#WeekendCoffeeShare: Life in a cubicle

Published on by Yinglan

If we were having coffee, I would tell you good morning and thanks for joining me for another lovely weekend chat. 

I would tell you my days job hunting is over because I got a job! Yay! Really, I wasn’t expect to land this job. I sent in my resume the day after I returned from my road trip and that morning, the human resource lady called and asked if I could go to the interview the following week. The job was referred to me by my mom’s high school classmate’s daughter.

I was very nervous going into this interview because it was the first interview I’ve been to after the disastrous interview in China. In China, I was interviewed for the position of test prepper as in preparing students for the TOEFL exam. That interview felt more like a police interrogation than a job interview. The lady kept asking me after I’m planning on helping the students to memorize the test questions. I was like, there’s no memorizing test questions on the TOEFL exam. It’s an exam, no one knows the questions that will be given to them.

Let’s just say, that interview went down the toilet.

This interview, however, was an awkward one. The HR lady greeted me with a hug. She later told me she knew I was the right fit for the position from looking at my resume. The first question the boss asked was, “What are you expecting?” I felt my brain began to spin, trying to figure out what in the world that question meant. After a minute, I stuttered, “Uh, what do you mean?”

“The pay,” he said quickly, “What are you expecting?”

I sat back, I was not prepared for that question. So I foolishly told him the truth, “Oh, I’m not sure. I’m a newbie in the field, so…”

He gave my resume a quick flip and pulled out his phone while I sat across from him, my fingers fidgeted beneath the table. After a long minute, he told me a number and immediately, I could feel my jaw drop. That much money? I don’t think I’ve ever earned that much before ever. Alas, my jaw did not drop otherwise, I would had embarrassed myself. “When can you start?” He asked.

“Anytime,” I said, feeling my heart swell while images quickly came to mind. I’ll no longer be poor. I’ll no longer depend on my mom. I’ll have my own income. 

“How about tomorrow?” The boss man said.

I almost shot two thumbs up but instead, I stuttered, “Okay.”

“See you tomorrow.”

As I headed to my car, the HR lady again gave me a hug. She was ecstatic I landed the job and I was going to be in the cubicle next to hers. The next day, I reported to work at 8:30 sharp and there I was, a newbie accountant in a company that sells and repackage hay. Yes, hay as in grass. I had no idea there are so many types of hay before and still, it all look the same to me. Oh well, perhaps I’ll learn later. For now, I guess I’ll enjoy my weekday life in an office cubicle inputting invoices into Quickbooks and playing with numbers.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I will enjoy this weekend even though it’s a long weekend and I still have to work on my translation work. I will enjoy it because for once, I won’t have to worry about finding a job or that I’ll soon run out of money. I will also enjoy this weekend because the two international students are going home. I can finally go out to places on weekends when my mom isn’t home without having to worry about taking care of the students.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am looking forward to next weekend because on Monday, June 5, my mom will be gone for two weeks and I can finally use the kitchen as I please. I can finally make some mac n’ cheese, lasagna, and other delicious foods.

Lastly, if we were having coffee, I would thank you for joining me and hope I can join you again next weekend.

29 thoughts on “#WeekendCoffeeShare: Life in a cubicle”

  3. Congratulations on your new job. I’m so happy for you. I remember those looking-for-a-job days. 😉
    Just want you know that I’m so looking forward to having this virtual coffee with you. I like your writing and you are such a nice person.
    Have a great day.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. Congratulations on getting you job. It sounds like a new exciting life is opening up for you. The answer to you interview question “is the prevailing wage.” The interview in China was odd. Have great weekend .

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you. Maybe it was luck or something from up above. My mom told me she had her class pray for me. I sure will celebrate with some cheesy pasta. 😀

      Like

      Reply
  12. Pingback: #WeekendCoffeeShare: Life in a cubicle | Matthews' Blog

Leave a reply to spearfruit Cancel reply