I showed up at 6:45 in the morning outside the garlic factory. I was told to wait in front and as I walked up the side of the bulilding looked like a labor ready with all different types of people scatter about drinking coffee, smoking their 6th cigarette of the day, or graciously greeting the only white people who rushed past them. I stayed in the front. Eventually I was met outside, brought in, given a name tag, and then proceeded to wander around the place until someone told me what to do. I did not see the guy who hired me ever again.
I landed in the assembly line that produces the giant tubs of garlic, the kind one would find in a Sams Club, Costco, or low quality Italian Restaurant. A hairnet, safety goggles, and latex gloves were shoved at me and I started at the end of the line. For somewhere around two hours I grabbed the giant tubs, flipped them upside down, and put them in boxes. Labels out I attacked those tubs trying to keep up with them as they flowed down the line much faster then they were being put away.
Overall this place was pretty crazy, no one speaks english, well not real english. It is either Spanglish or Ebonish ( a word I think I made up). The people are generally pretty nice, when I was lost someone tried to help me but I walked away smiling because I didn't know what was happening. I do not know where the bathroom is.
While working with boxing the tubs a lady folding boxes across from me asked if I was married. Aww thats sweet I thought, she is starting small talk because she feels bad for me sweating five minutes into work, fucking up a very simple job.
"Nah... not yet! ha!" was my reply to her obvious joke.
"Any kids?" Ohhhhh... she wasn't kidding about the married thing.
"No." And that is all I said as my fake smile faded into fake comfort with where I was.
"Awww gurl, you doing good!"..... at least she was genuine. I put my head down and laughed to myself because I was working in a garlic factory.
After my first two hours we had a ten minute break. The entire place emptied outside for a cigarette. Myself included. For most of the day I just followed the hairnets around.
Break over, I moved down the line and wound up in the front of it. For the next two hours I was putting the empty tubs onto the conveyor belt. This required me to bend down to grab them, every.single.time. Ten minutes in I was about to break. My eyes sung from the fucking garlic, I smelled, my back was killing me, and just like putting the tubs into boxes, putting the tubs onto the line was more difficult that it needed to be. I managed to fuck it up somehow. The only thing I did here was put the tubs on the line and just make sure they face the same direction. Nope, couldn't do it. I crushed three or four tubs in the cleaning part because I put them in wrong causing this horrendous screech and shutting down the line. I also dropped somewhere around ten tubs just because I suck. They have to be thrown out if they touch the floor. Across from me the other line was producing jars of the same garlic we were, but with generic labels. The woman putting the jars into the line was wear scrubs while the rest of us just wore jeans or sweat pants. In her decked out scrubs she gave me dirty looks and constantly stared at me waiting for me to fuck up, while I did when she watched me, asshole. I made fun of her for a while in my head because thinking is really the other thing to do. This was fun, until the combination of my back pain and the intimate relationship I was developing with the plastic tubs set in. I went Shining. I started feeling bad for the plastic tubs and what a horrible, shitty life they have because they have to spend so much time in this factory. I wish I was making this up. For a brief, very brief second, because scrubs was staring at me, I think I got a little depressed thinking about the tubs. Eventually the lunch bell rang (yes, breaks and lunch function on a demonic bell system), everyone dropped their shit and ran for the lunch room. I made my way back to my car and for I think around two minutes (but felt like eternity) I literally couldn't open my stinging eyes, which retreated with the sun scaring the fuck out of them. I had to flush my eyes with my tears while talking to mom and eventually when to the lunch room with everyone else.
Much like the first day of high school I looked clueless, stupid, and sad as I sauntered around with my fake carelessness and eventually sat down at a table.
One hundred percent not on purpose, I sat down at the WASP table. This is where the only white people, the ones I talked about earlier, sat. But I didn't even notice where I was til I heard their conversations of crafts and timeshares. I looked up and looked around and we were all at the same table. However when the bell rang again and I got up, I could feel their misjudgments of me in their heads, all over me.
Back to the line. I now sit on a backless stool and touch every single cap on every single tub to make sure its on correctly. The machine that puts the caps on is a bitch and just flat out skips tubs all the time, resulting in me quickly grabbing them, getting minced garlic juice all over me, and putting a cap on, or.... just completely pushing over tubs also getting minced garlic juice all over me. Win, win. Did this for another two hours and spilled a lot. Another break.
Finally the job I couldn't wait for. I was at the back of the line again however this time I simply folded boxes. This I did semi-flawlessly. I was told to slow down many times by random people I didn't listen to, but that was about it. Another two hours gone and the day was supposed to be over. Another hour goes passes as I watched two women spray down the entire room just to push the water into a drain for about two seconds before I was dismissed.
All in all, very interesting day. I am glad that I made it, but sad to think about having to work tomorrow. I did nine hours of the hardest easy work there is and I sucked at most of it. After today I realized two things
1) I only know my supervisors name, Paula. And there is a possiblity that the woman who asked about my life was named Wanda. We'll see.
2) For wanting a job where I did not have to think, that is all I fucking did.
This is my scent now, and forever. I reek.
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