Monday, September 26, 2011

water for elephants

Remember how I told you I got a job with the circus? Well today I went for my orientation with a nice fellow named John. I met him at the fairgrounds at 11 a.m. and amidst the bustle of many workers preparing for the upcoming show, our genial guide was able to steal a few moments to direct me (and the rest of my group of lost and foreign sheep) through the ringer, as it were, of all things circus work. So, now I can tell you, quite confidently, what I know: In my group of about 14 people, there were a handful of Taiwanese (with very bad English), two Italians (Milanese to be exact, also with bad English), one Irish lass (with pretty eyes), an English betty (nothing can be said for her) and myself. It really seemed like a mixed bag of sorts, especially since about half the group could speak only poor English. I even found myself gravitating toward the Italians (for obvious reasons) to help them better understand their job duties. They were eternally grateful and I was just happy to just talk with someone from Italy....but I digress. So, after everyone listened to a short spiel from John about what to wear (jeans and a jumper), what not to do (steal money, prizes or time) and
when to be there daily (8:45 a.m. sharp) I was assigned my task. From what I could gather, I will be running a game booth in the same style as "Deal or No Deal" where eager young contestants pay a whopping $6 a piece to pick a briefcase that I will then open to their delight. Inside will be either a small, medium or large prize. If the prize is small or medium, the player can take their chances and open another case in the hopes of obtaining a larger prize (the spoils of course meaning some awkwardly shaped stuffed animal that is from some popular video game/cartoon/movie. I saw women in the back of one tent even stitching up the poor bastards' backs. Perhaps they were keen on inserting cameras or something of the sort? It is the circus for goodness sakes! But again I digress and maybe I just allow my imagination to get a little too carried away at times...). Anyways, I am OK with this task, especially since I will get to hoot and holler at every passerby to come play my game...for 11 straight hours a day, eight days in a row. Now, the up side to this is the $17 an hour I will be making, no taxes taken out! And John said if we all do a good job, he will choose eight from the group to continue on after the Perth Royal Show to travel around Australia and do smaller, one day stints in a more rural setting, which are also paid. So, let me get this straight: I get paid to see Australia AND be in the circus. Sign me up, put me down I will be the best damn circus-carnie-gamer there ever was. You can bet your big top, hairiest of ladies and even the cotton candy John that I will make this top eight...

Oh, and did I mention I also get a free T-shirt! Yes, the perks keep on coming.

But, if I did not happen to get called back for a position with the circus (insert sniffling nose and teary eyes here) fear not, because luckily I still have an interview tomorrow with that swanky restaurant I mentioned in an earlier post called "Madrid." I hope I can charm them with my wares as well, because Lord knows I need the money (or rather I WANT the money so I can buy lots of unnecessary trinkets like these really cool tea towels from a shop next to our flat that have colonial looking men on them fighting with baguettes. One is saying "You wash," while the other exclaims "I'll dry!" I can see my father rolling his eyes now.)
Enough of this banter though. What else can I say? Oh, I did make it to that fashion market in Perth yesterday (despite dodging rain showers) and had a wonderful time. Lots of interesting people out and about and shopping for really unique things.
I have yet to pinpoint the style/cuisine of this city, but when I find it you can be sure all of you will be the first to know. Now I did end up buying a sweater (imagine that, a sweater
when the weather is moving into summer here?) but could have come home with a lot more!
Just loads of weird stuff here I have never seen before. Kudos to all the artisans that took the time to make the event so worthwhile, even the art was a treat! I have included many pictures from the day, however I don't believe they really do the thing justice. What's the best part I saw you ask? Four live burlesque models staged in a window display, selling some sort of handmade lingerie and millinery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatmaking). That was definitely a treat to turn the corner to, especially with the hoards of families walking by...definitely had myself a chuckle (and no, I did not get a picture of them for you, so you can stop scrolling down to see!). Well now, that should be enough to soothe your salivating taste-buds for the time being. I shall post more this week after my interview tomorrow. And I believe I will also just do an entire post on the amazing vegetation Australia has. I have seen so many interesting plants we don't have in America. But there is always time for that later!

Cheers for now!

No comments:

Post a Comment