One hellova week

It's been a craaazy week, and will continue to be for the next couple of days at least. It's amazing how much life changes when you're placed in an environment so different from what you're used to. Life as a foriegn student (yes I'm gonna talk about THAT again) is just so different from that of a local irregardless of where you are.

I managed to find a super part-time casual job! It's basically back to F&B, doing casual events as and when they come (which seems to be pretty frequent with football/rugby/ping pong/whatever ball season that's in right now) After spending more than half a year from hardcore F&B work, I must say that yesterday was the LONGEST 2 hours I've ever spent. I swear my little toe is officially dead. It was exciting, getting to work in a foreign country, because it didn't really feel like a foreign country at all. Firstly, serving ang mohs are the easiest by far. I must say that Aussies are an awesome chilled group of people, unlike us fussy, perpetually complain-y Signaporean customers. Aussies are pretty casual most of the time, and even back in singapore, I really enjoyed serving them amongst all the different foreigners. (french were a pain in the ass most times)

Secondly, all the other waitstaff were foreigners, much like singapore. Only difference was that these people were from Brazil, Africa and and not the sterotypical asian countries we assume. It was pretty interesting listening to their conversation. Finding work for them can be pretty tough, and most of them are cleaners in places such as hostels and such. (We're so used to seeing old ah-mas and ah-peks cleaning our schools and toilets, seeing people who aren't way past their retirement age was something different). Don't you think we have sucky human rights/welfare policies/principles? Many cultures frown upon making someone be at your beck and call 24/7 (maids) and being only paid $250 a month, even more would look on us with disapproval for making an old person do physically demanding tasks for only slightly more than that amount. One thing I must agree with our principal back at St Hilda's, don't think of our school cleaners as cleaners, look at them and think that they are someone's grandma or grandpa.

How did my complain-y whin-y post get turned into one about Welfare? aiyoo..

One thing awesome here is the emphasis they place on worker's welfare and rights. We all need to have a COMPULSARY half hour break, we all have insurance covering any injury, we get paid a whoooping $18/hr.

But one thing I still cannot tahan here is the shitty obscure public transport system. As much as they paid, I ended up taking a cab home for $15 cos the bloody buses/trains/ferries/cable car/helicopters/jets stopped functioning around midnight. Wah lao eh can die la, it's annoying when you're actually pretty near, but just have no way to get there.

(I want to buy a scooter!)