SomeFrills

Greetings from…New Jersey, again. I know, I was in Arkansas for two weeks and now I’m back in New Jersey again? Am I completely addled in the brain?

The answer is “no,” but whoever devised our new hire orientation schedule might be. I have training in New Jersey for the next two weeks so, after a nice three hour “vacation” in Charlotte, North Carolina (an airport with white rocking chairs scattered about for your rocking enjoyment!), I am back.

Being back also means that I’m not spending my weekend in Arkansas navigating the tangle of people and connections, looking for that little niche labeled “yoli.” Out there I feel like a jungle explorer trying to cover as much ground as possible to get a better idea of the lay of the land and to statistically improve my chances of finding that mythic El Dorado.

But it’s strange being trying to meet people outside of academia, an institution built around the idea of forging connections and learning new things (you can place the two in whatever priority order suits/suited your experience best). Yes, you meet your co-workers and develop a relationship with them, but it’s called “networking.” I work in IT; I know what networks are. They involve a lot of cables, electricity, and high-velocity data transfer, well, hopefully high unless you’re big on frustration. But I’m looking for something a little different in my personal relationships.

On a personal level, I want to meet interesting people who are going places and doing things. Intellectually I know that in order to meet these people I need to keep my mind open and just keep forging ahead. But I can’t help feeling a bit of despair. I work at a very busy and very competitive office. The Arkansas branch is a promotional step that confirms your prowess as a sales analyst, and it could be the grounds for your rising up to manager or director. There doesn’t really seem to be a lunchtime social hour vibe since there is so much data to be analyzed and giant honkin’ sales to be closed. As a result I am learning a ton about the business, but interpersonal connections are more of a weekend thing. Even then there is a healthy dose of work, and some stiff alcohol to wash it down with.

Regardless of what that melodramatic description may imply, I HAVE found some genuinely interesting people. It is thrilling to know that regardless of where I go there are always amazing folk. But, at the end of the day, I am forever looking for more. Regardless of how much ground I have covered there is always the inherent possibility of the next acre. I can’t be content having just explored the coastline without knowing what’s inland. It is much easier to retrace your steps than it is to move forward, and goodness knows I need to constantly be in motion. So next two weeks we will see what other fun folks are my co-workers in different branches, reconnect with the lovely people of New Jersey (besos por todos!), and then I can head back to Arkansas and map out the interior of that strange and mysterious place. I’m starting to get a foothold of the land and people, and it is a pretty intoxicating feeling to know that there is so much out there just waiting for you to see it.