constructiongirl-blog1

[constructiongirl-blog1]

A girl walks into a construction site

5:07, isn’t that when I set the alarm for? Clearly not. 5:08, I can barely look. Why has my alarm not gone off yet? 5:09 and my ears are graced with the what is meant to be gentle wake up alarm my phone is programmed with. Phew. I’m awake. Of course I’m awake. I was so stressed about not being awake that I have been awake for the past two hours, checking my phone and reassuring myself that I can close my eyes for a while longer. I stumble out of bed, still feeling the effects of the 7 beers the night before. Grabbing my phone to use as a torch I rummage around my bag until I find the three items I brought with me that might be acceptable for a job on a construction site. I make two clumsy rolls, assuming I will be starving and still not being able to see in the pitch black room. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, if you can’t see why not turn on a light? That may have worked for Dumbledore but I’m assuming when he said it he didn’t have two flatmates that had got in at 2am, one of whom was still in her clothes lying on top of the sheets. Though I attempt to eat some breakfast, I start wincing with every bite as I begin to feel more and more like I am going to be sick. I leave the remainders of my apricots and cheapest cereal Countdown has to offer, grab my rucksack and that’s it; I’m off. I make the massive commute of eight minutes down the road from the hostel to the labour office headquarters, the whole time debating why I am doing this. Then, I arrive. My trepedatious foot somehow makes it through the door and suddenly I am surrounded by men in high vis vests, men in steel capped boots and men looking bored of waiting for a their name to be called out to go for a job. In case you hadn’t gathered, the main theme there was men. I became very aware of how blonde, pale and tiny I looked in comparison to the majority of my companions. I spotted one other girl, though she didn’t seem to be in a mood to make friends so that was it, I was on my own and determined to show I could pull off the fluorescent orange vests just as well as the men. Once I had been given my gear, hard hat and all, I was gifted with one of those draw string bags that everyone seems to have lying around in case of the event that they might suddenly have to go on a school swimming trip at any moment. I felt like I had been officially initiated into this tribe that I knew so little about. Still cautious, I decided to sit down quietly and avoid making eye contact with these tattoo-laden, bulky men. It turned out I didn’t make the rules in the office though as promptly after sitting down, an older man to the side of me started asking me about myself before advising me that the bar in his hostel is the greatest for when you want to chill after work. Finally, after I had seriously contemplated walking out and what I was doing in this office, a guy shouted my name and said they had a job for me. Shortly after, I was asked to follow this stranger into his car and for some reason, as it is for work so who could be dodgy in that situation, I did as instructed. Thankfully there turned out to be another girl going to the same job but I wouldn’t know she was friendly until a few hours after this. We drove for twenty minutes out of the city, the driver assuring us falsely that it would be a thirty minute bus ride back, until we arrived at the construction site. Not only THE construction site I was going to have to work on for my first day but also THE first construction site I have been into. By this point, I had learnt that the girl placed with me has been with the company for a month so I watched her like a hawk and then morphed into a sheep, copying all that she did to pretended that I fit in. Each site has a manager and I could almost feel the guy’s doubt as he looked us both over. Nonetheless, he and we both knew that we were stuck with eachother for the day so we may as well at least pretend to trust that we know what we’re doing; though that was more for me than him. Still feeling sick I spent the morning wondering if I was going to vomit where would be the best place in a large warehouse full of materials. I couldn’t decide though and simply tried to hold it down and distract myself with the back pain I was experiencing from carrying wood, metal and carpets that my muscles simply aren’t quite big enough to cater for yet. Somehow the pair of us got through the day, although a table did drop on my leg and this was relatively painful. Despite all of my initial thoughts, I wasn’t stressed out when we finished and am contemplating returning for a second day. Not before I endure all the stress of setting an early alarm though, but it looks like that is the price you pay for being given a pair of slightly too big steel capped boots. I wonder how long I’ll perceive myself as a stranger in this situation, knowing I don’t fit in but trying desperately to pretend that I can.