Yulara... Week Two... What Did We Do???

Kristy is still working away like a crazy gal - washing zillions of buses - as she waits for her Police Check to be finalised so she can gain her H endorsement, which will enable her to drive buses (though she will probably keep washing the buses, as well as do some bus driving, because the money is very good as a bus washer!) Opps, I made a big, big, big, HUGE faux pas in the world of AAT Kings (who Kristy works for)... they get very annoyed if we call them “buses” – they are “coaches”! Apparently anything that has wheels AND a toilet is called a “coach”.

Yulara (our new home) is broken into 3 primary factions:

1. Tourists: Other than interacting on a working/professional level, the workers/residents of Yulara don’t have much to do with the tourists (note: the tourists appear to be broken into 3 sub categories – the campers, the backpackers and the ones that stay in the hotels).

2. Short-term residents: This is Kristy and I. Short-termers are anyone that resides and works here for no longer than 6 months (note: short-term residents can often unintentionally extend into the following 3rd faction).

3. Long-term residents: The long-termers are those that have been here at Yulara for more than 12 months. I have spoken to long-termers that have been here for 5 years, and even one guy who has been here for 10 years!!!!! I didn’t even know that the Ayers Rock resort had been opened for that long! You can always tell a long-termer – they have pretty fancy gardens (short-termers don’t bother with a garden).

Both the short-termers and long-termers (actually all the residents!) are so friendly. Everyone seems to know everyone, and the residents wave to each other, smile, call out, beep horns, whistle, invite you for drinks, etc. If anyone is likely to be rude, it will be a tourist. Of course, most of the tourists, are great, just some of them are obviously a bit stressed, and well... it shows sometimes. But us residents (or ressies as we are called) cannot afford to be rude to each other – we have to live and work with each other, and a lot of the time it is in very close quarters! For eg, Kristy and I live in “share-share” accommodation, which means we share a kitchen and bathroom with someone else (they haven’t moved in yet, so K and I have had the whole place to ourselves, and I must say, I have really spread out my stuff! Will have to pull it all back in again when the new guy arrives.

The majority of “ressies” have 2 or 3 jobs. Kristy is seen as strange as she only has one job! The guy I worked with last night, he has 5 part-time jobs! I don’t think he sleeps much.

I started my casual catering job on Friday. Was meant to start next week, but they rang me on Friday at 11.30am and asked if I could come in at 2.30pm (they were desperate). I said yes, because, hey, why not? So I had my first shift catering for 7 groups of tourists (this equates to over 100 guests) who had champagne and canapés as they watched Ayers Rock at sunset (this is called the “sunny” shift). The first night I had a really bad time – just felt like so much to remember and it was so busy and people and things everywhere and how would I ever know what to do? But then I worked again last night (Saturday) and it was fine! And I did remember everything, and I had fun! And now I know how to properly pour a glass of champagne (I did not know there was a proper way until 2 days ago!)

The BEST tourists are the Japanese and the Americans! While these are very different tourist groups, total opposites actually, they are both groups so friendly and appreciative. The Japanese groups always give the catering crew a round of applause when they are leaving. The Americans always say thank you.

The first night I worked the “sunny” shift, the Rock looked glorious as the sun set. Last night, it was total clouds and spitting rain. The Rock just looked rock-like. Oh, but the first night – excitement! Someone had hidden up the top of the Rock during the day and as the sun was setting, he parachuted off the Rock ! So there I am, pouring drinks and being socialiable and friendly to the tourists (“Of course I am happy to take your photo” and “Oh it’s your honeymoon, how lovely” and “would you rather red wine, or white wine?” and “no you cannot take the rest of the champagne on the bus with you!”) when suddenly, everyone is going ohhhh, and ahhh, and we are watching parachute man flying over and off the Rock. Apparently he will get a mega fine if the rangers catch him. I kinda hope he runs (or flys) free.

I have met new people now that I have started working (not just meeting Kristy’s work mates, which I have been doing until now). There is Erin who I worked with on the first night, who earlier this year was airlifted out of Yulara because a blood vessel in her brain exploded and she nearly died, and after being put in an induced coma, she had her head shaved and the blood vessel removed and the fluid on the brain was drained. She showed me pics of her head with the massive scars (she has hair now, so you can’t see the scars). It is strange, because Garry (Kristy’s boss) also had brain surgery (to remove a tumour) and he has a massive scar on his head (he has a shaved head, so it is easy to see his scars!) The next woman I met (Tara, I worked with her the next night) told me how she had been airlifted out of Yulara (sound familiar!?) with a woman named Erin (who she has actually never met, yet has shared a medical helicopter with – isn’t that strange!)! Tara was airlifted out because she had severe concussion, because when she was cleaning under a sink, the sink was loose and it fell onto her head and she was knocked out. Ummm, as I write this, I am sensing a theme... head injuries. I think I should invest in a helmet while I am here at Yulara, or at least take out some sort of medical insurance!

Kristy and I went out last Wednesday night and we partied (remember that Wednesday is the new Saturday). I drank a teensy, tiny, weeny bit too much and ended up with a teensy, tiny, weeny hangover the next day (translated, this mean I didn’t stop consuming wine when I should have, and I ended up with severe nausea and a massive headache the next day).

Many people drink hard here, and I should not try to keep up with them. I know I need to be stronger and sterner when I tell people, “NO... Do NOT buy me another drink!” Is hard, because we are trying to fit in here, and drinking is the way to do that, (and I don’t want to look soft either), but equally, I don’t want to feel sick the next day either. I will find the balance, I WILL!

Although a lot of people like a decent drink in Yulara, there are hardly any problems or fights. That is because if anyone messes up, or carries on, or causes trouble, they will be “48-ed“ by the resort. If you are “48-ed” it means that you must leave the resort within 48 hours. As no-one wants to leave (they have jobs, homes, partners, friends, etc) most people are pretty darn careful about their behaviour.

I went to the gym again today. I have now officially joined, I have had a program written up for me, and I go religiously every 2nd day. Today Kristy came with me, and we set up the table-tennis table and played table-tennis after we had finished the workout. It was fun. I lost, but that’s because I let Kristy win. We all know how she gets if she loses (omg, she is not going to like that I wrote that!).

I have officially enrolled in the Certificate IV in Fitness now, and I start the work on the course tomorrow. I am looking forward to getting stuck into it, and am hoping it will inspire me even more to be fit. I am already getting muscles, and like to look at my own guns in the mirror (yes, I have become THAT sort of gym person).

Thank you Anita, for putting together some DVD’s for us and sending them over. We haven’t got them yet, but we know they are on their way. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

If anyone else feels the urge to send us something (we accept all DVDs, books, cards, money, lotto tickets, jewellery, gold bullion, etc) the address is:

Linda & Kristy
C/- Yulara Post Office
Yulara, NT, 0872

Talking about DVD’s, they are selling them at the Yulara IGA for $2.00 each. Kristy couldn’t believe her eyes! But the DVD’s were all “who-the-hell-is-this-actor” movies. Still... we purchased 2 of them... well, they were only $2.00!! I think I was lucky to get out of the supermarket without Kristy buying the whole box (she likes a bargain).

The AFL grand final is coming up!!! Kristy has swapped one of her days so she can sit and watch it (and perhaps drink copious amounts of beer). I predict a Bulldogs/Pies grand Finale. Kristy tells me I am dreaming, but let’s just see!