Seasonal Work on the Farm

It’s been a while since I last posted so I figured I’d write up a little update on what’s going on.

I am in the middle of writing up my Ukraine experience but, since I’m back in Canada now, I’ve become a seasonal worker on a farm. I’ve worked on my uncle’s farm before but not during harvest, a time when “days off” don’t really exist. Right off the bus I was already running around picking up parts and driving them here, there and everywhere. There may be a lull in the action, but every good-weather day is a work day. The hours are pretty long and it’s not like teaching English. Lots of driving around, learning new things, servicing machines and fixing broken parts, etc.

I’ve done quite a few different jobs so far. I’ve driven the grain cart, which transports grain from the combine to the grain truck so the combine itself doesn’t have to stop. Done some harrowing, which is basically dragging a large rake across the field. Also fixed a grain bin, which are those huge silver bins you’ll see on farms all across the Canadian prairies. Servicing takes up my mornings. While the boss goes to town to drop off a truck load of grain at the elevators I get to climb all over the machines, greasing, fuelling, washing the windows, and blowing out the dust to get the machines into shape to work the fields. Not only that, I’ve been enjoying the latest sounds of country music again!

While harvest takes up my day, I typically only have an hour or so after the work day before I’m asleep. I hope to finish my Ukraine posts shortly so please bear with me. In the mean time, you might be interested in reading a recent interview about my experience as an ESL teacher on teachingtravelling.com or my guest post about x.

PS: If you are taking the train or bus through Canada and look out your window as you cross the prairies, there’s a good chance you’ll see me driving a tractor!