Battle of the Jobs
Written by Kyle on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 in Honduras
Feelin' thoughtful
Feelin' thoughtful
For the past week, I have been working in Pinalejo, Honduras, near the Guatemalan / Honduras border updating the web site for Fellow Man International. While the work is the same in a broad sense as it was in Chicago (making web sites), there are very little similarities. If you are wondering how it compares to working in Chicago, well, here you go, I outlined it all for you.
1. Commute
In Chicago, my commute was typically a 45 minute trip in a bumpy CTA El or Bus. At rush hour, the trains and busses were usually packed with people with both making frequent stops to either a) pick up more people (bus) or b) wait for a signal (train).
Here in Honduras my commute is still a bumpy 45 minute trip, but it is usually in a 4-wheel drive vehicle up a dirt, mountain road. It is a little less crowded (especially when not transporting workers) and I can breathe in fresh air while looking at the great views.
Advantage: Honduras, probably because the fresh air and mountains are still a novelty.
2. Work
In Chicago, I was working for the Tribune Company on their Metromix nightlife and entertainment site. I was able to do highly technical and interesting things but at the same time, I had very little freedom to do things outside of what I was explicitly told to do. However, I knew things well there and beyond the people aspect, the work was interesting.
Now, while I don't get to do the interesting technical things, I do have the freedom to take things in the appropriate direction if needed. I don't have people watching me over my back all the time, but then again the technical aspect is not as interesting. But, really, it's Honduras; I wasn't expecting to be at the forefront of technology.
Advantage: Chicago. I'm not going rushing back to my old job or anything, but the programming work was fun.
3. Environment
Well, at the Tribune I worked in a room that was affectionately called "The Cave". I had no idea what time it was because I couldn't see the light of day and sometimes the pipes above us would start leaking on me. I did have a cube, but it's a cube, so...ya, not that exciting. But, it was stable and I knew what time I was going to work, where I was going to be, and roughly what I was going to do.
I wouldn't call my physical environment exciting, but it's different. I have worked in the house of our host family, Lisa's house (or missionary host), and sometimes just wherever I can set up my computer. It's hard to say what my hours are as they very based on what has to be done that day (go to San Pedro Sula, pick up concrete, drop of workers, etc) but it's always interesting everyday!
Most of my work has been done in the laboratory of a medical clinic in the mountains of Western Honduras. I'm surrounded by those blood spinning machines and various other things that I would probably break if I touched them. I still don't see a lot of light, but I can always take a break and look at the landscape:
I would have to say the internet in Honduras has been very pokey, which makes things difficult at times. But, to be honest, I didn't expect there to be any internet this far away from the cities, so I guess I shouldn't complain.
Advantage: Honduras. I don't mind the changes in schedule and location. Makes things exciting sometimes!
4. Lunch
Well, as I was saving for this trip, I brought my lunch most days in Chicago. If it wasn't left-overs, it was generally a sandwich, fruit or veggie, and a snack bar. When I didn't bring my lunch, it was either Thai food or a Jimmy Johns sandwich. I do miss both of those greatly...if I find either soon, I will eat it for every meal.
So far, lunch has always consisted of 1) tortillas 2) stuff on top of tortillas and 3) a Pepsi. It's all been really tasty but I've eaten enough tortillas in the past 3 months to satisfy me. Doesn't anyone make chicken fried steak?
Advantage: Push. I like the home cooked food everyday for lunch in Honduras, but I miss my American staples sometimes.
So, there you go. Based on 4 completely arbitrary categories, I like the work I'm doing better in Honduras. While I'm not making any money per se, I am getting some enlightening and fun experiences. Don't expect me to move my stuff here anytime soon, but for the time being, I'm having a blast.
Comments on "Battle of the Jobs"
Yes, then maybe I would know that River Plate is from Argentina.
By the way, there are some weird words in your cheat sheet. It must be those damn Spaniards and their weird Spanish.
I like your non-traditional posts, such as this one, but don't do them all the time otherwise they aren't a good change of pace. How is your Spanish now after being there a few months? I hope you don't need my cheat cards very often anymore. Sounds like you guys are having a good time and mixing a little bit of work with lots of play...keep it up. I actually was randomly surfing the web and found a job you should totally try to get when you return to Chicago (assuming and sort of demanding you & Bessie do so), it is website administration for US Soccer, which is headquartered in Chicago! Anyways, take care and looking forward to your next post.
by Drew at May 06, 2008 03:54 PM---Drew