US Diaries: Florida Part 2

This was our second time this year in Viera, Florida, but this time it was Fall and not Spring. The difference is very little because it's always pretty warm and sunny in Florida, but this time it was a bit colder than last time for sure. We were lucky to be there because the rest of the country was pretty much buried in snow.

So after tear-down in Brunswick, we slept for six hours, then got up and drove to Viera. The bus broke down along the way, so instead of four hours, we drove about five. We were behind the bus, so it caused a delay, but not as much of a delay as for the people that were in the bus - they only got to Viera at eleven-o-clock that night, instead of five. So that sucked. The rest of the people had to pull wire (electricity) that evening for the bunkhouses.

We had to work on Monday - unfortunately - and Monday night we did laundry.

Monday's rainbow

Tuesday was our off day and there was an opportunity for us to go to Universal Studios - whoever wanted to go. It was kind of expensive to go - that's true - but i would do it all over again! It consists of two parks - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. You can buy a ticket to enter either one or both of the parks for the day. For one park it's $102 (incl. tax) and for both parks it's $144 (incl. tax) - so it's better to buy a ticket for both.

The parks close at seven at night, so because of the limited time we had to prioritise what to do. That really sucked - it would've been awesome to do everything in one day. If the waiting times were too long for some rides, then we would skip it or come back later depending on how bad we wanted to ride/see it. So the rides that we went on was The Mummy ride, the Harry Potter rides (there's five), Jurassic Park - altogether seven rides for the day. And then of course we got to see some amazing things like Diagon Alley, Marvel Superheroes, Suess Landing (Dr. Suess themed stuff), Transformers and more.

This day was beyond cool for me and I'm so glad that i could go!

The next day it was back to work and it was so for the next week basically. It was a fairly busy spot especially at the start and i also had a lot of work in the office to do since it was the last spot. On Monday we were closed due to rain, so we just stayed in and watched a movie.

On Thursday we visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. That was an amazing experience in itself too! The rockets and the shuttles are massive. It was just awe-inspiring to think that those things have been in space. And they had a shuttle launch simulator which was pretty intense! I wouldn't go to space - it's really big and scary! But it's amazing that humans are able to do it.

Our last day for the year was on Sunday. We opened at one, closed at ten-thirty and began tear down. The things in the office took forever to do the last night. People don't always believe me when it takes me the same time in the office as it does to tear down a ride, but admin is tedious at times and i had a lot of things to complete and get done before we go back to South Africa.

We finished around five, showered, got into bed around seven, slept three hours until ten and then had to be back at work for pay and i had some other things still outstanding to take care of. Around noon or one we decided to go to the mall one last time (it's more of a strip mall than an actual mall), but i didn't do any shopping. Then we got back to the lot, I went back to work and worked until about seven that night. We had a BBQ/Braai for one last time, then we went to pack and get everything ready for departure the next morning.

At four-thirty the next day we got up to pack up the bunkhouses and do the final packing. The bus arrived at six-thirty, we got on and were on our merry way to the airport in Atlanta. It was a seven-hour drive that went by so fast. Then at the airport we had to wait about six hours for our flight. We ate and shopped and ate and shopped and finally we boarded our plane.

It was an exhausting and long fifteen-hour flight. After watching three movies and taking one-hour on-and-off naps, we finally arrived in Johannesburg at six-thirty Wednesday night. We got our bags and were greeted by very eager, teary-eyed families. It felt surreal to be home. We were all so tired that you could hardly make sense of anything. My two aunties and uncles and my cousin came to greet me at the airport - it was a total surprise!

I still had to fly all the way to Cape Town and it was already past seven (after we got our bags and everything) so we went to check in and found that my flight had been delayed to nine-thirty instead of nine-o-clock. So we went to have coffee, then i said goodbye to my family, then i went to wait for my flight. It was delayed even more when i got to the gate - it was now boarding at nine-thirty instead of nine. So we only left Johannesburg ten o clock that night. I finally made it to Cape Town at midnight and by this time I was beyond exhausted.

My dad and my sister were waiting for me and it was so weird to see their faces - very unreal actually. My mom and brother were waiting up for me and it was good to be back home!

Now there's the struggle with jet lag - I really thought it won't be that bad, but it is really bad. That first night I couldn't fall asleep until four in the morning, then slept until about nine. I was tired again by two and took a nap until nine Thursday night. Then woke up and couldn't sleep until three Friday morning. Then at seven i woke up - wide awake - only went to bed midnight Friday. Then I was awake again Saturday morning at seven- thirty, but I was still tired, so I got up for about an hour-and-a-half and then went to back to sleep and slept until two-thirty the afternoon. This isn't just your usual laziness or tiredness; this is legitimate exhaustion - and confusion. Since we flew from West to East, the jet lag is worse. And if you travel forward in time for more than three hours, it takes longer for your body clock to readjust. It can take several days actually.

But besides my issues with sleep, it feels really good to be back home!!

US Diaries: Georgia Part 2

Back in Georgia! This time we were in Brunswick for a short five-day fair. It was over before we could even take it all in; that's the thing about short spots, they go really fast.

The jump from Greenville to Brunswick was a bit brutal. We tore down in Greenville, slept a few hours, got up at seven Monday morning, drove about six hours and immediately started set-up. The reason: we opened on Tuesday afternoon at five. So we only had a day of set-up basically. We set-up from about two in the afternoon until about ten that night and then the next morning we had to be out at ten again until about three to be ready and open by five. I think all in all it went pretty smooth even though it sucked not to have any time off.

This fair was pretty busy as well. The Tuesday and Wednesday wasn't too busy, but from Thursday onward there were crowds. It was nice to be busy especially after Greenville!

There was a Waffle House nearby that we checked out twice during the five days. It's always nice to have an awesome breakfast!

This time i took a few photos of the fair, but by this time it all probably looks the same...i guess it is the same.

Tear-down was Saturday night. We only closed at midnight at this spot so we got done with tear-down around five in the morning. Slept until eleven and then we were up again to drive to our current spot Viera, Florida. Also our last spot for the year!!

It's crazy how time flew by these past two to three months.

US Diaries: South Carolina Part 2

Our second spot in South Carolina was Greenville, SC, but more accurately Easley, SC. Once we arrived we waited pretty much the whole day for electricity - unfortunately electricity always takes a while out here. Well maybe not always, but most of the times.

The fairgrounds wasn't that exciting, but they did have a mobile zoo there so we got to look at some funky monkeys, goats, birds, foxes and donkeys. The next day they added some Elephants and Wallabies. Luckily we had Tuesday off, so I took the whole day to recover from tear-down and little sleep - cause even after eight months, it still takes it's toll on me.

I liked this spot because it was quiet and not so hot during the day, but freezing at night. The first few nights were okay; you could still warm the bunk with you body heat, but by the end of the second week, it got so cold at night that stuff would freeze. Like the bunk door would freeze shut and you would have to shove it hard to get it open. If you didn't have a heater, your room would be a refrigerator. Literally. It was just ridiculous. Look, I love winter, I really do, but I love Cape Town's winter, not this winter. It is just way too cold. I feel sorry for the people who live through this every year.

We were lucky enough to go eat at a really nice and fancy steakhouse called Longhorn Steakhouse. The food was delicious and it was nice to eat some real food for once!

This isn't exactly healthy food, but these people have the best fries and chicken tenders in all of America (so far)!

Anyway...besides the cold, business-wise the spot wasn't too great. It was probably the worst spot we've played all year. Easily. Tear-down was in one degree Celsius weather and that tells you how much that spot sucked. We closed about eight-thirty on Sunday to start tear-down - which took four hours - slept for five, got up and drove about six hours to this spot.

Oh and i have to add when we got up Monday morning, everything outside was frozen! The lead lines, the water hoses, the grass, the trucks and pick-ups, everything. I have never been in a place so cold.

But we made it through and we're now in Brunswick, Georgia. Seems more civilised here...so we'll have to wait and see!

(Unfortunately i didn't get to take any photos of this spot - mainly due to my own procrastination - but after a while we all just wanted to get out of there).

US Diaries: South Carolina

Four hour tear-down, 2˚C (35˚F) weather, four hours sleep, twelve hour drive, car problems, cold - very cold - weather, six hours sleep, ten hour set-up…that is what being tired is made of!

Set-up

The moment has finally arrived for the infamous South Carolina State Fair! It's always nice to have a break in routine which is what these two weeks were. Well for me at least.
Instead of working in an office day in and day out, i got to work outside for a change; doing pick-ups from ticket sellers and making sure they have enough tickets to sell. On the busy days it was crazy - walking up-and-down and up-and-down the midway attending to six ticket sellers; and on slow days it was relaxing just to soak in the sun and talk to co-workers and friends.

Balloon Merry-go-round

Sand sculpture

Swing

Rocket

One-man-band

The Fairgrounds were really big, so these two weeks involved a lot of walking plus our bunkhouses were situated across the road from the fair which was about a ten-minute walk there and back. That makes it a little harder cause you don't want to go home during your breaks, so the days seem really long. Actually they were; we started work noon every day, except Saturdays it was eleven, and we closed around eleven or midnight every day for eleven days. You don't get time for anything. Well you do, except i prefer sleeping to grocery shopping or laundry. We lived off midway food for eleven days. Yes it was unhealthy and yes i got tired of it by the third day, but sometimes you don't have a choice okay?

This carnival was run by another North American Midway unit - South East - so we joined their team for the duration of the fair. This meant we met some new people for a change, yay! I worked with one of the girls - Chanty - and she and i attended to three ticket boxes together. It was awesome to have a different perspective and fresh conversation after seven months, I hope she and i can continue our friendship!

Like any two week fair, by the second week everyone is ready to move on. So when the second weekend came, i was over it. Tear-down couldn't come sooner! The Saturday before tear-down though, i got sick from what I believe was the fried mushrooms I got from one of the food stands. So for a moment there i was out of it, but after a nap, I felt much better and could continue work Saturday evening. Then Sunday was tear-down night. We started at eleven, I finished up my work in the office then I helped outside with signs - loading them up from the midway and dropping them off at the fence trailer. It was freezing.

Sunset

We finally got done around, I think, five-thirty Monday morning. Showered, went to bed, slept for four hours, drove for two hours to the next spot - Greenville, South Carolina. 

US Diaries: Alabama

We arrived Sunday morning in Cullman, Alabama and slept for the first time since Saturday morning. I don't think I've ever been awake twenty-four hours straight, but I've been very close. It's hard to fall asleep when you're that tired sometimes and then when you do finally fall asleep it takes two days to recover. We had a day off on Monday which is always SO welcome. It's nice to just do nothing for a day every now and then.

China Buffet was just across the road from the fairgrounds, so of course we hit that a few times the first week. And maybe once the second week. At least the food there is healthier than fast food or microwave meals. Sushi yum!!

The two weeks in Cullman were overall good. Our calls were late during the week which i always love cause we get to sleep late. Yes I do sometimes regret that I love sleeping so much.

The people in Alabama really do have the real Southern drawl. It's quite strange cause to them it's normal and when we talk like that it's usually just to sound funny. Weird.

Teardown was Saturday the 4th of October and the jump to Columbia, South Carolina was supposed to be eight hours but the road ahead is always unpredictable!

US Diaries: Georgia

This wasn't our first time in Georgia. Right at the beginning of the year, we drove through Georgia from Florida on our way to Wisconsin. There was a big storm ahead so we were told to pull over in Macon and sleep in a Motel for the night. Georgia is truly a stunning state.

So after Sandwich, we arrived in Calhoun, Georgia, about two o’clock Tuesday morning (September 9th). Some bunkhouses weren’t on location yet because they left round about the same time that we did, but some jumps have complications like flat tires or breakdowns, and so the bunkhouses get there late. This is one of the cons of the carnival – something I guess they can work on. 

Anyway…some of us were lucky to be able to get to bed about an hour or two after we arrived. There was no electricity yet and it was ridiculously humid that night. So it was a struggle to sleep. Next morning we were able to get electricity and sleep the whole day in a nice cool air con.

 View from the bunk

The two weeks in Calhoun was interesting because it’s the first time we played the spot, so we didn’t know what to expect. Also it was the first spot in about two months that we didn’t have early calls…we only started work (during the week) at five o’clock the afternoons. That was really a plus for this spot. We were able to sleep late, go have China Buffet (which was really good) and I went to Waffle House for the first time. I liked this spot.

Old School Police Car

Homemade Ice Cream Stand

Waffle House Breakfast (yum!)

After teardown the second Saturday, we immediately jumped to the next spot which is Cullman, Alabama. The drive was about three hours, which isn’t too bad, and the bunks left earlier that day, so they were on location when we arrived.

It was good not to work such long hours or too hard for a change. For now.

More about Cullman, Alabama, soon!