The Even Greater Tokyo Region

I Stand Before Thee!!!
The Reoccurring Mishaps of an Immigrant Labourer

The start of the year is a rough time for temporary workers, especially in the post-crisis era. So, I have had a quiet start to the year, work-wise. Which meant that I had a lot of catch-up to do. 16 hours last weekend at 125% pay will do the trick!

Last weekend was the very first day that the Metro in Rotterdam completely switched over to a rechargeable-card instead of the old stamp-ticket system. The machines have been available for people to switch over for about three years, and there have been mass campaigns to get people to switch over early, but only 35% of metro users have done so. The other 65% of people... That's where I stand.

I was given this classy vest, which says "I stand ready for you", along with a reported 600 other temporary workers like me, and I had to help people use the Metro. I do realise that wearing this vest is as nerdy, and has the same sex appeal as one that says "free hugs".

It was complete chaos in Rotterdam, including the company I was contracted to. I got taken on-site before I even got a briefing. I had no idea how the new ticketing system worked either. At the main station, Beurs, there must have been more than 20 white vests, and many permanent security workers. I went ahead to Centraal Station, slightly smaller, and I had to learn on the job.

What I quickly (re) learnt was that people are generally pretty stupid. I could understand foreigners or old people having some difficulty with it, but this was just ridiculous. People were acting surprised that the system had changed.

Also now, it is much more difficult for people to "ride black", i.e. without a ticket, which must have pissed a lot of people off. Which is why we had security guards. I was so glad they were there. A colleague was politely explaining the new system to a young-ish man, who obviously wasn't listening to anything other than "you cannot use your old ticket". He started getting aggressive, and soon was surrounded by four large, typically dutch men with moustaches and pot bellies, and this only angered him more. They literally dragged him out. Apparently random acts of violence are frequently directed at Metro employees. I stand ready for you!

After a couple of hours of on-the-job-training, I was asked to go to a different metro station. This was just a platform, standing outside in the dry, windy cold with one other white vest. Yes, it was freezing cold. Five hours on a cold platform, helping old ladies use a recharging vending machine, and smiling politely at the people who strolled confidently past us- the infamous Black Riders. I would do nothing other than be very polite to criminals...

But the day was no about fear, or the cold. It was about the interesting characters I met along the way...

Like the guy who came up to us with tears welling up in his eyes, saying that he had just went to his car to find all four of his tyres had been slashed, like all the other cars on that street. He was now very late to his appointment, and he couldn't buy a Metro ticket on this side of the platform because he only had coins, so I had to take him to the other side of the platform where he started spilling his sad story, and then he bought his (overpriced) ticket, and came back just to miss his trin and needed to wait another 15 minutes. I feel like I only added to his worst-day of his life.

And then there was the recent homeless looking guy who saw my geeky vest as an invitation to complain about the new system. He looked at his throwaway ticket and said, "3.50E? That's far too expensive..." I politely said something, probably slightly wrong, and he started talking in English. "I'm half German and half Norwiegan. I'm sure I can recharge this card. You can see it has a thing... I'm going to try it."
I politely asked him why he didn't have a rechargeable card, and where he lived.
"Well, I have a house in Utrecht, one in England, one in Switzerland..." He trailed off.
So, he was complaining about the price of one ticket, while he has multiple home-ownership.

What I did not mention about this first day is, that I needed to wake up at 6:30am to make it on time. And that the night before I was at a bar until 3:30am. I was completely wrecked from this 8 hours of work, and I had to repeat it again the next morning...

This time, I was much more prepared, wearing all my snowboarding gear, right down to the uni-sex purple and black striped thermal leggings. I swear, they are unisex!!! I also brought along a giant tub of leftover pasta.

This time, it was so cold that it was snowing. Really, all temporary work that I have done is cold, and is always on the coldest days. It hasn't snowed in weeks. I was also lucky that it was a slightly larger station with a hot drinks machine for the employees.

You know, of all the work I have done in Holland (Or any work I have ever done, for that matter), this was probably the work which I feel was the most productive. Sure, many people are too lazy to sort things out for themselves, but it I was actually helping people. Especially the second day, with my extensive experience. I could explain everying clearly, there were old people, people with random questions, foreign tourists completely confused, maintenance staff repairing the machines, black riders barging through the gates, security guards chasing them, drug dealers in the elevators, and a dove that shat on my face. I swear, a dove, sitting above me on a beam, let one drop and took a shit on my face. Luckily, a girl colleage was standing next to me and got some in her hair. So it wasn't just me.

Anyway, it was a good experience, and slice of society, and I was glad to help them.
And glad to get the money.