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Published: December 31st 2007
Dear All,
Before starting this entry let me wish you a merry X.mas !!! Hope you had fun !
The first few days in Mooroopna have been full of surprises and unfortunately bad ones. It was first very nice as I got to the backpackers in Mooroopna which actually was a 2Bedroom House with another bedroom which I think was the garage. The house was full of Asians especially except for a French who knew a girl who was working for the same company as me but in Paris we even know a person in common! Who would have thought I would meet someone who knows about Citadines (my former company)? I even know her friend! We got really surprised by thinking how small the world could be.
The first day of picking started at 7am so had to wake up at 5.30 which was a big change for me but I've made it!! We were picking nectarines for the first day and for the first half of the second day then the fun really started: picking apricots!! Basically you are paid just $35.00 a bin so obivously the more bins you fill the more money you get but with apricots very small I knew I was not going to get rich by picking these as it's impossible to fill 4 of them by yourself on one day. Though I knew fruit picking would be tough I was not really prepared to this, being treated just like numbers at work I think it's because the other workers don't speak English at all so the supervisors don't care about them as they can't complain. It was cool though to work outside, a big change from Citadines/Ascott and being on a desk for 8hours, I liked working outside and I have now a nice tan as it was sunny for the first few days I have the marks now on the shoulders but my legs are white as ever!!
But we didn't work only 3days as the weather was not that great at all, it rained from Wednesday til Sunday so Thurday and Saturday we were off. And on Friday I was off too as I twisted my ankle just before starting work!! Was walking to my row and Ben, the supervisor, was driving the tractor with 6bins attached and the tractor slipped because of the mud and one of the bins just hit me and with my heavy ladder on my shoulders I slipped and to avoid falling I had to put all my body weight on my right ankle which already is quite fragile. Luckily I put some ice straight away so it's not too bad.
Unfortunately I had problems at the backpackers well it wasn't me as I was just helping the French Girl to deal with a problem she had, she had fleas on the mattress and complained about this to the owner. And the owner told her to leave if she wasn't happy, even though that wasn't her who brought the fleas I bet he was just angry someone complained after all the other ones especially the girls are very nice to him not complaining. The worst was I got the same problem of being kicked out just because I was helping her with her English so she could write an email to him that he could understand!! I felt quite low for a day especially with X.mas coming too but I am fine now.
We left Mooroopna for Tatura on Xmas day luckily for the last 2 days in Mooroopna we have 3 nice Germans who arrived and we watched Silence of the Lambs on Xmas Eve, I hadn't seen it before and I quite liked it, though I already saw Hannibal Anthony Hopkins was not as scary as in the first one. And on the same day Howie the owner of the backpackers told us we were square so no need to pay for the last 2 nights and the extra internet we used I bet he realised he'd been a bit tough on us. And we all had a nice barbecue on X.mas day!! See guys I told you I would get one !!
I live now near Tatura which 20mins drive from Mooroopna in a house with 7other people near a shed and I don't do picking anymore but packing which is much better. Work hasn't really started though so we are all dead bored!!! As nobody has a car we can't go to the town as it's a 10min drive from there !! However I have reception with my cell phone which is surprising so you can contact me by cell phone but no internet I am in Melbourne for New Years so that's why I can write this entry.
The housemates are much better than the ones in Mooroopna as over there they were not very chatty to me and not very considerate, leaving the doors opened though it was very chilly by night (I swear it was but now it's much better!!) and I told them to close them, luckily my roomates were not that noisy though. Here they are quite alright there are 3 from Taiwan who are really into studying English; there is nothing else to do anyway, an italian guy who is quite nice, very into his food and his religion (buddism) and a german girl, she looked very cold first but after talking to her for a while she is quite nice actually. The only thing is that Stephanie is getting very annoying at the moment probably because of what happened but for the last 2days she only talks to moan about everything or to say something bad about the situation, the weather the people.... so I prefer staying with the Germand and the Italian even the Taiwanese, one of them asked me how to say bakery in French (boulangerie for the one who didn't know) and about all the types of bread we have in France and I was a bit ashamed of myself not to be able to name more than 2! Sorry!!!
The packing job is quite easy not as physical as picking but we still have to move a bit as we have to move boxes and go from a machine to another but I'd rather do this for the next 3months than picking that's for sure!! The farm belongs to an aussie/italian family, they seem nice and they want only girls in the house though they want the boys to sleep in the caravans but at the moment as the season has just started the 2 boys can stay. The work will really start on the 3/01, next year!! They were quite strict on something as well: if one the guys is being rude or being pushy with me I can tell them and he can be fired ... it was a bit weird when they told me this but at least they seem to be concerned about our self being in the house too. I've been told as well all the people who worked for the 3 last seasons and lived in the house spent all their money on alcohol !!! I bet they were English lol but can't blame them, at least I have my laptop and my books but anyway at one point we will be working 7days a week for a while so I don't think I will be bored.
And since we are in the country my best 'friends' are part of the house, SPIDERS!!!! They are very big here and there was one in the living room I hope it's not in my room now.
I will add some pictures a bit later as I don't have batteries, in the meantime I wish you all a very happy new year 2008!!
XxX
Amelie
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Graz
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Silence of the Lambs
Nice. Perfect christams movie ;).Enjoy u New Years party.