My little rant

OK, so today was probably a turning point for me. I no longer stayed quiet about my thoughts on the Indian/Guayan guide we have working at Seaside. I won't say a guide that I work with, because we don't work "together" as such and really, if I had my way, he wouldn't work there at all. There are several problems I have with his employment.

Firstly, he is rude. A rude, arrogant, annoying asshole. I say this with full and complete evidence to back me up, this is no whim. Oh, no siree. He has that Indian cockiness that gets under my skin, which includes a pretty bad attitude to women. Most of the time I've been told, "Don't worry, it's just cos he's a gay. He's just a homo." Not that that makes ANY difference to the way he should act to other people!

No, he's just got a bad way with people, not at all socially ept, and they put HIM on trails?? I would not enjoy myself at all if I had him as a guide! I watch him with customers and often have to step in and be extra nice n friendly, just so they relax a little. There was a family in here just yesterday, and before they even set off I could tell they were going to complain about him. I so wanted to take over the ride!! And complain they did.

So, on top of this, he's been working at the place for 8 or 9 years. I thought always as a guide but as I found out today, mostly as a cleaner and shit-kicker (or picker-upper) and it was only when the boss got sick of his nagging to start taking out trails that he was put on them. So they still keep him as a stable hand basically but have started putting him on trails, once a day if they need him or more if it's busy. But after today, he's on a break.

I started moaning at the staff about his attitude, which was shit from the morning when I accidentally let out a couple of horses (who weren't being used today anyway) and he started bitching about it about 5m from me to another staff member. I cursed, saying to myself that this was most likely the day I crack.

He didn't get better during the day, coming back in a foul mood when a lady on a ride didn't feel comfortable continuing. If any of the rest of us had her, she would've been relaxed n settled in 5 mins. Not with D, though.

My concerns filtered through to my boss, R, and he had a word with me at one stage. I slowly told him a few of my concerns, building to almost tear-level when I finished with him behaviour with the horses. He pulls them and pushes them, bordering on abuse sometimes. Doesn't care who it's in front of, regardless of the fact that WE AREN'T IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY THAT KICKS THEIR MULES AROUND. It's worse if he's in a bad mood.

He won't take out any but a handful of horses, is too scared to ride anything that is probably the right size for him after one bad experience with a tall horse. Can't really ride that well, just kicks and pulls around the horse til he gets his way. Finds the BEST horses we have here, ride like a dream, too much to handle. And with a lead line... geez, well, there's no delicacy there. Not even for a scared little kid.

Doesn't matter what he says in front of guests either, he could insult them or us or just generally swear. Today when we're mounting guests, he's bitching that I didn't get on my horse fast enuf so the other guide should take the ride. Yep, I'm really gonna sprint through the slippery, disgusting slop we call ground at the moment and risk breaking my neck, getting top-to-toe filthy and scaring all the horses... asshole.

He clearly doesn't like taking out trails, the ONLY reason he does it is for tips so it's obvious he doesn't want to be there. And when he does get some kind of tip, he usually lies about what he gets. Major issues there. Lying about tips?? Get a grip man. So you can imagine how happy he is that we get more rides than him, me especially since I'm so new. And soon he'll get no rides and I'll get them all on a Sunday because I don't make the guests feel like shit. That day will be fun (sarcasm there).

So I'm meant to sit down with R and go through my issues at some stage, I know D is getting a warning about his behaviour to staff, guests and the horses, and getting taken off rides for a while... which I'm partly glad about, but also worried because he will blame it all on me (even though guests complained) and be even more of an ass to me and the horses. Maybe, if I'm lucky, it'll mean he just stops trying to talk to me altogether. He tells some bullshit, meaningless stories, that one.

So this is my little rant. Good to get it off my chest. I am not copying his behaviour by bitching to everyone except the person in question, if he brings it up I will say point blank what I think of him, but I guess I'll have that chance if R does in fact bring us together for a little talk. But fucked if I'm gonna get spoken down to by someone like that. Come back to me when you have SOME idea about life.

My customers WILL drink in your cab!!

Yesterday I was officially a guide. Not a very good one, apparently, since neither of my rides tipped me a cent, but I guess they were interns and a little girl with a tight father. And they were all Dutch. The rides were fine, I think, just a little short on time as I need to learn to "pad" them out. There isn't a helluva lot of land to go around, so 2 hours is really a stretch, even for a walking-only trail. The only reason we have this land at all is because there's a big gas, electricity, water plant next to us - and no one wants to stay in a resort next to that!

Rode Seductor for the first time, and was warned against his rearing... he was up on 2 legs before I left the stable, and I asked if it was really a safe horse to be guiding 2 beginners. J said it was fine, so I went out. The horse and I had just one argument, he's up on his hind legs again, he wins the argument. I'm not about to fight with him with guests behind me. But it did annoy me that I listened to J against my better judgement.

I'm getting the hang of things here, and was part of my first staff meeting this day also. There was a part I didn't need to be in, so I wonder if they were discussing my progress so far. The meeting was mainly about who gives orders, chain of command kinda thing. I totally agreed with everything R was saying, it was good to see there was a sense of organisation in such a chilled environment, and it got me a little excited that once I got used to the office job, on the days R or the office lady Re was away, I would be managing everyone. Still a little whiles away, though!!

Nearly everyone smokes here. I remember to say that because as I write this, a familiar smell wafts past my nostrils. They're smoking before a ride, they're smoking in their houses, they're smoking outside the clubs... Not that I blame them, it's pretty much the perfect environment for it.

A funny thing happened when we were leaving the park last night. We were about to drive off when we saw the honeymoon couple drinking their Pina Coladas rapidly before getting in their cab. They tell us the cabbie won't let them drink inside the car. Next thing I know R is on the phone yelling at the boss of the cab company, "What asshole you got drivin' your cab, huh? I got a couple just buy Pina Coladas at my place, they can't drink them in the car?? It's cab 136... yeah... yeah... OK, great, make sure it doesn't happen again OK?" Ha! Told him!

I have the WHOLE weekend off, which is awesome except that I don't really have friends here yet! Just work people, and pretty much the whole staff are always on on Saturdays, I'm just new so was surplus this week. Don't know what I'm doing tonight, but I was talking with one of the guys I live with and he said he was going on some boat somewhere. He invited me to come, so - after several rum punches and beers - I eagerly agreed. The next morning I'm wondering what he is indeed doing, but he seems lovely and I know he wouldn't do anything to me cos I work for R and he seems to be held in pretty high regard here so anyone that messes with me messes with him. Or so I hope.

Tomorrow I have been invited snorkelling with J, but I dunno how that's gonna be organised unless I go down to Seaside to talk with him. First, though, I need to clean my room, get some things from the supermarket, find an internet place, get some Crocs (as my brother says, contraception fashion) and finally get a number for this place. Oh, speaking of phones, I have given my iPhone to J's brother and he says it will be unlocked and returned in a couple of days. So hopefully that fixes it and I can use it for the internet as well as a phone. Although having such a good phone here could be a little tempting for thieves. I'll just have to be careful with it. Yeah, right!

That gets me thinking about insurance... dad of course asked me about it, and I do want to get it but I don't know if it's possible while I'm already overseas. Maybe I'll look into it today...