Torricella the final days

While getting off the train in Torricella I saw a woman who looked very lost. Torricella being a small town and as she did not looking like a local I assumed she was coming to stay at the hostel. So I introduced myself and took her to the hostel. She was really nice and I spend the next few days hang out with her and showing her the sites. She had come to Italy to work as an Au pair and had a few spare days before she started work.

After two days she was off and I was sad to see her go and really upset at how much my boss charged her for everything (something like 70 euros a day for a bed and 2 meals). At the hostel they just acted like it was really free and easy but they kept a tab on everything you did and then gave a you a huge bill at the end of your stay. I understand they need to make money but they should tell people the costs of things instead of acting like it all comes with the service. They do not even have an official price list for anything. I was also upset she got charged so much because they did not have enough dorm rooms due to the Beglium kids staying there, so she had to sleep on the floor with the workers and me. It was really crap living conditions with 6 of us sleeping on the floor of a dorm room and a broken toilet in the room that smelt. I would not have paid for it myself.

The next people to leave was Lara and Emma and then Stephie and Eggy would leave a day after that which would leave just me. I did not check with my boss that he had understood my email about me I wanting to stay an extra night but assumed that it would be fine since all their staff was about to leave.

Lara and Emma left and the money situation got revealed. I am use to people talking about weekly wages or hourly rates not monthly especially if you are only going to be working somewhere for 2 weeks.. but it turned out instead of being paid 300 Euro a week it was 300 Euro a month. Ohh well I was not too stressed about it as I was doing it for the experience and not the cash and these things happy with cultural differences. So Lara and Emma left and some how got paid 100Euro each for their 1 week of work. As I said before they were way more into the holiday part of the working holiday so it all seemed good.

The next day my favourite Estonian girls left, Stephie and Eggy. Eggy was in tears and it was so sad to say good bye to them. So then it was just me in the room by myself. It felt really weird but it was only going to be for two nights cos I had organised my next job in Rome. Just when I was getting use to the idea of having the room to myself a lovely girl called Pamela arrived to work. Pamela is from Mexico and one of the nicest people I have met. She arrive at 5pm and had not eaten so I took her down to the kitchen and re heated some of the lunch for her. While we were sitting in the kitchen my Boss came in and stayed yelling continuously at us. He said we had no right to go to the kitchen and that we were stealing from him etc. I tried to explain that I was just trying to help out and that I had never been told that I could not go into the kitchen before. He would not listen so Pamela and I just sat out side and stayed out of his way. Pamela looked so shocked and was ready to leave. I tried to tell her that it was actually an ok place to work at but was being to have my doubts about it too.

While hiding outside we meet two of the Belgium camp leaders called Griet and Thomas. They were both really nice and invited me to come stay with them in Gent,Belgium. Never to be one to tour down an offer I took their details and promised to see them sometime in September.

That evening when I came down for dinner Laura (my bosses girlfriend) came up and asked me why I was still there. I was really confused so went to talk to my Boss. I apologised for upsetting him earlier and he said he did not care. He only said he had hired Pamela to take my place and that I should leave. It was all so confusing and 10.30 at night. It turned out he had never read my email about the fact I wanted to stay an extra night so had expected me to leave a day earlier. But it was so odd that he had not said anything all day about it.

I told him I could not leave that night cos there were no trains at that hour so could I stay and work in the morning to pay it off. He then went on a rant what I too poor to leave and why did I want to stay because no one there liked me, etc. I was so upset but had no choice but to stay there another night. The next day I worked from 6 am until 2pm straight and then packed up my stuff. I did not want to be told I had not worked enough.

As I was leaving I asked for my pay to which my Boss answered that had given it to Lara and Emma and I should have go it off them.. I was so pissed off! So I explained that he had not paid me and I never got any money of Lara and Emma and why would he give them my pay anyway. He was obviously lying cos within seconds he gave me my money and then told me how he really liked working with me and was sad to see me go. I swear he was so nuts, his moods changed so often.
So i put on my pack and walked out into the pouring train to wait for my train. I felt the rain was fitting for the situation and I felt free again. Next stop Rome!