Here, it's the odd shower with some diluted sunshine. A little splash of rain that like a lingering sneeze doesn't really follow through. It could be different. This morning I received this picture from Ana, my friend from Minsk, Belarus. That puts things in perspective doesn't it. And before you go 'aaaaaah' or 'oooooeeeeh', or show any other expressions of admiration, keep in mind that this does not end till spring. And she hates it. Detests every pesky, little snowflake slowing her down in order to get to work and get on with her life. On the bright side; growing up in a wintery country like Belarus, she can knit better than anyone else I know. Her woolly works keep me and my family all warm in Belarussian knitwear (is there any other??). Which I am very grateful for. Can't wait to see her again in 2 months time in Dublin.
Since battling my unemployment, i get to spent a lot of time doing whatever I want, whenever I want. Some people might find this absolute heaven, and for a while it was. But even heaven gets boring if you run out of things to do. I've never travelled to more countries (eight), volunteered at more festivals (six) and read more books than I did in 2011. Unfortunately I've also never found it this hard to finding a new job and never been more rejected than that same year. Having worked since I was 13 (cloakroom Hofplein theater), I find it difficult not to. I'm not asking for the world, just a proper, paid job that doesn't waste my education and knowledge. Books and websites are filled with 'toptips' on 'how to land my dreamjob'; they obviously did not bank on the recession. But I have plenty of time to read them anyway. I've learned how to manage my online profile, do a lot of selfreflection, how to write custom-made application letters and that when a company says that they don't have any vacancies, they usually don't. I've also learned that 'I have to create my own fun and challenges', that 'a career is nothing more than a six-pack of jobs' and '13 naughty things to do with Post-Its'. On second thought, 'the Bad Girl's Guide to getting what you want', might not be the most useful book out of the self-help section. The Handbook for the modern woman gives insight on how to behave when indulging in an office romance; think it through and keep it quiet initially. Unfortunately no job means no work-love either... Watching a lot of the Office only proves helpful on how not to behave when working in a paper-company. I now would do extremely well in a discussion on who would do better in real-life management: Ricky Gervais or Steve Carrell. But mostly, I've learned how to deal with rejection. Nobody showed me how, it just sort of happened. It's not a big secret, but it works for me. Every day I come across 'That Girl'. She could be anyone from the media, she comes up in conversation and it's a different woman or girl every day. She has one particular characteristic: she is worse of than me. Yep, that's right; it's my petty coping skill: I find some sort of consolation in reading on females in bad, bad situations. It can be the girls who died at home due to carbonmonoxide poisoning. The wife who got bludgeoned to death by her Gelredome-director husband, a female cyclist who was molested by a busdriver. It can be the whole range of celebrity divorces brightning my day. Because it means that I'm alive, and the grass is not always greener. It's horrible, but this knowledge keeps me grounded. I can moan a bit on this job-seeking adventure, but I'm doing it with my sanity and my bodily functions intact. And every day I am gratefull for the simple fact that I am Not That Girl.
order to get to work and get on with her life. On the bright side; growing up in a wintery country like Belarus, she can knit better than anyone else I know. Her woolly works keep me and my family all warm in Belarussian knitwear (is there any other??). Which I am very grateful for. Can't wait to see her again in 2 months time in Dublin.
