Tuesday, 09 June 2009

• staying on

   

  

  As my loyal xangan readers may have noticed, I haven't been busy at work since I came back from Christmas holidays.  After approximately 2 months of practically twiddling my thumbs in the office, I began panicking about how long I'd keep my job in Prague for.  My anxiety was duly compounded by daily conflicting news from all fronts about the state of EU economy.  For months, I wasn't sure if I'd stay in Prague past September which is when my contract ends.

  So it was a pleasant surprise when the inhouse notary officer came into my office with paperwork for me to sign today.  In simple English, he said I need to sign the papers in his hands for my "visa". I took that to mean an extension of my long term residence visa in Czech Republic, which was tied to my work permit.

  It took a while before the full implications of the notary officer's words sank in. So the firm has decided to keep me on, despite my almost empty timesheets, and their difficulties finding work to keep me occupied.

  I literally breathed a sigh of relief. And my friends in Prague rejoiced with me.

  Even as I float on the clouds for the rest of today, I am still assessing if the firm's decision to keep me on is consistent with my interests and future career development.  I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy leaving work on time everyday, having genuine, caring and nice colleague, living in a beautiful city, travelling around Europe and going hiking in the countryside in Czech Republic on weekends.  After the maniac working life in Shanghai, Prague is pure heaven.

  But then there's the boredom of not having much work for long stretches of time.  There are times I feel I cannot fill my head with more knowledge that I can't apply to client matters, and other times when surfing the net aimlessly for hours has lost its appeal.  And often I wish I had the REAL freedom to do whatever I wanted rather than be stuck in the office all day, watching paint dry.

  My nature says I need to find ways to better use my time in the office, while my brain says what's the point.  Then there's my emotions which swing from one extreme to another depending on the time of the month, and the level of boredom I've endured to date.

  I sometimes think it's unfair that one has to choose between lifestyle and career, rather than having both. And sometimes I wonder if I complain too much, considering there are many others who have lost their jobs and are struggling to survive.  It's a constant dilemma I'm faced with, that I hope one day would be resolved.

  In the meantime, I will bask in the immediate joy of knowing that staying on in Prague is truly my perogative.

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