By Leila.
Day 2.
ABSOLUTELY FREEZING NIGHT!!!!!
You could not enter one patch of skin above the sleeping bag for fear of the cruel icey blast. B-lined for an Oxfam stall where we purchased a mammoth brown rug/ blanket. Received free fruity porridge from a Hare Krishna and was then fuelled up for a wander around the mammoth site. Sunbathed near the Pyramid, where we overhead a couple joking 'this would be the closest they would get to the headline stage' (how very very true.)
We then pootled back to the Greenpeace site where we had our briefing and then shortly after began our first shift. It's busy, exhausting, bustling and lots of fun (the smell of freshly baked cuisines greatly assists in the hours passing.)
Find the tennis tent. Good times.
Early night. With popcorn.
Day 3.
The blanket was a mistake. Sun streams through our tent and it's borderline muggy. We shower (lovely and hot- what a surprise) and head over for our first morning shift. It's very peaceful at 6:30 in the Greenpeace camp so to gear up takes a few bounce bars. The shift goes well; washing, drying, serving, slicing, filling, chopping, washing, mopping, boiling, washing, stuffing and yes a few more bouts of washing up. We then have the evening off. HELLO GREENPEACE BAR (with reduced vodka coke's slyly topped up with Sammy's Sainsbury's own brand) We then head out with our neighbours. We find the Cabaret area, hammocks galore, poles that produce sound via touch, Block 9 ( high rise blocks with performing drag queens) and an heaven and hell themed Shangrila. Hell is sexxxxxual and walls made of bullet cartridges. Heaven you have to QUEUE and impress them to enter. We are doused in glitter and sing Prince of Bel air. The angel permits us in. Party time.
Day 4.
Every morning we arrive closer and closer to closing time at Breakfast so stumble in slightly more dischelveled on the Friday. Lovely veggie fry up and then we start at 10.
In our team there is 5 people; Kirstie, Michael, Charlie and us. We are called Team Polar Bear. Clare, (one of the chefs) has given us a matching mime to perform when we have to say it. The food we serve is lovely. There has been lasagne, burritos, curry, pizza and lots of salad. There are also special dietary requirements for some of the workers, which produces lots of inventive pulsey/quinoay/ lentily dishes. We finish at 7 and head over to the Pyramid stage to see Arctic Monkeys. Rather ok. Then Portishead. Great. Then some confusion and Sam randomly meets his cousin at Arcadia (big black insect stage that lovveees spouting fire throughout the night.) We then meet up with Kirstie and Michael as it's his 21st birthday and get smashed in heaven (again).
Day 5.
Arrive at our little tent 4:30 and wake up 9:30 just in time for breakfast. We look horrendous. THE SUN IS EVERYWHERE. Really brilliant for the Greenpeace field but slightly less nice for the hungover catering team. The only shade in the campsite is behind the dining tent next to the taps. We gratefully try snooze under a van.
New lows.
SNAP OUT OF IT. Shower and food. We then stroll to the Green Fields. Beautiful. Calming. Twinkly. Colourful. We find a circle partioned off with bamboo and feathers and lie in the sun until our shift at 3. There are protest tents around us, a 'world in the future' section, a gorgeous tent that you can cycle in while listening to the folky music. Pretty bloody perfect.
The shift starts. A lot of burnt shoulders. We potter along. Everyone is lovely so this shift goes surprisingly quickly. Towards the end there is a fast stint as the chefs all want to catch the Rolling Stones. We finish an hour early and head over to the bad boy Pyrmaid.
Day 6.
7am start. Our last shift. Feels weird. The tunessss are cracked out. A lovely man at breakfast lends us his iPod. Without any exaggeration it has every song the kitchen requests. The Stones, The Beatles, The Preclaimers, Daft Punk (x3). It's a lovely vibe for the last few hours. We serve spinach and feta filo pastries. Nice ending. After we hang up our aprons for the last time and we go explore the Greenpeace field. The bar is lovely. Copious amounts of cakes. There's a farmers market, a climbing wall (that looks like an oil rig), the solar showers, an Arcitc tent with a polar bear, SNOW, a massive diagram on the ground where you could see the sea ice lost since Glastonbury's inception (1970) to this year and of course the Arctic Dome with a musical interactive video. The music is ace and your movement in the room affects the images on screen. It's brilliant. We then pack up the tent as we have to head back on the Sunday night. Trek through to the John Peel stage. Watch Jessie Ware (insane and lovely), James Blake and say our goodbyes. It's been epic and tiring and definitely one of the best 5 days ever. It's genuinely been incredible to volunteer for Greenpeace, hard but incredible and hopefully this year, the Arctic year, was one of the best for the organisation and the climate. I mean, along with cheeky 4 am karaoke, that's what it's all about.
Comments