2nd year visa farmwork in Australia - expectations and reality

1 month of farmwork in Australia. Time to reflect. I had expectations, we all had. We all knew it would be hard work and some jobs would be better than others. 

We had no idea.

Farmwork: Expectations and Reality

So 1 month is done. Hallef*ckinglujah. Honestly. Unfortunately 1 month out of 3 months farmwork is not 1/3 as I explained in another post about organising farmwork. Nope. In fact I have 20 days. 20 out of 88. And I actually didn't take that many days off. To be honest, I don't even know how this is possible. February has 28 days, I started the 4th and took one weekend off. Plus another day and then there was that sick day, were I had food poisoning and decided, food preparation with that wouldn't be too nice. Since we have dorms here and you have to let people know, if you're going to work or not, you gotta stand up anyway.

So basically I did one month of farmwork so far and slept in twice. And with 'slept in' I mean everything after 7am. And I have less than 1/4 of my required days. Lovely.

But let's stop complaining and reflect a bit. Is farmwork as everyone expects it? What do people think? Australians, Backpackers, Farmers? How's the reality?

Before we start, I gotta say: (of course) nothing is complete here. Millions of people have millions of expectations and experiences. However I spoke to at least 100 people during the last month(s) and heard, saw and experienced quite a bit myself. So I'm sure, there are people who completely disagree but here are my answers:

Expectation: 

So many farms, it's gonna be easy to find farmwork.

Reality:

Buy a car first. Serioulsy, do it! And don't come with no money, expecting, you'll earn something straight away. Couples have better chances at some farms, because they are supposed to be calmer (no one wants

Don't touch the figs with your skin!!!

party backpackers, most farmers love Asians and hate French btw., Germans are pretty in the good middle, as well as people from the UK and Italians are almost as hated as French, and for the record: it's not me who's saying that but that's what people got told here by farmers, several times.). In the end: yes. There are amazingly many farms. But there are amazingly many contractors as well. And everyone wants to feed himself. It is easy to find a job. It is not easy, to find a good one.

Every rule has exceptions but in general contractors are not making farmwork any better. If you find something without working hostel or contractor, you're way better served (how to do that will be part of the last farmwork post after 3 months).

Seasons are not reliable. You can get super lucky and find a hundred jobs or (like it happend to me in Tassie) the season was bad, the harvest was destroyed because of too much rain and even the farmers struggle.

Expectation:
3 months should be enough. Maybe 4 to be sure.

Reality:

No. They are not.

They might be, when you're the lucky one, who finds a farm for 3 consecutive months. But even then: Seasons are not reliable (do I repeat myself..?). It rains a bit or it is so hot that you become a witness of a bushfire and whoops... There it is your problem. The gouvernment does not give a shit, if you're in hospital, the farm on fire or if Aliens came down to get you. They really don't. So if something happens that forces you to leave the farm, you'll be back at 88 days instead of 3 months. Think about it that way: sometimes it's enough to don't like the work. Or to hate your boss. And you just wanna leave. Goes faster than most people think.

Expectation:

It's just 3 months, I can do everything for 3 months.

Reality: 

Hm. Maybe. Maybe you're one of those. I met them. They're always smiling and motivated. Even if they're treated like shit, sunburned all over, with a broken shoulder or leg, earning 3 dollars/hour. You have to decide, if you are really willing and strong enough, to deal with everything. I am honest: I overrated myself. I can not take 12 hours of 38 degrees+ in the sun, doing physical labour for 5/hour. Or I simply don't want to push such system. Yes, a hat helps. To a certain point. Suncreen too. Babypowder helps against all itches. Water is a must. I did it but I wasn't smiling in the end nor motivated. And I decided, I simply don't want to ruin my body, my mood, my integrity and my pride for too less money to even pay my rent. This is a decision, we all have to make. Yes, we're under pressure. We need days and money or have our reasons. But in the end: Keep working under bad circumstances will not change a thing. It will only fuck you up. And the next people to come will be in the same situation. If you can: go and report if necessary. That this all is still happening is more than crazy. We have work rights, laws and when everyone refuses to work under illegal conditions the farmers and contractors have to change something.

Expectation:

Yes, it will be hard work but it can't be that bad. I actually like the thought of being outside in the nature. And I'll see sunrises!

Reality: 

Haha. Yes. The girl in the white dress is picking some apples in a smooth summer breeze. 

Forget it. But you'll see beautiful sunrises. Every morning. 2 hours after you got dressed.

Sunrise Sunrise... It is beautiful in

I heard some good stories from people. But not a single one where the work was actually super nice. The good ones always sounded like "Well of course the work was shit but at least I could make a lot of money" or "I hurt my wrist really really bad and it is still not healed but at least the atmosphere was great". Yes, I met people, who enjoyed the work. I had some moments too. In the mornings, before it gets too hot, with music in my ear, dancing under the trees, picking a fig from time to time. But after 10 hours and 40 degrees... Nah. It really is hard work. Period. And if you're unlucky it really is shit. Everything. I had that as well.
Wonder wonder, I got fired from the shed for showing too much facial expressions. Or something like that. I'll explain that in a different post one day. Human rights weren't really their thing. So for the last week I was back in picking.

Packing was bad for the back but we were hourly paid, at one point (when everyone was too exhausted) we even had 2 shifts, so the day would start at 6am and you'd come home at 2pm (yap, that's a HALF shift...). I really couldn't complain. I mean, the atmosphere was crazy, the breaks very short, we were slaves and treated like, my shoulders and back still hurt but I made money, I had half of the day for myself and the work was doable (see, this is one of the good stories :D).

Back on the field it is a different story (and probably one of the worse ones you'll hear or read about farmwork). So here are the facts:

3,10$ per Box

8-14 hours on the field

take breaks whenever you want, bring food and drinks

35-42 degrees

do not pick split or green fruit.

Trees are empty, as fast as you can be, there is nothing to pick.

Let's watch the reality....

When I started, people were able to pick 20 (really rare = 62$) - 70 (also really rare = 210$) per day. Most people had around 80-100$ per day, 6-7 days a week. If you keep the hours in mind: this is still not minimum wage but it'll do. And you can always nap under the trees.

And then you start to dream about
figs and it's not a good dream...

When I came back to picking after the packing, the average per day was 15-20 boxes. The average. Some people went home with 6 boxes after 10 hours in the sun. That is 18something$ for 10 hours!!! The minimumg wage in Australia is 18.75 after tax PER HOUR! And you get that for much nicer jobs, where you don't come home with a headache, an allergic reaction agains the fig juice and on top someone had yelled at you, thrown figs at you and treated you like a slave. True story.

I think, I don't have to mention, that I already quit and got another job. But after 3 days like that I was close to give a shit about the visa. There is a limit for everything, as important as it is. Hard work: ok. Long work: ok, bad pay: ok... but working the whole day in a shit job, ruining your body and won't even have enough money to pay rent/food... No.

In the end: these stories are true. I thought, it couldn't be that bad and that people were overrating and just acting like princesses. I know better now. But there are good stories too. But you need to find them.

Intense Australian sun 

I think, the funniest thing is, how Australian's expect farmwork to be. They are shocked, when they hear our stories. No Australian would ever work under these conditions. That's exactly why we have this 2nd year visa rule. Australian's agri culture would die without exploitation of backpackers. And the normal Australian basically has no clue. It's almost sweet when they answer "Really? That is not right, why does no one helps you guys?"

Expectation:
I'll travel and make new friends, another Aussie-experience!

Reality:

YUSSSS. Friends! Unicorns! Lovely souls! For sure. I feel a little like in a movie about slave times. You know, when everyone stands together, because you can only stand your ground against the enemy, when you stand together. We would sing songs on the fiels to warn each other, when the farmer was coming. We would cook for each other, when someone had a longer day than the others, we would share food, baby powder (honestly, this babypowder is amazing!!!) and moments. The best thing about the farmwork is coming home. 

Coming home to the caravan parc, sitting at the pool or at cabin 11, having a BBQ or sharing a cigarette and talking about the bad work. Laughing together. Beautiful. What would I be without those people (once again...)? We're in this together and everyone helps everyone. It's better to laugh about it. It really is. 

Travel and Aussie experience..? Hm Ya, maybe. Some people get the chance, others not. A lot of people are stuck, because they're running out of time and have to work 7 days a week. Some people are more flexible. Some jobs will not let you take any time off, some jobs are only 5 days a week. It really depends.

Expectation:

Farmers have a rough tone.

Reality:

Yup, they do. Some of them with a smile in the eyes but you still have to deal with it. Some of them hate backpackers with a passion. In every case you need to shut your mouth and just deal with it (did I mentioned that I'm fired...?). To which point, that's up to you. In some cases I even understand the farmers. In some it is ridiculous. I honestly think, if they wouldn't treat us like they do, they would have much better workers. I did care about the work in the beginning. Just because I want to make a good job in general. After several things I stopped caring, if the farm would lose money because of me. In the end it is really sad that so many good people here become egoistic, because that's the only way to survive.
Super motivated people became so frustrated that they just sat on the field instead of picking, because it doesn't even matter if you go home with 15 or 20$. People played soccer with figs, because whatever, it doesn't matter if you destroy two more. People packed shit, because the farmers want you to be fast and you can't control as good as you want when you need to rush... In the end, I don't blame the backpackers here. Everyone I met, was super motivated but the situation was just not helpful, neither were the farmer's tone, the fact that they threw figs at us, yelled at us and didn't even care, when people had to call an ambulance with a broken shoulder or because they collapsed because of exhaustion.
I am sure this doesn't count for every farm. But it does exist.

Expectation: 

Contractors and working hostels can help you.

Reality:
Muhahahahahahaha. Okay, no. There are some good ones. Who really try to find you a jo, who help you out with missing days or boxes. The majority of my experiences were bad. Really really bad. Working hostels and contractors, who couldn't even answer questions about gouvernment requirements, who picked their favorite workers (whoever made enough money) and dropped the other ones, who picked sides of the farms, when backpacker urgently needed help, who lied, who were unfriendly and got you into trouble.
In the end, if good or bad: they all need to earn money too. Understandable. Screwing up backpacker, who are in need of their visa.. Not so understandable for me. 

My favorite sentences from contractors and working hostel staff: 

"Ya I called them last week, we will hear from them"

"I'm on it"

"They said mean things to you..? Just let them talk, one ear in, one ear out"

"I'm just here to help you"

"The other contractor never pays you"

"Well, you have to decide, if you wanna work or not"

"You'll make 6 boxes per hour easily"

"All of my backpacker got their visa granted"

"No this fact is not true, I'll take care of it, don't worry"

If that only would have been true...

Work is done - time to calm down 

In the end I can say: I knew it would be hard work, I knew I would eventually be short on time but I was sure it would be managable. In fact, I still don't know if I'll get my days in time and I'm close to just quit and move to New Zealand after my visa expires. But I met a lot of people in worse situations and quite a lot of them managed it, to get it done. Somehow. So there's hope.
I can't say it's no fun at all, the whole crew here, some good minutes or hours on the field, money comes and goes but so far I'm stable, a lot of new experiences (I can tell you straight away if a pack of figs has more or less than 340g now and that by just lifting it... Valuable skills for my academical career...), a new side of life, a better understanding for people in such situations as exploitation and slavery. I will value "normal" jobs so much more after this and yes, we have fun here. But hell, if this is over, I'll be running.

Experienced bad job situations or farmwork? What are/were your expectations of second year visa work?

Share in the comments below :)

Mahmood, my lovely uber driver in Adelaide, Australia

What do you think about tourists in Australia?

Mahmood: I think, Tourists are so important for every country, because they force us to look at a place from a different angle. Without tourists, we probably wouldn't think about it too much but they stop the every day routine and make us look up.

What, would you say, is the most special thing about Australia?

Mahmood: It's this mixture of a every day life and travel. I feel like, I can work and study here, build a life and it still feels, like I am travelling. I can explore so much here and we are in such a safe and friendly environment.

Find yourself in silence - Experiences from a meditation course in Kopan Monastery (Nepal)

It took me some time to finally write my experiences from my time in a monastery in Nepal down. I think after reconnecting and time of reflection around New Years and the fact that my prayerflags are still with me and help me through every phase of my life, including the stressful famrwork stuff right now, it's about time to bring all I've learned in Nepal to the world and you guys. 

light offering on the last day of silence

Farmwork - Not without my prayerflags
and my personal space of peace.

What seems akward to many of my friends was completely normal in Nepal: spending some time in a monastery. Doing Vipassana (Silent retreat). Meditate. Learning about Buddhism. Connect with the inner world.
So what happend in Nepal? After a great food poisoning (can you believe it?! After surviving Africa and India with a healthy stomach Nepal got me 3 times!!) I went to my Buddhism Introduction Course at Kopan Monastery. To sum it up: here is how one spends the 10 days in such course:

5.30am Morning bell 6.00am Morning tea

6.30am Meditation

7.30am Breakfast

9.15am Teaching

11.30am Lunch

2.00pm Discussiongroup

3.00pm Break

3.30pm Teaching

5.00pm Tea in dining room

5.45pm Meditation

6.30pm Dinner

7.30pm Meditation, Questions and Answers

The time after the last Meditation until after lunch (9pm-12pm) is spent in silence (unless you decide to spend the whole day in silence) and phones, music, non-buddhism-related books etc. are not allowed nor is it to leave the monastery ground (or at least it's unwanted).

teachings

Of course cigarettes and alcohol are not permitted as well as shorts, shoulderless tops etc. I have to say, I was quite afraid in the beginning but to let go of all entertainment and focus just on me for a couple of days was the best decision I've made throughout whole 2016.
And before people ask: yes, I did turn my phone on for 2 occasions: the last day, including teachings and light offering and monks classes and one afternoon in between when we took a break on the little hill to stretch out together, so call me cheater if you want to :D. Anyway, this schedule goes for 7 days and then you spend 2 days in complete silence, with 5 meditation-sessions per day.

Sounds not like fun?

Anyway, my course was still the light version. A real vipassana means minimum 10 days in total silence, no books, internet or music (listening OR making) allowed and I am more than keen to do that as soon as possible!

Kopan's Garden

Really simple: I always had an interest in meditation and buddhism and I wanted to try something new. I also had a strong connection to Nepal (god knows why) before I even booked the flight. I always wanted to go there so I figured this could be the time to. I also felt after my last relationship that I needed and wanted to change something in my life and since I don't really felt that a therapy could be the right thing for me and my mom and friends can only help me to figure things out to a certain point, my intution told me that this could be the way to go. And I was right.

Light offering

Spending time in such a beautiful country, where everyone is frequently searching for truth and wellbeing not only for theirselves but also for their surrounding has turned me into a better person. I became more aware of my ego and that it is not the most important thing in the world. I however also learned that my ego or myself needs to be healthy and happy to serve others around me and that it is okay to have needs as long as they don't determine me or my actions. I learned that the mind can be controlled and that a problem is only a problem if we difine it as such, which is a powerful way of seeing the world. Going into mindsetting and it's powers right now would take too long but I'll write about that in another article to give everyone the chance to benefit from my experiences if one wants to. I learned, that love is all we need in life and that it is to find in ourselves and everything around us, if we learn to accept love in it's real, unconditional form without expectations and demands (yes, this is a first world thing, of course we do need food, water and security but in the end we do need love too and I'm speaking about a ordinary western-world person here which usually doesn't face starvation or other horrible things). I learned that it is one thing to understand these things and another to bring them into our lives and live the priciples we teach. I understood that the body is the temple of our soul and that we need to protect and treat it well to fully live the life we want. I learned that meeting people is different to connect with people and that these connections can be nutrition for our souls. If I talk about unicorns, people usually laugh at me but it's the magical aspect of unicorns which I see in those people lately. A unicorn would be a person who gives nothing but light and love away. Someone you feel good around, someone who turns a bad day somehow magically into a good one not by doing something but just by being present. I met a lot of those lately and I am pretty sure I have before without noticing it. Since my monastery time I can gratefully say I see and can appreciate those unicorns now and whenever I had some bad times (which we all had and always will have) it was this ability and these people who kept me positive even through times were everything seemed negative.

monk's game

So much to my experiences from meditation and silence. I definetly experienced more. Supernatural kind of things, feeling and seeing energies and reinkarnations, truth, a lot of things people will believe in or not. I for myself know what I know and what I believe in and I can only say: give it a try. It might be not for you but if it is it will change your life to the better and help you to live a life of fullfilling and truth. And it definetly is an experience. Not only in terms of finding yourself but also to see a new culture in it's whole nature. Monks, young as 5 years old studying in the shade, older monks playing their debating game (one sits on the ground and the others ask him questions. Then they clap and the asked one has to answer without thinking, right after the clap. This trains logic, speed and mind and the clap ends with a pulling gesture which represents pulling the answering-monk out of Samsara).

monk's debating game

Eventhough I got so much out of the whole thing, I'm not too sure if it was Kopan or Nepal. Or maybe just me in the right moment. The course was definetly a good start. But since I was raised in a very buddhist or sharmanic family, with a lot of knowledge about energies and mind, I mostly found the teachings very basic. The discussion groups though were amazing. So many people shared their inner world and created a safe place for me to open up. The meditations were half half. 

Kopan Community

They were fully guided and sometimes I wished they would have been silent because the teacher's voice distracted my meditation. On other days I loved the guidance and it led me to the right spot in my mind (or away from it...). What definetly helped were the guidelines. The thing I was most afraid of in the beginning was the non-talking/non-distraction part. 

In the end this was the most important part for me. I can't even remember, when I turned off my phone for more than a few hours the last time. Or just sat in silence and just stopped hurrying. At least that's what I thought before Kopan. Since Kopan I do that quite a lot. Sitting. Meditating. Reflecting. Refocus. Reconnect. Turn the world silent and listen to my inner world.

Meditation in my backyard

Yes. The world outside is important. This is where I don't agree with the teachings. I love life. Samsara is part of me. I don't want to be enlightend. I want to live instead. But fully. Aware. Good. The world outside is important. But I can't make it a good or better place if I am not clear with my inner world. I need to work on that first to bring only the positive out to others. And yes, that's an exxageration. No one is purely good. And definetly not me. But I can work on me to be the best human being I can be. Towards me and others. I really needed Kopan to become aware that I actually can switch off my phone without missing out. Also did I learn through Kopan that fixed scheduled times can be very relaxing for body, mind and soul.

sending love to a friend

So yes. Turning off is important. As important as switching on again to connect with the outer world in full awareness. Connection. Another thing I brought home from Kopan. The Sangha. The spiritual community. Being silent and confronted with all these thoughts and feelings and deal with it without distraction and communication, all alone is not always fun. It is important but not fun. Once this time was over (and even before we started the complete silence in the discussion groups) these people, who were around me the whole time but everyone in his or her inner world, so close but still so far, became the most important people on earth for me. They were the ones, who understood, they were the ones who listened after all this time alone, they were the ones who went through same and different and could give advise, questions, new point of views and the feeling of being caught in the free fall. I don't ever want to make my friendships from home small. They are not. They are the greatest thing I have. They know me in my best and in my worst form and accept both with love and understanding throughout years. To have this is the biggest power in my life, I feel safe and loved when I only think about their faces.

overfilled hostelroom

But still, when it comes to this experience, I can not tell my mother or my friends back home what exactly I have experienced. Or better: I can but I'm not sure if they can relate. Or understand. The people who were with me in Kopan and the people I met on the way during this whole experience (which still holds on) are special. They haven't seen me and all my faces. Some of them have only seen a very little part of me. Sometimes for not more than a week. But what they have seen was real and much more aware. Much more open and connected. More intense maybe. And especially the people in Kopan, who helped me to feel safe enough to open up all dark spaces in me. Who were there when I wrote the lifechanging letters, I had to write, who let me be part of their dark spaces, who went to the Himalayas with me or even all the way to Australia. This is something which stays and I still feel unbelievably connected to those people, if in contact or not. It became pretty obvious that everyone felt that way, as we stayed together in a room for the

balkony became
bed and group
meditation place

following week with 2 beds, 2 mattresses and 6-8 people including their backpacks. Not only did we have the most amazing party after Kopan, nope, we all couldn't let
go of each other and our attachment to one and another (which we were supposed to learn to let go of in Kopan...) became the running joke. Still I see some of the Kopan people from time to time and everytime I meet one of them nothing really has changed, which is incredible for this short amount of time.

Helping each other to relax...

So even if some teachers and monks in Kopan definetly were too brainwashed in terms of just repeating words instead of answering honest questions or use their own brain and too much in their spiritual world instead of in the real world (this is a personal opinion and for those who know: "Our holiness, the Dalai Lama says...") - Kopan was a lifechanging experience for me and I feel better, every single time, I go back into practice meditation.

... and to cure the body after all the sitting

I really want to do Vipassana one day. But as surely I knew I was ready for Nepal and the monastery when I went there as surely do I know know that my focus right now is on something more connected to nature and body. I lately discovered Tantra and Shamanic. 

Acroyoga, Karate, Dance and movement in general are still my personal form of meditation which allows me to get away from everything for a while and to totally switch off. So for now I think a Yoga Teacher Training is closer than a Vipassana but in a life full of changes and hours, why not both..? ;)

What do you think about meditation and silent retreats? Do you think this is something you want to discover and why/why not? Or have you experienced such strong bonds with fellow travellers/practisioners? Leave me a comment below and tell me about it :)

Why make it simple? - Organising farmwork in Australia

Where am I now? Tasmania. No wait. That didn't work out. Not at all. So... Mildura or at least around there, in the nowhere in 43 degrees (it's 9 pm right now). The nowhere is quite beautiful here by the way. Long story short: I am in a good place now, hard work but happy, good people, good money, good vibes, good visa. This post was written a bit over a week ago and here's the story.

Picker and Packer Crew (or parts of it) at "home"

Yes. Let's start in Tassie. First stop. To find farmwork for 88 days. If and how that goes will be told in a few weeks in the actual post about farmwork (hopefully with a lot of tips and tricks how to get the better spots.).
But since I already mentioned, a few days ago, that I'm going through kind of a phase, I thought I should share, because I know, there are plenty people who feel my pain and you guys out there - just send me some love (that's right, no messages like "have you tried...?" just love, that's all I need right now.).
Because hey... We all know, Leonie freaks out a bit from time to time and she could have done this earlier and that better researched - but in the end, after a lot of uaaaaarrrrghhh moments, a few tears and forced arguments to let the tention out (I'm so sorry guys, I sometimes really don't understand why you still love me :D), we all know... Leonie will have found a really really nice place, with fair payment and cool dudes to hang around (EDIT: see, told ya, it did turn out like that.). Probably 3 new hobbies and 100 new ideas, 6 new best-friends-forever and some hyper romantic chaos stories. Yes. We all know, it's gonna be okay somehow.
Right now, it is not.

Farm website says "bad harvest so
the cafe has to close" - looks
good for job seekers...

Right now I am sitting in a hostel, asking myself why I am doing this to me, missing my Melbourne-home and the people who make me feel so at ease, running out of money, have arounf 40 numbers on my list to call and have crossed out around 130 on another list, without success. Not to mention that time is running and that I am still grieving over some personal things and absolutely not feel like challenging myself in a new environment... But... Eventhough Germans like to complain, it doesn't change that I need to complete 88 days before June. And its almost February. Let's count days.

Because that is the thing. 3 month is NOT 88 working days.
But let's start from the beginning.

The beginning would probably be organising the first visa but that is another story. This story here beginns with the theory.

Whoever wants to stay in Australia can (besides the usual tourist visa) apply for a working holiday visa. This is in itself quite easy. It gives you 1 year to live in Australia, work here and be a happy little unicorn. If you want to extend your stay and still want to (let's say need to) work, you can extend your visa with several options, which are all kind of bullshit but this is also another story.
Basically, if you don't intend to get married or to spend thousands of dollars, the easiest way is a second working holiday visa.
To get this you need to complete 3 month or 88 days of farmwork in a rural area in Australia.

Okay. Let's stop here. "Why?" asked many of my friends. Well... Because no one wants to do farmwork (and now I know why..) because it's really hard work and the farmer don't want to pay that much of money. Australia has heaps of rural areas tho and the work needs to be done. And thousands, if not millions (last year 40.000 Britains alone applied for the second year...) of backpacker really want to stay. Good combo thought the gouvernment by itself and invented the rule farmwork for visa.
Fair enough. But now here comes the problem: those backpackers really really want to stay in the country. And at one point we're all running out of funds. And farmers know that. So basically farmers and (actually more) agencies and contractors can treat backpackers however they want. We are desperate enough to take it. Or (in some cases) young enough to not know better.
I heard the craziest stories, people who got paid super late or not at all, people who got harassed and bullied when they didn't pick enough fruit or were not fast enough. Hourly vages from 3,20$ due to pay per bin (quantity) instead of hourly pay. Horror stories. That's why the gouvernment made new rules (which actually might benefit the backpackers in theory but also makes it a lot harder to find work, because a lot of things which used to count towards your second visa - like volunteering - do not anymore but not every farmer has changed their work rules...) and a lot of backpackers cheat.

farmwork starts early... Sunrises are
beautiful tho!

I personally really try my best not to, mostly because I really really really want my second year visa and getting caught cheating means you're banned. And it costs like 900$ to buy fake payslips. Not that I have looked that up...

But to be honest... I understand why people do cheat. And no, these people are not all lazy pricess girls, who simply don't feel like farmwork. These are people, who become desperate. Who are running out of time and can't do anything because the season was too rainy and there is simply nothing to pick and nothing to pack and all the farms are filled with people and the poor backpacker has no money to change location and start new (yap, speaking about me now).

So what exactly do I mean with cheating? To explain this, we need to clarify the 88 days of farmwork. so, to qualify for your second year Working Holiday Visa, you'll need to complete three months (or 88 days) worth of specified work (for example fruit picking, fishing, mining or daily duties on a cattle farm) in a regional area of Australia. Since last year volunteer work is no longer accepted as well as barkeeping does not count, even if it's in a very rural area. In fact you need to be able to provide payslips as a proof that you got paid at least the minimum wage and worked in the right job and for the right amount of time.

Which is 3 months. So they say. But only, if you work 3 consecutive months in the same job, on the same farm. In that case 3 month means 3 month of a minimum 40 hours week, so monday-friday, 8 hours per day. If you don't work in one job but with a break in between (or simply change the farm and believe me, fruitpicking is nothing what is mainly constant... So mostly you WILL HAVE TO change spots...) you need to complete 88 days, which means 88 working days (3 month would be 70-75 because you don't count weekends). In this scenario you'll have to subtract the days, you were sick and also those days, where you couldn't work for any reason (rain for example). with time to get from one farm to the other, research etc, you're easily at 4 to 5 months.

leaving or staying in Tassie...?

So back to my situation. I have exactly 129 days until I have to leave the country because my visa runs out. In these days I need to complete 88 days of farmwork. That leaves 41 days of research, changing farms, packing and saying goodbye to everyone. Sounds doable. Yes it is. It definetly is, especially if I can find a 3 months job which would even give me a whole month to travel around or spend in Melbourne, before I leave to Europe.

Why to Europe? Oh that's another thing: So either you apply for your second year visa in Australia and wait for the answer in Australia (you can not leave while you wait, so you need to apply before your visa runs out). In this case you'll get (well, if your application is arrpoved) another year, which starts from the moment you get the approval. The other option is; apply from outside of Australia and wait for the answer outside of Australia (you can not enter within). If your application gets approved then, you'll have another year from the moment you enter Australia again. For me for sure the better option because I can say hi to everyone in Germany and won't spend time of my second year visa abroad, because it only starts after I entered Australia again.

So... 129 days to finish my farmwork. Better less. I kinda look since 4 weeks, since 8 days hardcore (as I said, I have numbers over numbers over numbers and I won't even start with the emails...) and there is... Nothing. The only replies I get are contractors, who ask me to come to Brisbane (I'm in Tasmania, which is basically the other side of the country, with an ocean between but yes, I would do that by now..), pay 500$ deposit and rent for a bed in a cabin without wifi and with a trial periode with way(!) under minimum wage for 2-3 weeks before the actual job with the actual payment starts.
Honestly. Even if I would be that desperate (and I am close), I could not take that because my bank account would not be happy about flight costs to Brisbane, bond and two weeks rent on the spot before I even start to work (and for every young, unexperiences traveller out there. THIS IS A SCAM, DO NOT PAY UPFRONT THAT MUCH MONEY WITHOUT EVEN HAVING SEEN/DONE THE JOB! just use your brain and be safe, please!).

So how are we gonna do that? Gumtree seems to be dead or the ads are not online for long enough. I personally love getting things organised through facebook. Got my house, my furniture, my sport and so much more through facebook groups. So let's do that again. I thought. But facebook seems to have a problem: people rather read posts with pictures. Because of that most people post a picture of themself with their question/post. And because of that it all turns into a freaking dating thing. And not one of the good ones. I had a 64 years old guy writing me, asking how old I was, because he'd like to give me a lift wherever but only if I was under 30 and female (I asked in a backpacker group if someone went from one city to the other and would like to look for farms together on the way). He didn't want any money for fuel or anything and he didn't care where to go. Well. In case you are a young, unexperienced traveller (girl): this is a scam too, you probably have discovered that by now. This friendly "young" man does not want to drive you across the whole island, because he has too much time. Believe me. He does not.

Helping in farmwork: nope. So next try. Apply on every jobboard website. For every job. I don't even care anymore which fruits are supposed to be better (I heard bananas are shit, Berries so lala and apples and nuts are awesome.). I don't care if it's fruit picking or milking or whatever. Because here is another thing that disqualifies me: I don't have a car. And this means I can cross out 80% of the farms from my list. Because you really need a car here. And again: I'm happy to share a ride but surely not with good old BabyG. Wanna hear one more obstacle? The harvest, this season is super bad. It rained too much. Farmers suffer - Backpacker suffer. All the working hostels are booked out (that might be a good thing, when I think of some rumors how bad working hostels are..) and even the ones, who have a job earn way less than usual.
Because hey, that all sounds super bad but I do know people who have made 1000$ a week with fruitpicking. So it IS possible.
But I haven't really figured out, how. Yet.
Yet... this is another reason, why I won't cheat. Because I will goddamnit find out.
Oh yeah, cheating. So how would someone cheat? Basically you can cheat in 2 ways: find a job from someone who owns/runs two things (one of it a farm) and let him pay you through his farm ABN (Australian Business Number), while you work in the other thing. For example: you can inofficially work as a waitress when your boss has a vineyard as well and signs you officially under the vineyard, instead of under the restaurant. Or you could be a nanny on a farm and take care of the kids while your contract says "farm hand". That's the light version. 
The strong version is: you find some money and a farmer and simply buy payslips from him. Of course you can't work in a big city, while your payslip says you're somewhere on a farm, so make sure, you're a ghost during this time (only cash-in-hand jobs, no renting with your name on the lease, avoid even take cash out from your account, still not sure if the gouvernment can check your account). So basically you pretend to be on a farm. You might be lucky and not controlled. But if they controll you, there should be no proof, that you were somewhere else than on your farm.

Colour system and of course
does the internet
not work when you really
need it...

And then we got the hardcore version: You find an ABN from a farm and put that on your applications. You don't need to pay a farmer here but if they controll you, you are done, because you don't have payslips or other proof and you actually faked your application, which can ban you from the country.

So. I wanna do this without cheating.
After someone talked me out of fishing yesterday (he said, he died nearly 5 times and that was no joke) I
decided I am desperate enough now to turn the lionpower on. And I am German, which naturally means, if I want to get organised, I will get organised. My notebook is a colourful thing with 3 different systems per page now (font-colour, icon and background-colour).
My deadline is tomorrow 4pm. I'll for sure have something by then. Because I always have. Somehow.
So I googled every single farm with a telephone in whole Tasmania and I called about 2/5 of them. I have 2 maybes. In my world that means, I will have a job after the next 3/5. Boom.

Two days later... Nope. Nothing. Went to a working hostel. Half people have jobs, half not. From the people with jobs half don't get enough days or money. It sucks. It litterally is the first situation of my life, where I have no idea, what to do. Young, unexperienced girls who can't lift a 20kg backpack get jobs before me, because they have a car. I have no car and no forklift licence and it seems to be the only way to drive to farms and ask directly. Or to be very lucky and know someone who knows someone who... Tried it all.. Socialising and asking everyone, calling 148 farms, staying in a working hostel. It is clear: Tasmania has no work for me. The lovely lady who gave me the hitchhike ride tried to get me a construction job in her business (she's an architect). Didn't work out. For the first time in my life, my proper full CV can not help me. Talents, qualifications, experience, willing to work long and hard hours. Doesn't count. I don't have a car. How simple is that..?
The situation get's worse. I'm on my last 200$, which means I can either pay one more week in the hostel or

Traveljob:
Hair- and (if you find someone
with a beard like this gentleman)
Beardwraps make it possible
to survive and buy food...

fly back to Melbourne. Decision to make... Staying here and hoping but then being stuck or giving up.

And then... The wonder happend: Called this guy, I was calling a few weeks ago, before Tassie. He has a job on the mainland, can start immediately. I decided I want to be honest so I said, I can come over and start but after the flight I won't have enough money to pay rent and not really much money for food so I would have to start working and wait until I get paid to pay his rent.
Leonie lucky unicorn got told it would be fine, because he was looking for a personal assistant and if I'm happy to help out, I could stay for free.
Seems too easy. What if that's a scam..? What if I go there? I won't have money to leave. It's the last chance.

Can you guys guess, what happend?

Honesty works out. It does. At least when you're a lucky child like me who believes, there are still good people in this world. And there are! Of course it did work out in the end, because as I said, it always does. Somehow. So right now, I am working since a week in which I have made about 900$ after tax. I can stay 3 months and work 7 days if I want so. I stayed for free the first week, because I'll help the contractor with the organisation, once it gets busier. He even gave me money to buy food (after my hairwrap money ran out). And I met beautiful travelmates and fellow sufferers.

crew after work

So in the end, my qualifications and experience did help me. His reaction to my answer, what I have done so far, was "What the fucking hell are you doing in Tasmania, looking for labour??!" But still, it was not only that. I took the risk and it could have turned out really bad. But if it would have... I would have hitchhiked to Adelaide or Melbourne and begged my friends for their couch, would have found a casual job and another way to stay in the country than the second year visa. What I'm trying to say is: somehow it always works out and that's my friends, that is the thing you just have to believe - and will learn from travelling.

our newest crew member "Boz"

So I'll keep you posted with more details but so far: It is freaking hard work. I'm packing figs here. Figs. I hate figs. But they have become a big part of my life. When I look at my thumb, it reminds me on a fig and the little scratch I have there is just small enough that I could pack it. I wait for the dreams about figs. They are everywhere. All the time. So that's what I'm doing, covered in blue spots and scratches. Bend over, 10-13 hours a day, people yelling at you, the sun is crazy hot (45 degrees is normal right now but luckily I am in the airconditioned shed when I'm working - poor pickers!! Still hot tho. Even with aircon). Every single muscle in my body screams at me and my daily sunset meditation-stretch is the only thing that keeps my body going. And the people here keep my mind going. As usual. And we all knew that, didn't we...? ;)

majestic tree

backyard with river

Tomorrow I'm gonna move from our little paradise (the contractors house on a little river, between two old and majestic trees - but wait, I still share my bed which is in the living-room-kitchen and we are 7 people in a one bedroom appartment... Let's call it crowded paradise) to the campervan park. Simply because they have a pool there and most of my good-vibes-only-people living there. So pool for the body, acro with the supervisor, who had never tried it but will be awesome in a few weeks, since we get crazy, chilling after work and enjoy the life outside the fig shed, because it is not fun until we make it fun.

Sounds like a plan hm? :)

And if that all doesn't work out... Well then one of you finally has to marry me. Apply in the comments below... ;)

Solving problems through mind control - meditation as self coaching

The problem about problems is: we call them problems.

After a really challenging time, including losing a beloved person and packing my beloved life of the last 7 months back into a backpack and leave without wanting it, followed by money and time trouble, a lot of frustration, stress and the fear to not be able to stay in Australia after all (and this all happend within this week), I discoverd how much better I deal with problems lately. I skyped with my Mom yesterday and when she very carefully asked, if I was okay, I just heard myself saying "No, not at all but I will be, no worries". The funny thing is: I meant it. I know it's gonna be alright, no matter how shitty the situation is right now. And this alone keeps a lot of stress away and let me function when I have to.
In this post I want to share my experiences and my knowledge about meditation, inner world, mind setting, mind control and self coaching/self therapy with those who are interested in trying but don't know where to start.

Start in your every-day-life!

What?

We all know that feeling: something is going on and we feel like a world is crumbling down. What if it’s not? What if the problem’s still there but it doesn’t affect us? Wouldn’t that be much better and more effective? I mean – thinking about a problem and suffer from it costs energy, right? What if we just put this energy into action to actually solve the problem instead of making the problem big in our heads? 

Carlos Castaneda, an American anthropologist and writer said once: “We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” Sounds great? It is indeed! 

And it’s much easier than you’d think. It is all about mind control.  Before I was into Buddhism my Mom told me an important lesson: I was badly in love and (even more) lovesick. She then asked me, how I think I would feel about it in one year. My first reaction was “the same of course!” But the longer I thought about it, the more I came to understand that I was creating this in my mind. One year later, I did think about that guy from time to time. But it didn’t make me sad anymore. I had found someone else. And the next time I got lovesick, I might have felt sad and forever in love again but some part in me was aware, that this happened before and that I survived it as I would survive this time. And so it went on and the more I grew up, the more I learned about feelings and myself, the more I saw that it is us, who make a decision. Of course we have problems from time to time. But if this problem affects us, makes us suffer in endless pain or just exist as a problem, which can be solved, is our decision. 

learn to accept and to be small, learn to listen to yourself,
stop the rush and breathe instead.
Photo: Buddha, Monk and Human (me). My first real experience with Buddhism in Thailand

Because the thing is: It is okay if things go wrong. It is okay to feel bad about it, feel anger, feel jealously, feel sad. You don’t need to be that superstrong controlled yogi to have a better life. You don’t need to let go of the ego. You don't need to be super relaxed instead of stressing as everyone around you. Just be aware that your mind creates these feelings. That a problem might be there but it is impermanent and it might be an annoying thing right now, but as soon as you fix it, you’ll start to forget about it because it actually isn’t that bad. And even if it is: who decides what is “bad” and what is “good”? Isn’t that you? After a relationship you can either think “ Oh I am so lonely now” or you think “Wow, I got freedom and a lot of time now!” Both thoughts come from the same situation. But it is you who decides whether you feel good or bad about something. 

How?

Of course, this takes a little practice. We need to work on our mind, get the control. And how do we do this? Meditation. Thinking. Reflection. You need to think about your feelings, check why you feel how you feel and tell yourself how you want to feel. It might take a while, but we are able to do that!  

You might now say something like: how do you know?  I know, because I was struggling. Struggling with emotions, struggling with problems, struggling with meditation and Buddhism as a solution. And this actually helped. You might think now “Wow but this whole Buddhism/meditation thing isn’t something for me” And the good thing about it is: no need to! What I love about Buddhism is that it allows you to take whatever you need out of it and make it your own (even Buddha said, his students should not just believe him, but check and test his lessons!).
I was talking to this high reincarnated monk once. I told him about my struggling to let go of the ego and to not feel bad about problems. His answer was as simple as true: “Then… don’t.” This might have been one of the most important lessons I’ve ever had: You don’t need to be perfect. It is okay to feel exactly how you feel. But be aware that it is in your own power to change not only your behavior and lifestyle, but also your way of thinking. Your thoughts are yours and you can control them. And if this is too much, you can control the affect your thoughts have on you. It’s all about the mind. 

A simple example in the end:

Shamanic healing in the most beautiful Tipi I've ever seen.
Renaissance Festival 2016, Melbourne

I recently received a shamanic healing to reconnect with energies and as I felt something could be pushed more I asked the shaman about a specific thing in my life. He gave me an advise and I doubtfully answered "Yes, I try that already." His priceless answer: "Try to breathe." I in- and exhaled. "No.", he said, "Now you were breathing. Not trying to. Try to." I tried to try to breathe without actually doing it and found myself stucking and not breathing properly. "Do you understand?", he asked and I think I have: simply the thought in my head (and even more the vocalisation) of trying instead of doing was holding me back from being able to do a simple thing as breathing. Just imagine what I would be able to do, if I'd believe in everything I do with the same certainty as I believe in my ability to breathe. 

I'll work on that. Who's in?
Any questions or thought about this post? Let's do it all together, let me know, what you think, in the comments below this post.