Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Holding My Breath

It was my last day at Xact last Saturday, so I'm officially out of a job. We're scheduled to meet up with our new employers later at 3PM. I hope everything goes well with the contract signing and all. At the risk of sounding too negative, there are some things that worry/bother me:

The presumably stiff, corporate culture I'm going to be immersed in. This is coming from someone who's worked in various companies where you don't have to address a superior by sir or ma'am. It's just me I guess, but calling anyone who is not a caller/customer by those titles feels demeaning. The call centers I've worked at feels like a university since everyone is on a first name basis, and the hierarchy is not as pronounced as in other fields of work. Of course, in any industry there will always be suit-wearing corporate overlords behind the scenes making the wheels turn, but thing is I've been so used to being on the front line of the hive. I'd like to think of it as trading one form of corporate slavery for another.

This career shift entails a lot of things, such as wearing a suit and tie everyday. This is a big deal for me since I've been going to work in jeans and sneakers for the past four years or so, and in my sleepwear for the last seven months. Since I can use one hand to count the number of occasions I've worn a tie, dad in law (DIL) refreshed me on how to wear one yesterday. I'll get used to it I guess. Lyn also told me that everyone of the same gender bathes together in the ofuro, aka public bath. I'm pretty much comfortable with my sexuality and not homophobic, so don't get me wrong when I say that I'd rather not be in viewing distance of another guy's weiner.

Dan's living arrangements. I can only hope that the day care center he's going to go to is humane to say the least. Lyn reassured me that the people that work there are very friendly and kind with kids. Are there any babysitters in Japan? I mean we can't just leave him there all day can we? I do recall watching one of those short TV features on Japan that talk about its culture, technology, etc. There was this one epsiode about day care centers located near the subway stations which make it easier for the parents to drop off their kids on the way to work. You could even configure your cell phone to stream a live video feed of what's going on at the center, which is perfect for a worrysome guy such as myself.

Show me the money. As of today, I've no idea how much they're going to pay us. All I know is that compensation will be in yen, so I hope that's at least twice what I've been earning in my last job. On the other hand, since they're going to invest a lot in us (housing, training, etc) they probably expect a hell of a lot in return.

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