First days
Brace yourselves, a long post is coming.
In order to minimize my expenses and to meet people, I planned to work for accommodation. To summarize, it allows me to work from four to six hours a day for an host in exchange of a bed, food and sometimes laundry services.
Before leaving France, I contacted three hosts, because I wanted to know where I should sleep on site. So my planning is setted until the 23rd of December. As I said in the previous post, I am now in an hostel, where I have to work six hours three day per week in exchange of accommodation.
First working day
Aren't you tired ?
Everyone is asking me. Suprisingly, I am not so much. But when I have some downtimes, like during lunch, when I go walk or when I read, I feel a little dizzy.
Unexpectedly, I already did not need an alarm clock. Saturday, I woke up around 6am, and get up at 8 : laaaaazy. Today, it was more like 6am and 7h30.
For my first day, I began at 10 o'clock so it let me some time for a good breakfast. Because I did not had time to buy my own stuff, I had to buy one at the hostel. Good surprise, I had more than a 50% discount because I am a woofer.
Tasks
I worked from 10h to 13h40 and 14h30 to 16h15, cleaning rooms, toilets, showers, but also doing beds. In fact, all this work in the hostel is done everyday by woofers who lives here in exchange. I did not count exactly, but it seems like we are approximately twenty.
Quick review about my yesterday's feeling
Which brings me to this point. A lot of people go to this hostel. Showers, toilets and the kitchen are shared. Even if they are cleaned every day, it is normal that they always look used.
It's more like a big hostel sharing, where some people pay to avoid housework.
Having access to a bed, a kitchen, a shower for 18 hours work a week totally worth it. Plus amazing people, free fruits for lunch workbreaks (I tasted golden kiwis : delicious), great city or discounts on services make the experience even more enjoyable.
My expectations (you know, that reality that exists only in your mind) had been confronted to reality, and made me feel uncomfortable. Added to this, the tiredness due to the journey, the totally foreign environment where I was were sufficient to make me feel disappointed. I am not anymore.
Next time
Today is sunday, I am of the ones who does not work. It's already late in the afternoon : I walked to see the harbour, went to a market, visited some streets of the city and went to read in a park. Weather is windy (it's Wellington !), but it feels warm.
I think I will now slow down my publishing rythm, because I take me too much time writing. I will search and invest in a camera, so I could share you more about my discoveries here.