Cricket in my ear

So I’m in Adelaide. The money is running out again and so I’m on the job hunt. Every day I spend some time online to look for jobs. Plenty of things available, but for some reason nobody calls me. Luckily I found a short term backpacker job; a few days of work during the cricket games.

The Ashes is a series of games played between England and Australia. This year they started in Brisbane and after Adelaide will go to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. In each place they play a test game that mostly lasts for 5 days.

So on Thursday morning I set out for the new Adelaide Oval, which is still decorated with scaffolding and builders. You know those hot dogs salesmen in American baseball games? They carry some sort of construction around their body so a big advertisement sticks out above their head. Around their waist hangs a big fannypack from which they sell their products. That’s my job for the next few days, only I sell headsets with commentary to the cricket. Because the outfit is not crazy enough I get a fluorescend yellow shirt like a tradie. But… with a collar, because otherwise you can’t enter the members only areas.

People who buy a headset get a green radio with a keycord. You can hang it on your ear so you can listen to several channels of commentary and music. As a Dutch girl, where proper football, or soccer for some of you, is the main sport, this is a strange concept. Can you see it happening in Europe? That everyone at s football game is listing to the commentary of the match? Right!

I try it as well. I listen but don’t understand a thing. On the field I see men dressed in white and honestly, I can’t even see who’s with whom. People come to the game to watch it, to eat and to drink. It is a famliy event. There are fancy ladies with a variety of hats, people with strollers and uppity business men. Every now and then I hear the crowd in a big oooh or aah, but it is very modest. I switch back to normal radio. Aaaah, the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the radio.

So here I am, sometimes insides, sometimes outside. You call out ‘radios’ and walk around the stadium. When it is busy, it’s heaps of fun. Chatting to all the visitors. When it is quiet I look at my watch every minute. Or twice. Just when I think it’s over for the day, a big hot dog taps my on the shoulder. Well… I also sold radios to man cheerleaders with big hairy bellies. It’s part of the game.

Where? Adelaide
For how long? Four days
Funfactor? Alright
Money? $20 – $27 an hour
Found at? The job shop