From the night when my roommate Ms Serial Thief created a big fuss in my room, I began to be told by guards and other detainees that I look tired. Actually, I am tired. I am too old to deal with all these nonsensical, idiosyncratic, preposterous people every day.
Ms Serial Thief has not moved out of my room but a guard is constantly following her. That might prevent her from engaging in her notorious habit but that certainly interferes with my privacy as a side effect. I could not sleep last night because a guard kept open and shut the door every 15 minutes or otherwise the door was wide open to the lounge room where the TV was loudly on. Since I could not sleep, I turned on my bed light (not a room light) and started reading a case. Then Ms Serial Thief complained! Why should she be able to sleep while I cannot sleep because of her? Thank goodness, the guard told her she should put up with it since I could not sleep because of all the trouble caused by her. Good. Perhaps I should put in another complaint form to raise an issue of the sleep disturbance. But it may not be worth doing it as these guards following Ms Serial Thief may disappear tomorrow. Nothing lasts long here.
Three days ago, there was a protest about the food quality. The improvement of food menu was observed on the next day. Then, one day after that, everything went back to normal. Back to the same food again. This is Villawood which I remember from 2006. Serco and GSL both have exactly the same short-term memory. Nothing lasts long in Villawood.
Having said that, there are certain things that last long even here.
When I went to the coffee shop to read the newspapers while having a dreadful flat white, one guard and one techie came to call me. The guard was cranky because I had ignored her message delivered to me by another detainee that I should come back to my compound. I had my schedule and I was busy. I couldn't be bothered.
The techie came to install the input method editor of my language because I made a racial discrimination complaint to everywhere I could think of. It took long from my first complaint, which was to my case manager two weeks ago. But finally, I got my language in a computer. I could write in my language to my friend who is looking after my guinea pig. Although I wrote a few emails to her previously, she was not sure what's written in English. Today, eventually, we had reasonable chat by email. I am sure that my language installed in this computer will not disappear for a very long time. Also, the guard whose message I ignored will not forget that I ignored her for a while. She was still cranky when I came across her much later.
Ms Serial Thief has not moved out of my room but a guard is constantly following her. That might prevent her from engaging in her notorious habit but that certainly interferes with my privacy as a side effect. I could not sleep last night because a guard kept open and shut the door every 15 minutes or otherwise the door was wide open to the lounge room where the TV was loudly on. Since I could not sleep, I turned on my bed light (not a room light) and started reading a case. Then Ms Serial Thief complained! Why should she be able to sleep while I cannot sleep because of her? Thank goodness, the guard told her she should put up with it since I could not sleep because of all the trouble caused by her. Good. Perhaps I should put in another complaint form to raise an issue of the sleep disturbance. But it may not be worth doing it as these guards following Ms Serial Thief may disappear tomorrow. Nothing lasts long here.
Three days ago, there was a protest about the food quality. The improvement of food menu was observed on the next day. Then, one day after that, everything went back to normal. Back to the same food again. This is Villawood which I remember from 2006. Serco and GSL both have exactly the same short-term memory. Nothing lasts long in Villawood.
Having said that, there are certain things that last long even here.
When I went to the coffee shop to read the newspapers while having a dreadful flat white, one guard and one techie came to call me. The guard was cranky because I had ignored her message delivered to me by another detainee that I should come back to my compound. I had my schedule and I was busy. I couldn't be bothered.
The techie came to install the input method editor of my language because I made a racial discrimination complaint to everywhere I could think of. It took long from my first complaint, which was to my case manager two weeks ago. But finally, I got my language in a computer. I could write in my language to my friend who is looking after my guinea pig. Although I wrote a few emails to her previously, she was not sure what's written in English. Today, eventually, we had reasonable chat by email. I am sure that my language installed in this computer will not disappear for a very long time. Also, the guard whose message I ignored will not forget that I ignored her for a while. She was still cranky when I came across her much later.