No mention of good people would be complete without reference to the Dalai Lama. Having mentioned him, I can continue on to say that a word or two about Shane and Ronan is necessary to complete said list of good folk. And Katharina too. But like a true chauvanist, it's boys first. These are the two boys I work most closely with, often sharing the load when it comes to a verbal bashing. Always at the hands of the first person who comes to mind when making mention of bad people. Are you listening Santa?
Shane is an American whose Southern accent forbids him from passing himself off as any other nationality. He is polite to a fault, and the life of every party, particularly when indulging in the three beers he needs to get himself utterly trashed. He'll probably save more money than the rest of us being such a cheap shout. He's in Australia on a spiritual quest of sorts. I admire him more for it, and its common ground for us as I need to seek similar atonement for previous indiscretions. Unfortunately I lack the determination to do more than just admire his efforts.
Ronan is a big Irish guy who works so hard when its busy that I feel that everyone else is moving in slow motion. When it was busy, I was working so fast I had to slow down to let my shadow catch up, but Ronans just gave up and went to the pub to wait for him. When its quiet though, like me he patrols around the shed trying to look busier and more important than the other workers who haven't been there as long. It's been working so far as even the supervisors have wordlessly admitted us into the elite group of workers allowed to read the newspaper when the boss isn't around. Outside of work, Ronan and his partner Elaine are usually found enjoying the fruits of Australian breweries to the extent that only he Irish seem capable of. With $20 to his name until the next payday, Ronan had allocated his cash to the essentials of life; milk, bread and goon.
And mention must be made of Martin too. Another German whose English was as good as my German. His day is so consumed by the eating of sandwiches and his dreams of sandwich flavoured cordial, or ice-cream etc., that he earned himself the nickname 'Sandwich man'! And K too, a 21 year old from Japan who is a exception for an Asian in that he actually looks older than he is, instead of looking half his real age. His eating habits are as bizarre as Sandwich Mans as he happily devours cold meat pies, claiming they are Australian sushi. Everything K does has the ultimate aim of defeating his close friend and nemesis, “that fucking American!”
Katharina was the first person I met on this northern pilgrimage when she innocently but stubbornly refused to give up the seat that had been allocated to me. When her and Julia fronted up at the same backpackers as me, I started to suspect that she was going to be everywhere. That soon turned out to be everywhere Shane wanted her to be, then didn't want her to be, and now no one knows where she wants to be, least of all her boyfriend back home.
In relation to that, I hate to generalise but well, I do it so often I should just stop kidding myself and say that I love generalising. Perhaps I will just confine it to this hostel and say that fidelity would have to be the last word Germans learn to say, let alone apply. The German men understand this and see a girl with a boyfriend as only a minor obstacle. I find it disconcerting that people can be so liberal with the term 'relationship'. In all honesty though I guess, I'm probably just whining about the fact that no one sees me as a better alternative than what they have at home.
As it is with hostel life, people will always come and go. I feel blessed to have had these people in my life as long as I have. More so for knowing we will all part ways soon enough. Julia and Katharina leave on Friday, an occasion definitely requiring large quantities of goon. But wait, the hostel owners aren't being very sporty, or Australian, and have forbidden goon bags from being brought onto the premises. Praise be to Jebus for that! Looks like we are all going to have to play local and drink XXXX. What is the world coming to?
