My previous
post described my journey to returning to school after one year of retirement,
a journey that started May 2021, and was still going on a year later. In
January 2022, I was invited to what I thought was a final interview, to find
out that my long one hour trip, each way, was just to submit forms to a lady
behind a thick glass, but I was promised that it is just a matter of days now.
So I waited
a week, then a second week, and when the third week ended with no signs of
communication, I touched base with my latest contact person. It was already
mid-February, and I was scheduled to start a jury duty in few days. When, at
last, I heard back from them I was well into my jury duty time, followed by few
weeks of medical appointments. However, I didn’t waste time, and attempted to
complete the next necessary step - some pre-requisite training.
Now, a new
adventure started. For some reason the system would not let me log in to the
training site. Thus a new, long, correspondence and phone calls, with an extended
list of officials, had begun. I was bounced back and forth between the
different departments: IT, HR, Health Office
(theorizing that I didn’t upload my vaccination card), Community Health, and supervisors
of all the above, alongside with intensive text conversations with a well-intentioned
HR employee.
The whole
ordeal lasted until May, but with a special permission to postpone my training until
the issue is resolved, I was allowed to start working in April. I am still not
sure what was the source of the problem, or how it was eventually resolved, but
apparently one powerful nurse was able to unblock my access to the training. How
and why? I am not sure.
By the time
I was able, at last, to start working I was as nervous as if I had never worked
before, or been to any of those schools. However, the welcome I received compensated
for all the frustration. I found my friends; was delighted to discover that
almost every person I care for was still there, including those who told me two
years earlier that they would retire. At another school I had a nice lunch
reunion with collogues, and here and there reconnected with acquaintances. Best
of all –the cafeterias were still the same, run by the same kind ladies, with a
c55 coffee and $2.50 lunch, a generous 20 minutes nutrition break and 30-35
lunch break. What else do I need?
Well, I still needed to be paid, of course. Not surprisingly, a new issue surfaced there too. I first assumed that it was related to the previous issue, but when it was not resolved I was wondering what next. This time, however, it was an easy fix. My phone call was answered by an actual person, who was patient enough to listen to my story and knew exactly what to do. It so happened that my previous employee number that worked well for all other functions, was not good for the payroll, and schools needed to use a new assigned number to pay me. Strange, but an easy fix.
Now I was completely
ready! Almost a whole year later… And only two short months before summer
vacation...
