I've landed in Ayr, where I've been residing for the past 3 weeks. Living at a working hostel, which is pretty much a hostel that doesn't put any frills into the package, but instead finds you a job, or 2 or 3, at a nearby farm.
After doing our research, we found that Ayr, was the best place for farmwork. So here I am, 4 jobs later on one of the few days off that you are allotted. The veggies don't wait for you!
I just reread my previous post and realized that I already said we were in Ayr, what ended up happening was that we moved to another hostel that got us work the day after we moved in. Looks like we chose the wrong one in the first place.
I started with 1-day gig planting and picking chillis. Luckily we had picked up these rediculous sobreros in Cairnes at a Mexican-themed bar night just before we left. So in addition to half a bottle of suncream and a 4-Liter jug of water, I donned my stylish hat.
The planting wouldn't have been so bad if there weren't prickly surprises waiting for your tender fingers every time you poked a hole for the little seedling you needed to stuff into the ground. I think we planted around 10,000 seedlings between the 6 of us. For the second half ot the day we picked chillis, was was sweet relief for our fingers and our backs.
My 2nd job was a permanent one, if you could stick with it. Chillis again. 9 hours of them each day every day. 57 cents a kilo then minus tax. The first couple of days I hadn't figured out how to prevent myself from becoming dehydrated so I was suffering a bit. But after that I began to get used to the routine of picking chillis and was improving my numbers each day 180 kilos, 200 kilos, 224 kilos! I did it for a week and then decided I wasn't satisfied getting less that $10 per hour for the labour. I used to get paid more to clean the house for my mum! I knew there were other better paid jobs out there from fellow backpackers, but in order for them to be available to me I needed to quit my job and take a gamble hoping I got something better assigned to me next.
My next gig was at an eggplant and chilli farm, but everything paid a decent per hour wage. I weeded the eggplant (or eggfruit as they called them) rows the whole day, but was mysteriously asked not to return the following day with no explanation offered. Still not sure what happened.
The next job I was assigned was back to the original chilli planting/picking place, but this time just to pick and also to help with the sugar cane. I picked in the morning and afternoon for 40 cents per kilo cash-in-hand and in between stared at a conveyor belt that carried shredded sugar cane past my eyes faster that you could say boo. It made me feel pretty motion sick, but I steeled myself and got myself through. My job was to pick out the big bits that didn't get shredded enough.
Thankfully the next day I was assigned a new permanent job at the green bean shed. Everyone had told me it's one of the best jobs. You're not in the hot sun and you work long hours so you get paid heaps. Little did I know what they meant by Long hours. I am now an expert green bean sorter, taking out the rotten, broken, or old beans so fast that you can't even see my hands move. I worked alongside 5 other women and feel a bit like I'm back in the 50s when women started working and got jobs at the factory. Again I was staring at a conveyor belt, but it was moving a lot slower and the only time it gets dizzy is when the belt stops, then it looks like it starts moving backwards. Neat trick on your eyes.
Well I wrote all that on my 2nd day off, which I had off from the beans because my boss was 'punishing' me for asking for a day off. I though after working for 50 hours in 4 days that it wasn't too much to ask, and my fellow workers wrongly lead me to believe that I was expected to request a day off when I felt the need. So after my 1 day of 'punishment' I was fired on the basis of being "too slow". Another job down. It's a bit disappointing, and the manager of the hostel told me he was running out of places to put me, so I felt a bit down, but I was one of many that had been fired from the beans so I didn't feel too alone about it.
By that evening I was already assigned a new job...the dreaded zucchinis! I had been told how they were the hardest thing to harvest, but everyone thinks their job is the hardest in this industry, so I was keen to give it a go. It was pretty hard. Pretty really hard. I realized that I just didn't have the motivation to do this work about 2 hours into the day, but I stuck out the remaining 5 hours with a smile on my face and the manager said I did a good job but it was a hard job so she didn't blame me for quitting.
Now I'm leaving Ayr. All the other backpackers have the motivation of receiving a 2nd year on their Australian visa that pushed their behinds to go to this kind of work and break their backs every day. I only came to make a bit of money and to be with Tom, but it's time to go. When I'm travelling I always know when I hit the point when it's time to move on, just instinct. No one tells you, you just have to feel it. I'm sad to be leaving Tom behind, but am excited to see him again when he comes to visit me in Hawai'i in December!
Not sure when I'm going next. Will keep you updated!
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