Thursday, November 8, 2012

Work - Differently

Since about a month after we arrived in Israel I have been working as a Virtual Assistant - working for US companies who need help with all kinds of tasks (administration, writing, research, social media, web content, data entry, etc. etc.) and decide to get real about the work force and hire some exceedingly qualified people, no matter where they live.  I have had between 5 and  7 clients at any one time. (The company, by the way, is called Secretary in Israel and is very cool). 

Before we left the US, I had been working for The Johns Hopkins University (you have to write it that way or Johns Hopkins himself climbs out of his grave and beats you over the head with a stick) for over 30 years.  I had gotten positions of increasing responsibility and benefited from all that JHU had to offer, including tuition benefits for my kids (yay!).

So here I am in a new country, new home, and now not only a new job, but many new jobs and working at home for the first time since a brief stint 1982 when my son was born (I couldn't take it after 6 months and went back to in-office work).  Listen, I like getting out of the house every day.  I like being with co-workers, discussing issues with them in person (you know, "issues" like office gossip, that sort of thing - what? is that wrong?).  Not only that, but I was now working US hours - not really getting going until around 3:00 pm and working until 10-Midnight most nights.

Not only that, but my husband is also working from home.  So we are together.....all the time.

OK, listen, before you wives out there start making gagging sounds I want to tell you that it is actually OK.  Sort of like when our youngest left the house and we looked at each other and said, "EWWW, I have to talk to YOU now? Gack!" and then we realized that we kind of still like each other.

But wow, what a change in lifestyle.  Here goes:

1.  You wake up and do not have to rush out to go anywhere.  Sometimes (heh heh heh) you can even get back in bed and read awhile.  GOOD!

2. You are near the kitchen and fridge all day long.  BAD!

3. You hear your spouse on the phone with his/her client and coworkers and now you know everything he or she is doing and all the ins and outs of office politics.  INTERESTING! (maybe)

4. Your spouse, whom you love with all your heart and who is cute and wonderful, and by the way a total genius, but who is just not a computer person by nature, keeps calling you in to help him with things like PDFs and printing. CHARACTER BUILDING!

5. You make up reasons to go out - "Yay, we need to go to the cleaner today! AND the supermarket!|  "Let's not do both on the same day, ok?  Let's hold off and do the cleaner tomorrow!!"  PATHETIC!

6. Your work is. always. there.  You cannot walk away from it. DEPRESSING!

7.  When you get tired, you walk 2 steps to your bedroom and take a rest!  EXCELLENT!

8. You can get work done while everyone else is sleeping and impress the heck out of your boss! SMART!

9.  Dinner becomes the high point of the day.  Wait, dinner is always the high point of the day.  Never mind.

10. When you have fee time you can check Facebook or play games and no one will come in to look over your shoulder and wonder why they are paying you money to do this. AWESOME!

11.  Oh, but remember re #10 - you only get paid by the hour, so...um...you don't earn money while you are on Facebook.  NOT AWESOME!

That's it for now.  Gotta take a break.  Naptime!

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