The Most Prominent Negative Side Of Working In A Backpacker’s Hostel
Have you ever got raged at somebody because they hurt someone you love, and still did nothing?
I have been working with this one backpacker’s hostel in New Delhi since March 2020. In the few initial months, I worked from home but then, on one fine day of September 2020, I came to the hostel.
The pay isn’t good for sure, but they provide you with accommodation and free food. Plus, the chance of networking you get here is far better than any networking events or meetings combined.
In fact, the very reason why I chose to work with a backpacker’s hostel is networking (apart from TRAVEL obviously.)
When I arrived here, I found myself really natural (in terms of connecting with them) with the people who come in here to live as a guest. Though as it were the times when COVID was at its peak, so there weren’t many guests here.
With time, the number of guests increased. The number of parties happening on the terrace started gaining more and more traction too. The graph of the number of smoking conversations that I am a part of started elevating too.
I met tones of people. Got a lot of connections. Got to be a part of some real life-changing conversations.
But with time, my interaction with guests started fading down. The chance of me being in a party upstairs started losing more and more traction too. The graph of the number of smoking conversations that I am a part of started declining too.
With the growing numbers of my contacts, my love for solitude grew too. The desire to be just alone. Have some me-time. Some time for productivity. Some time to think about where am I heading in my life!
Since these last few weeks, I have been talking with Prakhar, my friend, to look for a 1 BHK nearby. But never, in all this while, have I ever thought of looking for a place because of my HATE of living in a backpacker’s hostel.
I’ve never felt this much hate for it.
People disturb you when you’re working in some corner, all alone. You can’t watch a movie peacefully because someone will come and ask you to change what’s been playing. You can’t read peacefully because someone will just play some random shitty music in a volume that’s enough to stop you from reading a book.
All of this is something, I’ve been handling for a few months now, so I have got a basic idea of how to handle them. But what happened today made me so damn angry and filled me up with so much rage and anger that I just couldn’t sleep. That’s one major reason why I am writing this!
Since the morning, I have been feeling good. Though something missing but still, feeling good. I, in fact, watched “Yes Man” (Jim Carrey) almost 1 and a half times in the evening. Until that douche came in.
There’s this one guest staying in the same dorm, I have my bed in (won’t mention the name). Since day 1, I have been refraining from getting into a conversation with him.
I don’t know if it’s my intuition that has gotten smarter or if I can feel the vibes a bit stronger but, I can literally decide in 10 seconds whether someone’s someone with who I will get along or not.
The main plot starts from here!
Chewy (the hostel dog) is going to stay with me until his parents come to take him home.
I was in the common room, talking with that Bumble Date, and with Chewy sleeping on my lap.
Watching ‘Yes Man’ had given me enough feel-good vibes that I messaged Prakhar to come out in the common room and watch this movie.
So, we were watching the movie on my laptop and then, Prayanka, a guest came in. Soon after her, that douche came in. Fully drunk. Shouting.
Psst… I forgot to tell you this detail. Kailash, the property manager sleeps out in the common area, in case, a guest walks in, at the night.
When that douche came, Kailash had already slept.
But that didn’t bother the douce. He still was shouting and was literally talking shit. I realized he’s even way way way chut**a than I thought of him to be.
Prayanka, Prakhar, and I bared him for at least, half an hour. But then, he started slapping Chewy, saying things like, “Dekho sale ko kaise maze kar raha hain. Kaash main kutta hota. Uth sale *slaps* uthh”.
Also, he had put his hands on my legs for support, so firstly, I let myself out of it. Then, I put Chewy down, gave an excuse of going to the washroom. Went to the washroom. Thought of things I should do in here. I mean, I could have shouted at that guy. Asked him to leave. Or.. a lot of things are there, no?
“But eventually, he’s our guest.”, I exclaimed to myself.
I came back into the room. Sat where I was sitting earlier. Chewy came up too.
“Yaar, Kailash so gaya. Ab mujhe khaana kaun dega?”, he cried (loudly).
“Arey, khana khud lete hain sab. Jaao aur lo.”, Prakhar replied.
“Maine kabhi khana liya nahi khudse”, he said.
“Liya nahi matlab? Ab lelo fir”, Prakhar said sarcastically.
“Nahi yaar, mujhse nahi ho paayega. Mujhko khana dedo”, he asked.
From that to, god knows how he again came back to “kaash main kutta hota yaar. Apoorv mujhko bhi sehla raha hota”.
We joked about it a bit until he started doing that thing with Chewy again. But this time, Chewy bite back. Almost!
Chewy should have bitten a flesh out of that douche’s hand though!
It’s not just that though. It’s a lot of things. Like what he said. How he said it. How he replied to things!
When you get angry or frustrated or even happy, you just don’t feel so, because of a moment. You feel the emotions your pile of the day is built of.
Wait, let me explain.
When you feel sad, you start remembering other sad things too. That makes you even sadder. It’s because of the pile you make out of your thoughts. You never feel an emotion out of one single moment. NEVER!
And that’s it. It’s because of each and every damn action of that douce.
Whatever it is, I don’t think I am gonna last much on this job if I kept on living here in the hostel. I either have to change my location for a while or get a flat.
I will let you know whatever I ended up doing.
Right now, I am feeling good and listening to this:
Read more of my work on the blog: Stagbite.
