| Steve has just won his second contract. The first one he kind of felt was a fluke, as its the first time he's followed this line of work as a result of his job in the UK. Business Analysts are incredibly sought of here in Welly and so they pretty much write their own pay packet, it seems to be a small number of them all battling it out for the contracts and Steve is sure that he will start to see the same people over and over. The first came as a surprise because of the wage bracket, he didn't anticipate getting anywhere near as much and the job came with great responsibility, analysing and forming recommendations for the Dept of Corrections in NZ. Having never worked in this industry, he had to quickly familarise himself with terminology and the processes within the system here. He worked very hard and completed his reccommendations within the deadline. He was in contact with other agencies to sort out a new contract and had only been out of work for a day when another agreement came in. This one is only short as well (two months) pays slightly more and brings yet more responsibilty - revising the current staffing within a department of the government and in effect suggesting who should be 'culled' and how to make the department run more effectively. Its taking a purely business approach as the other one, without the all the emotional bits involved. Which is really his forte. I'm so proud of him and so happy for him and us. His confidence is growing and he's quite sure now about his worth. We've already put some of his earnings to good use, a new big arse plasma screen tv, scouring the shops for a nice lounge suite, and slowly upgrading everything we'd previously bought. Its such a good feeling! My frustration with the chimney company really paid off. I hate dodgy tradespeople and I particularly hate ones that combine rudeness and dodgyness! I contacted the homeowner over the weekend and expressed my concerns at footing a big bill which likely seemed unnessecary. They really appreciated my candor and arranged a second opinion with a fantastic company. This company provided me with lots of useful information over the phone not knowing at the time it would pay off. And this is exactly how businesses should operate. Turns out all of the recommendations from the other company are untruthful and inaccurate. Our chimney problem is as a result of the wood we're using. That's saved the homeowners a lot of hassles and money. They're very happy and I'm really happy that my feelings about this initial company were correct. The only one unhappy is the Property Manager, who is annoyed that I've made her look unprofessional. Today our phone was also returned from the Nanny, which is really good for me. It feels like a weight has been lifted in that she must appreciate us enough not to steal from us. She also text me some nice thoughts. Whether its a selfish motivation or a genuine show of appreciation for being part of our family is unknown to me, I truly hope its the latter. I also got a call from a Manager following up my complaint about the Police Officer. He agreed that the Officer acted unprofessionally, but is struggling to identify the person, the investigation continues! And finally for another good thing today, I received another paper from the uni. This is one of my electives so its one I'm really keen on. About the Rich World, the Poor World and the Making of the Third World. I've been feeling terribly overwhelmed by the other two papers, a bit out of my depth and feeling a lot of self doubt. Receiving this paper has reinfornced why I want to do this in the first place. And I have the best person to help me! Steve and his Dad have consulted for the ADB (Asian Development Bank) on a number of projects in Asia to alleviate poverty. Its going to be really interesting to hear about and I think might warrant a much needed and much wanted holiday to Cambodia! If only this bloody baby would hurry up! Two longest months ever. Grrroan! |