Off to new adventures

Day 252:

It has been quiet here in the last few weeks. I think that reflects life in the picturesque Albany quite well. However, a life in a hostel, even in a peaceful place, is not always peaceful. Before I give you an outlook on my next weeks, I would like to share two remarkable stories that I was directly involved in.

A few weeks ago, I was appointed as the "Pancake Queen". This had its pros and cons. After my nomination, the day often started at 5:20 am because good pancakes require a lot of preparation. Anyway, here's my first story:

It's 7 o'clock in the morning, the kitchen is filling up with hungry people who all want a pancake very soon. So, I'm working with 5 pans at the same time. Not a problem in itself. A large family (nationality doesn't matter) finishes their breakfast. The mother comes to me with a stack of dishes and points at them. I explain to her in simple English how she can put them in the dishwasher. She stares at me in disbelief. In even simpler English and with more gestures, I repeat myself. She points at one of her cups and says "Dirty". I reply that it's okay like that and she should just put the things in the machine (glancing at the 5 pans on the stove). The woman continues to stare at me and repeats her word "Dirty". Then it dawns on me and I explain to her that this thing we call a dishwasher is meant for cleaning dirty dishes. Her face brightens, she makes sounds that make me think she understood, and she puts all her dishes in the machine. After that, we went our separate ways, both richer in experience.

The second story, which I don't want to withhold from you, happened a few days ago. After I had already checked in about 60 people and familiarized them with the local conditions, the door opened again and a group of men stood in front of me. They had a reservation for 10 men, so I asked them to bring the remaining 6 to me in the office. That turned out to be more complicated than expected and after a while of questioning, I also found out why. In addition to the 10 people (men and women), 6 children were supposed to join, for whom they didn't want to pay because children are not considered real people yet... well, that's how it is in some cultures. And just for the record, of course, they paid.

So now I'm leaving Albany after a total of 6 months. First, I'm going camping in Margaret River, then I'll spend six weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam. After that, I'll meet my amazing girlfriend Anna in Australia.

Exciting things lie ahead of me, and I'm really looking forward to them.

With that being said, I send you sunny greetings back home,

Warm regards,

Jule