Here comes another day
I hate these sorts of days. I semi-wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. It happens around once a week, but usually I'm able to read for a while then get another hour or two of sleep. Today's even worse -- I made the mistake of opening my eyes and realized the dawn had arrived. It was 6:00, and although it was more than an hour before my real "get up time," (I don't wake up until at least 10, ever... but I do have to get up and go to work before 10), I knew sleepy time was over.
So I've been flipping through the news and blogs I like to check out, and listening to classic hip-hop, and I figured I'd write something a little different here from the usual complaints about current events.
I work in an American call center. Sure, we do stuff from Europe, too, but it's mostly American and our parent company is American. I work in Recruitment. That is, I work on hiring people to work in the call center.
I figured out not too long ago that one of the reasons I don't hate my job is that I get to do interviews. I get to ask people questions... and even if they're questions like "What's your dream job?" or "How do you think you'll handle it if someone starts screaming and yelling at you?" it's fun to listen to the answers.
It's not journalism, to be sure, but it's still getting to be nosy and getting paid for it.
But I don't love my job, either.
And the thing is, most of us crazy Americans who made aliyah don't seem to love our jobs.
Most of us left something certain or almost-certain to come here... to a country where we don't speak the language well... where just living day-to-day is literally a life-or-death gamble... where we're thousands of miles away from the family and friends we've left behind.
And even though trying to make ends meet in this country is almost impossible, the majority of those who come, stay.
Why?
Honestly, sometimes I've no idea.
Then I'll be on the bus, and I'll see a mother hand over her baby to a complete stranger while she goes and pays the driver.
Or I'll see the blind guy trying to cross the street and see the five guys yelling "Do you need help?" "Where are you trying to go?" and practically pushing each other out of the way to make sure the blind guy is okay.
Or I'll see the street cleaner with the kippah and tzitzit and remember that here, Jews do what we need to do in order to live in our own country.
So I'll go to another draggy day at work today, and remember that even if it's not my dream job, I'm a Jew in my country, and I, too, will do what I need to do in order to live here.
So I've been flipping through the news and blogs I like to check out, and listening to classic hip-hop, and I figured I'd write something a little different here from the usual complaints about current events.
I work in an American call center. Sure, we do stuff from Europe, too, but it's mostly American and our parent company is American. I work in Recruitment. That is, I work on hiring people to work in the call center.
I figured out not too long ago that one of the reasons I don't hate my job is that I get to do interviews. I get to ask people questions... and even if they're questions like "What's your dream job?" or "How do you think you'll handle it if someone starts screaming and yelling at you?" it's fun to listen to the answers.
It's not journalism, to be sure, but it's still getting to be nosy and getting paid for it.
But I don't love my job, either.
And the thing is, most of us crazy Americans who made aliyah don't seem to love our jobs.
Most of us left something certain or almost-certain to come here... to a country where we don't speak the language well... where just living day-to-day is literally a life-or-death gamble... where we're thousands of miles away from the family and friends we've left behind.
And even though trying to make ends meet in this country is almost impossible, the majority of those who come, stay.
Why?
Honestly, sometimes I've no idea.
Then I'll be on the bus, and I'll see a mother hand over her baby to a complete stranger while she goes and pays the driver.
Or I'll see the blind guy trying to cross the street and see the five guys yelling "Do you need help?" "Where are you trying to go?" and practically pushing each other out of the way to make sure the blind guy is okay.
Or I'll see the street cleaner with the kippah and tzitzit and remember that here, Jews do what we need to do in order to live in our own country.
So I'll go to another draggy day at work today, and remember that even if it's not my dream job, I'm a Jew in my country, and I, too, will do what I need to do in order to live here.
posted by M at 07:22
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