Where Are They Now?

It's been a while and plans have changed. It's about time for an update on the Hess'!

In February I moved into the basement studio apartment of the house I nanny in. I love it here! The neighborhood is adorable, nestled on Capitol Hill. It's a 20-minute walk to downtown, which I make a lot when I visit G at work! It is tiiiiiiny though. Giuseppe and I shared a twin-sized bed for the longest time, though we finally upgraded to a queen-sized air mattress. Haha.

Giuseppe got a new job as an assistant manager at Tumi. He looks so cute dressed in his nice black clothes every day. He works full time AND he's taking 12 credits at LDSBC. Go G! 

I finished the semester in April and I am already missing school. After school ended, I started working at the airport part-time in addition to my part-time nanny job. Working at the airport is.... The worst? Hilarious? Not a reality? Character building?

Haha I don't know what to choose. I clean toilets. I wear hideous shoes. I wake up at 4:45 am to get to work on time. 

My thoughts on my job usually go something like this:

4:45 am waking up: Oh my gosh I'm going to DIE, this is the WORST, why on EARTH did I take this job?

5:40 am sitting in the car in front of the airport with G: (close to tears) I can't go in! I can't face another day here! Pep, can I just sit here and cry on your shoulder?

6:10 am cleaning my first of many, many toilets: (Vivint bro "beast mode" kicks in) I'm Grant freaking Cardone. I'm a hustler. These toilets don't know what's coming for them.

9:50 am approaching my lunch break, cleaning up something particularly nasty: Okay this is just hilarious. What is my life? WHO am I??

12:50 pm: The day is almost over. I. Will. Finish. 

2:00 pm: DONE. I DID IT. I cleaned toilets for eight hours. I am a magnificent human being. 

You may be wondering, "WHY would you ever work there?" The thing is, I just needed something temporary that I could do after school got out and before I go to France. I needed something I could start ASAP, that would work with my nanny schedule, and that I wouldn't feel bad quitting after a short amount of time. And this was the only job that fit that criteria.

Interestingly, the pay is HORRIBLE. I get NINE dollars an hour. Isn't that pathetic?! A job that awful should pay a lot more. And the "raises" are pathetic. After working there for an entire year, you get a thirteen cent raise. And it really doesn't get much better than that.

Not all of my coworkers have the same mindset as me, unfortunately. Many of them have been there for years, putting up with the low pay. I spoke to one yesterday about how unfair the wages are. She completely agreed with me. "I know! I mean they should start us out at $10 an hour!" Where is her vision?! I told her she deserved to have a job she loved and that paid her well. Ten dollars an hour is still not fair. 

Another coworker of mine didn't even seem to mind the low pay! He said, "Nah, I'm not out looking to make a whole lot of money." Prior to this odd statement, this man shared with me his life story. We'll call him Pete. After graduating high school, Pete applied to a promising company with his friends but was the only one who didn't get hired on. He applied and applied, but was never hired. His friends went off to work for this company and found success, and Pete began cashiering at a 7-Eleven. As the years went by, Pete transferred from one 7-Eleven to the next. He also cashiered at Target, K-Mart, various grocery stores, and even more gas stations. He is now in his sixties. A whole lifetime of cashiering! Looking for a change, Pete began working at the airport a few months ago. I asked him if he had a family. He told me that when he was younger, the doctor told him he'd never be able to have children. "Women want babies, so I never even tried to date. And I knew I'd never make enough money to adopt." SAD. This man has no self-worth. I told him he deserved to find happiness, and then he went on and on about Star Trek. I told him I had never seen it, but he carried on the conversation as if I were familiar with the characters and plot. He told me how much happiness Star Trek brought to his life. You do you, Pete. 

I put in my two-weeks yesterday, and I told my manager the reason I was quitting was because the pay was so low. When I filled out my resignation form, he said, "please make sure to put the reason you're quitting! If we get enough people complaining, that's the only way to make real change." So basically, I performed a great service by working at the airport and quitting. You're welcome. 

I LOVE my other job, however. I started watching little Vin Saint in November, and it has been the best. He is almost one now, and he is just the absolute sweetest thing in my life. I love this little boy with all my heart! 

In December I took him to a meeting with the IRS. He totally charmed them.

What's next:

I am going to FRANCE in 2 weeks. I'll be there for a little over a month and man oh MAN I'm excited. French is my passion. I want to be able to speak it fluently sooo bad. So I'm off to the Alpes to study in Grenoble and immerse myself in the language and culture. 

Giuseppe is going to stay with his friend Ethan while I'm gone. 

When I get back, we're moving into family student housing on the U campus! 

Au revoir!