Training

For the past three months, I have been working at the Staunton Social Security office, learning the job while exercising much of the information I assimilated while in Tampa. I knew I would eventually be shipped off to another office for my formal Service Representative training, though I never expected it to be very far.

Finally, the day came when I found out where I was going. It was not there in Staunton, nor 30 min north to Harrisonburg, East to the Charlottesville office, or an hour and a half south to Roanoke where the other SRs went for training. I was being sent to Danville, Va., A town 2.5 hours Southeast of Staunton, close to the North Carolina border. It's not a big town, so there's very little for entertainment. When April mentioned my destination to her co-workers at James Madison University, Danville was described as "the armpit of Virginia." The best part: I am training until the start of March 2010 (though I will come home for Thanksgiving, three weeks at Christmas, and one week at the start of February). Just wait, there's more. I have to unhook my desktop computer from my desk in Staunton, and take it with me because this office "doesn't have enough computers to go around".

When I get into town, I have to go straight to the office because there was not enough time to first head to the hotel and check in. When I set up the computer, we had some issues moving my user profile over to the this office and it turned out they have to re-image (or reformat) the hard drive on my machine so that their office server can recognize it. In the meantime, they switch out my tower for an extra one they had there at the office. Let me repeat that. They had to switch out the computer I had to lug from home because they didn't have enough computers, and replaced it...with an extra one. Well, I already brought the thing, so I might as well roll with it, right? I went around the office and met many of my future co-workers for the next three months, and proceeded through my work day. "This won't be so bad," I thought, "especially once I get back to the hotel, and I can check my email and put my feet up."

When I get to the hotel, I check in, head to my room, and continue to unpack. Once I got my computer hooked up, I quickly realized I didn't have any internet access despite the free internet advertised by the hotel. I opened the diagnostic applications for the networking and quickly noticed that I had access to the router, but it was not letting me through to the internet. After calling the front desk, they prompted me to go to the hotel website and a gateway page should pop up on the screen prompting me to put in a user name and password. So, I put in the website--and no gateway screen. Now what? I looked at the directions to access the internet found in the "welcome packet" on the room desk and notice that directions for setting up internet stop at Windows XP. Despite this, I still managed to follow them, despite some of the organizational differences between my VISTA OS and it's predecessor. Still nothing. At the top of the sheet, I notice there's a toll-free number to call for 24/7 assistance. Summoning the patience required to deal with Indian accents and scripted answers, I pick up the phone and dial. I quickly discover that this "help" number is "disconnected or no longer in service". Check-mate. Figuring I won't have internet that night, I head to bed, turn on the tube, and just make the best of it.

The next morning I was ready to get into a battle with the front desk people about my internet service, and ready to take my three-months of patronage elsewhere. After my free breakfast of cereal, coffee, and a bagel, I head to the front desk. After explaining to them what happened they asked if I had any firewalls up, but I explained that I had disabled them all with no resolve to the problem. Then, after asking if the CAT-5 jack in the wall of my room worked, they said, "yes it does. Do you need a cord?" And with that, presto! I've got internet!!

Elated that things were looking up, I headed to work. My computer (their tower, not mine) was up and running, I got to know more of the coworkers on a personal level, and I was even invited to one's wedding reception this Friday night (tomorrow).

After the invitation, it was back to my training class. As I sat there, listening to a satellite feed of talking heads, I got to thinking: perhaps this training is more than just job-specific SSA business. Perhaps this training is really a training on a greater scale of life. Yes, my situation isn't desirable: I'm being trained on a job I already know, I got sent to the "armpit of Virginia" to do it, and I'm far enough away from my family that I can't drive home during the week. But, I have learned repeatedly that we just have to roll with what we are given. It could be worse--I could have been sent across the country for training, or my hotel stay might not have been so accommodating in the midst of disappointment.

These and other life problems are only temporary, especially if we look to make the best of what we're given.