Bridal School 1/2
PJ, my Peruvian-born citizen-of-the-planet coworker asked me the other day why I am here. I gave him several unconvincing answers, which probably made little sense to him. So much so that he asked, “Are you writing a book or something?”
There is, actually, a simple answer: I’m here for the bridal school. I’m learning how to clean professionally; I’m learning how to cook; I’m learning how to make gourmet coffee; and I’m learning how to love.
Cleaning
The key is to have the right tools. We have window cloth that makes glass and mirrors spotless. (Yes, the standard of cleanliness is high at YHA. We even polish faucets.) We have 5 different products on our trolley: floor, window, toilet, polish and multipurpose. You’d think one multipurpose product would do as the product name suggests, but no, we’re talking about professional cleaning here.
Fringe benefits of working as a hostel housekeeper:
Latest tabloid magazines left by young travelers
Unlimited supply of pre-owned shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, etc
Birthday cake
A free trip to Eureka, the tallest building in Melbourne
Confession of a housekeeper:
We don’t recycle. Although we have two bins in each guest kitchen, one for recycle, the other for rubbish, everything goes to the same dumpsters on the roof. It makes you wonder what happens at countless hostels and hotels around the world. Although it may be futile, I still try to keep bottles and paper separated from general waste so that our waste collectors may be more willing to salvage them. It feels like saving one bottle at a time, or one pile of newspaper at a time but I just hope more bottles and paper make it to the recycling plant.
Cooking
At our lovely home in Port Melbourne, we often cook family dinners. Lisa is the best cook among us and she cooks more often. Eugene and I just luck out. Yesterday she made delicious cream chicken curry, exactly what you’d crave for on a cold, windy night. I went for seconds and couldn’t stop telling her how much I loved the curry. Eugene’s specialties are salads and fish. I’m at the stage of experimenting, venturing out of my comfort zone of noodles and pasta with the help of dozens of cook books in the house. My adventures so far include:
- Curry chicken: Lisa had to add lots of yogurt in her bowl to calm her taste bud whereas Clare added more curry power to the curry pot after everybody else had been served.
- Apple crumble: The result was more like baked apple with buttery crumbs on the side. With the ice cream Eugene bought, it tasted heavenly nevertheless.
- Tuna rice salad: Following the recipe to a tee, I made a rather flavorful and healthy salad. It’s a pity Lisa and Eugene were not around to taste it.
- Rigatoni with Italian sausage: Take home chef Curtis Stone teamed up with Aussie supermarket chain Coles and came up with recipes to “feed your family for under $10.” I picked up a recipe card from the supermarket and did just that. Except that I forgot to put in the Kalamata olives, even though they are featured in the Curtis Stone TV commercial.
- Mushroom risotto: The most critically acclaimed to date. “You are cooking now!” –Eugene “It’s really nice, Clare (with one arched eyebrow).” –Lisa
A big thank you to my lovely and brave housemates, who provide training materials, act as guinea pigs, and foster a positive learning environment.
-to be continued
Day Two
Perry of Tucheng asked:
“How’s our cleaning lady doing? How many beds did you make?”
Dear Perry,
Our Cleaning Lady Immaculate is doing well. She started her new job yesterday. Her supervisor Olivier, asked her colleague Harvin to work with her. (By the way, Harvin from Mauritius is majoring mechanical engineering at the University of Melbourne. The housekeeping staff at this YHA are certainly highly educated.) Our Cleaning Lady did make things Immaculate, but she cleaned too slowly so Harvin ended up doing most of the work. Fortunately both her supervisor and colleague were very accommodating. At the end of her first day, Our Cleaning Lady Immaculate went home sore all over her body, especially her back.
On her second day today, Our Cleaning Lady Immaculate got her own work sheet, a significant symbol of individual responsibility.
Worksheet of Our Cleaning Lady Immaculate
She thought through the work sequence last night and went over it in her head on her way to work this morning. She made things immaculate again, only this time, a bit faster. Her supervisor Olivier at one time complimented on her thoroughness, saying “Good girl.”
The thing is, the supervisor of Our Cleaning Lady Immaculate is her junior by 6 years! Olivier was apparently distraught when he learned that she had thought he was 30. (The previous heartbreaking record was that a reception girl had thought he was 28.) These comments should be taken as a compliment, though. Our Cleaning Lady Immaculate didn’t make supervisor when she was 24. She doubts she ever will.
Housekeeping Supervisor Olivier, 24, originally from Mauritius
YHA Manager Bronwyn, from Australia, age unknown
There you have it, Perry. Our Cleaning Lady Immaculate is doing well. God even sent her free pizza when she didn’t bring lunch to work today.
Keep your prayers earnest. And may the force be with you.
-Our Cleaning Lady Immaculate
Memo of a Novice Cleaner
Daily routine:
9-10: bathrooms
10-12: all rooms
12-2:30: lunch break, lounge, kitchen, corridors, bins
- Put your water bottle in the trolley. Keep hydrated.
- Get plenty of ammunition–rags and wipes. Don’t wash them when they get dirty. Just use a clean one.
- Get plenty of cleaning products: five in all, for multipurpose, polish, floor, window and toilet.
- No entering the dorm rooms before 10 o’clock.
- Eliminate trips to the roof for supplies. Stock on single and double fitted sheets, flat sheets, pillowcases, towels, hand towels, mats and toilet paper before you start cleaning the rooms.
