Another day in paradise

It's another funfunfun day at the office today. My co-worker, who sits on the desk accross from me (desk to desk), seems to be in a really foul mood today. I have only a few co-workers (the ambassador, the first secretary, ambassador's assistant, the driver and the other lady in the consular section where I am). She was here only a few months before me, but she's close to her fifties I think, she travelled around a lot with her husband who gets placed in different countries. She's German, so I shall refer to her as the German lady.

I don't know if it's a German thing, or if being snappy and annoyed one day and perfectly pleasant the next is just her personality but it is really confusing!! How can you form an opinion of someone if one day she's all talkative and friendly, at the other she doesn't say a word and gets annoyed when I point out something.

Now I must admit, she has a lot more to do than me apparantly. There's a lot more people coming in for passports than for visa's and this week it's been insanely quiet visawise, so I probably don't look very busy here on my computer (she can't see my screen luckily, as I tend to browse the internet all day when I have no tasks) She also gets a lot of annoying mails from headquarters in Dublin, nagging about whatever is wrong with someone's passport applications. I notice because every now and then I hear a very annoyed sigh or a "ah no" exclamation, or more loud sighs whenever the phone rings again.

Wise as I am, I tend not to enter into conversation with her when I notice she's aggravated about something, because she tends to get snappy. Take just ten minutes ago as an example. Here I was just sitting innocently at desk when the phone rang, she picks up, it's someone inquiring about their visa. She tries to transfer the call to me, but it doesn't go through. I say "hmm that's strange, happens to me sometimes.". Irritated mumbling in response as she tries again. I suggest in a very normal just casually asking tone:"Did you press transfer before putting down the receiver?" And then she totally shocks me by saying in an extremely rude and snappy voice:"Of course I pressed tranfer, I've been working here for six months, I know how to transfer a call!" I was totally dumbstruck! It was just a friendly question, would it be that impossible to forget to press that one button?
Bloody hell!

There goes my initial impression that I has nothing but nice co-workers. So another downside to this job! Stuck with a really strange German lady, who mostly doesn't say a word and seems to really dislike her job. Not my fault that I'm not busy today, and she's overloaded. She never lets me deal with passport customers at the front desk, if I do, she says I should call her over. I'd be more than willing to help her is she's swamped, would give me something to do!


Another annoying factor about German lady is that she speaks at the top of her voice on the phone and to people behind the window at the front desk. It's almost like yelling. If I have a customer too, I can't understand what they're saying because she talks so loud, and the same goes for the phone. That's really annoying, and she doesn't seem to have a clue she does it. Even the First Secretary joked about it once to me. Maybe I should start doing it too, bet she'd end up saying snappy about it.

Anyway sorry for the little rant, but I was utterly shocked!

I wish we had a radio here. All my temp jobs had a radio, it's common to have a bit of radio playing in the background in Belgian offices, which is really nice I think. No radio here, and because it's mostly just the two of us here, it's so silent sometimes, very tedious.

Sigh, maybe not ideal job after all.

And down I go!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend so far. Mine took a tumble literally I'm afraid! Was enjoying myself at my cousin's yesterday, munching on appetizers and having some bubblies, but later in the evening I got incredibly tired. And I was so cold too, even though the heating was on, I was shivering like I was on the North Pole in my underwear. Eventually things took a turn for the worse when I suddenly felt queasy, I thought for a moment I was going to get sick and headed for the bathroom, but it wasn't that my head started spinning and everything turned black and down I went! I fainted for like a moment, it was really scary! Luckily there were lots of people around to take care of me, they took me to the couch to lie down with my legs up and I started feeling less dizzy quickly. It probably was a blood pressure drop, I think my body is still not used to the getting up early and the long days yet after all. I spent the good part of the year sleeping as long as I wanted and doing nothing tiring, and all my temporary jobs were nearby, so not so heavy on me.
Feeling better today, although I'm still a bit lightheaded, my blood pressure must be a little low. I hope it goes up again soon, I hate feeling all woozy and I really don't want to faint again!

Maybe I should eat a giant steak, don't they say iron is good for the blood :D
Well, if anyone has tips let me know!

I hope I get used to the early risings soon, cause it kinda sucks to be tired all weekend, I like going out on a Saturday, but nowadays I'm yawning away by midnight! Perhaps I should stop eating cookies as snacks at work and start picking some healthier snacks to build up the resistance!
My whole eating shedule is totally messed up with the new job, really early breakfast and lunch not till one pm, so I get really hungry before that hence munching on cookies, and I don't get home till 8.20 pm so I usually have a snack on the train as well, otherwise I'm starving. I need munching alternatives!

Well I'm off to go get some fresh air by the sea here, to look at the shops a bit, will do me good!

Almost weekend!

It’s finally Friday again, HOORAY! Tomorrow I can wake up as late as I want without having to hear that obnoxious alarm! Train was late again this morning, sigh, it’s such a pain. In the morning I always try to catch up some sleep on the journey to work, but I must say there are comfier places to sleep! It’s funny how when you’re trying to sleep whilst sitting, and as soon as you actually doze off your head drops down and that shocks you awake right away. Stupid heavy head.


Maybe this weird sky rest thing would be handy after all.












ANYWAY, I was going to talk about something I love to do today. Watch tv! Yup, I must admit, Master’s degree in languages or not, I love me some television. I’m a real moviebuff, although I’m quite critical, I don’t really watch the daytime tv type of films or annoying romantic comedies ( Although there are some I did enjoy, e.g. How to lose a guy in ten days, laughed my ass off during that one.) I also loooove watching series, during my almost a year of unemployment after graduating, I had a LOT of time on my hands. I did work as a volunteer at the animal pound two afternoons a week, so at least I was somewhat useful to society! But for the most part I was a lazy bum and I watched series online for a large part of the day! Because of this I am currently following a LOT of series. My favourites are How I met your mother, the big bang theory, True Blood, the Vampire diaries, Big Love, Medium, House, the desperate housewives.. and probably some others but I currently forget because I just had this creepy man here at work!

So sudden subject change :D Just had this creepy Afghan man at the front desk, mumbling in weird English about wanting to go to Ireland, and he apparently had an Italian refugee card, and somehow he kept thinking that was a European passport and that was valid to go to Ireland. I told him no, you need a visa, and you need to apply for it in your country of residence, but he kept going on and on about not needing a visa because he had a European passport and he didn’t need one for Belgium, which seemed very unlikely. He probably got here illegally, and is now trying to go to Ireland. Luckily I managed to get rid of him by telling him I’d call once I had more information, and I copied his refugee card to make sure I got his details. Good thing I’m behind bullet-proof glass. Suddenly this job got way more exciting! Don’t worry Irish people, I’m not letting him in!
Also someone thought I was Irish because of my red hair and good accent, YAY me.

Now back to the series! I’m very fond of all of them, they each appeal to a different part of me. Although, as a fantasy geek, I do love the non real life ones. Vampire diaries are really good, but when it comes to vampires I really like True Blood. I know I know, some people must be really getting sick of vampires with all this Twilight mania going on, and although I did enjoy reading Twilight, the vampires in it are pretty wussy compared to the ones in True Blood, now those are some scary ass vampires! Good looking too, which is always a bonus! But True Blood is not for the faint- hearted or the prudes among us, it’s very violent, there’s quite a bit of sex in it and quite a bit of swearing too. But it’s a great show, very exciting and never bores. I’m reading the series too, and quite liking it as well. Although I do like being able to watch hot vampire Viking Eric!

Don’t you agree? For the non long hair fans among us, later in the show he cuts it, so you might approve more then! But I like the long hair, it makes him look more vikingy, which is what he’s supposed to be. He’s Swedish (the actor) of course, and he’s insanely tall and broad shouldered and muscular, drewl. Yup I like me a tall broad shouldered, strong man, but who wouldn’t really!

Sorry for the hormonal lapse!

Any plans for the weekend everyone? I’m tired from the long week so I’ll be mostly a lazy bum again, but am going to cousin’s place Saturday evening for a hopefully nice dinner with lots of nice drinks! Yes, I do like my bubblies! And I’m also planning on a chat with my old friend from England who I will naturally force to read my blog, and comment, as I have still none! Sniff.
But even if nobody ever reads it I do enjoy rambling on, I always loved writing in journals as a teen, so I’m enjoying this. But I hope some day someone does comment!

Have a nice weekend!

Definately hardly working

Dear lord its boring here! F# all to do! It may sound appealing to just hang in your chair and browse the internet for 8 hours, but truly, it gets a bit dull! Time goes soo much faster when you have lots to do. Why is nobody giving me assignments, and I'm brandnew here so I can't really invent stuff to do. And January is really calm for visa applications, so sigh! Been browsing blogger all day long reading interesting blogs, like Daydream Believer, she's really funny. Hard not to crack up sometimes though, and I can't do that, I have a co-worker right across from me :p and she seems to be a lot busier somehow hmm

Only three more hours to go, sigh! Then I get to do the whole trainjourney thing again. Luckily I recently bought myself a spanking new pink netbook, yes you heard it, I like pink! Doesn't mean I'm 23 I should grow out of my love for all things pink! It's so much prettier than those lame grey or black laptops, a little pink brightens the dreary day. Back to the point now, got a whole bunch of films and series on there, which I of course legally erm bought, not downloaded at all!
Makes the long trainride back so much nicer, and more relaxing, so although it was rather expensive (300 euro) it was worth it. Sure, I could have gotten the boring black one for 275 euro, but I deserved a treat for finding a job!

I like reading too, but I just finished all my new books I got for Xmas and New Year, so I'm currently out. But as I am now no longer an unemployed broke girl, I just won't be able to stop myself from indulging in new books. Always wanted to have a little library of my own later, sure it'll be filled with mainly fantasy books rather than intellectual classics but oh well, it could be worse (chicklit)(although I do read those sometimes shh)
I'm really a fantasy geek, but more on that some other time!

Back to pretending to work!

working hard or hardly working

Starting anew with the blog, as I totally forgot about the one I started months ago and I got no, yes NO, comments at all! so perhaps my stories were a bit boring :D So hopefully I'll be able to entertain at least one person if I start posting more regularly!

Alrighty, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name's Athena and I live in Belgium. You might know it for the waffles, the amazingly good chocolate and Jean-Claude Van Damme, a very lame actor to be honest, but he seems famous for some reason ! If that still doesn't ring a bell, it's somewhere in western Europe, tiny country squished between France, Germany and the Netherlands. I live by the coast, in a small city called Nieuwpoort. I added a map just below for the less wordly people among us. Its a tiny country really, but there are like ten million inhabitants which is pretty crazy to me, way too densely populated. I like me some peace and quiet.





I'm 23, got my master's degree this year as translator English and Russian and have finally found a job last month!
I work in the Embassy of Ireland in Brussels. Loving the job so far, but a huuuge downside is the insane commute, its two hours by train to get to Brussels, so four hours on the train every day. Yes, I know, that's a bit crazy, and it reaally tiring sometimes. I get up at 6.10 am and get home at 8.10 pm, which is a very long day. I do intend to move at some point, but to be honest, it's so expensive to live by yourself and I'd rather spend my money on more fun things :p and i like having company when I get home.

What else hmm well so I live at home with the parents, and a younger brother. Have two dogs too, love my doggies. The older one is called Annabelle, but we call her Belly, it's a scruffy mix of a Fox and a Snauzer and she's 12. And the other is a greyhound called Fiona and she's 8. In one of the next posts I'll tell you all about my beloved doggies naturally.

Currrently at work actually, ssssh, don't tell ;) Don't have much to do at the moment. I generally occupy myself with visas and the accounts, and general mail and phone answering. Everyone here is really friendly, mostly Irish, which I really like because I love all things Irish. You'll find that out in later posts too for sure. My thesis was on Ireland and I've been there many many times! Ah it's a great country really, so I was so excited to get to work somewhere Ireland-related!

Hmm guess I should find something useful to do here at work then! Promise to not forget to write this time, hopefully I'll eventually get a comment then! Cause I want one!