Life in Nebo So Far

I'm exhausted, my bones ache and my new outback life consists of work, eat, sleep, repeat. But given all that, life here in Nebo isn't as bad as I prepared myself for.

My first working day started off with a definite bang. I woke up at 5:00 in the morning, started housekeeping work at 6:00 in the morning, and after 13 hours of making beds and cleaning bathrooms I finally finished my first day. Oh, and then I woke up at 5:00 am the next morning to do it all over again. This is probably the most grueling tough work I have ever done, but boy oh boy does the money make up for it. With hours like these, I will be working close to 60 hours a week, not spending a penny as all my food and accommodation is provided, and I will save up enough money for my upcoming trips to New Zealand AND Fiji with maybe even a little left over to bring home with me. Yes, the work is definitely worth it.

So where am I? What's it like? Well let me tell you! I am living in a camp of mobile homes set up like individual hotel rooms. Aside from the maybe 20 people on staff, the camp is home to Australian miners who live, what I think is, a strange life. They work a schedule where they are "on two weeks, off one week" or some other time frame involving being on and off. They all generally live in bigger cities, but when they are "on" they need a place to stay within close vicinity to the mine. So enter an accomodation camp like the one I'm working in; a home away from home for miners who are currently on shift. The miners are gross and sleezy and stare at me like they've never seen a female before in their life, but aside from the staring they leave me alone.

The work I have done so far is mainly housekeeping (you think miners are gross from afar , try cleaning up after them...ew!) and a little bit of work doing dishes in the kitchen. It's not TOO bad, but the heat and humidity definitely make it harder. So far it has been 80 - 90 degrees on average, and I'm told it going to get even hotter as summer rolls in! But on the very bright side, after only a few days here the manager informed me that their current receptionist is leaving and he's chosen me to take over that administrative position! This means more office work, less housekeeping and air conditioning! I wanted this admin position from the get go, so when I was offered the job without having to ask I was beyond excited. Once I get into doing primarily admin work these next eight weeks will fly by!

Surprisingly, the accommodation here is much nicer than I anticipated. I have my own room and bathroom, a wardrobe in which I can unpack out of my suitcase, a tv with cable, a mini fridge and a free gym that is a two second walk from my room, After living in hostels for the past few months this is definitely a nice change of scenery!All my meals are provided as well, which is a huge money saver. For breakfast and dinner I go to the mess hall which completely reminds me of the dining halls at university. Since all miners are gone during the day the mess hall is closed during lunch time, and so after breakfast each day there is a sandwich and salad bar in which I can pack a lunch to bring with me to work. With all these benefits, on top of what I'm being paid, it will be more than easy to spend next to nothing whilst I am here.

So while I may be living in the middle of nowhere, and the long hard hours turn me into an exhausted zombie at the end of the day, I am surprisingly not dreading the next eight weeks as much as I thought I would. Work keeps me busy enough to not realize how stranded from civilization I am, and the living situation is a very comfortable setting in which to retreat to at the end of the day. And when all is said and done, and I am lying on a beach in Fiji or swimming with dolphins in New Zealand, it will all be so so worth it!