Better late than never.
Door: Claudia
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Claudia
15 September 2006 | Frankrijk, Lectoure
It’s the end of season, clearly !! There is not customer on site anymore and even most of the employees have left. The only lights at night are the ones at the employees accommodations and the sanitary block. So, time to look back and see what I did this season.
When I arrived, things were pretty much the same as today. No customers, just a few workers (amongst them Esther and Peter-Jan, stagaires from Holland already), no lights and rain. The first two nights I was lucky enough to get permission to stay in one of the studios (little apartments that get rented out to customers during high season) so that I had a chance to prepare my tent. My tent was there, but it had no inners (binnententen) yet, the bed needed to be put together and the same for the kitchen unit. It all had to be cleaned, put together and be made “home”.
When that was done (not really it took me about 2 weeks, on and off, to make it mine) I braved it and started with the reception tent. There was only one thing I could do with it and that was open it and start unloading it. It was so full with equipment that I couldn’t even get in without getting things out first. So, I moved bags, boxes, doormats, bed frames (sorry Thierry, I will never ever walk around the campsite again with a bed frame on my back) and all sorts of stuff to mine and my future stagaires tent. Then I could start making the reception, like a reception. I put a kitchen unit together, so I had a place for storage and putting out information, improvised a leaflet wall because the real thing wasn’t there (yet), put up the party tent outside and started to collect information about the area from the tourist office. The other thing I had to do was organise my 30 customer tents: putting the bed frames together and put them in the inners (4 single beds and 1 double bed in every tent), cleaning the kitchen units and putting them together, cleaning the fridges, cleaning the inventory (forks, plates, pans etc.) and putting them in the cupboards, connecting the power units and putting up lights, distributing the gas bottles and connecting them to the cookers, hanging up the curtains and ceilings and finally cleaning the garden furniture and putting it outside.
I had hardly finished my first tent or the first customers arrived. That changed my schedule. Now I had to have reception hours. From 9 till 10.30 I had my morning reception hours. That means that people could come to see me if they had any questions or problems or just for a little chat. The same thing between 5 and 6. So, that slowed me down big time on the tent building business. Luckily I got help: Sanne came ! Sanne did this for her education and boy was I happy to see her. Things improved immensely. When one of us did reception, the other one could continue building and cleaning. Also, I could take a day off without closing my reception anymore. Hallelujah !
And then….the big day came. All tents were ready. The good life could begin. Sanne and I took turns in working. If you worked the morning you had the afternoon off and vice versa. Accept on your day off of course and you worked the full day if the other one had the day off. It was easy life.
In the morning you started at 8 or 9, depending on what time the customers wanted to leave (usually at 8 of course . We had to check if they had left there accommodation in one piece and clean and then we could give them back there deposit and wave them off. Then, between 8 and 9, and from 11 onwards we prepared the accommodation for the next costumers (updating the information folder, cleaning some if necessary, readjusting the lights etc.). From 9 till 11 you had to be at the reception for questions, problems and chatting. So usually around 12 or 12.30 you were done, off to the lake.
In the afternoon new customers arrived. Officially they were welcome between 16.00 and 20.00 h, but usually they came earlier. So, whenever they arrived, you had to jump into your uniform, including the amazing welcoming smile, and go! You offer them a drink, ask about there journey, give them information and then show them into there mobile home or tent. When you were lucky, they were all in before 18.00 h and then you only had to do your ‘round’. Right around on your bike, see if everybody is okay, especially the people who arrived the day before and then that was it. On some occasions you weren’t that lucky and you had to wait till 20.00 h. And on very unfortunate days they arrived even later, and you had to leave your supper to give your new customers a warm welcome . But usually, the day ended somewhere between 18.00 and 20.00.
Then the serious work could begin: cooking together, eating together and drinking together. There were nights we had bbq’s (every excuse for a party: tentwarming, arrival of new worker, leaving of worker, birthdays, you name it), there were nights we were at the bar to see the entertainment (hypnoses, Gyspy Kings, Miss and Mister Camping, foam parties) and there were a lot of nights we were at the disco (open at midnight till 3.00) followed by the campfire or any other random place where alcohol was at hand. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.
But then…..things started to change. The first workers/stagaires went home (Sanne to be the first followed by the best friend and drinking/party buddy I made outhere: Maartje). The entertainment became less, the disco closed earlier, until it shut completely, customers became less, it was the beginning of the end. And now, now I’m the only Dutch worker left on site. There are no customers anymore, no music, no party, no nothing. Just work. What kind of work? Well, the opposite of what I did in the beginning. Taking down the ceilings, the inners, breaking up the beds and kitchen units, boxing the inventory, disconnecting gas and power etc. Am I enjoying it? To be fair, no. It’s been enough. When the sun is out, I still see the beauty of the place and I can enjoy the lake, having it all to myself. I still love to go to the market on Tuesday morning and lunch in the little village, but unfortunately I don’t have much time for it anymore. And it’s quiet and it’s hard to motivate yourself if you are completely on your own. But he, it’s got to be done, and it will be done. And then….. .a new adventure awaits me in Zuidhorn.
When I arrived, things were pretty much the same as today. No customers, just a few workers (amongst them Esther and Peter-Jan, stagaires from Holland already), no lights and rain. The first two nights I was lucky enough to get permission to stay in one of the studios (little apartments that get rented out to customers during high season) so that I had a chance to prepare my tent. My tent was there, but it had no inners (binnententen) yet, the bed needed to be put together and the same for the kitchen unit. It all had to be cleaned, put together and be made “home”.
When that was done (not really it took me about 2 weeks, on and off, to make it mine) I braved it and started with the reception tent. There was only one thing I could do with it and that was open it and start unloading it. It was so full with equipment that I couldn’t even get in without getting things out first. So, I moved bags, boxes, doormats, bed frames (sorry Thierry, I will never ever walk around the campsite again with a bed frame on my back) and all sorts of stuff to mine and my future stagaires tent. Then I could start making the reception, like a reception. I put a kitchen unit together, so I had a place for storage and putting out information, improvised a leaflet wall because the real thing wasn’t there (yet), put up the party tent outside and started to collect information about the area from the tourist office. The other thing I had to do was organise my 30 customer tents: putting the bed frames together and put them in the inners (4 single beds and 1 double bed in every tent), cleaning the kitchen units and putting them together, cleaning the fridges, cleaning the inventory (forks, plates, pans etc.) and putting them in the cupboards, connecting the power units and putting up lights, distributing the gas bottles and connecting them to the cookers, hanging up the curtains and ceilings and finally cleaning the garden furniture and putting it outside.
I had hardly finished my first tent or the first customers arrived. That changed my schedule. Now I had to have reception hours. From 9 till 10.30 I had my morning reception hours. That means that people could come to see me if they had any questions or problems or just for a little chat. The same thing between 5 and 6. So, that slowed me down big time on the tent building business. Luckily I got help: Sanne came ! Sanne did this for her education and boy was I happy to see her. Things improved immensely. When one of us did reception, the other one could continue building and cleaning. Also, I could take a day off without closing my reception anymore. Hallelujah !
And then….the big day came. All tents were ready. The good life could begin. Sanne and I took turns in working. If you worked the morning you had the afternoon off and vice versa. Accept on your day off of course and you worked the full day if the other one had the day off. It was easy life.
In the morning you started at 8 or 9, depending on what time the customers wanted to leave (usually at 8 of course . We had to check if they had left there accommodation in one piece and clean and then we could give them back there deposit and wave them off. Then, between 8 and 9, and from 11 onwards we prepared the accommodation for the next costumers (updating the information folder, cleaning some if necessary, readjusting the lights etc.). From 9 till 11 you had to be at the reception for questions, problems and chatting. So usually around 12 or 12.30 you were done, off to the lake.
In the afternoon new customers arrived. Officially they were welcome between 16.00 and 20.00 h, but usually they came earlier. So, whenever they arrived, you had to jump into your uniform, including the amazing welcoming smile, and go! You offer them a drink, ask about there journey, give them information and then show them into there mobile home or tent. When you were lucky, they were all in before 18.00 h and then you only had to do your ‘round’. Right around on your bike, see if everybody is okay, especially the people who arrived the day before and then that was it. On some occasions you weren’t that lucky and you had to wait till 20.00 h. And on very unfortunate days they arrived even later, and you had to leave your supper to give your new customers a warm welcome . But usually, the day ended somewhere between 18.00 and 20.00.
Then the serious work could begin: cooking together, eating together and drinking together. There were nights we had bbq’s (every excuse for a party: tentwarming, arrival of new worker, leaving of worker, birthdays, you name it), there were nights we were at the bar to see the entertainment (hypnoses, Gyspy Kings, Miss and Mister Camping, foam parties) and there were a lot of nights we were at the disco (open at midnight till 3.00) followed by the campfire or any other random place where alcohol was at hand. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.
But then…..things started to change. The first workers/stagaires went home (Sanne to be the first followed by the best friend and drinking/party buddy I made outhere: Maartje). The entertainment became less, the disco closed earlier, until it shut completely, customers became less, it was the beginning of the end. And now, now I’m the only Dutch worker left on site. There are no customers anymore, no music, no party, no nothing. Just work. What kind of work? Well, the opposite of what I did in the beginning. Taking down the ceilings, the inners, breaking up the beds and kitchen units, boxing the inventory, disconnecting gas and power etc. Am I enjoying it? To be fair, no. It’s been enough. When the sun is out, I still see the beauty of the place and I can enjoy the lake, having it all to myself. I still love to go to the market on Tuesday morning and lunch in the little village, but unfortunately I don’t have much time for it anymore. And it’s quiet and it’s hard to motivate yourself if you are completely on your own. But he, it’s got to be done, and it will be done. And then….. .a new adventure awaits me in Zuidhorn.
Reageer op dit reisverslag
Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
