I hope you had a beautiful summer, full of ... things that make you feel peaceful, joyful, accomplished, appreciated, ... - happy, because I had.
I've been living (like I said in the last post) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming - U.S.A., but this year I took it easy, I didn't work like a crazy person. I enjoyed the time spent here: I went out every Saturday, a walked around town, I looked up to the sky, I bought a bike and went everywhere with it...I discovered a lot of beautiful spots that were under my very nose...I made a lot of friends and got to know a few great folks, and I'm not finished!
That's why I just want to say that I am grateful for this amazing life I have and thank God and all the people who made all this happen.
So, I'll be here for two more weeks one more week and then I'll take a quick run home to spend a little time with my family and friends, because on the 3rd of October I'll be in Mumbai, INDIA to be a part of the Talent Engagement Group, in the Human Resources department of the Tata Consultancy Services!!! And I'll be there for a year...
I don't know what I did to deserve it, but my biggest dream just came true!
All I need is someone to share all this joy, luck and blessing and my life will be perfect, but I know that this part will come too...If there's something I'm sure now more then before, is the fact that with patience, hard work and optimism you will get everything that you want, so hold on to that dream!
This song is perfect for what I feel right now: Jason Mraz - Life Is Wonderful (live)
Yesterday was my last day of work and this morning I left Jackson Hole.
To catch up I will say that after a while I got sick of my first job and the second job - though I enjoyed it and the team was great and we had fun - was killing me because it was always crazy busy. In September, my first employer wanted to cut down our hours, I managed to convince him to let me work just enough to pay my rent and find a third job. So, instead of having more free time I ended up having only one evening off per week.
One thing I learned from this experience is that "I don't even have time to think" is not just an expression or a way of saying that you're very busy, but it can really happen. I would never imagine that this could be true, but it is. Another thing is that this type of manual labor is really bad for my neurons...as much as I tried to find something that would stimulate some synapses, to look for some psychological effects in everyone I worked with , causes for their behaviour...I still felt like my grey matter was getting softer and my neurons started dying...Don't get me wrong - I was awesome, I did great at all my three jobs ( I was The Sales Wo-Man at Moose on the Loos, where they did a special step-target bonuses just for me, I was The Sandwich Maker at Wendy's and the summer work&traveler who got the most hours and at the Whole Grocer everybody kept telling me what a good job I'm doing and how they've never seen anybody as good as me in that position).
I also got the confirmation of the fact that I could never do this for a living...I need to feel that I do something meaningful, that my efforts make a difference - I rather be paid poorly, but get satisfaction from my work And I also got the confirmation of the fact that I am a perfectionist - no matter what I do, I have to be very good at it, the best if it's possible.
So, after I finished working like mad, I had a little party with my roommates, packed my things and took off. (I wish it was as spontaneous as it sounds, but it wasn't - it was planned, reserved and paid) So, now I'm in Salt Lake City airport waiting for the flight for L.A. where I will finally enjoy U.S.A. for 3 night and 4 days afterwards I'll get crazy in Las Vegas and then I'll put my "fitze" on in New York. Then and only then I will be ready to go back home.
Now I miss psychology and I'm nervous because I didn't do anything for my thesis (the dissertation). I tried to think about it...but the truth is that I have no clue where to start (actually I do, but I need some information that are not available online, cause - of course - I chose a subject that is so new that it's still being researched and tested...). but, at least, I came up with a plan.
I feel so exhausted...Now I can truly say that I understand what "burnout" and "under-stimulation" mean.
1. Adaptation is the evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes better able to live in its habitat or habitats.[1]
2. Adaptedness is the state of being adapted: the degree to which an organism is able to live and reproduce in a given set of habitats.[2]
3. An adaptive trait is an aspect of the developmental pattern of the organism which enables or enhances the probability of that organism surviving and reproducing. [3]
The organism would be me, the new habitat is the United States of America in general, Jackson Hole in particular.
So, the first week was the hardest, because everything was new and we had to pay attention to everything... Time change - I didn't feel anything weird like the girls did (I'm staying with 3 other romanian girls), I wasn't sleepy at inappropriate hours; Altitude change - (totally different thing) I woke up every day with my nostrils dry and with dry blood in them (sorry for the details), a short fast walk or a sprint would rapidly take my breath; Weather - COLD!!! When we got here, it was the spring time end, so the temperature was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit (adică în jur de 15 grade Celsius), it rained every day and we were just NOT prepared for this kind of weather! The language - My english is good, so I had no problem, but...it was weird to hear and speak english round the clock. The food - way worst than romanian food! The vegetables have no taste (exactly like the Carrefour ones in Ro) - and I only ate organic!!!, cause is a organic freak area - all the convenience food has sugar in it - even the bread is sweet!!! (and it was a whole wheat bread - aka healthy bread) I didn't see any "no preservatives" food in the whole town (that bread stayed "fresh" 2 whole weeks!!! and it probably satyed more if I hadn't finished it yet...). The whole wheat pasta is different than the romanian one, even thow I used the same brand (Barila) - it's braekble even after boiling and is not as satiate as the romanian ones... The apartment - is very nice, 2 bedrooms and a living room, 2 baths and a fully equipped kitchen, all with central heathing.The best part? (As always...) The balcony!!! I have a beautiful view and not so many neighbours - what more could I ask for ? (ok, a pool, but let's not exaggerate...)
Last, but not least - the town and the people: the town is beautiful, just outside the Grand Teton National Park and close to the Yellowstone National Park, is surrounded by mountains and hills (I have a big hill just in front of my appartment building - I see everyday people hicking it ). People are so nice, friendly and welcoming...is such a big difference from romanian people...We were a bit paranoid by this friendliness the first week, but we got used to it now.
Now (after 3 weeks), no time changes problems, the weather is great - no more rain, 75 degrees F (20 si ceva C) - not too hot, not too cold - just perfect!, still not used to english round the clock, I love the cookies (I hope you won't see this "love" after 4 months of USA), we brought in the other half of the sofa (we couldn't do it by ourselves, so half of it stayed for a week on the hallway ), I learned the Town Shuttle's route and I met a few americans.
Tomorrow - searching for a second job. (Wish me luck!)
As usual, a new song: Maroon 5 - Never Gonna Leave This Bed
