Saturday, November 03, 2012
A Night at the Dogs
Thursday, November 01, 2012
training-mentoring-nesting
I received my 1-month-pin today. Just kidding.
I have been here a whole month though, going on 5 weeks already . The first 3 weeks at the hotel were grand (btw I can highly recommend the Crowne Plaza here in Dundalk – I enjoyed every minute of my stay there), but it’s only now that I’m living in my own place that I’ve started to actually settle in.
It’s been so long since I had a place on my own I forgot all the minor details (and sometimes not so minor) that go into keeping a place. The first time the letting agent showed me the place I was pretty overwhelmed – after spending almost a decade in cramped little rooms which I usually had to share with at least one other person – having a whole 2-bedroom apartment all to myself seems like sheer luxury.
I’m looking into finding a flat mate (roomie) nonetheless, both for the company and also to make it a bit more cost-effective. I have to say though, that despite the work that still needs to be done ergo lots and lots of trips to Penneys (Primark), Heatons, Dunnes,… I really like the place and I cant wait to make it more homey…
Work is going well. I passed my certification last week with 93% – one stupid mistake, I should know by now to read the instructions properly…
This week, me and my teammates are officially “live” on the floor. Luckily we are not expected to meet any stats yet, we’re in what they call the “nesting” period. Hence the title of this post.
The first two weeks were training. Week 3 was split mornings – training, afternoons- mentoring/ side-by-side which means we were out on the floor with a specialist or 2nd level agent, working some cases together. In the beginning it was only cold cases to sort of get a feel for the different tools (software programs) and later on we moved onto live cases. So now we are on our own, luckily we never have to look far for a more senior agent as in our department they are right down there on the floor with us.
The 12-hour-days take some getting used to again, but at least the shuttle bus they run in the mornings and evenings provides door-to-door service. very convenient.
Last weekend we had a first pub-night-out. I’d had a few pints at the hotel bar before, but hadn’t had a chance for a proper pub night. Incidentally it was almost a complete team night. At least all of us who started on the same day, in the same New Hire class. That is Anika from Halle, Markus from Bad Nenndorf, near Hannover, Olga from Russia (although she’s been living in Ireland for many years already) and Andrej from Belarus (he’s also been here for a number of years already).
Saturday Markus, Till- Markus’ friend and I went to see the new Bond movie –
007 Skyfall. Absolutely loved it!! But then again, I do love the franchise.
Tomorrow night I will get to experience another Irish tradition for the first time.
“A Night at the Dogs”.
It’s a KYT (Know Your Teammate)-thing from work. But very cool nevertheless. I’ve been to a horse race before – Royal Ascot last year, but I’ve never been to a Greyhound race before. I hope I get to take some good pictures. Ought to be fun. You’ll get a full report. promise.
Enough for today. I do hope your having a great week and wish you all the best with
lots of love,
hanna
I have been here a whole month though, going on 5 weeks already . The first 3 weeks at the hotel were grand (btw I can highly recommend the Crowne Plaza here in Dundalk – I enjoyed every minute of my stay there), but it’s only now that I’m living in my own place that I’ve started to actually settle in.
It’s been so long since I had a place on my own I forgot all the minor details (and sometimes not so minor) that go into keeping a place. The first time the letting agent showed me the place I was pretty overwhelmed – after spending almost a decade in cramped little rooms which I usually had to share with at least one other person – having a whole 2-bedroom apartment all to myself seems like sheer luxury.
I’m looking into finding a flat mate (roomie) nonetheless, both for the company and also to make it a bit more cost-effective. I have to say though, that despite the work that still needs to be done ergo lots and lots of trips to Penneys (Primark), Heatons, Dunnes,… I really like the place and I cant wait to make it more homey…
Work is going well. I passed my certification last week with 93% – one stupid mistake, I should know by now to read the instructions properly…
This week, me and my teammates are officially “live” on the floor. Luckily we are not expected to meet any stats yet, we’re in what they call the “nesting” period. Hence the title of this post.
The first two weeks were training. Week 3 was split mornings – training, afternoons- mentoring/ side-by-side which means we were out on the floor with a specialist or 2nd level agent, working some cases together. In the beginning it was only cold cases to sort of get a feel for the different tools (software programs) and later on we moved onto live cases. So now we are on our own, luckily we never have to look far for a more senior agent as in our department they are right down there on the floor with us.
The 12-hour-days take some getting used to again, but at least the shuttle bus they run in the mornings and evenings provides door-to-door service. very convenient.
Last weekend we had a first pub-night-out. I’d had a few pints at the hotel bar before, but hadn’t had a chance for a proper pub night. Incidentally it was almost a complete team night. At least all of us who started on the same day, in the same New Hire class. That is Anika from Halle, Markus from Bad Nenndorf, near Hannover, Olga from Russia (although she’s been living in Ireland for many years already) and Andrej from Belarus (he’s also been here for a number of years already).
Saturday Markus, Till- Markus’ friend and I went to see the new Bond movie –
007 Skyfall. Absolutely loved it!! But then again, I do love the franchise.
 |
| "Irish Flag" |
Tomorrow night I will get to experience another Irish tradition for the first time.
“A Night at the Dogs”.
It’s a KYT (Know Your Teammate)-thing from work. But very cool nevertheless. I’ve been to a horse race before – Royal Ascot last year, but I’ve never been to a Greyhound race before. I hope I get to take some good pictures. Ought to be fun. You’ll get a full report. promise.
Enough for today. I do hope your having a great week and wish you all the best with
lots of love,
hanna
 |
| the Morning after :) |
Saturday, October 06, 2012
first week on the ‘Emerald Isle’
First week of induction and training is successfully completed. I have to say I am quite blown away by the magnitude of the company. I mean, I’ve known about paypal pretty much ever since it was first introduced as a payment method on ebay and been using it myself for the last 10 years.
But you know how it is we rarely give a second thought to the apparatus behind the various services we use.
For now I am really enjoying my stay at the Crowne Plaza here in Dundalk, which is the hotel they put us out-of-towners up in. It’s absolutely beautiful. Great room with a lovely view of the Irish Sea, friendly staff and to put it in the words of my colleague “every night i look forward to breakfast the next day” that’s how good it is. and as someone who’s worked in different hotels in the past you tend to take a closer look
As for settling in, I’ve already found a church that seems to fit, got an Irish phone number on Thursday, an Irish bank account on Friday and applied for a PPS number (something to do with taxes) which I should receive sometime next week. Now all I need is a place to live which hopefully I’ll find this afternoon – where I have some viewing appointments.
I am also looking forward to next week which will give us a more detailed and accurat idea of what our jobs/tasks will look like. This past week was good as a warm up, in giving us a general overview of the company, it’s history, a brief glimpse into the future and some of the basic tools of our trade so to say. Starting on Monday we will receive some more department specific training, which should prove quite exciting as most of us only have a very vague idea of what we’ll be acutally doing.
be blessed- hanna
But you know how it is we rarely give a second thought to the apparatus behind the various services we use.
For now I am really enjoying my stay at the Crowne Plaza here in Dundalk, which is the hotel they put us out-of-towners up in. It’s absolutely beautiful. Great room with a lovely view of the Irish Sea, friendly staff and to put it in the words of my colleague “every night i look forward to breakfast the next day” that’s how good it is. and as someone who’s worked in different hotels in the past you tend to take a closer look
As for settling in, I’ve already found a church that seems to fit, got an Irish phone number on Thursday, an Irish bank account on Friday and applied for a PPS number (something to do with taxes) which I should receive sometime next week. Now all I need is a place to live which hopefully I’ll find this afternoon – where I have some viewing appointments.
I am also looking forward to next week which will give us a more detailed and accurat idea of what our jobs/tasks will look like. This past week was good as a warm up, in giving us a general overview of the company, it’s history, a brief glimpse into the future and some of the basic tools of our trade so to say. Starting on Monday we will receive some more department specific training, which should prove quite exciting as most of us only have a very vague idea of what we’ll be acutally doing.
view from my hotel room windowi’ll be in touch
be blessed- hanna
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Christian Musics moment
Christian artist/musician tobymac's latest studio album "Eye On It" managed to race to the top of the US Billboard 200. For the first time in 15 years a Christian album is No 1!!
tobymac formerly of the band dctalk an artist whose career I've been following for nigh on two decades comments: "Didn't see that coming!" :)
Read the following article in Time Magazine - very inspiring!
http://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/17/christian-musics-moment-how-tobymac-and-lecrae-conquered-the-countdown/#disqus_thread
PTL :D
Hanna
tobymac formerly of the band dctalk an artist whose career I've been following for nigh on two decades comments: "Didn't see that coming!" :)
Read the following article in Time Magazine - very inspiring!
http://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/17/christian-musics-moment-how-tobymac-and-lecrae-conquered-the-countdown/#disqus_thread
PTL :D
Hanna
Monday, September 17, 2012
Taking a break from wandering
Two months and a few more job interviews down the road and once again it’s a family birthday today. Tabea is turning 30! Which means only a few more days until my next birthday…
now about the job hunting … as it turns out someone upstairs had quite a surprise in the making for me…
After spending six months sending out dozens of applications (i think it’s safe to say that I sent out at least a hundred applications if not more), several telephone interviews, some in-house interviews and hundreds of Euros spend on travel expenses I still had not been able to find a job in Germany or even Austria/Switzerland. The strange thing was that most of my interviews themself went great but for some reason or other they always ended up turning me down. And the job offers that I did receive turned out to be either funky or dead ends or both. Those were the moments where I realized that as eager as I was/am to start working again, I was not that desperate yet. I guess, even though it didn’t always feel that way – hope was still alive and kicking – in the sense, that it gave me the courage to hold out for more if only for a little longer.
Granted there is a lot I dont know and dont understand but I did know that I didnt want another seasonal contract somewhere in the back of beyond. I want to be able to build a local social network and find a decent church to call home again.
About four weeks ago I decided it was time to broaden the perimeter. In other words start looking elsewhere… which I did and at the same time I updated my search profile – you know you have to do that ever so often otherwise you keep being bumped down by new arrivals…
Anyway, to make a long story short I ended up being headhunted. So cool! Alright maybe it wasnt quite as grand as it sounds, but I was contacted by their Talent acquisition office and granted I still had to go through their hiring process which included:
- 2 language tests (German and English)
- skype-interview
- written test
- extensive background check
- countless emails and telephone calls with my recruiter and the company that does the background check…
Despite all that 18 days after they first contacted me the contract was signed, sealed and delivered! Woopee!!
Now I am sure you’d like to know all the who, where and when’s… here it goes.
The Company is Paypal (part of ebay, inc.), I’ll be stationed in Dundalk, Ireland, starting date is two weeks from today – October 1. From what I’ve gathered so far Dundalk is a small town by the Irish Sea situated halfway between Dublin in the South and Belfast in the North.
I am telling you, it’s all very cool and exciting. The best thing is that the position is permanent given a successful completion of the training and the probation period. Plus the Company is paying for my airfare and four weeks in a hotel. Due to a change in the training venue – first three weeks in Dublin and then another week in Dundalk.
Seems like I cant hide the fact any longer that as much as I love Germany and my people –
I dont belong here anymore. Its not home.
love @ all,
Hanna
now about the job hunting … as it turns out someone upstairs had quite a surprise in the making for me…
After spending six months sending out dozens of applications (i think it’s safe to say that I sent out at least a hundred applications if not more), several telephone interviews, some in-house interviews and hundreds of Euros spend on travel expenses I still had not been able to find a job in Germany or even Austria/Switzerland. The strange thing was that most of my interviews themself went great but for some reason or other they always ended up turning me down. And the job offers that I did receive turned out to be either funky or dead ends or both. Those were the moments where I realized that as eager as I was/am to start working again, I was not that desperate yet. I guess, even though it didn’t always feel that way – hope was still alive and kicking – in the sense, that it gave me the courage to hold out for more if only for a little longer.
Granted there is a lot I dont know and dont understand but I did know that I didnt want another seasonal contract somewhere in the back of beyond. I want to be able to build a local social network and find a decent church to call home again.
About four weeks ago I decided it was time to broaden the perimeter. In other words start looking elsewhere… which I did and at the same time I updated my search profile – you know you have to do that ever so often otherwise you keep being bumped down by new arrivals…
Anyway, to make a long story short I ended up being headhunted. So cool! Alright maybe it wasnt quite as grand as it sounds, but I was contacted by their Talent acquisition office and granted I still had to go through their hiring process which included:
- 2 language tests (German and English)
- skype-interview
- written test
- extensive background check
- countless emails and telephone calls with my recruiter and the company that does the background check…
Despite all that 18 days after they first contacted me the contract was signed, sealed and delivered! Woopee!!
Now I am sure you’d like to know all the who, where and when’s… here it goes.
The Company is Paypal (part of ebay, inc.), I’ll be stationed in Dundalk, Ireland, starting date is two weeks from today – October 1. From what I’ve gathered so far Dundalk is a small town by the Irish Sea situated halfway between Dublin in the South and Belfast in the North.
I am telling you, it’s all very cool and exciting. The best thing is that the position is permanent given a successful completion of the training and the probation period. Plus the Company is paying for my airfare and four weeks in a hotel. Due to a change in the training venue – first three weeks in Dublin and then another week in Dundalk.
Seems like I cant hide the fact any longer that as much as I love Germany and my people –
I dont belong here anymore. Its not home.
love @ all,
Hanna
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Job hunting
it’s my kid brother David’s birthday today. He’s turning 23. For some weird reason my siblings’ birthdays tend to make me feel much older than my own birthday.
Memory is a tricky thing. You know, how you yourself rarely feel as old as you are, but when you realize that your ‘baby’ brother is turning 23 and you know you’re 9 years older than he is you kind of have to face the math. Or when my youngest sister Rahel had her Sweet 16 this spring it was even stranger seeing as I was almost 16 myself when she was born…
ok, enough with the reminiscing.
My season at the Katschberghof ended around Easter time. You know, after my third quarter in the Alps (Chatel, Switzerland – 3 months; Davos, Switzerland – 4 months; Katschberg – 3 months) I’ve sorta gotten used to living in the mountains and as long as it is only for a season I actually quite like it. I mean, it IS beautiful and at times absolutely magnificent! Still I have yet to hear that famed “call of the mountains”
Anyway, I thought I would return there this summer for another season – I mean, they offered me a (promoted!) position for the summer season and I said that I’d be interested. As a matter of fact they actually even had an alternate position for me in case the first one didn’t pan out. So we parted ways with the agreement that they would get in touch with me as soon as they knew more about where exactly they wanted to place me… only they never did! They simply left me hangin’!!!
I have to admit that even though I am furious at the way they treated me (btw. shame on them!) I am also relieved, I really didn’t like the way they treated their staff, even long-time employees. Plus they cut down the time of my season by almost 2 months – 7 weeks to be precise – I had the misfortune of being the newest member of our department. That’s almost 2 months less pay! Unfortunately there turned out to be some kind of loophole in the contract that allowed them to do that…
So now I am back in Mainz – job hunting. and for a change I am actually looking for jobs in GERMANY!! who would have thought. Seems like the wanderer might be about to take a break from wandering at least for a time. Somehow I believe I really need this for now. If you stop to think about it, I have been ‘homeless’ for almost exactly 9 years by now! 9 years without a bed, wardrobe or steady address to call my own, most of the time I’ve been living out of one suitcase (in a few rare occasions I had the luxury of TWO suitcases). I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to actually having a bookshelf for all my beloved books again, and not having them stack up beside my bed or stashed away in a box somewhere.
I have a job interview in Hamburg tomorrow and I really truly hope and pray that I get the job. Cos this would be “the One” or at least very close to it as you never know how they turn out in real life. The job itself sounds great and Hamburg is one of the few places (in Germany) that I’ve always wanted to live in.:o)
Anyways, it’s time for lunch over here
I’ll get back to you as soon as I know how the interview went..
be blessed+
love,
hanna
Memory is a tricky thing. You know, how you yourself rarely feel as old as you are, but when you realize that your ‘baby’ brother is turning 23 and you know you’re 9 years older than he is you kind of have to face the math. Or when my youngest sister Rahel had her Sweet 16 this spring it was even stranger seeing as I was almost 16 myself when she was born…
ok, enough with the reminiscing.
My season at the Katschberghof ended around Easter time. You know, after my third quarter in the Alps (Chatel, Switzerland – 3 months; Davos, Switzerland – 4 months; Katschberg – 3 months) I’ve sorta gotten used to living in the mountains and as long as it is only for a season I actually quite like it. I mean, it IS beautiful and at times absolutely magnificent! Still I have yet to hear that famed “call of the mountains”
Anyway, I thought I would return there this summer for another season – I mean, they offered me a (promoted!) position for the summer season and I said that I’d be interested. As a matter of fact they actually even had an alternate position for me in case the first one didn’t pan out. So we parted ways with the agreement that they would get in touch with me as soon as they knew more about where exactly they wanted to place me… only they never did! They simply left me hangin’!!!
I have to admit that even though I am furious at the way they treated me (btw. shame on them!) I am also relieved, I really didn’t like the way they treated their staff, even long-time employees. Plus they cut down the time of my season by almost 2 months – 7 weeks to be precise – I had the misfortune of being the newest member of our department. That’s almost 2 months less pay! Unfortunately there turned out to be some kind of loophole in the contract that allowed them to do that…
So now I am back in Mainz – job hunting. and for a change I am actually looking for jobs in GERMANY!! who would have thought. Seems like the wanderer might be about to take a break from wandering at least for a time. Somehow I believe I really need this for now. If you stop to think about it, I have been ‘homeless’ for almost exactly 9 years by now! 9 years without a bed, wardrobe or steady address to call my own, most of the time I’ve been living out of one suitcase (in a few rare occasions I had the luxury of TWO suitcases). I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to actually having a bookshelf for all my beloved books again, and not having them stack up beside my bed or stashed away in a box somewhere.
I have a job interview in Hamburg tomorrow and I really truly hope and pray that I get the job. Cos this would be “the One” or at least very close to it as you never know how they turn out in real life. The job itself sounds great and Hamburg is one of the few places (in Germany) that I’ve always wanted to live in.:o)
Anyways, it’s time for lunch over here
I’ll get back to you as soon as I know how the interview went..
be blessed+
love,
hanna
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
from England to Austria... from a river to the mountains
the last time i wrote to you i was still in Henley-on-Thames, England. Now i am in Katschberg"-on-Katschberg", Austria. :) another suitcase, another city, another country - VERY different scenery. I went from a small town on the river Thames to an even smaller village in the Austrian Alps.
Inbetween I got to spent a few months at home. And once again I've come to realize that as much as I love my hometown, seeing my family, friends...- it is just not my home anymore. I have to say it feels quite strange no matter how many times I make that discovery.
I guess, what just amplifies it is that I have yet to find a new 'home'. I sometimes say "the world is my home" which I guess is true in sense and dont get me wrong I do love it! It's just that from time to time it would be nice to have a nest to fly back to... if you get my gist. And I have to say that I have developed quite an aversion to suitcases :)
Apart from that I am doing quite well actually. Piece by little piece I am learning to make peace with the fact that I don't know when I'll be able to rejoin missions - if ever. The last 16 months or so have been some of the hardest I can remember - ever since I realized that I wasn't going back to Orlando as expected and instead ended up leaving missions completely.
It really broke me and I do mean all of me. My sense of self, who I am in God, my mission & my vision, my calling & future.It even seemed to make a mockery of (my) life so far.... it made me question my identity in God, made me doubt whether I really knew him, knew how to hear his voice or whether I'd just been fooling myself..... I can tell you for someone whose close relationship with God had always been her anchor, her stronghold, you know, this had always been the one thing I could count on no matter what and now it was the very thing being questioned and torn apart.
Long story short, like I said earlier - I am doing much better already and am slowly, you might say day by day finding my way back to the light. It's a long and hard way and not without a few setbacks here and there but there is definitely a general direction and that is forward and onward.
And the great thing is the more I recover the more I realize that "luckily" God NEVER did let go of me! NOT FOR ONE SECOND! and that I am made of thougher stuff than I thought I was or to put it in the words of one of my favorite artists -Kevin Young, of disciple-: "you can bend, but your never gonna break me"
and even if you do break me it will not destroy me!
you know even the scripture verse for 2012 fits in with this:
love you guys,
be blessed- hanna
Inbetween I got to spent a few months at home. And once again I've come to realize that as much as I love my hometown, seeing my family, friends...- it is just not my home anymore. I have to say it feels quite strange no matter how many times I make that discovery.
I guess, what just amplifies it is that I have yet to find a new 'home'. I sometimes say "the world is my home" which I guess is true in sense and dont get me wrong I do love it! It's just that from time to time it would be nice to have a nest to fly back to... if you get my gist. And I have to say that I have developed quite an aversion to suitcases :)
Apart from that I am doing quite well actually. Piece by little piece I am learning to make peace with the fact that I don't know when I'll be able to rejoin missions - if ever. The last 16 months or so have been some of the hardest I can remember - ever since I realized that I wasn't going back to Orlando as expected and instead ended up leaving missions completely.
It really broke me and I do mean all of me. My sense of self, who I am in God, my mission & my vision, my calling & future.It even seemed to make a mockery of (my) life so far.... it made me question my identity in God, made me doubt whether I really knew him, knew how to hear his voice or whether I'd just been fooling myself..... I can tell you for someone whose close relationship with God had always been her anchor, her stronghold, you know, this had always been the one thing I could count on no matter what and now it was the very thing being questioned and torn apart.
Long story short, like I said earlier - I am doing much better already and am slowly, you might say day by day finding my way back to the light. It's a long and hard way and not without a few setbacks here and there but there is definitely a general direction and that is forward and onward.
And the great thing is the more I recover the more I realize that "luckily" God NEVER did let go of me! NOT FOR ONE SECOND! and that I am made of thougher stuff than I thought I was or to put it in the words of one of my favorite artists -Kevin Young, of disciple-: "you can bend, but your never gonna break me"
and even if you do break me it will not destroy me!
you know even the scripture verse for 2012 fits in with this:
love you guys,
be blessed- hanna
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