Yesterday was my first day of training at my new job. Sadly The Sasquatch, my truck, still needs a new fuel filter, which means I rode my bike there. Now I like Google maps for the most part. They have been incredibly helpful and reliable! HOWEVER yesterday Google maps failed me. I also learned the incredible benefits of my work history and actually having a strong work ethic.
Training was scheduled to begin at 11am. Apparently I was more stressed about taking the new job than I realized because I got barely any sleep the night before. I hauled out my bike and started just after 9:30 am, believing that would give me plenty of time to get to the Adult Care Facility and to change in to appropriate clothing (workout clothes are not work approved!). According to Google maps the distance was 8.5 miles from my house and should take around 45 minutes. Directions in hand, I made my way. Past schools, one working dairy farm, and numerous houses and businesses, I fought my way up steep hills (I didn't even THINK about the hills I had to face! Ugh!)
Now here is where things came together for a very interesting morning:
there was literally no food at my house besides a frozen lasagna dinner and a can of spaghetti sauce- so no breakfast and nothing to pack for my lunch. I was hoping to meet up with the owner or at least talk with him after I was offered the job to get directions, phone numbers and important information, this never happened. Instead I talked to their HR representative who didn't know these things (weird right?).
Hungry and frustrated I couldn't seem to find the road Google maps had directed me to take. So I began biking down the main road back and forth hoping to find the mysterious turn I was supposed to make. I called the HR rep as she was only person I had any number for after looking around for nearly a half hour. This particular area I was in is not "bicycle friendly" and cars and trucks were whizzing past me, far closer than I was comfortable with! The HR rep couldn't give me directions and told me to call the house or the owner, both I didn't have numbers for. She texted the house number to me, only after I miraculously found the right road (by this time I had biked an additional 3 or more miles). I made it to the job with two minutes to spare. Legs shaking, about to burst into tears from the frustration and stress, and freezing cold I was welcomed in by a VERY sweet manager.
Things went much better after that point. Except for the part where I was there from 11am-7pm and was ravenously hungry. I ate an apple they graciously gave me and a cup of soup- but nearing the end of my shift my head was throbbing and my body was weak. Night had fallen and I made my precarious bike ride home, praying desperately that God would prevent me getting hit by any cars! I made it home alive. But I could barely make it the last hundred yards to my house. Stumbling in the door I put some water on to boil and quickly tried to make some noodles.
Impressions of the first day:
I have a great manager to work with, and the residents all seem like good people who will probably try to mess with me while I'm on my own (but in a friendly, teasing way). My experience as a janitor, manager, director, and secretary are all going to come in handy here! I will be cleaning LOTS, overseeing 6 residents, recording everything I do and that is needed to be done, as well as each residents' activities, etc. I'll be planning each days' activities and trying to juggle all of that with any surprise needs that may arise. But I am used to pretty much everything that is required of me. The stories I was told about some of their former employees were surprising to me, the things they were missing are pretty common sense things- hopefully my organizational skills, high communication standards, and love of people will shine through!
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