"I have returned!"

THIS HAS BEEN MY LONGEST blog break since I became active in the blogosphere last October 2008. I am quite busy nowadays; the chicken harvest has been extended for a week because the company can hardly market the dressed chicken. I guess this is a very distinct ‘clinical sign’ that South Australia and the Australian states nearby are already affected with the ‘viruses’ of this severe, chronic global financial crisis.

Collecting the daily mortality from the twelve chicken sheds is getting more and more difficult for me! Imagine pushing a wheel barrow daily, from end to end of a very dusty, feathery, smelly and densely populated shed (approximately 135m long), with 35-50 dead chickens (some are decomposing) that weighs 3.5 to 4.0 kilograms each! I am just explaining the mortality picture of the first four lanes of a chicken shed, and there were still 4 lanes left—with almost the same condition.

Chicken harvest is best done at night because birds are naturally sedated by darkness; but the activity greatly disturbs my circadian rhythm making me drowsy and lethargic during weekdays.

I’ve been drafting a blog entry about ‘Truth and Lies’ for three days now but I couldn’t find the perfect mood to pursue and finish what I had outlined. I really couldn’t understand but my job as a chook-minder has been torturing me both physically and psychologically, and because of this current economic recession I couldn’t just leave this job right away... otherwise I’ll become one of those Filipinos that aggravate the headache of President Arroyo back home.

In four days, I’ll be completing my two years of ‘roller coaster’ stay in this Land Down Under. At the moment, I can confidently say that, somehow, I am 89.99% adjusted to the outback Australian way of life—the ‘ghost towns’, the boundless horizons, the language and the accent, the shops shutting at 5pm, etc. My job is the only, yet a major complication! I couldn’t appreciate it; I am part of the best performing team of this poultry integrator in South Australia that produces a million dressed chicken every 60 days but I still feel I am worthless. I believe that I can do more than my current responsibility but I am totally restrained from executing it. If I can only lie to myself that I really love and like the nature of my present job, I will do it, but I can’t! Whew! So before I lose my sanity, I need to do something... I have to achieve something... because I know that to resign and to repatriate myself is not the best option this time.

Finally, last Saturday I decided to try my luck, at the soonest possible time (so help me God), in turning every stone along the rough roads of becoming a qualified veterinarian in this country. I will do it with or without the permanent residency sponsorship from my employer; I really don’t know but if he has plans to do it, I am not sure when.

Ooopss! I didn’t expect this post to be this long, because my original plan was just to leave a few words saying, “I shall return!” But look, I already have this now; and this would surely make The Chook-minder’s Quill, finally, updated!