From experiencing my first WW (workaway) encounter, I've realised I'm not just any ordinary NZ teenager that goes flatting to have a ball. I'm an extraordinary NZ teenager who is flatting to have a ball, in France, with a large range of fascinating diverse "flatmates" coming in and out all the time. Being someone who loves meeting new people, I'm so happy and thankful that I have embarked on this experience, it makes me aware of all the new things people can teach me.
So here stands the best travel story I have heard to date, from our first WWs, an english couple in their mid-late 20s, J and A.
J and A worked in a chalet before coming to us. There they had to run the chalet, cook and clean for everyone there (around 20 people tops at a time) and be there to help everyone.
One day, J's boss asked her to go down to the station to pick up a couple who are on their honeymoon called Alex and Ian, he also mentioned that she should make a nice welcoming sign so they would know she was looking for them. J decides to make a sign "The New Mr and Mrs Cooper" because they were on their honeymoon it seemed appropriate.
So J is down at the station next to all the other chauffeurs with signs and the entire train gets off and not a single person heads in her direction. The man next to her says she should hold it up higher and wave it around. Looking like a fool, she does exactly that. She catches a man's eye, but you know the two person look where you've found the person you're looking for, and they know that, but theres still something not right?
She wonders what she could have done, when the guy turns around and nudges the man next to him and points at J.... everyone getting the picture here... nudges the MAN next to him...
Suddenly it hits J, Alex is actually a man not a woman. They're gay. As this dawns on her, it also dawns on her that she is waving a Mr and Mrs Cooper sign. Alex walks up to her and says "don't worry I've been called a lot worse". Awkward strike one.
Hoping to get on a better foot with the newly weds, they head to her car, only for her to remember that under the advice of her boss, she had bought flowers and champagne for the "bride". Awkward strike two.
And finally while driving up to the chalet she realises that her boss is not very gay friendly. So telling the newly weds to take their time walking from the car to the chalet to "enjoy the scenery", she dashes into the chalet, runs up to her boss and hits him with the big "they're gay!!!" for a prewarning and then sprints back to make it just in time to meet them at the entrance of the chalet. Her boss walks up and with this new found knowledge treats them like an alien species, with awkward handshakes and how-do-you-do's and then disappears as quickly as he appeared. Awkward strike three.
Apparently though, after all of this, J and A say they were the niceset people that stayed in the chalet all season. So i guess all's well ends well.
I hope I'll have dinner party stories as great as this some day :)
