Friday, January 4, 2008

Assembly Line

For a few hours this morning, I was transferring logos to T-shirts.
This involved a few steps- opening up a new T-shirt, positioning it, picking up the transfer, positioning it on the T-shirt, ironing it on, and then dropping it somewhere on the floor. ( mine are fairly clean).

Later, when it cooled off, I had to peel the transfer off.

But when I had done this 40 times for 40 T-shirts, I felt rather zombie like. The repetitive cycle was so monotonous.I was eager to finish the job fast. And happy, that I dont have to do this kind of a thing for a living. And glad that I could call on my maid to fold them up and pack them.

As it is,I was quite motivated to do the job. The T-shirts are for a training course conducted by Our local Wildlife conservation society for forest rangers. Although they are supposed to pay me, they never do and since its not much, I think its my bit to support these people who are doing something for the environment and global warming instead of just talking about it.

What is it like for people who have to do assembly line work to live?

Sometimes, of a morning when I'm waiting desperately for the maid and thinking nasty thoughts and spy her through the window, walking slowly up the hill, in no hurry at all even though she is late; I have to think - why would she want to hurry? If my job was to clean other people's dirt, would I be bounding up to my workplace in joy everyday? NO way. Then why do I think she should be cheerfully doing my housework?

But,she does, most days. To live.

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