a puerto rican adventure

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In flight again. Aaahh…. Travel truly does make me happy. My blood pressure has already dropped and my mood has increased. I have a feeling of excitement in my life again.

This time it’s off to Puerto Rico with Ken for a week of Latino adventure, beaches, maybe some scuba diving, and lots of local food and markets. I have even been brushing up on my Spanish for the past couple of weeks so I can try to use it again (ever since leaving Hartford I find I have little use for it anymore). And after knowing so many Puerto Ricans over the years, it will be nice to finally see the island for myself.

And this vacation couldn’t come at a more appropriate time. Work continues to be incredibly stressful. My supervisor, who seems to despise the fact that I try to maintain work-life balance and actually use my vacation time for vacation, once again did a hit and run on me right before I left. At 9:45 last night she sent me an email saying I am violating company policy by waiting until the end of the month to complete my timesheet (which is when it is due) rather than entering it on a daily basis into the system (where the control freak can track my every move). And she copied both her supervisor and the human resources rep. So I very politely responded to all parties explaining that I did not know I was violating a policy, that I would make any adjustments she required for the future, and that I hope she and her family have a nice Thanksgiving. ☺ How professional, right?

But how sad for her that she has her panties in a twist about such foolishness late on a Friday evening? She really must live a sad life. And I feel bad for the other people in her program who feel like they cannot take vacations (one woman who has been there for 15 years is taking her first full week ever next month!). I love the work that I do, and my career is very important to me, but equally important is my family/personal life and my downtime. Does that make me less passionate about my work? Hardly! If anything, it makes me perform better. I’ve always tried to live by the motto, “Work hard, play hard.” But apparently because she has no life outside of work, neither should her employees. So she told me she wants me out of her program by the end of the summer.

With pleasure, ma’am! Little does she know that I started applying for new jobs back in March once I realized what a narcissistic, bullshit, egomaniac I was working for. And I had an interview back in May at a school of public health—no offer, but an interview is huge in and of itself in my field.

Problem is my next move is back into the academic world, which takes literally 6 months or more to even complete the search for one position. But, I had a phone interview last week, sent out 45 applications since September, and am hoping that somewhere, someone will appreciate the work I have been doing and will think that their students will benefit from my research experiences. This is the time of year when applications begin to be reviewed and interviews begin, so we’re crossing everything and channeling good thoughts into the universe that I’ll get at least one offer.

But anyway, my job this week is to forget all of this and to focus on living in the moment again, rather than being anxious about the future or what my supervisor will choose to criticize me about next. I want to learn about Puerto Rican culture, enjoy the tropical weather, eat lots of local food, practice my Spanish, dance some salsa, and buy crafts in local markets. And I want to reconnect with Ken, who has been such a sport as I go through the nightmare that has become my job. Even though it was not my fault and we never could have predicted it, I feel guilty that he relocated for me, to follow me in what we thought was the best next step for my career, and then here we are again at square one. While I may not have lucked out in my first post-school job, I certainly lucked out in finding a partner that embodies everything that a supportive partner could be. I joke that if it were not for him, I would have left this job months ago, moved back to Lancaster and possibly back in with my parents until I found something else. But he has helped me find the strength to not back down from this woman and to stand up for what is right—a work environment free of hostility, and the right to enjoy my life in addition to my work.

Ahora, vamos a Puerto Rico para una vacacion muy fabuloso!

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Comments

[Uncle Jer]

AHHH MANE!!
You go, girl! You & Ken have lots of fun!