Working Girl

I love being busy. I am not the type of girl hanging around the house all day wondering what to do with her time. That’s why I am happy to have a job. Well, two.

No, really, it is a great thing. Money doesn’t grow on trees and those books don’t come for free. Also, Yuki (my darling baby dog) and me could use some food every week.

In September, I applied for a tutoring job. It’s all about pampering the freshmen whose major is the same as yours. It was an amazing opportunity as I want to become a teacher. Also, it was a big step for me as I was just starting to get better. The beginning was a little scary, both because I wasn’t sure I was qualified for it (still not sure I am!) and because I had only been back at university for a couple of weeks. But it was worth it. It still is.
Once or twice a week (depending on the subsidies we get for the semester) I sit in a room and do my best to explain what’s expecting of first-year students in English studies. I usually write dozens of exercise sheets and lose the babies in the Big Frightening Grammar Labyrinth. I am thoroughly enjoying this. There is no better feeling that when you explain something step by step and see a light of understanding in the student’s eyes.

But an hour a week doesn’t pay the hairdresser bills so I decided to look for another job. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t find anything. I didn’t want to go back to being a cashier (worst two years of my life) so I checked daily for any kind of job, secretly wishing I could find one that did not require me smiling all day to very impolite people.

I am now a proud data input clerk in charge of all the drugstores in my area. Equipped with a bar code scanner, I move from shelf to shelf to count every medicine tablet, every medical equipment, every wheelchair, every feet cream and sore throat sweets until I can no longer read what’s on them. Basically, it takes forever. You never see the end of it. But the real downside to this job is the hours. I am aware the hours make it a very convenient position for students, but working from 6pm to 1.30am is unnatural for me. My body doesn’t like it when I change our schedule. I haven’t had a good night of sleep since I started. Exhausted doesn’t even cover it. I look like a zombie.  Thankfully, I only work at the beginning and the end of each month, which means I have 2 or 3 weeks in between to get back into my routine (I am more of a “in bed at 10pm, up at 7am” kind of girl) before it gets crushed again.

Still, I love my jobs. Not so long ago, I thought I would never be able to work again like anybody else due to my health issues and anxiety, so I’m treasuring the time spent there, even when I’m only half awake. This was my big step of 2015 and I intend to keep it going this year. Yay for being a working girl!

This was a “Thank You Life” post from a girl who’s still recovering.