Tres dias en mi nuevo trabajo

Three days in my new job.

As I left today, my new boss, PK, said to me, "Does it feel like longer than three days?" "No," I answered. She looked surprised. "It feels like a perfect three days," I said. And it has.

This job is a great fit for me. I'm not completely sure what I do yet, and I've spent hours this week reading documentation, program plans, starategic plans, grant proposals, Americorps requirements, and folders of documents. And I haven't even gotten to reading the documents on the computer yet.

My new supervisor set aside loads of time this week to sit with me and talk about everything I need to know about everything. We've had three 2 hour sessions, and will have more next week. It's been amazing to have someone take that time to help me orientate.

I've begun meeting with the four Americorps women I will be supervising. One is a Americorps Massachusetts Promise Fellow, one is a Americorps Citizen Fellow and two are Americorps VISTAs. They are all different programs all funded through the US government, a domestic Peace Corps, if you will. (Irony not lost here.) They are all talented, interesting and will be wonderful to work with. I've started to promise them that within the month, I'll have a clue what I'm doing, what Boston Cares is all about and be in a position to really begin to help them figure out next steps for their positions for this year.

I've been very calm starting this job. Even though I've made a total career move and am now in a field I've not been in before, I'm calm. I'm pleased. I'm energized. I'm looking forward to having a great run at Boston Cares.

I've really been enjoying being in downtown Boston, too. I've never worked somewhere (in the US) where there wasn't a campus. A coffee source, cafeteria, bookstore, library, mail room or post office, etc. all right there just a short walk away. How nice that even though i've given that up, there's still all those things near by because I'm downtown. Just across from my building is a open space with a fountain, loads of tables, and a Finagle a Bagel and Au Bon Pain. We've been meeting there a lot instead of in the office. If I need money, the ATM is a block down. I pass THREE Dunkin' Donuts on the way to work. THREE. And one is two feet from the office. There's a Subway, a Brighams, and a Rebecca's very close by. There's every type of international food just around the corner. And my office is at the end of High Street, which is literally across the street from the Archway that goes out to the waterfront where the water taxis come in, and since the upper deck of 93 is gone due to the Big Dig, you can not only see right through to the ocean, but you can walk over there on nice days and hang out on a bench. Amazing.

I figured out today that I've only commuted to work in a car for 1 year since 2000. I'm glad to be back on the T after this past year of car commuting. Time to ride and read and think or whatever that doesn't require honking, yelling, or being annoyed with idiots on the road. A half-mile walk on the front end, a 20 minute ride and a half-mile walk on the other end makes for a 40-45 minute commute. It's great.

I'm pretty blessed. I'm reveling in it at the moment.