Peaches by The Presidents of the United States of America
After two days of picking tomatoes, I was back to the beginning. Waiting on God to bring me work and dying of boredom in the
My little reading and writing station, complete with cup of disgusting instant coffee.
meantime. I’ve written two poems, four blog entries, and played an absurd about of “Angry Gran” on my iPhone. I find it hard to strike up conversations because most of the other backpackers don’t speak English and travel in large, rather exclusive, packs. I’m the shy, quiet girl in the corner reading or writing and about whom no one knows anything. I like to pretend I’m mysterious and intriguing. Feels vaguely like high school…
I wasn’t worried, per se, about finding a job and having money to eat, but something was nagging at me. But I was doing everything right, right? I was being faithful, patient, waiting for God to give me a job, just like last time. So I hopped on my phone, bound to kill a few minutes checking my emails, Facebook, and rereading my text messages, as I had already done about a thousand times that day. Suddenly, I’m on my knees, fists pumping in the air, screaming, “Noooooooooooooooooooo!” as my internet failed to work. Okay, that didn’t really happen but the psychological reaction was equally intense. Hour after hour I reattempted access to the world I hoped to one day rejoin, but without success. The nagging feeling came back and it was reminiscent of being a child who was just caught watching T.V. when they were meant to be doing homework. God had flipped the switch.
“Well, wait. This is rather confusing. You’re telling me that now you WANT me to search for a job, even though last time you DIDN’T want me to?” Laying back and staring at the less than enthralling top bunk, I had one of my chats with God. Even though it was all taking place in my head, I kept catching my roommates looking at me. I suppose staring at the bottom of a bunk for half an hour straight is strange enough in its own right. Or shall we say mysterious and intriguing, eh?
God replied, “Yes,” of course and I hopped on my phone. Amazingly, the internet was working, but only the browser. None of my apps functioned. Equally interesting was the sudden appearance of a never before seen page for “Plunkett Farms,” which came up again and again no matter what search term I provided, and despite having entered many of the same terms before and that result never coming up. Sure a farm could have started yesterday and raised an orchard to maturity overnight…yea not really. Okay, clear enough Big Fella. Essentially, I followed the clues and ended up with a secured position picking peaches no more than an hour later. The position starts on January 21st and lasts for three months; it pays per bin of fruit picked meaning that if I’m a fast picker, I could bank some serious mullah; it has accommodation and transport to the farms at half the cost of what I’m paying now; medical care if injured on the job; and superannuation which is essentially Australia’s form of social security. Upon leaving Australia, I’m eligible to claim 9% of my gross earnings from these three months. I realize that they are taking 29% in taxes, so really I’m still losing 20%, but I choose to look at it as a savings account I can’t access. It will be a happy little, well hopefully large, going away present.
I could hardly sleep for excitement. I kept breaking out into fits of giggles and knew that I was on the right path. But, I couldn’t help but wonder why God was being so fickle with his instructions. After all, once we figure out what he wants us to do, shouldn’t we just follow suit? Well kids, I think that is called religion and it would seem that God values us being active listeners over programmable robots. No amount of logic, justification, or good intentions can stand substitute for God’s instruction and our obedience. Trust me. I’m one stubborn broad and I’ve tried a lot of all of the above before doing the most sensible thing and submitting my will to his.
Don't judge the number of books I bought! I'm a fast reader! I can stop anytime I want! It's not an addiction!
The only concern left unaddressed was a matter of shoes. In all the world, I currently own two brilliant pairs of adventure shoes- Chaco sandals and Merrell Trail Gloves. Both have served me well, and I highly recommend them, but neither are suited for climbing up and down ladders all day while laden with giant bags of fruit. With only 180$ in the bank, I had to find a pair of work boots with solid soles, and still have enough money for food and miscellaneous expenses. And all in Australia, the land of 40$ t-shirts and 100$ summer dresses. I’ve tried to be especially vigilant about thanking God for his help as of late, because I need it rather often and on all scales.
This morning, I set out with a prayer and no plan. I walked into town with no concept of where I was going. I could have used my magic-mirror-phone, except the internet was once again non-functional. Okay, walk by faith not by iPhone. It’s a handy gadget, I cannot lie, but I must remember that it’s the tool, not me. Can’t let the temptation of instant access to the whole world cause me to miss the actual world all around me. I turned on Fryer street, for no particular reason other than it felt like a good place to turn. And what do you know, there stood two thrift shops right next to each other. I wouldn’t have expected it, considering I’m in a farming town in the middle of nowhere, but these were some spectacular shops. Perhaps the best I’ve ever experienced and that’s tantamount given that my entire wardrobe of years past was comprised of op shop purchases.
From the first shop, I bought four books to stave off my boredom for the whopping price of .80 cents. From the second shop, I found a
Apparently Shepparton is really fond of cows? There are oddly painted statues of them all over the town.
pair of cargo shorts perfect for picking jobs. And by found I mean I stuck my hand in a rack, pulled out the shorts, and they fit. Never, I repeat, never has anything of the sort happened with me and pants before. Miracle. Perhaps my hips and I have hope for a civil relationship, after all. Oh, and the shorts only cost 1$ and were in perfect condition. Next, I found men’s work boots, in my size, also brand new, for 12$. Given that I have size 10-11 wide feet, I claim miracle. I also found my favorite book, East of Eden, for a dollar, a few other reading selections, and some socks. Altogether, I spent 17 dollars today which means, I am absolutely getting an ice cream sundae from McDonald’s tonight as I ninja their wifi to upload a blog entry. Miracle. (Okay; this one is a stretch but I REALLY LOVE ICE CREAM).
I find this one particularly entertaining.
I know many who would advise that I’m just looking to give God credit wherever I can, for every little coincidence, trying to see a miracle in anything and everything. And they would be absolutely right.
Hey Diana!! Still reading our blogs when I get a chance. I particularly enjoyed this blog as it has much meaning! You are truly a special person and keep up the excellent work!
Hi D! Love your faith and, oh my, you truely are a cheap shopper! Lucky you!
Just a thought I had when you wrote about the superannuation/tax – I know this is all a bit boring – BUT for tax purposed people can be considered being a resident. There are a few characteristics the tax office checks (http://www.ato.gov.au/content/36255.htm) and they have nothing to do with your visa status. Since you mentioned you’ll be staying at the farm for a longer period of time you might want to check whether you’re then considered a resident (and pay less tax, yay!)
The adventure continues. You’ll be good at this after a while. I particularly like the last sentence of this post.