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hello all!
am on the move again so will take the time to tell you a little tale,
Tales of a housekeeper:
wake up 6.45, usually hit the snooze button. get up,dressed into balck trousers and top (and warm jumper) go dounstairs and find something to eat (taost and cerial/whatever i have left) at about 7.30 go outside, find bike and go go go! love riding now am not petrified by it. specially as so flat. love the way bikes steer. anyhoo, cylce straitdown gloucedter st. to the park, then through park and to the hotel! all takes about 20 mins. park bike and head to laundry. find linnin trolley and nab as many sheets and towells as is fair on others. often are none as others get there first. go into staff room and pick up binbag (which has my name on it!) and 5 rags for cleaning purposes. wait in staffroom (which has sink/kettle/toaster/fridge) until supervosors come with a pile of folders, one each, complete with keys and the list of rooms for the day. once have lists and see the days damage, check which ones are emptied and which may need special attention (from other lists given out for us all to puruse) then go on the great trolley hunt.
all the long stays (10 years or more for some) have their own trolleys so you have to work out who is not there and then find where their trolley is, assertain if it is full and then head off to the first corridor,pulling one trolley and pushing the other. fun. a trolley contains everything a housekeeper needs and the other housekeepers guard theirs with a vehemence which is somewhat surprising. on no account do you borrow off another trolley if you have run out. unless you ask very very nicely and promise to return the favor.
when you get to a room you knock on the door and say 'housekeeping' in a voice enthusing with politeness and energy as if you can't wiat to get started on their room and are hoping they are still in their just so you can tell them how wonderfull they are. when really you are hoping agaist hope that they've gone already so you can get on with cleaning up their mess.
go into room armed with binbag. strip bed, take out sheets, on return with clean sheets take in bucket which contains, among other things, all the cleaning fliuds which should probably not be drunk. make bed. (2 sheets, blanket, over cover thing) clean bathroom (drying everything afterwards) dust room and replace all that has been used. (you know those little trays that you find in rooms? we have to restoke all those) vacuum room then shut door and cross off list with a flourish. that is if all has gone well and you have all the things you need on your magic trolley. all that should., i say SHOULD take 30 mins. less beter. hmmm, that was my problem.
2 breaks a day, morning 'smoko' as the ladies call it and lunch, which they give you is like buffe type thing and always very very nice.
2 types of rooms, leaves and stays. leaves you clean all for the new people coming in. stays the folks are still there (usually out for teh day) and you just make the bed, restock dust (a bit) and clean the bathroom. quite fun as you get to see all their things and make up and idea of who they are. leaves are good because small foods etc. are yours. inc. the donuts they give to some people and for some very mistifying resons they're not eaten and left sealed in the airtight package! are very nice warmed up with custard. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
day fininshes when rooms run out, should be at 2.30 but for me..... usually 3. did get better, and did fininsh on time some days. after work sign out and cycle home. and well, thats my day.
thats all over now though. will miss the ladies, they were great, though perhaps not so much the cleaning of tiolets and scrubbing of floors.
spent last day in christchurch (thursday) doingshopping and meetimng up with miriam (friend from city chruch) bought lots of cakes from pac'n'save and set out as free food in the living area at kiwi house. we've also bought an english bible, a japanese new testament and a korean gospel of mark and put in the reading room for God to be discovered by. lol, its over to him now!
but now have left kiwi house and christchurch (sniff) and spent today on a coach (double decker, very exciting) and and now in dunedin! am going to a museum and cadbury world tomorrow. on sunday will go to chruch then head to te anau. on monday we're going to walk the keplar track but will tell you all about that some other time.
love to you all!
Goe Bless
jen
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