aboriginal people in the area had set fire to the forest as a method of hunting kangaroos and 2) even when the forest isn't on fire, the rocks around the bay have orange lichen on them, looking like fire.
After the Bay of Fires, we went to a waterfall nearby called St. Columba Falls. It was also very cool, and the walk down to the falls was through an amazing little section of rainforest. I love the rainforests here, with the huge taller than a man ferns that make me think I am in the dinosaur era. We also saw an echidna on the way- my first monotreme in the wild. Pictures below.
We checked into a backpackers in Bicheno for the night. This place has great wooden, sturdy bunk beds and a curtain you could pull across for privacy. I loved it and slept well that night.
Day 3: March 21st
I woke at 6am, got ready, ate free breakfast provided on the tour (just cereal, toasts, spreads). We went to a "blow hole"- a cool place where the water from the ocean crashes into rocks in a way that shoots the water up into the air. Picture below:
Today was Wineglass Bay. I was excited, but it was going to be an ugly, rainy day, and I knew Wineglass Bay would be a place best observed on nice days. We had a looooong walk up to the lookout, then a loooong, uneven walk to the beach (on rocks), then a long walk up, then back down to the car park. I feel like on a nice day, the beach would be nice, but on this day, it didn't feel worth it. It rained all the way back to the car park, so the rocks were dangerous and slippery and it took longer, about an hour and a half, to get back. I wore my poncho to shield my electronics in my bag, which just made me madder, because no one looks cool in a poncho.My camera decided to be full on the way up, and my camera for some reason didn't like my other chip I was trying to use, so I deleted some of the blurrier pictures from the day before to make room for Wineglass Bay. The few nice pictures I got from today:
We stopped in a small town (really, just a gas station and a restaurant) for lunch, and I decided because of my soggy walk, I would get a bacon and egg sandwich for lunch instead of eating peanut butter. We then drove to Ross, population estimated to be about 3. We walked around a little, then drove to a wildlife park. We saw a Tasmanian devil be fed, and took a picture with a koala, and fed some kangaroos. Here is a few pictures:
We then drove back to Hobart and checked into the YHA near the harbour. I walked to the harbour to refresh my memory, then walked back up to a restaurant near the hostel. I saw it was happy hour, so I had a couple of beers, but they didn't serve food, so I left to find dinner. Some people from my tour invited me to eat with them. We went to a hotel that had $5 steaks with fries, and I added a side salad for $2.5. I found out later after seeing a sign on the wall that on Thursdays this meal is free if you mention the sign. That was a little upsetting, but it was a great $5 steak.
Day 4: March 22
We left the YHA and drove to Richmond, where we saw the oldest bridge in Australia, built by convicts. It makes a nice picture, especially with the ducks:
We then drove to the peninsula and a national park. He somehow tricked us again into walking in the rain, but I did get some good coastal pictures along the way:
We drove through an area called "Doo" Town because everyone has the word "Doo" in their house names, like beach houses- "Doo-gooder", "Doo-Wop", etc. I saw a less impressive blow hole, and got an amazing berry sundae at a little food stand- have to give you the picture:
We next went to Port Arthur. The tour guide for the walking tour was awful, trying to put on a show instead of giving information, but I stuck with him for more than 30 minutes before setting out on my own. The grounds are beautiful, and pretty well reserved. Port Arthur was a prison for repeat offenders, and had a reputation for being hard. It is set in the middle of no where, with a port. It is a gorgeous setting, but prisoners trying to escape would most likely die in the bush as they were miles and miles away from civilization, and many couldn't swim at the time, so the port route wouldn't be an option either. They worked the prisoners hard, but for prisons of the time, Port Arthur had one of the lowest mortality rates. They had a very nice hospital, and focused on keeping prisoners healthy, as to have more people they could put to work. Most prisoners died of respiratory illnesses like pneumonia rather than anything work related. We also got to go on a cruise around the Isle of the Dead, a tiny island in the port where they buried the dead prisoners. They told us a story of a groundskeeper that once sent smoke signals to the main land and demanded to be removed from the island because he saw demonic spirits. He didn't even return for his belongings and refused to ever set foot on the island again. Overall, I enjoyed Port Arthur. A few pictures:
We rode back to Hobart and said bye to one another. I checked back into my hostel from a few days earlier, but this time I wasn't in the room with the snorers and screamers. I really enjoyed my time in Tasmania. It is a really beautiful place, and reminds me a lot of the Appalachian mountains. I also love Hobart. I hope to see the west coast of Tassie someday.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Of Purple Potatoes and Green Lights
Trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my feet and ankles from standing for 13 hours, I shifted my weight as I continued, head down, eyes twitching from potato to potato. By my fool-proof calculations, I was supposed to be out of there between 5 pm and 6pm. But I had not factored in the machine breaking down 5 times, each time for about 10 minutes, leaving us standing around and waiting, occasionally tossing a potato into a trash bin to "clean up" and look busy. I had worked out a mathematical equation to figure out how long the potato torture would last; divide the tons of potatoes for the day by .4 to figure out the number of minutes of work, then divide that by 60 for figure out the total hours. As I said, it is usually pretty accurate, but today, as it was my last day, the machine was guaranteed to break down multiple times, which I had not factored in. At least we were grading purple potatoes, something I had never done in the month I had worked here. They were really beautiful, and I had snagged a few to make a gourmet meal back in Adelaide. The machine had started up again, and I was at the front, sorting the majority of the rotten, arms moving furiously to turn the potatoes off the table. Working, singing the same song in my head for the 6th time today, I heard someone cry "green light!" I looked up, and sure enough, the green light was flashing, signalling the last of the potatoes had been put into the washer and would be making their way to us in less than 10 minutes, and signalling the end of my potato grading career. I felt my head fill with jubilation, but I forced myself to continue, glancing up occasionally just to make sure it was real. Within minutes, the potatoes slowed to a crawl, then stopped. The belts stopped, and we spent a couple minutes sweeping and picking up scattered potatoes. Then someone said, "you're done," and I forced myself not to jump and skip as I went to clock out.
Today I move back to Adelaide. I am happy!
Today I move back to Adelaide. I am happy!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Last Days in Tanunda
Today was my day off this week from the potato factory. I used today to have lunch at one of my favorite Tanunda cafes, to run a couple of errands, and to book my trip to Tasmania that I am taking next week.
I was originally looking at making a full circle, but I ended up making the cheaper choice of focusing on the east coast. I booked a 3 day tour with Adventure Tours, which will pick me up and drop me off in Hobart (I loved Hobart last time I was in Tassie). I am flying this time, instead of spending a sleepless night being tossed around the Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania (which will also cut out being hit on my the locals who ride the ship to corner lone travelers, as readers of my 2010 Aussie blog will remember). Here is the itinerary:
March 19th: Fly to Hobart, check in overnight to Central Backpackers
March 20th: Check out of backpackers, pickup from St. Davis Cathedral at 7:30 am
Tour Begins:
Day 1 – Hobart to Bicheno
Our journey begins this morning as we make tracks to the East Coast and the beautiful Bay of Fires. Here we can stretch our legs with some quality time to enjoy this highly recommended coastal region (Lonely Planet's must see for 2009). The beaches are gleaming and the water inviting. Enjoy a swim (conditions permitting) before we embark on Tasmania's most scenic coastal drive from St Helen's to Bicheno, where we stay overnight. This evening you can join a guided viewing of the Little Penguins (optional in season) as they return to their rookeries on the edges of this seaside village.
March 21
Day 2 – Freycinet National Park to Hobart
An early start means we are the first to the lookout, beating the crowds and the heat for that postcard photo of Wineglass Bay. Relax on the secluded beach of or choose the more challenging Mt Amos or Hazzards Beach walk for your mornings Freycinet experience. This afternoon we take a break at the picturesque historical village of Ross. Sample the local Ross Bakery fare or check out the convict built bridge. Come face to face with the iconic Tassie Devil as we make a stop at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary to meet these now endangered native animals, as well as some others unique to Tasmania. A short drive returns us to Hobart where we stay overnight.
Drop off at St. Davis, check back into backpackers
March 23rd: Check out, Fly back to Adelaide
I have booked the tour, flights, and hostel. I hate clicking that mouse and watching the money disappear from my account, but this is the reason I have been sorting potatoes for a month. I will soon book the Perth flights as well. I should have plenty of money not to have to touch my American accounts while I am over here. I am actually starting to miss home. I find myself thinking more and more of the US, which usually means it is almost time to go home.
I am so excited about moving back to Adelaide. I will miss the friends I have made here in Tanunda, but as far as the hostel and the work, there isn't much I will miss. I have bonded with the friends I have made through our mutual suffering- we sing and throw potatoes at each other to boost spirits while sweating through 13 hours shifts in a factory where we know we are not cared about. We have dealt with the minimalist conditions of the hostel with perseverance, going out on long journeys into the civilized world to find fans in order to sleep at night in the abysmally hot rooms. Tanunda is a lovely little town, but the hostel leaves a lot to be desired. I still haven't been paid for picking grapes on February 13th; I doubt I will ever see that money. The woman has disconnected or blocked her number, so I have no way of reaching her. I am going to ask reception for her home address. If they cannot or won't provide it, I am going to leave her a nice little note at reception when I check out, something to read if she ever shows her face at the backpackers again. Sarah is coming to pick me up on Saturday. I am looking forward to seeing Adelaide friends again, spending some more time at the beach, and playing volleyball again!
I was originally looking at making a full circle, but I ended up making the cheaper choice of focusing on the east coast. I booked a 3 day tour with Adventure Tours, which will pick me up and drop me off in Hobart (I loved Hobart last time I was in Tassie). I am flying this time, instead of spending a sleepless night being tossed around the Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania (which will also cut out being hit on my the locals who ride the ship to corner lone travelers, as readers of my 2010 Aussie blog will remember). Here is the itinerary:
March 19th: Fly to Hobart, check in overnight to Central Backpackers
March 20th: Check out of backpackers, pickup from St. Davis Cathedral at 7:30 am
Tour Begins:
Day 1 – Hobart to Bicheno
Our journey begins this morning as we make tracks to the East Coast and the beautiful Bay of Fires. Here we can stretch our legs with some quality time to enjoy this highly recommended coastal region (Lonely Planet's must see for 2009). The beaches are gleaming and the water inviting. Enjoy a swim (conditions permitting) before we embark on Tasmania's most scenic coastal drive from St Helen's to Bicheno, where we stay overnight. This evening you can join a guided viewing of the Little Penguins (optional in season) as they return to their rookeries on the edges of this seaside village.
March 21
Day 2 – Freycinet National Park to Hobart
An early start means we are the first to the lookout, beating the crowds and the heat for that postcard photo of Wineglass Bay. Relax on the secluded beach of or choose the more challenging Mt Amos or Hazzards Beach walk for your mornings Freycinet experience. This afternoon we take a break at the picturesque historical village of Ross. Sample the local Ross Bakery fare or check out the convict built bridge. Come face to face with the iconic Tassie Devil as we make a stop at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary to meet these now endangered native animals, as well as some others unique to Tasmania. A short drive returns us to Hobart where we stay overnight.
March 22
Day 3 – Pt Arthur historic site
Start the day with a quick look at Australia's best preserved colonial village of Richmond before heading south for magnificent views of the Tasman Peninsula and the Tasman National Park. Explore Tasmania's ruthless convict past today at the World Heritage Listed - Port Arthur Historic Site (guided walk and harbour cruise included). Rich in visual history, here we learn of the chilling realities of life as a convict amid the restored sandstone prison buildings and preserved ruins. Drop off at St. Davis, check back into backpackers
March 23rd: Check out, Fly back to Adelaide
I have booked the tour, flights, and hostel. I hate clicking that mouse and watching the money disappear from my account, but this is the reason I have been sorting potatoes for a month. I will soon book the Perth flights as well. I should have plenty of money not to have to touch my American accounts while I am over here. I am actually starting to miss home. I find myself thinking more and more of the US, which usually means it is almost time to go home.
I am so excited about moving back to Adelaide. I will miss the friends I have made here in Tanunda, but as far as the hostel and the work, there isn't much I will miss. I have bonded with the friends I have made through our mutual suffering- we sing and throw potatoes at each other to boost spirits while sweating through 13 hours shifts in a factory where we know we are not cared about. We have dealt with the minimalist conditions of the hostel with perseverance, going out on long journeys into the civilized world to find fans in order to sleep at night in the abysmally hot rooms. Tanunda is a lovely little town, but the hostel leaves a lot to be desired. I still haven't been paid for picking grapes on February 13th; I doubt I will ever see that money. The woman has disconnected or blocked her number, so I have no way of reaching her. I am going to ask reception for her home address. If they cannot or won't provide it, I am going to leave her a nice little note at reception when I check out, something to read if she ever shows her face at the backpackers again. Sarah is coming to pick me up on Saturday. I am looking forward to seeing Adelaide friends again, spending some more time at the beach, and playing volleyball again!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Potato Factory- Day 186 (or maybe it just feels like it...)
I have worked at the potato factory for 2 weeks. I think tomorrow I am going to tell them I will work 2 more, and give them the date of March 15th as the last day I can be scheduled. That way, if someone can come get me Saturday, I will be ready to go back to Adelaide.
I just can't believe how soul sucking the job is. You hold out and hold out waiting for that little bell that means you have 10 measly minutes of rest. Then when you think you can't stand another second, you wait some more. I have discuss with everyone who will listen the idea that they could actually do more potatoes in a day if they split the day into two 8 hours shifts instead of one 12-14.5 hour shift. Also, I have been receiving some grief from reception here about not grape picking. well, they haven't said anything to me directly. This job has made me more agitated and I am waiting for the opportunity to tell someone off. I wish they would say something to me. They want us to work our insane potato job, then pick grapes on our only day off. Well 1) 12-14 hours, 4-5 days a week, is more than a full time job. I am ok with money and things to do, not bored, not in need of other work. 2) When I took the potato job, I was told it was "a couple days a week, to pay your rent, and you can pick on your days off." See #1. 3) Grapes are so unreliable and low paid. I would love to do grapes exclusively, but I still have yet to be paid for the time I first picked two weeks ago. I would not enjoy having to chase down payment every time I worked.
I am disappointed that grapes didn't work out, but I got a taste, and now I am just focused on the money, keeping my head down, and getting through the next 2 weeks. I probably seem antisocial to my group lately, but as an introvert, I have to have my "alone" time to recharge. This job takes everything I have, in energy, in patience, in physical strength. I have to recharge when I get home, in the like hour I have before I go to sleep to get ready for the next day. I don't want to be this way, I just have to.
I don't know how long I am considered "training" as I said today was 2 weeks, but people still treat me like I don't know what I am doing and each supervisor gives me new instructions for each sections I am in. I take deep breaths and think of the paycheck.
This weekend was so nice. I went to Adelaide for Sarah and Emmanuel's engagement party. I caught the train from Elizabeth after following someone from work to it and getting a lift the rest of the way there. I had to wait almost an hour for the train, so I ordered almost everything on the McDonalds menu next door and had dinner while I waited (did I mention this was the day I worked 14 and a half hours?) I texted with Hannah while I waited, a little concerned, since I had heard only bad things about Elizabeth. But I told her I was blending in well with my fluro work vest, covered head to toe in dirt. I finally got home around 9, talked to Roger a minute, took a shower, then collapsed in bed and slept until around 8:30 the next morning. The engagement party was the next day, and it was lovely, in a nice park with lots of trees. I hung out with Marie and Sam the whole time, which was nice to catch up with them. When we got back to the house, I helped Sarah and Emmanuel record all their presents. They really liked mine- I had framed a picture I took of them from Moonta Bay and wrote a message on the back of the frame. Oh, and I gave them some chocolate too, haha. I enjoyed the weekend (and sleeping in my Adelaide bed!) so much, I didn't want to go back to Tanunda. Marie took me back later on Monday, after I had run a couple of errands at TTP.
Deep breaths, deep breaths, 2 weeks, 2 weeks, I can do this.
I just can't believe how soul sucking the job is. You hold out and hold out waiting for that little bell that means you have 10 measly minutes of rest. Then when you think you can't stand another second, you wait some more. I have discuss with everyone who will listen the idea that they could actually do more potatoes in a day if they split the day into two 8 hours shifts instead of one 12-14.5 hour shift. Also, I have been receiving some grief from reception here about not grape picking. well, they haven't said anything to me directly. This job has made me more agitated and I am waiting for the opportunity to tell someone off. I wish they would say something to me. They want us to work our insane potato job, then pick grapes on our only day off. Well 1) 12-14 hours, 4-5 days a week, is more than a full time job. I am ok with money and things to do, not bored, not in need of other work. 2) When I took the potato job, I was told it was "a couple days a week, to pay your rent, and you can pick on your days off." See #1. 3) Grapes are so unreliable and low paid. I would love to do grapes exclusively, but I still have yet to be paid for the time I first picked two weeks ago. I would not enjoy having to chase down payment every time I worked.
I am disappointed that grapes didn't work out, but I got a taste, and now I am just focused on the money, keeping my head down, and getting through the next 2 weeks. I probably seem antisocial to my group lately, but as an introvert, I have to have my "alone" time to recharge. This job takes everything I have, in energy, in patience, in physical strength. I have to recharge when I get home, in the like hour I have before I go to sleep to get ready for the next day. I don't want to be this way, I just have to.
I don't know how long I am considered "training" as I said today was 2 weeks, but people still treat me like I don't know what I am doing and each supervisor gives me new instructions for each sections I am in. I take deep breaths and think of the paycheck.
This weekend was so nice. I went to Adelaide for Sarah and Emmanuel's engagement party. I caught the train from Elizabeth after following someone from work to it and getting a lift the rest of the way there. I had to wait almost an hour for the train, so I ordered almost everything on the McDonalds menu next door and had dinner while I waited (did I mention this was the day I worked 14 and a half hours?) I texted with Hannah while I waited, a little concerned, since I had heard only bad things about Elizabeth. But I told her I was blending in well with my fluro work vest, covered head to toe in dirt. I finally got home around 9, talked to Roger a minute, took a shower, then collapsed in bed and slept until around 8:30 the next morning. The engagement party was the next day, and it was lovely, in a nice park with lots of trees. I hung out with Marie and Sam the whole time, which was nice to catch up with them. When we got back to the house, I helped Sarah and Emmanuel record all their presents. They really liked mine- I had framed a picture I took of them from Moonta Bay and wrote a message on the back of the frame. Oh, and I gave them some chocolate too, haha. I enjoyed the weekend (and sleeping in my Adelaide bed!) so much, I didn't want to go back to Tanunda. Marie took me back later on Monday, after I had run a couple of errands at TTP.
Deep breaths, deep breaths, 2 weeks, 2 weeks, I can do this.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Money money money...
2/21-
Ok, so a lot has changed since my last post. I walked into work Monday, and in a complete 180 reversal of what she said Friday, I was offered a month contract. I have worked now Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and will work Friday and Saturday. My feet want to kill me. It's really the only part of me that is hurting, which makes sense, as my shoes are too old and worn out to be standing on for 12-14 hours. I was rejoicing at the thought of having Thursday off; I had a whole list of errands to run, some fairly important, like grocery shopping (I took some week old pasta to work as lunch today, and found mold on it, and ate peanut butter and banana for my lunch instead), some less important (I had scheduled some sunbathing- I am losing my tan!). So you can imagine my dismay to find when I walked into the hostel that I had been scheduled for grape picking on Thursday. It should only be 6-8 hours of work, which I can now do standing on my head since I am used to 12-14 hours shifts, so I still plan to hit up the library (the book I requested is in!) and Foodland when I am done picking. I really want to find a way to Adelaide for Sarah's engagement party. The buses in Tanunda don't run until 2 on Sunday, and I work Saturday, so I am wondering if it is even possible. I am going to ask Mondas, my womanising, I am guessing Greek(?) supervisor who calls me "My Darling Courtney" if he thinks Saturday will be a long or short day. I will go ahead and pack and be ready with stuff I need, and if we make it back in time to catch the 4:15ish bus at the post office, I will go ahead and get dropped off their after work and spend the weekend in Adelaide.
My life is so crazy right now. All I do is work and sleep. I don't even really want to eat because I am tired and most of the time, very hot. It was cooler yesterday and today, which meant I actually slept at night. The night before last, I woke up at 12:30 drenched in sweat, grabbed my blanket and sheet and pillow, and slept outside in the grass for about 2 hours before I needed to wake up for work. So have I mentioned we leave here at 4:15 to go to work? It's pretty insane, and by the time I get home, it is like 7 pm, then I eat quickly, shower, and try to be in bed by like 8:30, which trying to get sleep around here at 8:30 is pretty impossible anyway. I only plan to do this for until the 2nd week of March. I want to make enough money for Perth (which I will probably have this week, haha), but now I am thinking I want to do one more trip before I go back home. I was toying with New Zealand or Singapore, or Thailand, but I am now thinking about doing a good trip around Tassie instead. I feel like I missed out the first time, as I spent the whole time in Hobart, which is lovely, but not really "Tassie." Plus, it would be cheaper than leaving the country, and it would be nice to come home not completely broke this time. I am going to do some research and let you know what I decide...
Ok, so a lot has changed since my last post. I walked into work Monday, and in a complete 180 reversal of what she said Friday, I was offered a month contract. I have worked now Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and will work Friday and Saturday. My feet want to kill me. It's really the only part of me that is hurting, which makes sense, as my shoes are too old and worn out to be standing on for 12-14 hours. I was rejoicing at the thought of having Thursday off; I had a whole list of errands to run, some fairly important, like grocery shopping (I took some week old pasta to work as lunch today, and found mold on it, and ate peanut butter and banana for my lunch instead), some less important (I had scheduled some sunbathing- I am losing my tan!). So you can imagine my dismay to find when I walked into the hostel that I had been scheduled for grape picking on Thursday. It should only be 6-8 hours of work, which I can now do standing on my head since I am used to 12-14 hours shifts, so I still plan to hit up the library (the book I requested is in!) and Foodland when I am done picking. I really want to find a way to Adelaide for Sarah's engagement party. The buses in Tanunda don't run until 2 on Sunday, and I work Saturday, so I am wondering if it is even possible. I am going to ask Mondas, my womanising, I am guessing Greek(?) supervisor who calls me "My Darling Courtney" if he thinks Saturday will be a long or short day. I will go ahead and pack and be ready with stuff I need, and if we make it back in time to catch the 4:15ish bus at the post office, I will go ahead and get dropped off their after work and spend the weekend in Adelaide.
My life is so crazy right now. All I do is work and sleep. I don't even really want to eat because I am tired and most of the time, very hot. It was cooler yesterday and today, which meant I actually slept at night. The night before last, I woke up at 12:30 drenched in sweat, grabbed my blanket and sheet and pillow, and slept outside in the grass for about 2 hours before I needed to wake up for work. So have I mentioned we leave here at 4:15 to go to work? It's pretty insane, and by the time I get home, it is like 7 pm, then I eat quickly, shower, and try to be in bed by like 8:30, which trying to get sleep around here at 8:30 is pretty impossible anyway. I only plan to do this for until the 2nd week of March. I want to make enough money for Perth (which I will probably have this week, haha), but now I am thinking I want to do one more trip before I go back home. I was toying with New Zealand or Singapore, or Thailand, but I am now thinking about doing a good trip around Tassie instead. I feel like I missed out the first time, as I spent the whole time in Hobart, which is lovely, but not really "Tassie." Plus, it would be cheaper than leaving the country, and it would be nice to come home not completely broke this time. I am going to do some research and let you know what I decide...
Friday, February 15, 2013
Working... Updates
2/15- Yesterday I worked in the potato factory for the first time. It is how everyone makes it sound- boring, mindless, soul crushing work. The only part of my body that is really aching is my feet, probably because you stand for 12-14 hours while you are sorting these potatoes. You stand at a conveyor belt moving potatoes at a respectable speed, and your job is to remove the clearly rotten and inedible potatoes, and also the slightly imperfect, but still edible potatoes. Those are called "specials" and are used to make french fries and stuff, because they were not pretty enough to be sold as is. The day is very long, and you only have 1 hour out of it that you are on break. This is split into three 30 minute breaks, every 2-3 hours, and a 30 minute lunch at 12:30. You get so messed up watching those potatoes go by for hours at a time, that when you come off the conveyor belt, you experience what I am calling "treadmill effect," where it feels like you are still moving for a while. It's not a fun time. I don't rally understand why we have to stand up; chairs would improve productivity for me. Also, a 1-2 minute break every hour, to just stop the machines and let me sit in place and let my eyes adjust for just a moment, would improve productivity as well. Also, we can't listen to music while we work, so I find myself singing to myself or counting the potatoes I touch. I got up to 2,684 before I got interrupted by someone.
It was really worse than this. Potatoes were moving a lot faster, and I mean, that's chocolate, not rotten potatoes.
Today, even though I just turned in the rest of my paperwork to become an official temporary employee, I was informed that they were offering temporary employees 3 month contracts, and that temporary employees that did not accept the contract may not be needed for work anymore. Well, I have only about 2 months left in Australia, so a 3 month contract is out of the question. So I am not sure how much of a future I have at this potato factory, a thought that isn't all that troubling, but I do need the money. On top of this, I am afraid that I am probably at the bottom of the list for grape picking now. So if I am no longer employed in potatoes, and grapes are still weeks away, I may have to consider throwing in the towel and heading back to Adelaide. As it is, my profit margin working the little bit I did is about $200, but if I pay to stay another week and do not work at all that week, I lose that profit. I am frustrated and disappointed that work has evaded me so much in Australia. It's an expensive place, and it's fairly impressive that I have made it this far living entirely on savings and donations from Christmas and family. It also helps that I pay very low rent in Adelaide to stay with the Pollocks. But I may still be able to visit Perth before I got home, if I pool my money and my mother's donated airline miles.
It's really still up in the air. I am going to talk to the receptionist Sam when I can to find out my place on the list, and talk to my supervisor Monday and see how much work I can hope to get from the potato factory. If it looks like nothing is going to pan out, I may be back on a train toward Adelaide by Tuesday next week.
2/16- I spoke to my mom and grandparents this morning to let them know the status of my work situation. I loved to hear Pop laugh and laugh when I told him I didn't want to see a potato for weeks after spending a couple of days at this job. I walked to town and got a hotdog and a spider (coke float) for lunch, then went into Foodland to get some cheap soda and sausages to make for dinner tomorrow night (and to spend time in the AC). It is sooooo hot here. I cannot sleep at night. We have to close our window because people are so loud outside at night, but in doing so, it gets unbearably hot and humid in our room. I lay perfectly still in my minimal amount of clothes I can wear in a 10 share hostel room, with my head as close to the osculating fan as I can possibly get it, and I am still drenched in sweat. I long for my double bed with a ceiling fan and open window at Chateau Pollock in Adelaide...
It was really worse than this. Potatoes were moving a lot faster, and I mean, that's chocolate, not rotten potatoes.
Today, even though I just turned in the rest of my paperwork to become an official temporary employee, I was informed that they were offering temporary employees 3 month contracts, and that temporary employees that did not accept the contract may not be needed for work anymore. Well, I have only about 2 months left in Australia, so a 3 month contract is out of the question. So I am not sure how much of a future I have at this potato factory, a thought that isn't all that troubling, but I do need the money. On top of this, I am afraid that I am probably at the bottom of the list for grape picking now. So if I am no longer employed in potatoes, and grapes are still weeks away, I may have to consider throwing in the towel and heading back to Adelaide. As it is, my profit margin working the little bit I did is about $200, but if I pay to stay another week and do not work at all that week, I lose that profit. I am frustrated and disappointed that work has evaded me so much in Australia. It's an expensive place, and it's fairly impressive that I have made it this far living entirely on savings and donations from Christmas and family. It also helps that I pay very low rent in Adelaide to stay with the Pollocks. But I may still be able to visit Perth before I got home, if I pool my money and my mother's donated airline miles.
It's really still up in the air. I am going to talk to the receptionist Sam when I can to find out my place on the list, and talk to my supervisor Monday and see how much work I can hope to get from the potato factory. If it looks like nothing is going to pan out, I may be back on a train toward Adelaide by Tuesday next week.
2/16- I spoke to my mom and grandparents this morning to let them know the status of my work situation. I loved to hear Pop laugh and laugh when I told him I didn't want to see a potato for weeks after spending a couple of days at this job. I walked to town and got a hotdog and a spider (coke float) for lunch, then went into Foodland to get some cheap soda and sausages to make for dinner tomorrow night (and to spend time in the AC). It is sooooo hot here. I cannot sleep at night. We have to close our window because people are so loud outside at night, but in doing so, it gets unbearably hot and humid in our room. I lay perfectly still in my minimal amount of clothes I can wear in a 10 share hostel room, with my head as close to the osculating fan as I can possibly get it, and I am still drenched in sweat. I long for my double bed with a ceiling fan and open window at Chateau Pollock in Adelaide...
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Working!!
2/13- I was waiting outside at dawn with 8, yes, 8 boys to go grape picking. All the girls on the list have since been given potato jobs, so it's me and lots of testosterone today. We paced outside until around 7:20, when Matt, a guy from another hostel who helps the lady named Jacky that we are picking for, arrived. I crammed into the van with the French and a couple Italians, and Andy and Tom, some of my UK friends, rode with Matt. It only took about 10 minutes to get there. Jacky asked each of our names and where we were from, then handed out clippers and explained what we would be doing. We were partnered up, or given "work husbands" and then each of us went to one side of the row and clipped grapes into buckets. My work husband for most of the day was a guy named Ming from another hostel, but we shuffled around a lot during the day. It is hard and hot work, but I was allowed to listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers on my iPod, and I don't think it would have been quite as bad if I could have had water with me the whole time. She had given us breaks about every 2 hours in the morning, but in the heat of the day, she was anxious to get the work done and didn't excuse us to our water bottles again. She did occasionally pass around some of her own water bottles she brought, which were frozen and therefore much more desirable than my now slightly beyond room temp water in my bag by the van. But you only got a few sips and it was HOT day. But I lived, and picked a lot better than a lot of the boys (and I call them boys, as they are all younger than me, some like five or six years younger). Jacky seemed to think so, as she kept sending me back behind some of them to re-pick what they had left behind. I am not sure when I will be working again, but I am glad to know I can hang with a bunch of boys and hold my own picking grapes in the Barossa Valley!
I am potato sorting tomorrow. I am only doing this temporarily. The hostel requires you to accept a job offered to you, or you go to the bottom of the list for jobs. So I accepted it, on the condition that Sam, the receptionist, has said it will be only a couple days a week and I can still do grapes. If I had said no, I would go to the bottom of the list anyway, and not be able to pick grapes for a while, hence no money. All the girls hate this job, so I can't say I am looking forward to it. And even though it's not contract, Jess seems to think it is going to be 4 days a week. I will talk with the people tomorrow and find out. Worse comes to worse, I work the job for a week or two and make some money, then quit and hopefully do grapes or go back to Adelaide and do the last bit of traveling I want to do. It's pretty frustrating though, I get a taste of picking grapes, then it's gone. I will let you know how tomorrow goes...
This is the true story, of 80 strangers... The Real World, Tanunda
1/29
I didn't do much today, walked to town twice- once to get some essentials (read spatula, as there are NONE in the kitchen, and I made my breakfast with a spoon) and once later to check out the library and visitors center. People are generally nice here, but sleep a lot, I think since they are bored, and smoke a lot, maybe because of the same reason. The kitchen is so small, so I think I am going to start eating a real breakfast when I get up at 8:30 (no one else who isn't working isn't seen until at least 9:45), then have a snack instead of a real sized lunch at lunch time, then eat dinner at like 5 pm to beat the crowd. I am going to try to grill as much as possible, since I get claustrophobic in the kitchen, and it is so nice outside, and I love grilling. I have missed grilling. The scenery around here is also a major bonus. I cannot believe how far you can see the hills from our hostel, and we are literally smack in the middle of a vineyard, so the fields are very pretty. I'm not really sure what I am going to do here until I find work. I am working hard on trying to bribe someone to take me to volleyball Thursdays, especially since I am not going to be working. I guess I will work on my tan, like I was doing in Adelaide, but now in grass instead of sand. We have had unusually cool temperatures lately (like 60's and 70's during the day, 40's and 50's at night), which is affecting the sugar in the grapes, and thus delaying the harvest. I never like to wish 100's on myself, but it seems like it would help my work situation if it would hurry up and warm up again!
2/1
We had a warm, sunny day, then a cold, rainy day, and today started cold, but will hopefully be nice. I have just been hanging out here at the hostel. I walked the town one evening with one of my roommates Jess, then drank the most expensive "cheap" beer I will probably ever have- it was $7.80 a pint, which isn't even a real sized pint here, with bud light quality beer. Disgraceful. So I usually can't justify buying alcohol here, unless it's nice wine, which is like 100 meters from my hostel, but I can't justify buying that until I actually begin work. Highlights of the day have been daily trips to Foodland, to drain between $9-20 dollars from my account for food, even though I have food (I haven't done this daily, but I went for milk and apples and a drink yesterday and got some chocolate too- $9!). I have also gotten season 2 of Fringe from my roommate Hayley and have been quickly watching a whole season. I will probably finish today. Internet is expensive, so I have been writing my blogs on notepad on the computer, then getting online long enough to post. Jess spoke to one of the hostel workers here yesterday and he said he suspects that vintage for at least one of the vineyards should start Monday. We work on a rotating basis, so not everyone will work everyday. If it starts Monday, I will be surprised if I work Monday, as I am probably near the bottom of the list. It just depends on how many positions they have at the vineyard. But, as you can probably tell, I am very anxious to work. I really wanted to catch the bus to Galwer last night, play volleyball, then ride home with Joel and Sam, then get a ride back later this weekend. I resisted, seeing as I had not set this plan up with anyone, but I will be just sitting around probably.
Friday night was a crazy party night. There was singing and drinking and hula hooping. One of the highlights was all the Europeans singing "American Pie." They also played Gold Digger and a couple other rap songs, and I thought it was funny to hear rap songs in English accents.
2/3- Sunday we went to the beach as a hostel. We were originally scheduled to leave at 11:30, but when I got up, I saw that the partiers had pushed the departure time back to 12:30. We ended up not gettng out of here until about 1pm, then having to stop for petrol as well. Anyway, we didn't get to the beach until about 2:30. It was a crazy-windy day, and we sat in the sand and watched the boys play soccer. As usual, we were split in French and UK people, a literal line in the sand. I think it's mostly the language barrier, but it's kind of weird how the groups are so divided. After sitting around a while, my group decided they needed McDonalds. We drove to the nearest one and they were so excited, haha. I think a McDonalds in Tanunda would make a fortune off the backpackers. Some of the people said their favorite part of the beach trip was the trip to McDonalds. I laughed and said there was definitely one closer, we didn't have to go all the way to the beach for a McDonalds trip. There was a little communication problem later on. My group thought we had to have the vans back to th hostel by 7 pm or be fined $50, so around 5:30, we were ready to head back to make sure we didn't get fined. The french people were not ready to come, so they didn't. Jess and I sat in our van and waited for 20 minutes until they decided to come. Then the car we were supposed to be following left us and we had to find our way back on our own. We did a pretty good Job remembering landmarks to get back, and when we asked the French people in our car if they remembered, they would say "It's right." "It's left" "It's straight," so Jess and I figured it out ourselves.
2/5- Tuesday Marie is came to have a wine tasting day with me. We went to 3 wineries and also Maggie Beer's Farm Store, which specializes in pataes and had lots of samples and a beautiful pond out back with turtles and ducks. We also found a case of discounted wine for $24. I could not pass it up, so I got it and when I brought it back to the hostel and told my suitemate Hayley what it cost, she jumped up to get one, and spread the word around the hostel. They were sold out by later in the afternoon. I think I should have gotten commission.
11 girls got jobs yesterday, so the hostel is quiet this morning, and estrogen drained.
2/6- I was offered a potato job later in the week, but it was only offered on 2 month contract, and I do not have 2 months, so I could not accept it. I am still waiting for grapes...
2/8- What started off as a nice meal of Camembert, baguette, grapes, sundried tomatoes, olives, and some of my discount wine turned into another crazy party night. Not much else to do here in Tanunda...
2/9- Emma texted and called me early while I was still in bed. She was coming through Tanunda after having her dogs's hair trimmed and wanted to see if I wanted to catch up. I pulled myself together, showered, and asked if we could meet for lunch. She picked me up and we had sandwiches at a nice cafe outside with her dogs, then we spent some time hanging out in front of my hostel in the shade catching up. It was nice to see her!
2/11- I was sitting, minding my own business, making everyone at the dinner table jealous with my homemade nachos I made for dinner, when I hear Hayley calling my name from reception. "Did you know you're on the board?!" she said. "what?!?" I jumped up, leaving my plate and racing to reception to find my name written on the list for work tomorrow. Grape picking! I was so excited!
I didn't do much today, walked to town twice- once to get some essentials (read spatula, as there are NONE in the kitchen, and I made my breakfast with a spoon) and once later to check out the library and visitors center. People are generally nice here, but sleep a lot, I think since they are bored, and smoke a lot, maybe because of the same reason. The kitchen is so small, so I think I am going to start eating a real breakfast when I get up at 8:30 (no one else who isn't working isn't seen until at least 9:45), then have a snack instead of a real sized lunch at lunch time, then eat dinner at like 5 pm to beat the crowd. I am going to try to grill as much as possible, since I get claustrophobic in the kitchen, and it is so nice outside, and I love grilling. I have missed grilling. The scenery around here is also a major bonus. I cannot believe how far you can see the hills from our hostel, and we are literally smack in the middle of a vineyard, so the fields are very pretty. I'm not really sure what I am going to do here until I find work. I am working hard on trying to bribe someone to take me to volleyball Thursdays, especially since I am not going to be working. I guess I will work on my tan, like I was doing in Adelaide, but now in grass instead of sand. We have had unusually cool temperatures lately (like 60's and 70's during the day, 40's and 50's at night), which is affecting the sugar in the grapes, and thus delaying the harvest. I never like to wish 100's on myself, but it seems like it would help my work situation if it would hurry up and warm up again!
2/1
We had a warm, sunny day, then a cold, rainy day, and today started cold, but will hopefully be nice. I have just been hanging out here at the hostel. I walked the town one evening with one of my roommates Jess, then drank the most expensive "cheap" beer I will probably ever have- it was $7.80 a pint, which isn't even a real sized pint here, with bud light quality beer. Disgraceful. So I usually can't justify buying alcohol here, unless it's nice wine, which is like 100 meters from my hostel, but I can't justify buying that until I actually begin work. Highlights of the day have been daily trips to Foodland, to drain between $9-20 dollars from my account for food, even though I have food (I haven't done this daily, but I went for milk and apples and a drink yesterday and got some chocolate too- $9!). I have also gotten season 2 of Fringe from my roommate Hayley and have been quickly watching a whole season. I will probably finish today. Internet is expensive, so I have been writing my blogs on notepad on the computer, then getting online long enough to post. Jess spoke to one of the hostel workers here yesterday and he said he suspects that vintage for at least one of the vineyards should start Monday. We work on a rotating basis, so not everyone will work everyday. If it starts Monday, I will be surprised if I work Monday, as I am probably near the bottom of the list. It just depends on how many positions they have at the vineyard. But, as you can probably tell, I am very anxious to work. I really wanted to catch the bus to Galwer last night, play volleyball, then ride home with Joel and Sam, then get a ride back later this weekend. I resisted, seeing as I had not set this plan up with anyone, but I will be just sitting around probably.
Friday night was a crazy party night. There was singing and drinking and hula hooping. One of the highlights was all the Europeans singing "American Pie." They also played Gold Digger and a couple other rap songs, and I thought it was funny to hear rap songs in English accents.
2/3- Sunday we went to the beach as a hostel. We were originally scheduled to leave at 11:30, but when I got up, I saw that the partiers had pushed the departure time back to 12:30. We ended up not gettng out of here until about 1pm, then having to stop for petrol as well. Anyway, we didn't get to the beach until about 2:30. It was a crazy-windy day, and we sat in the sand and watched the boys play soccer. As usual, we were split in French and UK people, a literal line in the sand. I think it's mostly the language barrier, but it's kind of weird how the groups are so divided. After sitting around a while, my group decided they needed McDonalds. We drove to the nearest one and they were so excited, haha. I think a McDonalds in Tanunda would make a fortune off the backpackers. Some of the people said their favorite part of the beach trip was the trip to McDonalds. I laughed and said there was definitely one closer, we didn't have to go all the way to the beach for a McDonalds trip. There was a little communication problem later on. My group thought we had to have the vans back to th hostel by 7 pm or be fined $50, so around 5:30, we were ready to head back to make sure we didn't get fined. The french people were not ready to come, so they didn't. Jess and I sat in our van and waited for 20 minutes until they decided to come. Then the car we were supposed to be following left us and we had to find our way back on our own. We did a pretty good Job remembering landmarks to get back, and when we asked the French people in our car if they remembered, they would say "It's right." "It's left" "It's straight," so Jess and I figured it out ourselves.
2/5- Tuesday Marie is came to have a wine tasting day with me. We went to 3 wineries and also Maggie Beer's Farm Store, which specializes in pataes and had lots of samples and a beautiful pond out back with turtles and ducks. We also found a case of discounted wine for $24. I could not pass it up, so I got it and when I brought it back to the hostel and told my suitemate Hayley what it cost, she jumped up to get one, and spread the word around the hostel. They were sold out by later in the afternoon. I think I should have gotten commission.
11 girls got jobs yesterday, so the hostel is quiet this morning, and estrogen drained.
2/6- I was offered a potato job later in the week, but it was only offered on 2 month contract, and I do not have 2 months, so I could not accept it. I am still waiting for grapes...
2/8- What started off as a nice meal of Camembert, baguette, grapes, sundried tomatoes, olives, and some of my discount wine turned into another crazy party night. Not much else to do here in Tanunda...
2/9- Emma texted and called me early while I was still in bed. She was coming through Tanunda after having her dogs's hair trimmed and wanted to see if I wanted to catch up. I pulled myself together, showered, and asked if we could meet for lunch. She picked me up and we had sandwiches at a nice cafe outside with her dogs, then we spent some time hanging out in front of my hostel in the shade catching up. It was nice to see her!
2/11- I was sitting, minding my own business, making everyone at the dinner table jealous with my homemade nachos I made for dinner, when I hear Hayley calling my name from reception. "Did you know you're on the board?!" she said. "what?!?" I jumped up, leaving my plate and racing to reception to find my name written on the list for work tomorrow. Grape picking! I was so excited!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Hostel Life
I am checked into my hostel, eagerly awaiting work to begin. Guess what? I got a bottom bunk!!! And in a 10 share, so I actually didn't have to pay more money, so it was all good. I think it was because I worried so much, haha. Sarah helped me check in and store groceries in the already packed shelves and fridge. She was thoroughly grossed out by the food storage situation, and I laughed. She spent the afternoon with me to show me around Tanunda a little. We shopped for antiques, grabbed lunch at a cool little cafe, then got some groceries. I am hanging out here now, trying not to breathe in too much 2nd hand smoke (I mean, if everyone is sitting together at the same table and I go to another table to avoid the smoke, it's kind of rude, right?), waiting for the reception to open at 5pm so I can purchase some internet time. I texted Hannah to tell her I missed her and that everyone here is 22, smoking cigarettes, and European. You don't make friends starting on this foot, but I won't give them links to this blog anyway, haha. I also texted Marie. Maybe if I text people enough, it will guilt them into visiting me, haha. All the kids around here seem bored, and are actually sitting around talking about how bored they are, so I hope the work will start soon. If not, I am going to walk each day and explore different stuff, and try my best not to spend money. The hostel is situated like 100 meters in front of Chateau Tanunda, so I literally have to cross a lawn to get very nice wine. I'm surrounded by beautiful vineyards. They have a sand volleyball court, so maybe I can convince people to play sometime, and come to Gawler to play. Anyway, regardless of what happens, I will be making the best of the situation. And hopefully be making money!!!
7:45 pm update: After talking to the guy (I am seriously having to drag information out of him), I have found out the work is on a rotation system, so people are on a list, then rotated, so everyone works, but not all the time. Why this isn't on the website, I do not know. Anyway, I am not on the list for tomorrow, which was posted about 7:30 pm. I have sat here and watched people come by and huff when they see they have to leave at 4:15 am. I want to tell them I will gladly take their place. I have finally talked to people in the hostel also, 2 girls from the UK. She tells me this hostel is kind of "clicky," I told her I had picked up on that. She had to wait a week for work, so I am thinking that unless harvest starts this week, it might be a week before I can get something. Stay tuned...
7:45 pm update: After talking to the guy (I am seriously having to drag information out of him), I have found out the work is on a rotation system, so people are on a list, then rotated, so everyone works, but not all the time. Why this isn't on the website, I do not know. Anyway, I am not on the list for tomorrow, which was posted about 7:30 pm. I have sat here and watched people come by and huff when they see they have to leave at 4:15 am. I want to tell them I will gladly take their place. I have finally talked to people in the hostel also, 2 girls from the UK. She tells me this hostel is kind of "clicky," I told her I had picked up on that. She had to wait a week for work, so I am thinking that unless harvest starts this week, it might be a week before I can get something. Stay tuned...
Happy Australia Day!
Yesterday I experienced my very first Australia Day celebration. I got up early enough to catch a Gawler train that arrived at noon. I brought with me the ingredients to make a berry salad- strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, blue cheese (or "blue vein cheese" if you are Australian), lettuce, balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil- and beer and wine. Emma picked me up from the Gawler train station and we ran a couple of errands, then went to Hannah's house. Sara and James and Geoff and Heidi and their kids were already there. I made my salad with the blue cheese, much to the chagrin of Hannah and Sara, but both said they would give it a try even though that was an ingredient. Sam surprised everyone and showed up a little later. We hung out and made sausages and hamburgers on the grill and listened to Hot 100 and drank. It was perfect weather, as it has been for the past few days. Marie came later in the afternoon from work and joined in the fun. Sam and James put together a ping pong (or table tennis) court (well, James put it together, Sam watched and occasionally handed James screws). Geoff is a douche (just checking to see if you are reading, Geoff ;) ). Once it was constructed, people played all afternoon (I played once and was awful, so I didn't play again). As the sun went down, the boys decided to play wizard staffs, which is where you drink lots of beer and tape each can to the end of the next can and construct a wizard staff. See picture below for visual aid. Hannah put some red streaks into my hair to celebrate the occasion, yay! All in all, it was another great day. I am going to hate being in a hostel after weekends like this. Happy Australia day everyone!
BIG DAY OUT
I caught buses to the BDO bus stop on Currie Street. I loaded on with various miscreants, most of them smelling like they had already been pregaming for the show. When the bus was fulling loaded, someone walked the entire length of the bus, I guess to make sure no one was partaking in any sex, drugs, or rock n roll. Anyway, I found it weird. We rode about 15 minutes outside of town to the showgrounds. I followed the flow of people to to the gates and made my way inside.
I did a lap to access situation; the food in Chowtown smelled soooo good. I found my way to a big grassy area near the 2 main stages. I sat in the grass and watch various groups of people gathering, most of them drinking the very expensive Aussie beer. I caught end of ME- which I decided were very "Queen" in their sound. I checked my program and saw that they listed Queen as one of their main influences- nailed it. I started to watch the next band called Everytime I Die, but all they did was scream, and I wasn't into it. I walked around to another stage and listened to Delta Force- they were good, but kind of upset the crowd wasn't as into it. It was early in the day, so the crowd was sparse and mostly sitting on the ground. The lead singer yelled at everyone and asked them to stand up. I obliged, even though I knew I would be standing all day. After Delta Force, I watched a little of Against Me. I couldn't tell if the lead singer was a man or a woman, then read in the program that it was a man that used to be a woman. I walked back to another stage and got to watch Gary Clark Jr in its entirety. He was so good, and the crowd was total fans. They knew all the songs, and it was funny to hear them chant "Gary" in Aussie accents. I am now a fan too. Before his set was over, Donald Glover, or Troy from Community, walked by with some of his crew. He was so close I could have touched him- I freaked out.
I decided I needed to eat something now, as this is the only time I would have a gap between bands that I wanted to see. I went to the Chowtown section, which specializes in cool eats. I got a beef cheek, lemongrass & tamarind soft taco w/ cucumber lime salsa. It was sooooo good! I took my meal back to the lawn section and ate while listening to Band of Horses. After a short bathroom break in a long line, I got a frozen banana on the way to Childish Gambino, aka Troy aka Donald Glover. The crowd was insane. They knew all the words and were all about dancing and pushing and singing and I quickly got claustrophobic (such a wimp). I managed to push my way out of the crowd and listened from the outside for his whole set. He was awesome and fun.
Next were the headliners, so I made my way back to the main stages. I sat in the grass at the edge of the field to wait for The Killers to start. They came out and started with Mr. Brightside. As soon as everyone heard the beginning of the song, everyone came running toward the stage. I stayed back again, not at the very back, but in a nice gap space in the middle of the crowd. Their show was so fun, everyone was dancing and singing as the sun went down. It was great. There was a short break between before the Red Hot Chili Peppers came out. Everyone got situated to where they wanted to be for the show. They came out rocking immediately. I knew every song by heart and screamed all the words. I was near someone who looked exactly like Freddie Mercury from Queen. He even had the tiny mustache and was dressed in a skin tight leopard print shirt. I thought he was gay, but he had a wife. Anyway, the reason I am even telling you about the Freddy clone is because I witnessed he and his friend fight someone. They decided they did not want to let people continue pushing through the crowd, so the stuck their elbows out and elbowed people that tried to go by. A few drunk people occasionally scuffled with them when they did this, but one guy would not let up. He seemed to keep asking them why they were doing this and Freddy kept pushing him violently away. I moved away at this point, as they had no regard for people around them. The guy kept coming at him, and Freddy flipped the guy over his head and his friend kicked him in the face as he hit the ground. I said "I'm out" at this point and go to a completely different place in the crowd. Aside from the Freddy Mercury fight, it was an awesome show and a great day.
Bad things about the day:- people that push through crowd (usually drunk, so they had no concept of how hard they were pushing), long lines at bathrooms, and those new high waisted, underware-like-with-lower-butt-cheek-showing shorts girls are now wearing. They were everywhere and they are like everything that can go wrong with shorts combined into one pair of shorts. After a long day, I was tired, my feet were killing me, I smelled like beer and smoke, even though I partook in neither. The crowd, with the exception of a few bad apples, was overall friendly. I gave some high fives to strangers, took pictures with strangers, and danced with strangers. It was a good, beautiful Australian day.
I did a lap to access situation; the food in Chowtown smelled soooo good. I found my way to a big grassy area near the 2 main stages. I sat in the grass and watch various groups of people gathering, most of them drinking the very expensive Aussie beer. I caught end of ME- which I decided were very "Queen" in their sound. I checked my program and saw that they listed Queen as one of their main influences- nailed it. I started to watch the next band called Everytime I Die, but all they did was scream, and I wasn't into it. I walked around to another stage and listened to Delta Force- they were good, but kind of upset the crowd wasn't as into it. It was early in the day, so the crowd was sparse and mostly sitting on the ground. The lead singer yelled at everyone and asked them to stand up. I obliged, even though I knew I would be standing all day. After Delta Force, I watched a little of Against Me. I couldn't tell if the lead singer was a man or a woman, then read in the program that it was a man that used to be a woman. I walked back to another stage and got to watch Gary Clark Jr in its entirety. He was so good, and the crowd was total fans. They knew all the songs, and it was funny to hear them chant "Gary" in Aussie accents. I am now a fan too. Before his set was over, Donald Glover, or Troy from Community, walked by with some of his crew. He was so close I could have touched him- I freaked out.
I decided I needed to eat something now, as this is the only time I would have a gap between bands that I wanted to see. I went to the Chowtown section, which specializes in cool eats. I got a beef cheek, lemongrass & tamarind soft taco w/ cucumber lime salsa. It was sooooo good! I took my meal back to the lawn section and ate while listening to Band of Horses. After a short bathroom break in a long line, I got a frozen banana on the way to Childish Gambino, aka Troy aka Donald Glover. The crowd was insane. They knew all the words and were all about dancing and pushing and singing and I quickly got claustrophobic (such a wimp). I managed to push my way out of the crowd and listened from the outside for his whole set. He was awesome and fun.
Next were the headliners, so I made my way back to the main stages. I sat in the grass at the edge of the field to wait for The Killers to start. They came out and started with Mr. Brightside. As soon as everyone heard the beginning of the song, everyone came running toward the stage. I stayed back again, not at the very back, but in a nice gap space in the middle of the crowd. Their show was so fun, everyone was dancing and singing as the sun went down. It was great. There was a short break between before the Red Hot Chili Peppers came out. Everyone got situated to where they wanted to be for the show. They came out rocking immediately. I knew every song by heart and screamed all the words. I was near someone who looked exactly like Freddie Mercury from Queen. He even had the tiny mustache and was dressed in a skin tight leopard print shirt. I thought he was gay, but he had a wife. Anyway, the reason I am even telling you about the Freddy clone is because I witnessed he and his friend fight someone. They decided they did not want to let people continue pushing through the crowd, so the stuck their elbows out and elbowed people that tried to go by. A few drunk people occasionally scuffled with them when they did this, but one guy would not let up. He seemed to keep asking them why they were doing this and Freddy kept pushing him violently away. I moved away at this point, as they had no regard for people around them. The guy kept coming at him, and Freddy flipped the guy over his head and his friend kicked him in the face as he hit the ground. I said "I'm out" at this point and go to a completely different place in the crowd. Aside from the Freddy Mercury fight, it was an awesome show and a great day.
Bad things about the day:- people that push through crowd (usually drunk, so they had no concept of how hard they were pushing), long lines at bathrooms, and those new high waisted, underware-like-with-lower-butt-cheek-showing shorts girls are now wearing. They were everywhere and they are like everything that can go wrong with shorts combined into one pair of shorts. After a long day, I was tired, my feet were killing me, I smelled like beer and smoke, even though I partook in neither. The crowd, with the exception of a few bad apples, was overall friendly. I gave some high fives to strangers, took pictures with strangers, and danced with strangers. It was a good, beautiful Australian day.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Beaches, Beaches, Beaches...
I have been spending at least 3-4 days each week over the last several weeks going to the beach. I am developing a nice base tan, which is my goal before I set off to the Barossa valley for a month to pick grapes in the hot sun. So that is my newest development: a potential job! I am really looking forward to it and I hope it works out. I am also hoping to befriend someone with a car and a desire to play volleyball, so maybe I can get a lift to continue playing while I am working. It is only about 30 minutes from Gawler, which is closer than when I come with Sam and Marie. I am paranoid about the job, and keep having dreams that I arrive and they don't have a job for me, but I have already reserved the bed, and they need 80 workers, so it should be ok...
In addition to lone beach trips, I have gone occasionally with friends. Marie goes when she isn't working, Emma spent a day with us, then spent the night and went to the beach with us again the next day. We went to a Greek Festival last weekend with Hannah, who I have prescribed as being severely "beach deprived". She was so excited just to see the ocean! Well, maybe it is just that I am "beach spoiled" lately...
I only have about a week before I will be up in Tanunda for at least a month, but it will be a nice week.
Upcoming fun: More beach this last week, including a trip this weekend with Hannah and Sara and James's family, Big Day Out concert next Friday with Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Killers (I AM SO STOKED!) and Australia Day BBQ at Hannah's. Fun Overload.
In addition to lone beach trips, I have gone occasionally with friends. Marie goes when she isn't working, Emma spent a day with us, then spent the night and went to the beach with us again the next day. We went to a Greek Festival last weekend with Hannah, who I have prescribed as being severely "beach deprived". She was so excited just to see the ocean! Well, maybe it is just that I am "beach spoiled" lately...
I only have about a week before I will be up in Tanunda for at least a month, but it will be a nice week.
Upcoming fun: More beach this last week, including a trip this weekend with Hannah and Sara and James's family, Big Day Out concert next Friday with Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Killers (I AM SO STOKED!) and Australia Day BBQ at Hannah's. Fun Overload.
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