Learning & Leaving

I've wrapped up week 2 of AD training. Completed the Intro course also known as PreSchool. I finished in the Top 3 of my class (out of 15). I'm satisfied with my results. My goal was not to be first. But to learn. To understand. To feel comfortable with the new career path I am on. I accomplished what I set out to do. 

I can't actually disclose what all I learned but I can say it was a lot of information. New areas of knowledge for me. But if I'm being honest, I think the biggest battle over the last couple of weeks has been feeling like I belong here. Not in a sense of "I can't do it" type of thing but more of a relational type of thing. At the end of last week, I felt distant from my classmates. There seemed to be a group of "cool kids" forming and I was often the odd man out. As I've gotten older I am more introverted than I once was. More forms of anxiety and mental battles going on than most know about. I made an effort to put myself more out there and it was a turning point for me here. Began to feel more included and accepted. I'm not in the core of the "cool kids" but I'm not on the outside either. 

When I decided to move to California, I expected there to be a few quirks. Generally and widely accepted things that would be bizarre to me. Finally experienced one. I learned that WalMart (and all other retailers) charge for plastic shopping bags. Now the bag I had to pay for was thicker than the ones we have in GA. And they are reusable. But I will most definitely be investing in a bunch of reusable bags to have stashed in my purse and car at all times. I also learned that every plastic bottle (Mt. Dew, water, 2 liters, etc) have a charge. And the charge is per bottle. So if you buy a case of water, you will pay a lot more for it. But you are supposed to get the money back if you take it to a recycling center. 

I leave tomorrow morning (very early -- like the van to pick us up is coming at 4am!) to head to Ashburn VA for leg 2 of training called Basic. Most of the day will be travel. But this time I will not be alone. About 11 of us will be traveling together. I will try to be better at pictures this time. I plan on watching some movies I downloaded on Netflix while we fly. We will have about a 2-hour layover in Charlotte. This time will be with American Airlines. (GA to CA was with Southwest) And this time we will have assigned seats. And I don't have a center seat on either one of my flights tomorrow. (same for the trip back to CA - layover in Charlotte & no middle seats) :D 

Time to take about a 4-5 hour nap before I have to get ready to leave. 

Week One

Hey y'all! Well, I made it through week one! It was an exhausting week. In fact, I crashed Friday evening very early. The best way I know to update for the week is to breakdown each day.

Sunday
Sunday was a travel day. And since my apartment was all packed up by Saturday night, that means I slept on the couch. (I do NOT recommend this.) Did not sleep well. Maybe it was the excitement. Maybe it was being uncomfortable. My best friend picked me up to take me to breakfast and then to Groome. (btw, if you live in Macon & have not tried Metro Diner yet, I would recommend it.) I was a bit nervous about the flight only because I had never flown solo before. I had always flown with someone I could follow. Honestly, other than wrestling with my bags, it was a lot easier than I expected. I got there early. I was not in a rush. Everything was well labeled. Got to my gate almost 2 hours early. I killed time by people watching and playing on my phone. The flight ended up being delayed about 45 minutes due to weather. My flight was with Southwest so boarding is open. You don't have assigned seats. I was pretty late in boarding order so I got a middle seat. And the "free wifi" on the flight was making me pay $8. I'm cheap. So I didn't pay it & I was pretty bored on my flight. Got to San Diego with no problems. San Diego is gorgeous! The airport is right by the harbor and I could see ships in Harbor as we were approaching for landing. Since I had used my phone for entertainment most of the day, I had very little battery left and did not take many pictures. (But I'll be coming back to San Diego for leg 3 of training and will get some then.) Below is the one picture I took on my way from the airport to the hotel. Sunday included a lot of firsts for me: first time flying alone, first time setting foot on California soil, first time using Uber, first time using DoorDash.

Monday
Monday was the orientation day. Took an Uber the first day because I was not sure how far away the office was or how to navigate to it. (Found out coming back to the hotel that the parking lots are literally connected. And the hotel parking lot connects to the work parking lot just outside of where my training class is. Felt pretty dumb taking an Uber.) Mostly HR folks that come in and tell you the history and expectations of the company. (The first presenter of the day is originally from Macon, GA -- what are the chances?!) Not terribly interesting. Especially since 98% of it is the same as five years ago when I started with the company. I was impressed that the security guards were playing a boombox when we came in. Definitely had a lot of people smiling on a Monday morning. And the view from the lobby was pretty great.

Tuesday through Saturday
Tuesday was my first day of actual training. We jumped right into expectations of class and the training program and then the jumped into the first 3 chapters. Daily quizzes started Wednesday. And we covered 3 chapters a day every day. But work is fair and pays us for study time in the evenings so we can maintain the required 85% (cumulative) score to continue to the next leg of training in Virginia. (After 3 quizzes, I am averaging a mid-90s score. So I'm happy with my quiz results.) We received our work laptops on Wednesday. (It is a ToughBook so it is HUGE.) And we don't have internet capabilities without being plugged into the work ethernet (for now). And it took some time to catch up on emails I had missed since my last day in Macon. Most evenings I would order in from DoorDash. I'm trying to mostly stay with local places. We are reimbursed for meals up to $25/day and I'm taking full advantage of this allowance while I have it. I am also being reimbursed for Groome & Uber and for laundry services. Pretty much anything out of pocket that is not alcohol. The hotel offers complimentary breakfast so I'm only having to purchase lunch and dinner. Most evenings are spent studying, eating and taking a shower and then off to bed fairly early. (We report for class at 7 a.m. but I try to trick myself into thinking it is 10 a.m. and similar to what I was working in Macon.) By Friday, the long week of studying and 11 hour days caught up to me. After an early dinner, I called it a night. Saturday I woke up pretty early - about 5 a.m. (which is when I have been getting up all week for class). It was only me and a few old folks at breakfast this morning. I've even had time to get my receipts caught up for meals this week. Not sure what this weekend has in store. I kind of want to get out and explore but I also want to stay in and relax. Below is a pic of the view walking from the hotel parking lot to the work parking lot.

Leave me some comments and questions. Let me know what I'm missing back in Georgia.

EDIT:
I want to find a way to get this tv from my hotel room to my place in LA. It is HUGE!

Leaving on a jet plane...

It's my last night in Macon. And if I'm being honest, it feels a bit surreal. The reality that this will not be my home 24 hours from now has not sunk in yet. Don't get me wrong, the empty rooms and cabinets remind me that I'm leaving in the morning. I've been so focused on getting packed and out that I have not had much time to really think about what I'm feeling (other than exhaustion and muscle soreness). I do kind of wish that I had just one more day. Well, half a day. I wanted to go visit dad's grave before I left town but ran out of time. Have not been to the cemetery since his funeral. I would have liked to have had lunch with mom before I left. Time went by so fast from the job offer to the flight out. But I do get to see my best friend before I go. She is picking me up to take me to Groome in the morning. And we'll have time to get some breakfast together.

I'm not certain I would even have everything packed and ready to go if it were not a little help from a couple of friends. (They know who they are and have been thanked -- multiple times.) Packing has been so overwhelming for me. To figure out what will go with me, what do I want to keep but not take with me (and will be stored at mom's for now), what to donate and what to throw away. To go through years of stuff. I'm sure I'll look back as I am unpacking in LA and wish I had brought things I took to mom's or thrown away more.

I don't want to think about the fact that there are some people that I will never see again. Maybe they won't be around or available when I come back to visit. Maybe something tragic happens. There are a few that come to mind that I will be really sad if I never see them again. But I accept that I cannot control a lot of things.

I would really love to get cards, letters, etc from you all. I think having a few pen pals sounds fun. Most of you following me here know how to reach me on social media - Facebook, Instagram, etc. Shoot me a DM if you'd like my address to send me things. For those who don't already know, training will be for about 7 weeks == 2 in San Diego (preschool), 3 in Virginia Beach (basic) and 2 more back in San Diego (post school). So it will be June before I am at my place in L.A.

The adventure begins tomorrow.

There's no place like home

So I got word that I officially have the room for rent that I really liked. I have quickly learned that the rental market in L.A. is extremely competitive. Places go quickly. I found a place that is just under the budget I set and a very reasonable commute (about 15-20 min --- other places I looked at were 35-45 min).

I will be living with two others. I'll have a private bedroom (some actually share bedrooms with strangers to lower the cost of living. Not something I was willing to do.) And I will be sharing a bathroom. I prefer my own private bath but hard to find at a reasonable price point. The house is furnished -- living room, kitchen, etc. The bedroom will be unfurnished (per my request - they offered with or without furnishings). I am attaching some pics that I have gotten from the manager of the property (mostly because I am excited). And because I think it is cute. Of course, I'll update pictures when I move in (which will not be until June).

Final Countdown

It has been a chaotic and emotional 48 hours or so. I finally heard back from HR that my background check was complete and I was extended the *official* job offer for AD Trainee. This coming after a phone call to my (new) manager for CA. I am down to less than two weeks remaining in Macon (as a resident) and my last 3 days in Macon (at this call center). Due to the delays in my background check since I am coming from out of state means delays in the money from work for the move. This has added some stress to coordinating some details.

And as if I was not already stressed and panicking enough with packing & coordinating the move details, I got some very bad news last night that my plans for housing in LA fell through. This came as a shock. The person who was to be my roommate in LA turned out to be a catfish and scammer. I felt sick to my stomach when I found out. I was already exhausted physically from packing and cleaning all day. The emotional toll had me up half the night. I spent hours scouring rental apps to try to find alternate options for housing. Trying to now figure out deposits and when I'll be able to move in. (Still waiting on the money from work for the original estimate -- that did not include a deposit.)

Today was a day I need to be packing and cleaning for another 8 hours. But it is really hard to pack when I now don't know where I'll be living or how much stuff I can take with me.

Even with the added chaos/stress/panic, I still feel like I am supposed to move towards this job. This new information has definitely increased the level of faith this move is requiring. And I won't have the safety net of a built-in friend when I get to LA that I thought I would have. I still have moments of doubt where I wonder if this has all been a huge mistake, but then I think I knew this would be risky when I applied.

This week and the next few days may show me more of who I really am and what I'm made of than any other week of my life.