It was one helluva stressful week. Between trying to see all my friends from back home and packing up my condo, I had very little time to do anything else. I got into a neighboring city with a larger airport then my hometown and happened to have a large population of friends from college living there. It was also the site of my fraternity fantasy football draft. So I got in Thursday, chilled that night, and wondered around the city Friday to kill time while also changing my cell phone plan. Friday night, we had the draft. It was fun, but as I drank, I got annoyed with everyone. In hindsight, I should have expected no one to realize how different life in the Caribbean is compared to the states. Going from being in the majority, to becoming a minority in what is essentially a third world country in all aspects but name is not the same as living in city x. I also found that despite really enjoying living down here, it’s a lot easier to complain about things then it is to talk about all the things I like. I also think the things I complain about are a lot more interesting then what’s enjoyable. I think mostly, because anyone who has visited the Caribbean has a good idea about the things I love about living down here. The cheap booze, the no open container laws, oh yeah, and it’s a tropical “paradise.” There are few places as beautiful as where I live right now. And if I get bored of where I am, its no big deal to go to another island that is just as and maybe more beautiful then where I live. But as frustrating as it is to get things done down here, the reasons why (corruption and apathy), are so much more interesting. Not to mention, just because a lot of tourists see the tourist spots, a large portion of the island is run down and a lot of the truly local population is below the poverty line. So I guess, what I was most annoyed with was everyones perception of my life was sitting by the beach getting served drinks with little umbrellas, and their inability to understand that its possible to be white and see racism against you.
So outside of the draft, I spent the majority of the first half of my trip thinking about how much I would rather be back on the island then up in the states. It didn’t help that I’m not a fan of city x in the first place and it took me 3 and half hours more then it should have to get back to my hometown, and I was driving in the rain. You can drive the whole island in under hour, and 35 mph is the highest speed limit I’ve seen. A bit of difference there. This part of the trip reassured me that I am fit for island life, and that I really enjoy the smallness of it. Not much to say right now about the rest of my trip while packing. It was stressful and tense with my mom, but I got everything off and was able to get back up to city x with all my stuff in time to meet C and goto a friends wedding. The wedding was a blast, and I’ll leave it at that.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Upcoming Trip
So a little more then a week, I will be making a trip back to the states. I have a very busy trip between preparing my condo for my brother to eventually move into, settling up the paperwork for selling my car, going to a friends wedding, and catching up with friends because I never really said goodbye before leaving. I’m getting pretty excited while also a bit nervous. I’m afraid that the trip home will simply make me miss it more, especially when it comes to my condo. Going from a 400 sqft studio that I share with C to spending a week sleeping on C’s queen size pillow top bed, watching my 42” HDTV (though I turned off cable, but I’ll still have hulu and my parents/neighbors place). I think that if I know I will be working when I get back, it will certainly be easier to leave home. I am really excited about one of these potential jobs, and know that I would not be able do anything close to this in the states. Its in the same field I use to work in, but out in the field. So I’ll get to continue use of my college degree and be able to get out from behind a desk, which quite frankly was starting to wear on me. So if you’re reading this before I find out about this job (doubtful since I haven’t told anyone about this blog), send me some prayers or positive energy about this job.
Island life
C and I have been down here now for about a month and a half, the halfway point to where they say you figure out if island life is for you or if you’ll be better off somewhere else. Not going to lie, island life, particularly dealing with some of the locals is starting to grate on C a bit more then it is on. Not really a surprise though, since she takes the bus line everyday to get to and from work, and that if I choose, still being unemployed, I can avoid most contact with the locals if I want. That being said, after a new employee island tour we went on, C is now really backing my plan to buy a car, while earlier she said she could take it or leave it. We also saw the part of the island that we were told we should move to once our lease is up. Seeing this side of the island, we realized that our lack of transportation has made a small island even smaller, and that its even more beautiful then we thought. Imagine that, not all of the island is run down and dry, there’s a whole other part that is not full of obnoxious transplants who have trust funds and get by bartending or waiting. The knowledge that we’re about a month and half away from living in this area is exciting, especially with how quickly the time down here seems to go by.
After our “discovery” of the rest of the island, my hunt for my own wheels has a little more urgency. And after two really good interviews last week, hopefully I will hear more about jobs this week. Regardless of what happens with these jobs, those interviews have made me really appreciate the decisions I made in college that are ultimately guiding my career path. Make sure your kids know the benefits of math and science, and tell them to become engineers. Seriously, as I watch my brothers job hunt, as great as art is for culture, but engineering will help you find a job. It also helps that I work mainly with water. As my dad always says, “You know they right now are saying that in the next 20 years, water is going to be more valuable then oil.” Seeing what is going on in the world, even just the states, I have no doubt in the truth of that statement (especially seeing how expensive water is down here).
So for the most part, this is a sit and wait week, and trying to get the unemployment monies my home state owes me. Hopefully I’ll have some good news soon.
After our “discovery” of the rest of the island, my hunt for my own wheels has a little more urgency. And after two really good interviews last week, hopefully I will hear more about jobs this week. Regardless of what happens with these jobs, those interviews have made me really appreciate the decisions I made in college that are ultimately guiding my career path. Make sure your kids know the benefits of math and science, and tell them to become engineers. Seriously, as I watch my brothers job hunt, as great as art is for culture, but engineering will help you find a job. It also helps that I work mainly with water. As my dad always says, “You know they right now are saying that in the next 20 years, water is going to be more valuable then oil.” Seeing what is going on in the world, even just the states, I have no doubt in the truth of that statement (especially seeing how expensive water is down here).
So for the most part, this is a sit and wait week, and trying to get the unemployment monies my home state owes me. Hopefully I’ll have some good news soon.
Monday, July 20, 2009
First Visitors
So a decision has been made, and now plans need to be finalized. I’m staying in the islands. Seems to be some work out there, though I have not found it yet, but the good news is that I’m pretty sure I qualify to be professionally licensed while back home I still needed one more year of experience. That certainly calms one of my biggest worries about moving down here. Also, my parents are starting to get over the fact that I now plan on living down here, and have agreed that my brother renting my place back home would be the best option (though he’ll only be paying slightly more then 1/3 of my mortgage in rent), he still has yet to find a job now that he’s graduated college. Hopefully he’ll broaden his search beyond using his studio art major to find a job.
So this weekend, a fraternity brother and three other friends are coming to visit. They are stopping by to see us for one night before heading to a campsite on another island close by for the rest of the week. I’m pretty excited about this for a couple reasons. First, it will be nice to see some friends, and second, its giving me a reason to cook. Though its nothing I haven’t made before, I haven’t bought chicken down here yet. So we’ll make some jerk chicken, peas (red beans and rice), and some fried plantains and sweet potatoes. I like to think this will be better then what they’d get at one of the local bars, and certainly a lot cheaper.
So this weekend, a fraternity brother and three other friends are coming to visit. They are stopping by to see us for one night before heading to a campsite on another island close by for the rest of the week. I’m pretty excited about this for a couple reasons. First, it will be nice to see some friends, and second, its giving me a reason to cook. Though its nothing I haven’t made before, I haven’t bought chicken down here yet. So we’ll make some jerk chicken, peas (red beans and rice), and some fried plantains and sweet potatoes. I like to think this will be better then what they’d get at one of the local bars, and certainly a lot cheaper.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Holiday
So today the free internet was closed for the holiday, so are most of my potential employers. So today was like an extra day of vacation for me. So I woke up at 6:30 with C to make her breakfast before work, conviced her to lotion my back so I’d have atleast some sunscreen on my back today and found myself on the beach by 8:30. It’s a lot cooler today then it was yesterday, and I also took the day off from running up this ridiculous hill, so that helped. I was a little surprised to be really the only person down on the beach, especially since there are hotel rooms right up on the beach, but I guess its the off season right now. I finished my book by 9:30, so I had a more time to think while I sat at the beach.
I’m starting to sway more strongly to the opinion to say f*ck it, rent my place back home, and take my chances with the job that may or may not be open in the fall. I’ve seen a few listings for wait staff and bartenders at some local hotels. With my savings, rent, and either unemployment or whatever I’d make as a bartender/waiter, C and I should be able to get by for a while down here. And if/when I do get the other job, we’ll have more money to do some fun stuff/stow away in an a savings account. Doing something like this would definitely be something out of the ordinary for me, but I am really starting to see this as a life experience I simply can’t pass up. Not to mention the strain me living several plane flights away and neither C or I having any vacation from our jobs for 6 months. Then, in the back of my mind, I think about my friend Chris, who C drunkenly suggested to one night should move down to the islands with us. The day after she suggested that, I had to sit down and think about whether or not that would be a good idea or bad idea, and the positives simply outweighed the negatives. Chris has never really left hometown, even going to a college in town. I’ve said for awhile that he needs to get out of town for his own good, and not many opportunities like this have come his way. I’d feel bad if I don’t stay down here just for him, though I know he’d understand.
Sorry this is scattered, but what I have been really battling with down here is whether just leaving everything at home would be completely irresponsible. Financially, there is almost no question it would be irresponsible. I would be leaving an area with a cheaper cost of living, a car I bought not more then 3 months ago, a mortgage, and a larger job market. Down here, the cost of living is sky high, I’ll have to repay a very generous interest free loan from the government, face taxes on my rent “revenue” (because the housing market sucks right now, and I would lose a ton if I sold), and then there’s the whole cost of moving down here. But, this potential job in the fall could be a very good experience and would send my career in a the direction I want it to go, rather then where the company at home would send me down (much like the former employer). All of this is weighing on my mind, but I’m starting to wonder if maybe it would be very irresponsible to not move down here. Since I’ve been old enough to really remember, I have never really lived further than an hour from my parents. College was an hour away, and my place is 20 minutes away, into the city. I tell C all the time that one of the things I love most about her, is her ability to push me to try new things. Without her, I’d probably be in my old routine of going to the gym, either watching tv or grabbing drinks with my neighbors, then in the fall, goto class or rugby practice after work. Weekends would be the same friends, going to the same bars. I enjoy that, but there’s more to life then that. Here, I’ll be meeting new people, trying new things every day. And theres the whole emotional issue. Neither C or I will have vacation for 6 months, maybe even longer for me depending when I start work. Outside of a friend’s wedding in August, we would not see each other for half a year. We’ve been together for a little over a year now, and that was long distance, though we were able to see each other almost every weekend. Now this would be 6 months with out seeing each other at all. So in the terms I tend to think in (numbers), how much is this life experience and being able to see C as much as I want vs. none at all worth to me. The more I think about it, the more I think I’d “give up” to stay down here. This is certainly not an easy decision, but I can’t imagine being able to live back home and not wondering what if and missing C like crazy. Is money worth being miserable? Sure it will be nice to have for the future, but what if I can’t handle that.
How did being able to buy a house in a buyers market turn into a bad thing? This decision would be a lot easier if I rented. Since this will be posted after writing, hope the Fourth was good for whoever managed to make it through my ramblings.
I’m starting to sway more strongly to the opinion to say f*ck it, rent my place back home, and take my chances with the job that may or may not be open in the fall. I’ve seen a few listings for wait staff and bartenders at some local hotels. With my savings, rent, and either unemployment or whatever I’d make as a bartender/waiter, C and I should be able to get by for a while down here. And if/when I do get the other job, we’ll have more money to do some fun stuff/stow away in an a savings account. Doing something like this would definitely be something out of the ordinary for me, but I am really starting to see this as a life experience I simply can’t pass up. Not to mention the strain me living several plane flights away and neither C or I having any vacation from our jobs for 6 months. Then, in the back of my mind, I think about my friend Chris, who C drunkenly suggested to one night should move down to the islands with us. The day after she suggested that, I had to sit down and think about whether or not that would be a good idea or bad idea, and the positives simply outweighed the negatives. Chris has never really left hometown, even going to a college in town. I’ve said for awhile that he needs to get out of town for his own good, and not many opportunities like this have come his way. I’d feel bad if I don’t stay down here just for him, though I know he’d understand.
Sorry this is scattered, but what I have been really battling with down here is whether just leaving everything at home would be completely irresponsible. Financially, there is almost no question it would be irresponsible. I would be leaving an area with a cheaper cost of living, a car I bought not more then 3 months ago, a mortgage, and a larger job market. Down here, the cost of living is sky high, I’ll have to repay a very generous interest free loan from the government, face taxes on my rent “revenue” (because the housing market sucks right now, and I would lose a ton if I sold), and then there’s the whole cost of moving down here. But, this potential job in the fall could be a very good experience and would send my career in a the direction I want it to go, rather then where the company at home would send me down (much like the former employer). All of this is weighing on my mind, but I’m starting to wonder if maybe it would be very irresponsible to not move down here. Since I’ve been old enough to really remember, I have never really lived further than an hour from my parents. College was an hour away, and my place is 20 minutes away, into the city. I tell C all the time that one of the things I love most about her, is her ability to push me to try new things. Without her, I’d probably be in my old routine of going to the gym, either watching tv or grabbing drinks with my neighbors, then in the fall, goto class or rugby practice after work. Weekends would be the same friends, going to the same bars. I enjoy that, but there’s more to life then that. Here, I’ll be meeting new people, trying new things every day. And theres the whole emotional issue. Neither C or I will have vacation for 6 months, maybe even longer for me depending when I start work. Outside of a friend’s wedding in August, we would not see each other for half a year. We’ve been together for a little over a year now, and that was long distance, though we were able to see each other almost every weekend. Now this would be 6 months with out seeing each other at all. So in the terms I tend to think in (numbers), how much is this life experience and being able to see C as much as I want vs. none at all worth to me. The more I think about it, the more I think I’d “give up” to stay down here. This is certainly not an easy decision, but I can’t imagine being able to live back home and not wondering what if and missing C like crazy. Is money worth being miserable? Sure it will be nice to have for the future, but what if I can’t handle that.
How did being able to buy a house in a buyers market turn into a bad thing? This decision would be a lot easier if I rented. Since this will be posted after writing, hope the Fourth was good for whoever managed to make it through my ramblings.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Day 2
Another day down here, another day I spent in the AC infront of the computer. Between compiling lists of companies that are hiring or I would cold call, perfecting my resume, and updating pictures on various photo sites, I’m finding my days as a fake productive. I get a few things done, but several are slowed just by the internet connection and the fact that I only a set amount of time each day with free internet. Between the last two days, I’ve spent between 5 and 8 hours on the computer trying to upload pictures from our trip down here and C’s last few days in states. There have been several attempted loads that have failed. So this is making me feel very unproductive. On the bright side of things, the job hunt is going well. On top of the potential work down here that came from my flight down here, a friend/former coworker forwarded my information and appears to be another job lead back home. As my dad keeps reminding me, my field is highly sought after. This is good news, and may supply leverage?? if people like me are in as high demand as I’ve come to understand.
So with time to think lately, I have come to the opinion that in the long run, I probably better off not working for the company that laid me off. I really enjoyed working for the company that hired me, but they were resistant to change within the company, and their sale was really the best for the company to keep from ultimately going under. We were told this new larger company was going to provide us was a lot of opportunity and resources. All I really saw was a lot of red tape from bureaucracy and mismanagement. The work mentality went from worrying about the final product to worrying about billing and accounting. I, and I imagine several others who were laid off were probably wronged by ineffective superiors. I’m going to stop my ramblings right now, I’m sure more will follow later. Also, C keeps reminding me she misses her bed she left at home. I miss that bed to, but I don’t think I want to go home.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Day 1 (part 2)
Not even noon, and a second post. Definitely a lot of time. So far I’ve only hit the hills, and didn’t last as long as I wanted. Seriously out of shape. May try again later today. Good news though, I already have been asked to meet for interview. Now just need to setup a where/when. Unfortunately it will not be until August, but it is through the gentleman C and I sat next to on our flight down to the islands. What kind of luck to be laid off one day, then sit on a plane next to the cofounder of a company in your field that works primarily where you’re significant other is moving to. This definitely has me in a good mood. Time to go figure out the laundry, figure out if there’s free wifi anywhere around here.
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