Soon after I had arrived in Ireland, I had to do some serious studying for my accountancy exams that were taking place the following summer. It was intense! But after that we had to wait over two months before the results arrived. Life can be boring if one does not do anything about it. I was financially stable but was still itchy to do something apart from travelling around Ireland.
Billy, a Malaysian Chinese colleague of mine who was studying at Trinity, decided that he needed a summer job. He couldn’t get anything part-time, even in the restaurants. as they were snapped up very quickly, especially by the Irish students who didn’t do any travelling. It wasn’t easy to get an employment permit then, even after qualifying, but at least us foreign students with visas were allowed to work in the summer.
One day, while driving around enjoying the scenery near Donabate, we saw a sign outside a farm: “Potato pickers wanted.” I was excited that there were still jobs available, if one only took the trouble to look for them. I suggested Billy should give it a try, but he was apprehensive, saying it would be very physical and tiring. I replied that if he needed money, he shouldn’t be so picky!
Eventually he agreed, on condition that I joined him (as I would have to give him a lift from Ranelagh anyway). We made enquiries, and were told to arrive about 6am (or earlier perhaps) to start the next day, and that we would be paid for each full bag of potatoes we picked. As I’d never done this before, I agreed to put this down to experience. In fact, I was actually looking forward to my first job in Ireland!
We got up very early the next day, had a quick breakfast, prepared some sandwiches for lunch and got to the farm on time. The country air was fresh and crisp, though it was still misty. We were greeted with a ‘hiya’ and of course some weird looks from the people who were there already. ‘Two young foreigners in a sports car coming to pick spuds! What’s goin on ere, loik?’
I joked in passing to some of them that we were actually business studies students and doing a feasibility study on time and costs involved in labour intensive tasks. The only response we got was a look that told us we were being smart arses!
Billy and I were allocated a row each in the field where the tractor had already dug. We were each given a sack and told to fill it with potatoes only, removing the grit, and no stones at any cost. With enthusiasm, I got on the job straight away, practically dragging Billy to his ‘line’. But it was tough going after a while. The sun sneaked its way out finally and soon the heat was on.
To be continued...
Logan Raju is a Malaysian-Indian entrepreneur living in Ireland for 30 years.
