It has certainly been an interesting week. In my usually fortunate manner I have once again landed on my feet. After my longer than usual blog I did actually start looking for work. I looked on my usual websites and took a walk to an oft advertised recruitment agency. As suspected neither of the websites or the agency were of much use. The agency did clarify that bar work even in the remotest areas would not qualify me. On the way home from the agency I stepped in to the very first backpacker agency I visited and picked up a leaflet on WWOOFing. WWOOF stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms and the deal is basically that you work on the farm and they provide you with accommodation and feed you. I first heard about the organisation from a girl I shared a room with in San Francisco and have wanted to try it ever since. From the leaflet I picked up from the agency I discovered I could join at the other agency I had just visited! As the only reason I hadn’t joined previously was the fact I didn’t want to wait in Sydney for the book I went back the next day and joined up. It cost me $60 and for my money I got a book detailing WWOOF hosts and access to their online bulletin board. That afternoon I signed up online and by the evening had a profile online and had e-mailed one host in Queeensland and one in Victoria. Luckily for me the Queensland hosts returned my e-mail very promptly saying they could accommodate me.
By Wednesday evening I had a train ticket to Brisbane and had said goodbye to most of my Sydney friends. Thursday morning saw me packed up with a train ticket from Brisbane to Bundaberg in addition to my train ticket. Thursday afternoon and I was on a train and on my way. The train was great. The seats were spacious and even though I was travelling economy I was able to get some sleep. The change over at Brisbane was easy and the bus journey passed quickly with the help of a few films and an afternoon snooze. Once at Bundagberg I had the slight inconvenience of my phone battery running out but fortunately I had written down my hosts mobile number and a lovely lady let me use her phone. Of course the minute I sat down to wait for my lift I remember that my PowerMonkey portable battery would charge my phone and a few minutes digging through my case produced it and in a few more minutes my phone was back up and running. I met some interesting people at the bus station and got a good tip on where not to stay should I ever decide to stay in Bundaberg itself but before long my host arrived and I was on my way to the farm.
I received a lovely welcome. My hosts are the nicest people and I am joined by a German WWOOFer who I thankfully speaks very good English and is great fun to be around. After dinner I found myself with a cup of tea watching escape to the country and I couldn’t help but be reminded of my visits to my in-laws back home. After a restful night I woke up at 8am ready to work, however being Saturday apparently farm work doesn’t start until after 9am, an excellent start to my first day! After a relaxed breakfast we headed out to the fields for some vine trimming and fruit picking. Did you know passions fruit grows on vines? I didn’t but I do now! The sun was shining as we headed out and we stayed out for the rest of the morning and a little of the afternoon (with a tea break of course!) but post lunch it was into the pool where my fellow WWOOFer attempted to teach me the butterfly stroke. There was a lot of splashing and whilst she ‘waved’ through the water I was more flailing but with practice I am sure I’ll get it right. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent playing board games and discovering I could get an intermittent internet signal. I cannot believe that I have been so lucky as to have been taken in by such a lovely family with an amazing property. I am sure the work will get harder and I look forward to working properly again but for now I am enjoying settling in and acclimatising to the Queensland weather.
No comments:
Post a Comment