Hello dear community. I promised to tell you about my determined absence in the platform for the month of July and August. I know, I know, we are already in September, but between many occupations and issues to solve, I delayed my return a little bit until I didn't finalize some details to avoid interruptions in my stay here.

I believe that every responsible human being who likes money well spent gets excited with the idea of getting or having a job. Even if it is for a certain period of time. In my case, for the month of June I managed to get a two month contract in a very well known supermarket here in Tenerife and Spain, for the summer period. I got this job thanks to my father-in-law who had previously worked here and told me to send my resume to the human resources people.

The truth is that I was nervous but very excited to work. It was my first legal job in Tenerife where I was going to pay social security contributions. Besides, with this income, I would be able to pay off some outstanding debts and be able to help my family in Venezuela again.

When I arrived at this supermarket on July 1, everything was going well? "apparently". I took a position as a cashier. Well, moderately well because here they think we are machines and you have to learn everything the first time. To be exact, this was the only day I left on time in the whole time I was working for this supermarket. There was plenty of work, but here the work of three people is done by one person. That's how strong the labor issue is here.

I'm a very fast learner and got the hang of the job quickly but coupled with that the lack of time and dedication of the permanent staff to teach new people about how to work in the company is not and was not the most motivating of all. There were days when I had ten or twenty minutes overtime and I never got it back. With the exception of one girl, who was one of the cashiers on duty and was the only person who gave me back my minutes when I was overtime.

I am one of those people who think that you don't go to work to make friends, but if you make them, they are welcome. I managed to make friends with this girl who valued my work 100% and with two other colleagues who were also cashiers: Jhonny and Carolina. I don't have pictures with them but we agreed to meet soon for a drink after having endured the insufferable work we had in that supermarket.

Like any job, there are light days and heavy days. I could not stand Sundays in that supermarket because that was when most people went, as well as holidays. Thank God that in my working day I only had the audacity to experience in the flesh one holiday and it was horrible. The truth is that people go crazy those days. They leave everything to the last minute and sometimes we had to stay overtime waiting for the last customer to pay. At least it happened to me a lot when I was on the night shift.

My short stay at this place made me rethink what I really want for my life: a job where my effort is valued and I feel respected. Because it's worth noting the countless times that customers would come to my work station pissed off or in a hurry and make my day suck. And I'm not talking literally. It made me want to quit.

There were days when I had problems with some racist customers, other days I had good and polite people, but there were more bad days than good days because people here are used to being paid obeisance and that's the truth. They think that the workers in the customer service sector are their slaves. There is no other way to put it.

This job I had for two months made me want a better future for my son. To be able to pay for a good training cycle for him here in Spain and for him to work in something he loves and that is productive for him. I do not want him to live what his father and I have had to endure from the people here. It is clear that nothing is written but I hope that in the future our experience will serve as a basis for what he does not want to happen to him.

Sometimes I find it hard to understand how human beings like to make other people's lives miserable. It's so nice to bring a smile to someone's face or to be a source of joy for someone else. Although I try, I find it very hard to understand why people here have so little empathy. And I speak from here, because I tell it from my personal experience. Because living in Venezuela I have always worked in customer service positions and nothing similar had ever happened to me.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. Nothing is written but you have to look at the positive side of everything. Despite my bad experience I managed to make two good friends. Friends that made my stay in that job more bearable. Friends who are also contacts or links that can open doors for me to get another job. Because from this experience I learned that sometimes life comes with strong situations that make you a better or worse person and with that, the moral that this experience left me with was about what I want to continue being: an exemplary citizen, a good friend, a dedicated mother and a person who prioritizes her values and education above all else. Because no one deserves to be mistreated or undermined in any job or in any place.

Thanks for reading. See you another time ☺️✌🏼