I just got back today from a trip home for Christmas. While visiting with friends and family, I realized just how much I have changed and grown since I moved to Dublin. When visiting with friends, they all talked about work a lot. Since I used to work with many of them, it was nice to catch up with them about what was going on at my former employer, which also made me feel better about my decision to leave.
I also saw the friend that I was going to go work for had I not moved to Ireland. She works about 70 hours a week and has little time for anything else. She realizes that this is too much but can't seem to work less or say no to people. Had I not moved, that would have been me as well. That was me (ok, more like 50-60 hours a week) before I moved. Now I have balance in life. I don't think that I could go back to the workaholic ways. More importantly, I don't want to go back to being a workaholic. I am a far more balanced person and have a better quality of life here. People are always surprised that my quality of life is better in Dublin but we are focussed on making the most out of life.
The other thing that struck me while home is that I am between worlds. I don't really fit in at home anymore because I have changed. I also don't really fit into Irish society yet. My word choices have changed and of course people at home found it amusing to hear me talk now. I really don't know how to explain the feeling of being between cultures. I tried to explain it to a couple people but wasn't really successful. The best I can say is that I have started to adopt some Irish attitudes but haven't fully acculturated yet.
While home, a lot of people asked if we were moving back when my work authorization is up in May 2007. It was difficult to tell people that we don't plan to move back. We don't really have any plans. We are just going with the flow. If we get homesick, we'll move back. Otherwise, we'll keep enjoying our Irish experiences. Actually, this is another massive change in me. I used to plan everything. I used to have a definite plan for my career. Now, I still have the goal but if I don't get there, I believe in what I am doing. I believe in my work more than I did at home. At home, I was helping people. Here I feel like I am making more of a difference and that is why I went into the field.
Happy New Year all and thank you loyal (and new) readers!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Made it to google!
Periodically, I do a google search for my blog. I have never found it before even though it should be there since it is a blogger account (affiliated with google). One of my friends said that she had googled my blog and that it was way down on the list but there. Today, I did a google search and my blog was first! The description had an old entry, but it linked to the whole blog (not just the entry)!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Adventures in "Customer Service"
After leaving work today, I had to go do some last minute shopping. I am not a huge fan of shopping in Dublin because the customer service is usually bad. By bad, I mean employees may ignore me or be downright rude.
Before heading home, I went to the train station. I had purchased a one-day bus and train ticket earlier this month but hadn't used it. The tickets similar to these I have purchased before were from the bus company. So, I went to put my ticket in the ticket machine to let me into the area so that I could go to the platform to wait for the train. I put the card in. It beeped and said something about being expired. I looked closer at my ticket. It had a date stamped on it that was the date I got it. Since I was late for my chiropractor appointment, I just paid in cash to get on the train.
When leaving the chiropractor office, I told the man at the train station about the ticket. He said that the train company (who I purchased this one from) always stamps a date on their tickets. If it was not today's date, there was nothing I could do. He also asked me why I purchased it for that day. I tried to explain that no one told me it was for a specific day and when you get the tickets from the bus company, they don't have a date on them. Basically, he expected me to somehow know that there would be a date on the ticket even though in the past there hadn't been. He then explained that the bus and train are different companies and therefore do things differently. He would not let me on the train without paying an additional fee. Therefore, I am out 8.50 because the train company does things differently than the bus company and I am expected by the train company to know when I plan to use a ticket that should be able to be used for a day of my choosing (without advance planning).
Anyway, after getting into city centre and going to the bank, I went to my next errand. I went into the mobile phone store to get a charger and try to get my phone unlocked so that I could make calls and send texts while I am in America. I waited in line (with the people behind me so close that they kept bumping into me) to explain what I wanted. The woman took my phone, looked at it a bit, and then turned it off. She took out the battery and said that it wasn't the right type of phone to work in America. She then got another guy who said that the only way I could use a phone of theirs in America was if I had monthly bill pay (I pay as I use the phone). He said that there was no roaming agreement with the U.S. and this is clearly stated online. He said that Vodaphone has never had a roaming agreement with the US even though multiple people in other stores have told me otherwise. He was not going to do anything to my phone (even though it is locked to not allow me to make certain calls like those in the U.S.). He just kept saying the same things over and over in a more agitated way. I rolled my eyes and then turned to the woman and told her that I still needed my phone charger.
While I was waiting to pay for the phone charger, a woman tried to return her phone. The salesperson asked why she wanted to return the phone. The customer tried to explain. The sales lady then turned to another salesperson and asked if he could understand the customer because she couldn't understand a word the customer was saying. She said this in front of the customer! The customer still tried to explain why she didn't want the phone. When this didn't work because the sales lady just kept saying "huh" or "wha?" she started using one or two word answers.
On a more positive note, the rest of my shopping went better.
On an update, I can definitely receive phone calls and texts while in America. I haven't tried sending anything yet. Vodaphone may be sophisticated enough to not let me do that...
Before heading home, I went to the train station. I had purchased a one-day bus and train ticket earlier this month but hadn't used it. The tickets similar to these I have purchased before were from the bus company. So, I went to put my ticket in the ticket machine to let me into the area so that I could go to the platform to wait for the train. I put the card in. It beeped and said something about being expired. I looked closer at my ticket. It had a date stamped on it that was the date I got it. Since I was late for my chiropractor appointment, I just paid in cash to get on the train.
When leaving the chiropractor office, I told the man at the train station about the ticket. He said that the train company (who I purchased this one from) always stamps a date on their tickets. If it was not today's date, there was nothing I could do. He also asked me why I purchased it for that day. I tried to explain that no one told me it was for a specific day and when you get the tickets from the bus company, they don't have a date on them. Basically, he expected me to somehow know that there would be a date on the ticket even though in the past there hadn't been. He then explained that the bus and train are different companies and therefore do things differently. He would not let me on the train without paying an additional fee. Therefore, I am out 8.50 because the train company does things differently than the bus company and I am expected by the train company to know when I plan to use a ticket that should be able to be used for a day of my choosing (without advance planning).
Anyway, after getting into city centre and going to the bank, I went to my next errand. I went into the mobile phone store to get a charger and try to get my phone unlocked so that I could make calls and send texts while I am in America. I waited in line (with the people behind me so close that they kept bumping into me) to explain what I wanted. The woman took my phone, looked at it a bit, and then turned it off. She took out the battery and said that it wasn't the right type of phone to work in America. She then got another guy who said that the only way I could use a phone of theirs in America was if I had monthly bill pay (I pay as I use the phone). He said that there was no roaming agreement with the U.S. and this is clearly stated online. He said that Vodaphone has never had a roaming agreement with the US even though multiple people in other stores have told me otherwise. He was not going to do anything to my phone (even though it is locked to not allow me to make certain calls like those in the U.S.). He just kept saying the same things over and over in a more agitated way. I rolled my eyes and then turned to the woman and told her that I still needed my phone charger.
While I was waiting to pay for the phone charger, a woman tried to return her phone. The salesperson asked why she wanted to return the phone. The customer tried to explain. The sales lady then turned to another salesperson and asked if he could understand the customer because she couldn't understand a word the customer was saying. She said this in front of the customer! The customer still tried to explain why she didn't want the phone. When this didn't work because the sales lady just kept saying "huh" or "wha?" she started using one or two word answers.
On a more positive note, the rest of my shopping went better.
On an update, I can definitely receive phone calls and texts while in America. I haven't tried sending anything yet. Vodaphone may be sophisticated enough to not let me do that...
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Training: what to do
I have gone to many different types of training. One thing that annoys me during presentations is poor organization. So, here are my suggestions on how to give a better presentation:
+ Use lots of visuals
+ If you are going to give a copy of your PowerPoint presentation as a handout, either follow it or tell the audience that you aren't going to follow it
+ Don't jump all around your power point presentation. I know, this is really the same as the last one but it annoys me
+ Give movement/stretch breaks
+ Do case studies/practical activities to illustrate your points
+ Give lots of practical suggestions on how this could directly relate to one's work
+ Provide a schedule of the events for the day
+ Allow time for discussion and facilitate discussion of the topic
+ When using PowerPoint, do more than read your slides. I can read your slides. I want you to expound on what is on the slides
+ Put key information on the handouts
+ Use lots of visuals
+ If you are going to give a copy of your PowerPoint presentation as a handout, either follow it or tell the audience that you aren't going to follow it
+ Don't jump all around your power point presentation. I know, this is really the same as the last one but it annoys me
+ Give movement/stretch breaks
+ Do case studies/practical activities to illustrate your points
+ Give lots of practical suggestions on how this could directly relate to one's work
+ Provide a schedule of the events for the day
+ Allow time for discussion and facilitate discussion of the topic
+ When using PowerPoint, do more than read your slides. I can read your slides. I want you to expound on what is on the slides
+ Put key information on the handouts
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Tourists be Gone!
While we toured the fortress in Salzburg, we came across an armory room. When we walked to the other side of the room, we saw that the spears were being thrown at a video of tourists!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Christmas Markets
As I mentioned in a previous post, we went to Salzburg for the Christmas markets and we spent lots of time at them. They were quite a bit bigger than Munich's market last year which was nice. The markets are also spread out around the old town. There is one main market that is by Dom Platz. However, there are also little markets/stalls around the city so you find little mini markets while wandering around.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
In Salzburg as well as Dublin, that is. Salzburg was decorated beautifully for Christmas. There were Nativity scenes in front of the Residenz Platz and a few other places in the city. There were lights all over. People got to ice skate. John took the ice skating picture and that blur is a person skating.
Salzburg
Last weekend, we went to Salzburg Austria to check out their Christmas markets. The city was beautiful and we did a bit of site seeing as well. We were a bit disappointed that some sites closed quite early, though (like 2:30 early).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
