Today, I took a more cautious approach with my boss. I made sure that I worked hard and did everything that he asked of me. I also took the approach of "What is he trying to teach me?" whenever we had a conversation. This is slightly more specific and subtly different from the "learning stance" that I had previously tried. Things seemed to work out. During my break, Paul even offered me the use of his digital camera. I may take him up on the offer on Monday, when AIESEC has its weekly drinks in town.
At the moment, I am at Lia's house. I just popped around at 9:30pm to drop off a birthday present and have a chat. I asked her if she minded me just turning up like this, and she was alright with it. This is contrary to the advice of the "Lonely Planet", but, then again, maybe she is just being nice. Actually, this is the first time that I have seen an AIESECer for a week.
I got a package from home today. It contained my "Toastmasters" and "Financial Management" magazines, and my entry pack for the half marathon in February that I missed. (Can I still wear the singlet for the half marathon, even if I didn't run in the race?)
posted by James 10:44 pm
Usually, the bike ride home from the train station calms me down. By the time I get home, I see things from a better perspective, and I conclude that the nature of the interactions that I have with my boss are probably due to cultural differences that I'm not yet used to. Last night was different. Even after the 15-minute bike ride, I was still seething with anger about the last thing my boss said to me. It was giving me a head-ache.
Usually, my preferred method of relaxation would be to go for a long run. But, this was impractical. I hadn't eaten anything since 2pm, and it was already cold and dark outside. Also, I still don't know the streets around my house as well as I should, so I would probably just get myself lost. Another remedy would have been to listen to a CD with the volume turned up. But, I was missing two vital components - my CDs were at work, and I don't have a CD player at home anyway!
I decided to ask Ania if she wanted to go to the city centre with me, after dinner. She accepted. Cooking my dinner partially calmed me down. On a good note, I can definitely sense improvement - there was significantly less smoke this time, and the brocolli was boiled to perfection.
After dinner, Ania and I cycled to the city centre, each of us complaining about our work. It was nice to have another person to listen to my complaining, and I was happy to do the same for her. In the city, we went to a bar called "The three sisters" (english translation). I asked for the biggest glass of beer, and I actually got a pint-sized glass this time. I easily drank the first one, and went back for another. After two of these, I was less stressed and about 60% drunk. Ania was drinking fruit in the forest flavoured tea. (What fruit is there in the forest anyway?) Actually, most of the people in the bar were drinking tea.
So, when we got home, I was all ready for sleep. Still, I had a relaxing shower and watched a little television in Ania's room. At 11:30pm, I went to bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
posted by James 9:21 am
I can't believe it! My boss just came out of his office and actually walked around to my side of the computer. (Perhaps he was wondering what I was typing about, so fast). Anyway, my instinctive reaction was to sign out of Blogger and minimise the window. For all I knew, he could have been reading my diary and I don't want him to do that. After all, I have been complaining quite a lot about him! So, he just gave me a talk about doing personal things in work time, and how "other" trainees, when they wanted to do such things, would tell him first. He said that what I was doing was damaging of trust and he may start to get the impression that I'm writing in my diary (or e-mailing) a lot when I should be working. That annoyed me. After all, I have been here since 9am and it is almost 7pm now. I'm always working hard, and I don't do my diary entry until after, say, 5:30pm, or only for a minute or so when something diary worthy happens during the day.
You [censored]ing stupid boss!
posted by James 6:56 pm
I am still not used to the management style of my boss. When we have a conversation, he still talks to me in a loud and overbearing way. It often feels like he is criticising me and I automatically get defensive. It doesn't make for comfortable interaction. He says that he may sound as harsh as he does because of his level of English. I also think he is a generally loud person (he talks loudly to the other people in the office, but, perhaps he is being bossy to them too). Perhaps it is just a cultural difference between Dutch managers and New Zealand managers. How can you tell if something is a cultural difference, or if it is just a difference between two people?
Today, I made a concerted effort to adopt a "learning stance" in the conversation and to avoid becoming defensive. I found it difficult. Paul asked me for my opinion about some research that I had been doing. He disagreed with what I said, and also implied that I didn't understand what I had been reading. I understood his point of view, but he kept on explaining it to me for the next ten minutes. (I guess he was just trying to make me understand). But then he said something which totally contradicted himself and was actually my stated opinion in the first place. I broke into such a big smile. He asked me what I was smiling about, and I said "nothing". I felt vindicated, although the correct analysis was probably a combination of my opinion and what Paul had just been explaining to me.
I explained all of the problems that I had with the business plan file on the computer. I don't think he believed me, because he opened the file on his own computer and began scrolling up and down. After doing that, he said the file was fine and I could try working on it again, perhaps at another computer. I suggested that he make a simple change to the file and try to save it. (This is where I had been having my problems). He tried this, and a "fatal error" message appeared on the screen. I actually felt a really satisfied feeling inside because it was direct evidence that the problem was not really my fault. Luckily the problem has been fixed for now. I am working on a version of the business plan which was created last year, and, so far, it is causing no computer problems.
After the conversation, I had my lunch break. Actually, after any conversation with Paul, I feel like I need a break. This will probably continue until I get used to his style of conversation. I will still persevere with taking a "learning stance" and trying to maintain my composure.
At home, last night, I was having a cup of tea with Ania and we had a conversation where we just complained about the Netherlands. (Perhaps this means that I am in the state of "cultural depression" as per the AIESEC learning log? I'm not sure, as I am still finding many things a novelty). For instance, it seems we both hate the supermarket. It's only open until 10pm each day (we are both used to supermarkets open 24 hours) and it doesn't open on Sundays. The supermarket I go to only sells one type of bread roll suitable for lunch - the rest are really hard! Also, it seems that every time I go there, I hear the song "All by myself" by Celine Dion. Perhaps they are trying to rub in the fact that I will be cycling home to prepare and eat dinner by myself!
Also, the City Office is stupid. They want me to give them the original version of my birth certificate, so I have to send for that from New Zealand. My birth details in my passport were not good enough, nor was the photocopy of my birth certificate that I had brought from New Zealand. Apparently, such evidence is not good enough. Sigh. Perhaps they don't believe that I was actually born? Perhaps it would have been better if a Tilburg city official had been present at my birth and filmed it. They only need it for some stupid information database, so that if I move house, they can make sure the rates bill goes to the right place. (There are probably other more worthy reasons, but I'm complaining here!) They seem pretty obsessed with my date of birth, so I am expecting them to send me a cake on my birthday.
I have noticed that I am talking to myself more often. Perhaps this is a consequence of having no radio and television and spending lots of time by myself. I have also begun to swear more often (when I'm the only person around, though, not to other people). My phrase of choice, at the moment, would have to be "You [censored]ing computer!" I also swear at my bike and whenever I hit the low-lying wooden beams in my room.
posted by James 6:38 pm
I just knocked over a huge cup of hot water, spilling the contents all over my desk. (Yeah, for some reason I was just drinking hot water, not tea). Anyway, it missed the computer and soaked everything else. Luckily I keep files in those plastic slipcases. It's all cleaned up, and I'm going back to work.
posted by James 1:59 pm
The weather in the Netherlands is warming up. The ponds are thawing, people are no longer scraping ice from their cars in the morning, and I don't need to wear my scarf so often. That's a good thing, because on Monday night, I substantially munted my scarf using the automatic dryer-machine. Originally, my scarf could comfortably wrap around my neck twice. Now it is only half that length. It barely stretches the width of the table in the kitchen. In an attempt to mitigate the damage, Ania (my Polish housemate) and I played some tug-o-war with it. Even after five minutes of such activity, we added only 15cm to its reduced length. As I said before, it's a good thing that the weather is warmer, otherwise I would be buying my 2nd scarf in my 3rd week here!
Work is very frustrating right now. I am supposed to be editing a business plan from 100 pages down to 40 pages. However, it is impossible because I am having so many problems with the computer. There is always some sort of "fatal" error with Word which requires you to reset the whole computer. Even when the computer is working, the file is just so big (200 megs) that even small commands, like saving the file, take a long time. I feel like I have done nothing today. I wish I knew when the revised business plan were due, then perhaps I could plan my days better. The last time I asked Paul, he said it had to be done "yesterday". This is not very useful.
However, one useful thing that happened this week was a discussion I had with Paul about my expectations for work. (Before the discussion, I had given him a typed list of my expectations for work and what he could expect from me). We went through each point, and Paul gave his perspective about what I should expect when working at Bridge Consulting Group. One of my expectations was to work no more than 8 hours per day. Paul said that he could not guarantee this due to the nature of consulting work. Sometimes there will be very busy days where I may be expected to stay late to complete something due the next day. Other days may be quiet. Due to the international nature of the business, I may have to stay late to make a phone call (due to differences in time zones). However, Paul said that things like this usually even out, and he was more interested in working to a 40-hour week, rather than a strict 8-hour day. I can understand this, as my underlying concern was not to be overworked. I also want to learn more about consulting, and if this is what the working hours are like, then I am satisfied with that. Paul recognises the importance of AIESEC events and he will help ensure that I am able to attend them.
We both agreed that it is important to keep each other informed about our expectations and when we think they are not being met. When Paul comes back to the office, I am going to tell him what's happening with the business plan and what I think about the situation. I hope he is in an understanding mood.
posted by James 5:18 pm
There is a black cat at work which acts a lot like the cat I have at home. It like to sit on Paul's window sill, and it was just rubbing its face against one of the pot plants. Paul flicked her on the ear to make her stop, so she turned to Paul and poked her tongue out. (Cats are so cute when they do that). Then, just one minute ago, she jumped off the window sill and, in the process, knocked a pot plant over on Paul's desk. Ha! The cat's revenge!
posted by James 11:16 am
At around 12:30pm, we left Joris's house to walk to the place where we would be having lunch. It was raining lightly, but heavy enough to be an annoyance. This is the sort of weather that people had told me would be common in the Netherlands.
We had a nice lunch of tomato soup and broodjes (bread rolls). I also asked my new friends to put their contact details in my notebook. I have sent them an e-mail as I have had access to the internet at work.
The main attraction of the day was the carnaval parade. As it was slightly raining, it was thought that it would be more comfortable to watch the parade from a building along the route. Some of the Maastricht AIESECers had apartments in this building, so we would get a good view from their windows. There were many floats and it was clear that a lot of effort had gone into constructing each one. I learnt that in order to have a float in the parade, you would need to register it advance. Mostly, it was "carnaval clubs" that had organised these floats.
The costumes were also elaborate and of many different designs. They were worn by the parade participants and also those watching. There was no theme - you could dress up however you liked. I saw the Cookie Monster, a hundred people in bumble-bee costumes and escaped convicts. There was a huge chicken riding a bicycle. At one stage, a group of stewardesses, in front of a huge model plane, did a line-dance of common safety procedures that you would find explained on an airplane.
Usually, the people in the parade would be drinking. One float typified this perfectly. The "float" was just crates of beer on a trolley, and the people with the float were just walking along, slowly drinking all of the beer!
Our vantage point had large window sills which were perfect for two people to sit on and still give those behind them a good view of the parade. I remember thinking that it would be very comfortable to relax on the window sill with a large cup of tea and observe the parade below for a couple of hours.
Moise and I decided to leave the house at 4pm, to make our way to the train station. The train station was easy to find as we just needed to follow the parade route. When we were on the street, I turned around and waved to the people back at the house in much the same way as someone attempting to fly using only their arms. They were on the fifth floor of the building, but they still spotted me, and responded in kind. Coolness.
As we were walking to the station, I decided that I wanted to stop off at a bar for a beer and watch some of the parade from a closer distance. (We could take our glasses of beer outside). I made a point of also watching the crowd and observing what people were doing. I still remember the image of people, dressed in full costume, watching from nearby balconies, drinking and dancing to the music of the floats. It was certainly a party for the whole city.
Last Friday, my boss said that he would also be going to Maastricht for carnaval. I never thought that I would actually see him. Yet, on the way to the train station, I was hit in the back by a tamborine. The tamborine was in the possession of my boss who was all dressed up in costume! That was definitely a shock, especially when I had been used to seeing him in a suit at work.
My lasting thought for the day is about how creative people can be when they put their mind to it. At the least, it provides food for thought when it comes to creating a costume for an AIESEC conference or a general theme party.
posted by James 7:35 pm
I just read an e-mail from Daniel which, in part, was about the scavenger hunt that AIESEC Auckland just had this weekend. Man, I´m so jealous! I want to organise a scavenger hunt here. But, maybe not for a few months, until after I understand the local committee culture a bit better.
posted by James 12:17 pm
Each night, I get home at about 7pm and start making my dinner. I have seen my mother cooking in the kitchen before, so I figured I would know a few things about what to do. But the results of the past few days have made me think otherwise. Each time I have cooked anything in a frying pan, I have filled the kitchen with smoke. I have to turn on the extractor fan (that reminds me of a joke from Laura) and open the window. One time, one of my housemates left her room to check for the "fire" in the kitchen! On Friday night, I did some serious damage to the frying pan. It used to be a silvery colour, but it was black by the time I had finished with it. Even after 10 minutes of hard scrubbing in the sink, there are still large parts of it which are black. Shame. Perhaps, over time, I will get the feel for cooking meat in the frying pan properly. But, until then, I will probably cook more pasta - it´s much easier for me!
On Friday, we went out for a drink with Sandra, to farewell her at the end of her traineeship here. We had a conversation about how we feel at different stages of our traineeships, and the things we miss from home. Maja gave us an excellent metaphor about an hourglass. When you turn it over, the sand seems to move so slowly, but by the end, the sand seems to move much faster. Apparently, that´s how it is with a traineeship. I have been here for only two weeks, but it has seemed like such a long time. On the other hand, for Moise and Maja (who have been here for many months) time seems to move so quickly!
This weekend, there has been an AIESEC trainees reception event. This time, it is in Maastricht - right at the bottom of the Netherlands. The main attraction of the weekend is "carnaval". Everyone dresses up in silly costumes and drinks a lot. They also celebrate carnaval in Tilburg and other towns in this area, but not so much in the North. Many of the AIESECers at Tilburg come from up North, so they don´t place too much significance on carnaval. Actually, Moise and I are the only ones from Tilburg to come to this reception weekend. No Tilburg AIESECers have chosen to come. This is a bit disappointing, but I guess it is more motivation for me to get to know the trainees from the other local committees.
I met Moise at the train station at 10:15am on Saturday. Moise has a special pass that gives him 40% discount on train travel around the country. Luckily, the discount can also apply to two other travellers, so I was included. The train ride from Tilburg to Maastricht was 1 hour 30 mins, and we had to change trains once. Just looking out the window confirmed how flat the Netherlands is. For the whole 90 minutes, you could look to the horizon, in all directions, and rarely see so much as a hill.
When we arrived in Maastricht, we soon found a group of about 30 people of student age who were the AIESECers and the other trainees. I introduced myself to George (from Kenya), Jimmy (from Belgium) and Jeff (from the US). Some of the trainees knew each other from previous trainee reception weekends. After a short walk, we had lunch at a student bar. (We would be having the party there, that night). I also met Iva (an AIESECer from the Czech Republic), her friend, Marion (from France) and Martijn (an AIESECer). As well as Moise, the people that I have mentioned in this paragraph are those that I tended to hang out with the most.
Our first event of the day was a trip to a fort and a limestone quarry on the Southern edge of Maastricht. We were split into two groups, and my group was taken around the limestone quarry first. The guide spoke in English, and he was very informative and humorous. We learnt that limestone had been mined from this quarry since the 10th century, up until the beginning of the 20th century. I was amazed to learn that there were 300 km of tunnels! At one point in its history, you could use the tunnels to go from Belgium to the Netherlands. Naturally, this route was popular with those smuggling butter and tobacco. We were shown a huge dome-shaped room which was the result of French soldiers attempting to blow up part of the tunnel system in the 18th century. (They were aiming to collapse the fort, which they thought was directly above them. They were wrong anyway!) Parts of the tunnel system were used as a haven for US soldiers and Maastricht townspeople towards the end of WW2. We saw some "I was here" type messages written by people in 1944. There were also elaborate charcoal drawings on some of walls. This tour was so interesting, and it was a great way to start the reception weekend.
Afterwards, we we shown around the fort. This was an important element in the defence system of the town until the 19th century. The strategic significance of the fort was easy to understand. It was built on one of the few hills in the area and you had a very good view of the town below. There used to be infrastructure for twelve cannons, but when the fort became unnecessary, the bricks were removed for other uses in the town. Fortunately, they did´t dismantle everything, and there were still four cannon placements for us to inspect that day.
In the evening, we had a party at the same bar where we had lunch. Of course, for this you had to dress up into a silly costume. For some reason, I had brought my "happi" coat from New Zealand, and, because of its bright colour, it was highly appropriate for the evening. I also wore my blue AIESEC Auckland bandana which attracted the envy of some of the other AIESECers there. We got there at 7pm, and immediately started drinking! Again, the beer glasses were small, so it was easy to drink a lot. We could have as much as we wanted because it was included in the price for the whole weekend. There was also so much pizza!
We mostly listened to Dutch music. It was fast paced and appropriate for dancing. Some of them were clearly the Dutch version of famous English songs. For instance, when the fast Dutch version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" came on, it was a song that everyone recognised and new the actions too. It's great to have a common knowledge of songs like this. For an AIESEC party, there was little line dancing. Well, there was no line dancing. Luckily, there was no dancing in huge circles (the layout of the venue made this impossible). Once in a while, you got caught up in a dancing people-train and, at one stage, I managed to instigate some limbo dancing.
Due to the combination of heavy drinking and vigorous "open space" style dancing, I was exhausted by midnight. I am sure that lots of photos have been taken of me sleeping! So, I asked to be walked home just before 1am.
I had a huge sleep-in and woke up at about 10:30am. Everyone was still asleep! So, I have had lots of time to write this huge update. I´m really pleased that I could do this.
posted by James 11:39 am