seasonal workers on the Ile de Ré, between dreams and reality

QUand he landed in the Ile de Ré, hand -in -hand suit and surfboard under his arm in early July, Maxime thought he had found the perfect formula: working a little, sunbathing a lot. Meanwhile, “I saw myself chaining the little services. Consequently, spending my afternoons at the beach,” says this 22-year-old Bordeaux, hired as a server in a restaurant in the fleet. Consequently, Very quickly, the postcard dream took another color.

Here, the season rhymes with frantic rhythm. Moreover, “The days start early, end late, and there is always something to do,” says Maxime. Furthermore, Raise at 7 a.m., set up at 8, lunch service until 3 p.m., barely a break before leaving for that in the evening until 11 p.m., sometimes midnight. Moreover, “The beach? Therefore, I go there less than I thought … Meanwhile, In reality, when seasonal workers ile de ré, we get out of work, we are rinsed. For example, »»

His accommodation also jostled his illusions. With another seasonal worker, he occupies a cramped room in a shared house. “It’s nice to meet people. but you have to like to live on top of each other,” he smiles, mid-amused, half-fatigue. However. Maxime recognizes that experience is also good: improvised evenings on the port, collective meals at the good Franquette, and this feeling of being at the heart of a summer whirlwind. “But it’s not a vacation, that’s for sure. »»

Claire, the accustomed to every summer – Seasonal workers ile de ré,

A few kilometers away, Claire has not been illusions for a long time. At 31, this rank of rank from La Rochelle has been on the seasons on the island for almost ten years. “I know exactly in what I put my feet. It’s physical, but I love the atmosphere, ”she says.

A coffee in the seasonal workers ile de ré, morning, a dive before the evening service … It is these little parentheses that keep

She especially appreciates the rhythm she has built. “The days are long, but I know how to organize myself to keep moments of me. A coffee in the morning, a dive before the evening service … It is these little parentheses that keep. “Installed in a mobile home that she shares with a friend. she has her bearings: the bicycle rental company who always gives her a price, the market where she finds the same producers each year, and the evenings between seasonal workers” who often finish pompettes “.

Two visions of the same summer

For Claire, the season is also a state of mind. “We live in a bubble. We always come across the same heads, we work hard together, and it creates strong links. Each end of summer, she leaves with a repertoire filled with seasonal workers ile de ré, phone numbers and sunglasses photos. “In September, I need to breathe, but from winter, I’m already missing. Maxime is not sure to come back. “I liked the experience, but I think I had made a film. »»

On the Ile de Ré, waves, crowded terraces and cycle paths are part of the decor. But the real season. the one in seasonal workers, is played between two services, with a shared laughter or a stolen sunset before the recovery. Two visions, the same summer, and in the end, the tenacious memory of having experienced something intense.