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| My new employer orientation class |
Day 1: New Employee Experience
July 20, I started my day early….extra early…5:30 am early!
I woke up at 5:30 am because I was nervous about having to drive to work and find my way to the FIU New Employee Experience, an orientation day. Driving 25 minutes isn’t a big deal to most, but to a person who hasn’t driven in nearly 9 years, IT HUGE! My test drive to campus the day before was successful except for the part where I kept missing my exit :(
I arrived on campus in my yellow Zara shift dress, tan heels, and my beloved Violette Coquette. Although I looked like a walking highlighter marker, I was so happy! The peace I have from this transition has been overwhelming and every day when I look in the mirror, I feel it more and more. God orchestrated this entire transition because I prayed and stayed faithful.
New Employee Experience felt like the first day of college all over, except I didn’t have diarrhea like I did in 2002. As I read through all the materials, I thought about how crazy it was that I was actually at FIU. Did I really just relocate to a whole different state, climate, and job? And, did it all go THAT smoothly?
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| New Employee Orientation |
Seeing that I had a whole 45 minutes until the orientation started (I arrived well before the breakfast had even been put out), I read a favorite passage from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson:
“Everything we do is infused with the energy with which we do it. If we're frantic, life will be frantic. If we're peaceful, life will be peaceful. And so our goal in any situation becomes inner peace.”
I have been praying and working on having peace for nearly a year, and this move is an answered prayer and reflection of how powerful something like peace it. #blessed
Day 2: Welcome, you have a presentation on Monday! Oh...
Tuesday was spent in the actual office with my boss and the team I would be working with. Although I had met a few during my interviews, I had no idea that the External Relations team of FIU has over 20 employees. The office is set up like an agency: PR team, multimedia team, events team, graphic designers and account planning. My role is an account manager who works on the branding and messaging for special projects.
After having no success in finding hot tea for my daily fix, I sat down to play with my MacBook. (Ironically, I’m gifting myself one for Christmas so having to work on one daily will be a good tutorial for me). I thought I would use most of the day working on the HR stuff I learned during the New Employee Experience, but my boss had another plan. The conversation went like this:
Boss: Hey Sharonda! I have your first assignment for you.
Me: Awesome! What do you need?
Boss: I need taglines and copy for 3 ads.
Me: No problem. Can you send me the brief and brand guide for the project?
Boss: Yes. Oh, and you’re presenting this all with me next Monday.
Me: Oh….awesome...I think!
Boss: Yeah, we’ve been waiting for you!
“We’ve been waiting for you” has been a phrase I’ve heard several times since i’ve started which actually makes me feel good. My calendar is quickly filling up with meetings about the projects that they have been holding off on until I started. It is an honor that I get to work on the strategy of major projects for FIU. And, it is my strength and favorite part of my work. Not only am I up for the challenge, I’m ready to surpass it!
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| Camarones enchilados |
Day 3: Nicaraguan and Miami traffic
So this driving thing....like I can’t just walk to the store anymore to get my beloved froyo or olive oil. I have to get in the car, wait for the security gate to open, merge onto the road will all these idiots who won’t let me on, then go to my destination. But I wanna walk!
At first, this driving thing was a worry and a burden. It was a worry because I literally have not been behind the wheels of a car in about 7 years. My first 2 years in Chicago, I occasionally served as the DD. But the last 7 years...nada! Part of the reason for my driving hiatus is because I lost my expired Delaware license and never bothered to get a new one. Then, I committed to doing so before my 30 birthday, but didn’t. So, I didn’t get this license thing figured out until the day before I left Chicago. You can judge me.
But on day three, I decided to go into work a bit later. I left out at 8:15. Big mistake. Huge. I sat in heavy traffic most of my commute to work. I arrived a little after 9:30 with a headache and tension in my shoulders like I had been in the gym. I felt like I needed a glass of Malbec instead of my morning green tea!
Lunch made up for all of that. My boss suggested we have a mini team lunch at Madrono, a Nicaraguan restaurant. The reaction on my face made him laugh when I exclaimed, “I’ve never had Nicaraguan!”
I ordered the camarones enchilados, with red beans and rice and plantains. The camarones enchilados were shrimp served in a tomato garlic sauce that had a touch of sweetness to them. I ate every drop! I’m going back in two weeks and looking forward to trying something new!
Since I had a test drive in Miami morning rush, I decided that Wednesday would also be the day I try the evening rush....well….it moved at a pace of 30 MPH for most of my usual 40 minute commute home. It took me an hour and 20 minutes to get home :(
So….I get to work by 8 am now, 30 minute drive. I get home by 6 pm, 40 minute work....leaving by 7:30 am and work by 5 pm is a deal breaker in this new driving life!
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| My outside "workplace" |
Day 3 and Day 4: No more GPS
Google Maps is my best friend. Even when I was a bus/train/cab/Uber type of girl, Google Maps gave me solid direction. And of course, while in Miami this first week, I’ve relied very heavily on it. But on day 3 and 4, I wanted to challenge myself. Plus, I’m killing my data plan using Google Maps all the time. I got to and from work without using my GPS! I even drove to the grocery store and back home without getting lost...this is a huge victory!
I also did some walking around campus. This place is an outdoor museum which is right up my alley! There are so many wonderful pieces of art work to look at. The architecture of the buildings also is noteworthy and makes me feel at home (Chicago spoiled me). Exploring this campus will be exciting and relaxing. And I already found a special "workplace" to relax and think when I need to be creative.
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| Welcome gifts from the External Relations team |
Day 5: Friday freedom!
Work seemed to fly by! Mostly because I spent most of the day reading and researching for an assignment I got handed on day 3. My boss' boss also has been waiting on me!
I thought Friday evening rush hour would be horrific, but it was the complete opposite! Traffic was flowing and I was dancing to my old school jams the whole way home! Today was a good day.
