They Haven't Forgotten Me

It has been well over a year since I stopped working in Yafiz, Sha'ar Binyamin. I had worked there for just under six years. Besides my two main teaching jobs, that's the longest I've worked anyplace. I'm always meeting people who say I seem familiar, and the reason is that they had first met me or seen me  at Yafiz during those six years.

I can understand why many of my neighbors still think I'm working their. I don't know where they are working either. But the other day when I was paying after my my biweekly shopping trip to Rami Levy, the cashier asked:

"Aren't you working today?"
"No, I haven't worked at Yafiz for over a year." I replied.
"Rally?" She seemed surprised.

I guess I made quite an impression if I haven't been forgotten even by the supermarket staff. They and the customers were more appreciative of my work than the chain's bosses, who don't miss me at all.

People Should Pay Compliments, Too...

This is a rant, sorry:

As you know, I work in a store, which is part of a chain, and the chain is part of a very big Israeli retail/discount business, Rami Levy. And I'm going to admit that during the close to six years I've been working here in Yafiz, I've been reported as "nasty" to customers more than once.

It's just too easy for people to find a "higher up" or just call the main office or say a few negative words to someone in the "office" by the Rami Levy cashiers.

Generally the complaints are about my asking that their children stop doing dangerous things like running through the clothes racks. Just the other day a woman, who claimed to know my bosses well, threatened me, because a I had asked her child to stop his shrill whistling in the tiny shoe store where I was attempting to serve/help her and other customers.

After she had finally left, another customer said:

"It's obvious that she doesn't work with the public."

And I replied:

"People love to make formal complaints, but they don't bother to send in official compliments on good service."

That's the truth. On a personal level, people are nice and thank and compliment me, but they don't take it further to the "bosses." So many people find it easier to criticize than compliment. It's the same with parenting and teaching. The negative is emphasized much more than the positive. That's something we should all work on, Gd willing.

Can You Describe Your Kids' Jobs?

Recently I was talking to someone who told me that her sons both had new jobs.

"What are they?" I asked.
"I'm not sure." She answered.

I had the same description for the job one of my sons does, and besides "something in/with computers," I haven't a clue as to what my son-in-law does. And it's even more complicated to describe the job of one of my daughters, which seems to constantly morph into something else. And of course, in Israel, there are also those with jobs too sensitive to be talked about...

None of my jobs have been so vague and creative. Working in a store is pretty simple to describe, whether I'm selling shoes, pants, bagels or potatoes. All of which I've sold at various times in my life. And when I was an English Teacher or Gym Teacher or Creative Dance Teacher I didn't have to explain anything. It was all in the title.

Apparently, this just isn't a local problem. The New York Times has an article about all these new job with creative titles:

Your Job Title Is … What?

...I don’t mean to judge — my own job is hardly less opaque. I am the vice president for content at Contently, a company that helps brands expand their content online and publishes commentary on the changing media landscape (including that of The New York Times). Or, as my mom tells her friends, “Sam works for one of those start-up companies that nobody knows what it does.”
Me and everybody else, it seems.
I have had meetings with brand ambassadors (a bit like celebrity endorsers, but with more tattoos). I have coffee with thought leaders (those with “authority” in a given field) and customer happiness managers. (Your guess is as good as mine, but I assume that it used to be called “customer service.”)...

As a blogger, I know that the better my title the more hits my post can get. I wonder if these impressive job titles give better salaries than the old conventional ones. Do you get more money for a job that can't be described?

Not Just Folding Laundry

As you must know by now, I work in a clothing store. It's a job like running a home, plus, and I'm just a lowly "saleswoman." Yafiz is a medium size store. we need a few people working all shifts. I once worked in a big department store in New York, OK, just a "small" A & S which was on Northern Blvd. and Community Drive/East Shore Road, Long Island, NY. It's not there any more. But that was a much larger store. Each department had has many workers as we have in our entire store. I worked in Housewares. My boss would have me set up the display shelves. He'd tell me to give them my "special touch."

Since then, besides all the other sorts of jobs I've done, I worked in a hat store, children's clothing store, bagel place and a fruit and vegetable store.

At Yafiz, I've become the unofficial "window-dresser," even though there aren't any windows to "dress." I dress the manikins and when I open stock, I try to pay attention to colors.

I can do a better job at that than folding the clothes. Folding is not my specialty. Luckily there are lots of workers who do it better.

Unwinding, Impossible, Downside of Night Shift

I'm tired today and have a very full day planned.

Last night I got back very late from work. We worked later than usual. I had more responsibilities than usual. At least I had a ride back to Ofra with a fellow-worker. And then two tremps later I was home. But it was late.

I can never just go to sleep when I get back home. I tried to unwind. I turned on the television and immediately there was something that bothered me. So I blogged it. And I checked the computer, emails etc. I figured that since I was up, I'd make today's lunch.

Even though I hadn't planned on working this morning, I will be working. That's why I made lunch. I had planned on an easier day, a leisurely time at the pool and then to Jerusalem to see my new granddaughter and her parents, maybe see a friend and then meet visiting relatives for dinner.

I ended up agreeing to work this morning because another worker has a family emergency/commitment. And I ended up discovering that the "closing procedure" at the end of the workday had sort of fallen on me. I'm not all that experienced at that responsibility.

I almost never fall asleep easily and quickly after night shift. Actually, I can't remember having a quick and easy sleep after night shift, so last night was no exception. My mind goes hyper, and I can't turn it off.

I hope to get myself functioning well enough to go to the pool for a few minutes, but I have a feeling I won't. I'm just too tired.

On with my day, G-d willing.

Since You Shop on Passover and Succot Chol HaMoed, We Work

Some people, who are obviously used to those wonderful jobs with generous paid Jewish Holiday vacations, act so surprised that I've been working almost straight through Succot. 

In Israel the schools made a "bridge" from Yom Kippur to the end of Succot/Simchat Torah giving the children and teachers a two week break.  For the teachers it's a paid vacation.  They (I was once a teacher, too) get paid by the month, whether they teach or not, whether there's a vacation or cancelled lesson for whatever reason.

Parents of the students who don't have the same vacation schedule are forced to either take unpaid vacation or pay babysitters or "camps" so their young kids won't be left alone.  And sometimes they take their kids to work.

I work in a low paying job with bare minimum benefits and almost no paid vacation days.  Chol Hamo'ed (the "interim" days of)  Passover and Succot are busy days at work, because shopping for clothes is a necessary and productive activity for families.  That's especially because the Jewish Holidays are season changers.  Passover is the beginning of spring/summer and Succot is the beginning for fall/winter. 

So it's good news/bad news that I've been working.  Good news is that I'm getting paid, and bad news is that I don't have many opportunities to enjoy the holiday.

I'm not writing this for sympathy, but it is important for those who get paid vacations to realize how lucky they are.  And when they go to places, like stores, the bank, the museum, a bus etc.  please be especially appreciative to the people who make it possible, those who are working while you're on vacation.

Through rain, hail, thunder and lightening!

I guess going to work sometimes is like going through hell and high water.
When I opened the door today to leave for work, the rain and hail were pouring from the sky with such force, I almost forgot that the rain was a blessing from G-d.

Thank G-d and Canon Cameras, since you can actually see the rain falling in these pictures. There are times when 7.1 pixels aren't too many.

I must admit that I didn't walk out in that rain. I changed into my boots and packed extra shoes, and by then, even though it was a few minutes past my usual time to leave, I left, braving not only the rain and hail, but the accompanying thunder and lightening. Yes, I unplugged the computer including the phone line.

The storm, politely, took a break, long enough for me to walk down the hill. I waited for a ride and managed to get one of the bullet-proof school vans going to Ofra. From there I caught a ride to the T Junction to Beit El and from there a ride to Beit El, where I walked the rest of the way. The rain and hail were so strong at times, it seemed like a snow storm was about to start.

Then it stopped, and it was pretty dry once I finished work close to 6:30pm.

Now for another wet experience; the dishes await, and they're sure dirty!

Guess where I am!

No, I'm not a home.
And no, I'm not in an internet cafe`
nor the public library.
I'm not at my husband's office,
nor at a friend's or one of my kids.

I'm at... work!

Let's put it very simply. I came about four hours too early for a staff meeting. How did I do that? Simple! I finished teaching at 3:25, and there's a staff meeting called for 7:15.
My daughter said that she'd be with the girls today, so I don't have to babysit. It doesn't pay to "tremp" (hitchhike) home or even go to Jerusalem for an hour or two, just to spend money. I did that here in Beit El while waiting. There's a nice-sized store near the yeshiva. I bought a couple of pairs of stockings.

That store "saved" me from being at a terror attack almost eleven years ago. Our old road went via Beit El, after going through downtown Ramallah. I was in a ride with a neighbor who wanted to shop in that store after going to the Beit El gas station. So instead of turning right to the main road from the gas station, she turned left to go into Beit El. Then she stopped the car and called the store owner on her cellphone to see if they'd open a few minutes early.

When she got off the phone we saw people running out towards the road. An Arab terrorist had shot at the people, mostly teenagers, students in this very same yeshiva. The terrorists murdered David Boim, HaYa"D.

If we hadn't turned into Beit El when we did, we would have had been on the road when the Arab terrorist was shooting.

I hadn't really planned on writing about it, but I guess it was on my mind, since I had already told the story to one of the teachers before going to the store. In three weeks, it'll be eleven years since the terror attack in which I was injured, lightly injured, but just have had been there changed my life.

That's another story of course.