So I mentioned in my "I'm back" post that I had got and job and then subusquiently quit that job. Let me explain,
Since I am a EU citizin I can live and work in Europe visa free! What a wonderful blessing and opportunity. Being a "making ends meet" missionary the idead of finding a job had a alsways been on my mind. I would go around and apply every few months. I working in a friends waffle shop for a few months in spring 2010 until they had to close down. The Economy.
Then I'd try and find another job but it was hard as I would be gone for a month in the summer and for a month over Christmas. No one hired me. After I came back from Cali I asked around at a few shops but didn't hand in any CVs (resumes). Then I looked at my responsiblilities for church, the Neglias and counseling; and decided that a job mght not be practical. I prayed and asked God to provide just through support and gave up the job search. This was March.
Not two days (!) later did I
get a call from a friends mother. She was opening a cafe and wanted me to come work. I had actually spoken to her way back in September of 2010 when I was still searching for a job, I told her when you open, I'd love to come work for you. Well I hadn't heard from her so I definitely was not expecting a call 6 months later!
I felt a bit obligated but also the idea of working in a cafe a few days a week didn't sound too bad!
So I started in mid March and it was fun at first.
She had never worked in a cafe before let alone started one so I was hired for my expertise and advice. The place need a lot of work, not major things but just working out a good flow of productivity, honing our menu and recipes, organizing the stock etc. I told myself I couldn't get too involved. I was currently in the 4 bible study, sunday school lesson writing, Eoin tutoring, and various church responsibilities stage of my life and couldn't take on setting up a cafe. But I still cared a lot. Coffee is one of the things I'm passionate about and especially in cafe where customers and money are involved I want to present the best possible product, cleanest environment, and all around good atmosphere.
So basically I couldn't let things just go. The problem was that all my my suggestions were dismissed or ignored. I could go on and on but it was just very frustrating to be hired to make a difference and then be unable to do so.
It was getting so stressful that it was affecting my attitude and my body. I started eating a lot of comfort food and was sore and achy. I even twice in the morning would be so stressed out getting ready for work that I actually threw up my breakfast. (those who know me know that I'm not that kind of person, this was serious) My attitude was very bad too. This is when I got in to arguments with my housemates, with whom I had live a year and a half tiff free!
Well lets wrap this up, I talked with the boss lady and was basically attacked for my ideas and grievances. I decided then that I was going to quit. She was going on holiday though for two weeks and would need her employees to work more more shifts, or would have to be closed half the day. My mother often tells me I'm loyal to a fault, so true to nature I told her I would work until she came back. Those two weeks were great! I organized, worked, cleaned without opposition. She came back and I was done and that was that.
What made this whole thing just awkward is that she is the mother of a friend and fellow Christian. I hate, even painting a possible negative picture of her because she is a lovely lady, I love chatting with her, she is terribly interesting. But that doesn't not make her a good business woman. And that was the disconnect I had to make in my head. That cafe closed down just a few weeks after I left and she moved to Scotland.
A strange experience to be sure. I think I shall not work for friends anymore but shall stick to established places of business.
