Keep your numbers to yourself

Every Tuesday morning there are weekly staff meetings. I used to hate Tuesday mornings because of these meetings. The meetings were spent with each person updating the group on what they were working on (even if it was part of their job description that they always did) but in the form of numbers. “We issued out 105 packages this week. On Monday we issued out 22, Tuesday, 34, etc., etc.” As someone that generally hates meetings, I could not understand why everything was broken down into numbers. I know the front desk staff work, I know the students work, I know that packages come in and packages go out. I necessarily do not need to know how many come and go, nor do I care. If we are going to talk about it, then at least present a problem that maybe we should discuss as a group or tell me a story about a lost package. Other than that, keep your numbers to yourself.

Due to a busy week a few weeks ago, I was allowed to come to the meeting late so I could update….you guessed it, so I could update our numbers. I had the opportunity to work on our wait list numbers during the meeting so I could update them during the meeting. I walked in and made my weekly update of how many applications we had received, how many contracts I had received and how many people were still on the wait list. A few minutes later, someone was updating the team on their numbers when the director interrupted them to tell me “Oh, you can go back to your desk.” WOW. I was insulted but pleasantly pleased at the same time. You could have told me before “just come in to announce the numbers and then you can get back to work.” But he did not need to basically dismiss me in front of everyone while interrupting someone else. I just found that to be petty and unprofessional. 

The director and I did not get along. I was in favor of not replicating the work that I had already done and throwing out/shredding the things that I no longer needed. The director was very particular apparently on how things were handled in the office. Once I received a contract in the mail, I was told to keep the empty envelopes and that they would also be filed away with the contracts. WHY? Those files are packed so full in the filing cabinet that not only do I rip my cuticles but so do the student staff that are in and out of them much more often than I am. Once the students checked the envelopes, I double checked them to make sure a check wasn’t left behind before I moved it in a bin to be thrown out. Too bad they notified me of this policy a couple days after I started tossing the envelopes out. I apologized and said, “of course. I’ll keep them here (pointing to a box on the floor of the ones I was about to throw out) and take care of them later.” They are still in a couple of boxes under my desk to be filed. 

The next Tuesday I heard the two ladies outside my office getting ready to go to the meeting 10 minutes early. The meeting is about 25 feet away so I thought it was odd that they were leaving so early. But then I dismissed it thinking that maybe they were going to get coffee or maybe they were going to set up something for the meeting. “Oh well,” I thought to myself, “I’ll finish this then go.” With my coffee in hand, I walked into the conference room to find it completely empty. I asked the student staff “are we not meeting?” And they replied “oh, everyone went to the student union center for the meeting.” And sure enough behind me, everyone BUT me was signed out of the building as going to the student union center.  They all ditched me. In an office of adults that are all respectively older than me, I was ditched and no one cared to tell me. I used that time to catch up with everything I needed to do so I was grateful.

The week after that, before the meeting I asked my immediate supervisor, (not the director that had dismissed me the first time) if I had to still go to the meetings. He told me “the consensus is that your time would be better spent than doing contracts.” Well sir, I agree with you there and can catch up on a lot during the meetings. So while everyone is out of the office, I sneak around the office like James Bond moving the envelopes that the contracts were mailed in to the bin to be shredded. Now I look forward to Tuesday morning meetings. Peaking around corners and tip toeing around to throw out envelopes makes my Tuesday mornings more interesting and still allows me to yes take care of those envelopes under my desk.

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

At my retail job, I like watching and interacting with couples registering for their wedding. Let me clarify. I like watching couples that I think will make it register for their wedding. I feel that the couples that come in excited, with a smile on their face and spend hours in the store picking out items for their life together will have the tenacity to stay together. They don't need to be all over each other, they don't have to physically touch, or be verbally lovey dovey. I think the only thing they need is to enjoy spending time together, even if it's doing the most mundane tasks...like picking out silverware, they just have to enjoy each other.

"Could my son come by and visit and try and woo you?"

A mom called me very anxious and panic stricken to ask about the status of her youngest son attending the university. She self-diagnosed herself as a “chronic-panicer” and “constant-worrier”. Her youngest son is to be freshmen and applied after the deadline for priority housing.  She explained that she already had an older son attending the university and was already in housing.

The overly anxious mom began asking me a series of questions to where I have stock piled answers because they are the same questions I’ve been getting asked for the last month. Because I tend to know which questions will be asked, I tend to include additional information in the hopes that I will answer their question before they ask it. In the middle of every answer I was giving her, she would interrupt me and say “ok, so let me ask you another question.” STOP interrupting me and I will answer your question. I was JUST getting to that.

After all was said and done, she was not happy that her son was in the 400s on the waiting list. I tried my best to calm her down. But do you know how difficult it is to calm down a chronic-panicer? She was making me nervous and I was the one that was almost positive that he would get a spot later down the line. She asked me, “if you were talking to your mom right now, how would you tell her to proceed?” And I responded with “I would tell my mom to calm down and let’s just wait until we see how many people return their contracts and how many more contracts will be offered before I start thinking about other options.” And believe me, I’ve said similar things to my mom. I am that person that will wait to get all the information in front of me and then make a decision. I find it ridiculous to make decisions before all the facts are known. She then physically had to calm herself down and said “yeah, we’ll just have to see what happens next week.” 

Then, this very anxious, nerve-wracked mom asked if there was anything else she could do. “No, I will send you an email on the 21^st updating you of everything.” “You know Elizabeth, my oldest son lives on campus still. Would it be worth him coming to visit you? You know, he’s very cute. Could he possibly come visit you and perhaps try to woo you ? You know, maybe bring you some baked goods. He’s a good looking guy.” WHAT? Was this mom seriously trying to pimp out her son to me? That was a very BOLD gesture and she must have thought of this before to have mentioned it at the top of her head in that moment so easily. “Uh, no. It’s ok. I have good faith that your younger son will be getting a contract and that is not necessary. And I’m not a baked goods kind of girl but I do really like Starbucks while we are on the subject.” “Ok Elizabeth, that is very good to know. I look forward to hearing from you next week.”  “Yes, we will talk next week, and please do not pimp out your son to anyone ever again. Have a great day.”

Baristas and morning meetings

When I first started working at my new university, my the mornings were chilly and my office was even colder. I would stop on my way to work to get a Starbucks, an upside down caramel macchiato, and drive into work and sip on my coffee quietly throughout the morning. One day, I was extremely hungry and walked into a little market in the morning to get something to eat. The barista inside told me that he could make anything that Starbucks could make. And I told him I would take him up on that challenge and the next day I gave him the chance. I asked him for an upside down caramel macchiato. He tried his best. He really did....but as he watched me try his creation, I could barely stop my face from betraying the bitterness I tasted inside that coffee cup. However, the little market was so boring, and so quiet that the next day I had to go back to keep him from dying of boredom and if not to give him a second chance at the coffee making. And then it dawned on me, if my little barista was so bored and lonely, he could make the drinks exactly how I wanted. He had the time, and the sweet vibe to devote to my particular coffee tastes. So the next day, I went in and offered a suggestion on how I would like my coffee and he did it for me. At times, it was as if I had my own personal barista because no one would come in and he had all the time in the world to experiment with things that I liked or would want to try. Sometimes he reminds me of the guy in the movie Amelie, that is a little off and takes his time picking out the perfect fruits for the customers. My little barista attempts little bar tricks and puts on a show. He is such a character that I walk away with a smile on my face and ready to come back the next morning to watch his performance. It is pretty awesome.

Our conversations grew from coffee to work and life. He found out that I worked in Housing and he asked me specifically "do you get asked a lot of stupid questions?" Me? Asked stupid questions? Only everyday of my life. Each day I bring him a new question or a new story. After a week of not visiting him today was my first day back. It was as if he was waiting for me. He gave me a list of stupid questions he gets asked as a psychology major. This was a new step in our barista/customer relationship.

Even though I didn't get coffee everyday, I used to make sure to get a coffee from my barista every Tuesday for a weekly 2.5 hour meeting. I am not a meeting person, especially when I am on a temp assignment and much of the information in the other 2.25 hours of the meeting do not concern me. During the meeting I drew little doodles to keep myself awake. Coming from another university's housing department I would offer suggestions on what my old university did to perhaps help the new department out. My suggestions were often taken with a nod and with a tone of "let's move on." A couple of weeks ago with my warm coffee in hand, I walked into the conference room late due to working and updating some lists to report the most accurate information. Right after my update, the director asked me to leave and go back to my desk and work. Uh, awkward but very grateful because I had a lot of work to do. The next week, again with my coffee in hand, I walk into the conference room to find it completely empty. The student workers informed me that everyone had gone to the meeting at the student union center. Did that mean if no one told me about the meeting that I didn't have to go? The students all agreed and I was able to catch up on a lot of work. The next week, I asked my supervisor "so since last week I wasn't told about the meeting, does that mean I don't have to go anymore?" My supervisor, who I have a lot of respect for told me "yeah, the consensus is that you should focus on license agreements." I was insulted but pleased at the same time that I no longer was required to attend these pointless meetings where one topic lasted an hour. I have never had to bite my tongue so hard and for so long and keep myself restrained from sharing my thoughts, ideas and acknowledgements as I am during these meetings. I understood the body language from the director that my ideas were not welcomed and I was only here to work. On that note, as it is Tuesday, I will get back to enjoying the silence, my coffee and the company of the student workers around me.

An update after Europe

After I returned from Europe (which I still have posts and thoughts I never finished writing about) I began a job hunt, well more like a career hunt since I had my master's degree and was looking for something permanent. A week of unemployment turned into two,  and two turned into a couple of months. To pass the time, I interviewed and got a job at a retail store for the Christmas season and have now become a permanent fixture until I can find something better suited for me. During the Christmas season the job was fun, fast-paced and always something going on. After Christmas, I never realized what a drag retail was. Now I understood why when you walked into a store so many people greeted you...it's not because they want to provide you with great customer service, or necessarily work off commission...it is because they are truly bored. I would spend my slow days DYING for someone to talk to me. It didn't matter about what, as long as you spoke to me and we had a conversation about anything besides glass, I was the happiest kid in the world. And now when I go into other retail stores on a slow day, I wonder if those poor retail associates would appreciate a conversation as much as I would or if I should leave them to be lost in their thoughts.

Towards the end of my seasonal employment, I received a call from a temp agency asking me if I would be interested in working at another university in the Southern California area. I jumped at the opportunity! Especially since resume upon resume had been sent out and interview upon interview had started to take it's course on me and my self-esteem. However, the caveat was that it was in Housing. I left another university with the clear purpose of "I just don't want to do housing anymore" but I took the job since I would be contracted to work six months and it would provide me with the opportunity to apply for jobs outside of customer service and housing. I started in March and have been at my post for almost 2 months. One of the good things about my position is that I am learning another aspect of Housing such as contracting and room assignments that I did not have the opportunity to learn in my previous position. I also get to work with a new batch of students, and get to work with other student demographics that I had not had the opportunity to work with in the past. So all in all, I am gaining a new perspective and new experiences with this job. However, much of the politics are the same between this university and my old university. And some of the politics are new, so new and so absent mindedly crazy that it makes me miss my old university, old supervisor and old director and trust me, that is nothing I ever thought I would say. And those that have known me long enough, never thought I would miss my old university or department either.

At my previous university, with the exception of one, it took me a long time to get to know my co-workers. And I learned, years too late, that I am bad at small talk. I am not good at they "hey good morning, how was your weekend?" routine that Monday mornings bring. My old co-workers understood that, recognized that and acknowledged my presence but did not pressure me to indulge them with the boring details of my life. Here, at this university, I do not have that luxury. I have to sit at attention while people tell me about their weekends with their kids and their families while my answer to every question about my weekend is "Fine. I just worked at my other job." I know each place is different, and I have to mold myself to fit into my surroundings but I miss the role of being the knowledgeable wallflower that I once was at a university long ago.

"When you get an idea in your head, you find it in everything." - Victor Hugo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

As previously mentioned I had been reading books by authors of the countries I have visited. Upon arriving in Paris I bought The Hunchback of Notre Dame for a very reasonable price. I read about half way before I lost it on the plane from Paris to Milan. I am very sad since I had gotten so many quotes that I liked. But moving on....

 I just finished my crepe and am still working on my iced coffee but I am currently sitting at a cafe in the Quartier Latin section of Paris listening to some accordionists play for the tourists in the street. Other than the language, I feel a bit French. The musicians just started playing in the street and I love it. I loved it so much I had to pull out my iPad to tell you all how much I loved it. 

Today I woke up, made myself a hotdog and brie baguette sandwich and was off to see Notre Dame. On the train, on the way there, I read the chapter of the book that breaks down the origins of Notre Dame and what the city looked like all those years ago. I think if I wasn't about to actually experience what Victor Hugo was talking about, I wouldn't have been as interested. I remember studying Notre Dame in high school. In 10th grade to be exact in my World Cultures class but I don't remember why it was so important. I remember learning about the rose stained glass window but don't remember why I had to learn it. Something to look up later. Anyway, to go inside Notre Dame is free. However to climb up of course it is not. Despite how much I wanted to based on the fact that I just finished reading the chapter entitled "A Bird's Eye-View of Paris" I am on a strict budget while I am still in Europe. I walked in towards the end of a mass and took a seat towards the back. As I listened in French (not understanding at all) I took a look around and liked it but didn't love it. Maybe if they had gargoyles inside as well as outside I would have loved it. But let's talk about those Gargoyles. They are super cute. I really like the one that looks pensively out at the skyline deep in thought. I have a postcard I sent home to remember it. Anyway, gargoyles=cute. 

After I went to Notre Dame I read the chapter in The Hunchback of Notre Dame about how the cathedral was filled with life while Quasimodo roamed the halls and rung the bells and (SPOILER!) when Quaismodo left, it was empty and the building itself was lonely. What's funny is that I thought that before I read it. The walls look empty, dark, lonely and maybe because of other cathedrals, the built in enclaves that line the walls are filled with rich stain glass windows or scultupres of scenes from the bible. I don't know waht the reason, but Notre Dame seems more sinister than other cathedrals I have visited.
 Then I went to the Quartier Latin section of Paris. The brochure from the tourist office sold it as an area for bookstores, shops and restaurants. Bookstores? I'm on my way. Uh....I haven't seen any bookstores. But what I did find, was food from around the world. Mexican food? Yeah, it's here. They completely sold it wrong. It should be shops, restaurants from all over the world and tourist items for sale. The area was developed by the university students and personnel who live near by. And it has that feel. I mean I love it and can probably stay here all day. But the area is small and probably won't be here more than a couple of hours. However, I decided to take a break and break my strict budget to enjoy  a crepe. I mean I'm in freakin' Paris. To not have a crepe here would have been stupid right? RIGHT! (and yes I did find a bookstore. I actually found the bookstore that caters to university students so it was fun to see their history books and how they viewed Americans through them. 

I also got caught out in the rain in a white tank top and purple bra so to not look like a slut, I sat on the steps of a church with this little old lady taking random pictures of the area in the different settings of my camera. I got some cool shots of the area and myself that way. 

Yesterday, I started my day by going to the train station at Chatelet Les Halles that I knew well as it was my primary station. I knew it was attached to a mall where there was a food court I needed to pass through to exit. I decided to go to this place that reminded me of Chipotle. It was decent but still not Mexican enough for me. But I did have rice which was nice overall. Anyway, I picked myself up a burrito and the plan was to go and eat it next to the river after I had walked to the Arc de Triumph. But from the station that I was at to the Arc it was SUPER far. However, I did walk down "one of the most beautiful streets in the world" per what the travel brochure said and reached the Arc at the end of it. I at my little burrito with the Arc de Triumph as my background. As I was enjoying my bit of food and relaxation this creepy young guy comes and sits down next to me. However, he ignores me and tries talking to the girls sitting on the bench behind me. His creepiness exuded from his pores and all of a sudden I felt like I was in Taken. I listened and watched the whole encounter just in case he was planning on kidnapping these girls. He soon left as they were ignoring him and the three of us watched him walk off and disappear in hopes that he went home and never showed himself to the world again. I promptly left after that. 

Anyway, I started to walk down towards the Eiffel Tower and found myself at a fountain that sat in front of the Eiffel Tower. There were lots of people swimming in this fountain. I found a spot in the sun and filled out my postcards. I didn't go up the Eiffel Tower either. Mostly because my feet were killing me and I knew I would have to walk some more. I then picked a direction and walked and found myself a "la fromagerie". For those of you that don't know what that means, it was a cheese shop! Mmmm the land of brie. I bought some brie and a baguette and was ready to start living the French life. In Ireland my silly friend Kevin asked me "are you still obsessed with cheese?" Yes Kevin, I am and will always be obsessed with cheese. I went back to the Eiffel Tower at night because it lights up once an hour on the hour and watched it sparkle as I ate my brie and baguette. Oh the life! 

I also went to the Louvre. I spent all day there. ALL DAY. I even ate inside the museum to be sure not to waste time and see everything. The Louvre gives  you a pamphlet too with a map and the top 6 things to see in each section. I used that as my primary guide but saw most of the museum. Most of the museum you say? Yes, most of it but obviously not in great detail. My favorite parts were the sculptures, the French and Italian ones to be exact. I could have stayed there all day, just in the sculpture area. I got a picture with the Mona Lisa too and that was super crowded. However, I might be crazy but it wasn't my favorite thing. I think its another famous thing that I just don't get. Maybe because I think sculptures in general are just more beautiful and difficult so I appreciate them more but the Mona Lisa cool to see but....eh. 

I also went to Moulin Rouge. I did not get tickets to see a show despite wanting to because it was soooooo expensive but the area was fun if you like sex shops and random sexual art. There is also an exotic museum on the street (no I didn't go in) if you are so inclined. But if you want sex toys or films of any kind, they are there for you to choose from any number of stores. They are also gay and lesbian friendly which made me a little happy to know that they do not discriminate. 

There was so much graffiti in Paris by the way. I think more than any other city. I didn't see any in Ireland and if there was, it was not good enough for me to take a picture. I would complain to Kevin about it and he apologized for his country's delinquents and that they weren't delinquent enough. London there was none but I think that is because they cleaned it up for the Olympics. I also heard that they had graffiti parks too but didn't see any to confirm that all the graffiti might be in a park. 

Paris also has a basilica which isn't super impressive in the inside but I loved the outside and the surrounding area. The area is very artsy with people painting pictures of Paris or portraits for you to buy with restaurants and cute little shops. It was really cool to watch these artists work or to see their interpretations of the city in their art. I think that was my favorite part of Paris and made me feel like yes, this is the Paris that everyone talks about. That area and the basilica had some amazing views of the city. 

"For good and evil do not exist in themselves, each is simply the absence of the other." Jose Saramago

Jose Saramago is a Portuguese author. I picked up his book "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" in Lagos after walking into the bookstore and asking for a Portuguese author. In Italy I hadn't had time to read, but in Ireland I read James Joyce's the Dubliners, in England I read Sherlock Holmes so I thought that reading from a Portuguese author in Portugal would be a great idea. I wanted a Portuguese author to write about his travels or experiences in Portugal but I am enjoying this book. It won the Nobel Prize of Literature a few years ago so I had always known about it. It's difficult to read because the author does not break down the conversations and keeps them in very long paragraphs but it's still interesting. That is where the quote comes from for my blog post.

Riding into Lisbon on the bus we were in traffic. While in traffic I saw 2 car accidents. I felt like I was home!

Lisbon. Lisboa. I loved it. So in Faro and Lagos I mentioned that the streets weren't regular cement but were smaller smooth stones that created a pattern around the streets. Lisbon is much the same. They are super slippery so if you go, get shoes that have good traction. Anyway, much of the streets are lined with white stones and the black stones create the pattern. White and black are also the colors for Lisbon so it all fit. 

Coming into Lisbon from Lagos I kept thinking "this totally reminds me of San Francisco. Oh this looks like the Golden Gate Bridge". I later found out that the designer of the bridge in Portugal also designed the Golden Gate Bridge. Hmm no wonder it looked familiar. Anyway, Lisbon apparently is one of the oldest cities in Europe if not the oldest because of its location on the Atlantic. It was used as an advantage point and many a ships sailed from the Belem Tower for their Portuguese expeditions. I went by the Belem Tower and it was kind of cool and not what I would have imagined had someone told me "that's where they sailed all their expeditions from." I can't describe it but I liked visiting that area and realizing, they made history here. They literally made history by looking for something new. 

Lisbon's graffiti was pretty cool too. For those of you that don't know, I really like taking pictures of graffiti from the different places I have visited. Either it is significant of the city, beautiful and someone should notice it or completely random. Well in Lisbon it wasn't full on graffiti but they had paintings that covered the whole side of a building that were just beautiful and made the city feel beautiful. Also, I did not know this but Lisbon is known for their tiled buildings and tile as art. I have pictures as samples and brought a couple of pieces home. 

For those of you that don't know, I went to Portugal to try and discover my roots. My last name is Americanized Portuguese. Hundreds of immigrants that came through Ellis Island had their surnames changed or "Americanized" so that Americans had an easier time to pronounce and spell them. Many Americans assimilated and embraced this new identity. My family was amongst those hundreds of thousands that did. We believe that my great, great grandfather was illiterate and didn't know how to spell his last name of Amaral and it was Americanized to Emerald. I did some research in Italy to try and find out where my Italian family was from only to discover my Portuguese side was from Azores, the islands off the coast of Portugal. It was then decided I was going to Portugal. To travel to the islands was EXPENSIVE. No thank you madam, I do not have 700 euros (which would be about 1200 dollars) to travel for 4 days to the islands. Off season for me please. Either way, I would still travel to Lisbon to experience Portugal. 

In Lisbon, at my hostel, I told two guys of my quest to get my family coat of arms or a family crest. One guy who's name I never learned was really interested and wanted me to succeed because he wanted to do the same. He told me that John Emerald was probably João Amaral. But because Amaral was so common I should see if there is a second name like De Amaral or D'Amaral, etc. So with this new information I went back to looking and found that there was a Joao Amaral who sponsored a man and woman to come over from the islands and was born in the same year as my great great grandfather so it could be him. I tried to go to the registrars office in Lisbon to see if I could get a birth  certificate but alas because I did not speak the language no one was able or wanted to help me. So I will soon put my sister's Portuguese to use and have her inquire further once I return to California. Although I did not succeed in my quest for my family crest, my search is not over. 

One of the owners of the hostel kept trying to get me to talk to the other people at the hostel and kept introducing me to everyone. The group that she made me sit with were talking about smoking, tobacco and other drugs. Uh....I have nothing to contribute to that conversation. Anyway, at the hostel I did make a friend, Pedro. His second name is Tiago and I was like "Oh can I call you PT?" And he said "yes....but don't you think it sounds like pity?" "Oh....yeah Pedro it is then." Anyway, he was very cute and very nice and I enjoyed talking to him and getting to know him. He was asking me about things he had seen on TV and if it was true or not. Don't worry, we exchanged information and plan to be Facebook and emailing friends. And I have a friend to visit next time I'm in Portugal. He also made a special Portuguese meal for the people at the hostel if they wanted to contribute. It was really good with bread, clams, prawns, olive oil, salt, cilantro and I think that's it. We made a deal that when I returned to Portugal, he would then cook a special Portuguese dish with crab. He loves cooking so I was ok with that deal. Especially since I have already tried his cooking. And seafood is involved. I wish I could have taken a picture of him smelling the cilantro. I have never seen anyone so in love with the smell of fresh herbs in my life. After the owner saw that when Pedro wasn't working he would come and talk to me, she was like, ok I get it. So the moral of the story was you don't need to have a lot of friends, just one is enough if its the right person. I appreciated the time he took out to talk to me and keep me company and am glad to call him my friend. 

Anyway, he also was telling me that he came from Coimbra which is where there are 3 universities. I did not get to go, but as I was driving through at 2 in the morning, I wished I had. It looked so beautiful and just so like the college town that I would want to work and live in. I wish I can go back when they are in session and experience the Coimbra culture. 

Anyway, my trip to Portugal ended with me traveling up north to Porto and flying out of Porto to Paris. Oh Portugal you have a special place in my heart!