Split from C-Dog's ad thread

Nancy and Bud · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 8:06 am Post subject:

You are right Harvey. Condition does matter. We passed on one boat due to that very reason.

thataway · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 1:01 pm Post subject:

smckean (Tosca) · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 2:50 pm Post subject:

As long as we are telling stories..... Very Happy

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I just realized I once beat my own low point of $0.50 per hour at another, and later, stage in my life. After college in 1967, I bummed around Europe on a shoe string for a year. All was good until the winter. What to do in the cold? I knew a Swiss girl who was going to volunteer at a kibbutz in Israel for 3 months. Within 12 hours I changed everything and left with her for Israel (great decision as it turned out BTW).

Well, this was a very poor kibbutz just north of Tel Aviv. We worked in the citrus orchards 8 hours/day 6 days a week (216 hours per month....but we did get room and board). The pay? $2.50/month, or about one penny per hour....hard to get lower than that.....hahahahahaha. When it came time to leave to go back to Europe, they owned me $7.50. But this kibbutz had almost no cash, and they were unable to pay me (seems to be a pattern with me Laughing

).

Another wrinkle to this story is that after I paid for passage on a old freighter that was to take me from Haifa to Istanbul, I had only $10 in my pocket, and no idea how I was going to get to England where I had friends. Once in Turkey, I heard on the grapevine that one could sell blood in Greece; so that became my plan. I hitchhiked to Thessaloniki Greece. At that time, there was no blood bank in that city; so if someone in the hospital needed blood, a family member would negotiate with someone on the street, and the the 2 of you would go to the hospital to have your blood drawn. Well, I remember to this day that since I have the relatively rare blood type of B-, I got top dollar of $17 for a pint (or whatever the volume was). That money got me all the way to England via hitchhiking and sleeping in city parks, under low canopy trees, in my sleeping bag. Today, I spend $17 on a hamburger and beer in town!!

Hunkydory · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 6:03 pm Post subject:

Sandy, that’s an interesting story & I can relate to it, kind of. As I too was in Europe in 1967, but my wandering as a Army Paratrooper was somewhat limited. I do remember about that time there being trouble in Israel, maybe the 67 war. We were restricted for a time to base with planes loaded with all our equipment for a possible need to jump in for protection of our Embassy, I think. A long time ago, can’t remember it all well now, though the pay was better then yours, but not by much.

Jay