What a Whirlwind

I'm exhausted.  On Friday, I found out I was chosen after a phone interview to advance to round two for an interview in Oregon.  It was in our hometown, and if I were to get the job, it would put us in a good position to be closer to help my mother-in-law and my own mom.  Plus, there is something so comforting about going back to the beginning, especially when life has been chaotic for so long. We scrambled to pull together enough money for me to even travel to Oregon, and to find a car that had better gas mileage and tires.  While our car is a great car, we have put off buying tires so long that we aren't very safe anymore.  I took my princess daughter with me on this trip, which turned out to be an excellent idea.  She was so helpful and fun to have along.

The interview itself was a new experience for me.  It was a group interview with 7 other candidates for the position.  Watching the interactions of the interview panel with the other candidates made me suspect they had already picked the one they were most interested in.  I'm not a loud, forceful person in group situations, so I was at an additional disadvantage.  That's life though, isn't it?  There will always be someone who is better spoken and who appears more capable.

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to go to this interview, not because it was anything life changing or wonderful.  If anything, it was just because it proved that I do present my skills in such a way that at least draws interests from employers.  As discussed before, I'm at an additional disadvantage due to my injury.  I made it to this interview because I first went through the phone interview.  

Since it is Thanksgiving week, I'll let you know that even though the poor school is closed Thursday and Friday, I am still required to fulfill my obligation to the state in taking classes and applying for jobs.  Poor people aren't allowed the time to spend with their families without worry over obligations to the state.  Holidays are only for the wealthy, and those of us who choose to be unemployable because of injuries must still meet the quota of job applications and hours spent learning how to get hired as an able-bodied person.  Being poor means you don't get to have the dignity of enjoying your family.  It means you have to worry twice as much about how to fulfill your obligation when the means to do so aren't available.