hot and cold
(It’s 45 minutes past midnight and right now is the first time I’ve had WiFi all day, so below is my entry from the 22nd)
Greetings from Wales!
Last time I took this job, the region was experiencing historically low temperatures. I was camping, as is customary for staff/students/the masses to do, and arrived so ill-prepared for the great outdoors from my life as a Zone 1 metropolitan girl that I ended up going into hypothermic shock and had to be warmed up slowly by a team of receptionists. That kind of cold is not a feeling you soon forget, so this year, I came prepared.
What I’m faced with, instead, is extreme heat (or at least feels like it when you’re dressed the way I am). It’s 25 degrees today and will climb into the 30s over the weekend. My stupid fried pink hair (WHY did I bleach it) is sticking out like an electrocuted cartoon cat’s and I’m sweating up the work shirt I have to wear for the next four days. The morning also kicked off nicely with my phone dead and no working charger, so that’s a good omen for my shift - hopefully no heatstroke cases today.
We’re back to the after midnight scene. I was on site for twelve and a half hours (!!!) because for some god forsaken reason I decided to hang out after my shift. I won’t describe the work in too much detail but essentially I’ve been on my feet since before noon, chatting with confused people and directing traffic. I quite enjoyed getting a hi-vis and a radio though, it made me feel like Chappell Roan. I also look rather tan.
Tomorrow I check out of my nice, comfortable inn, and head to the campsite to relive the nightmare. A very nice lady is lending me her tent which she claims is properly equipped, and it’s supposed to be about a million degrees during the day, so all should be well vis a vis hypothermia - pray for me! For now, I’m going to enjoy my last night of sleep in a proper bed.