I made my way back to San Diego and am staying with my parents for now until I find a job and place to live. How would I describe being back? Well, it’s a strange mix of feelings. The first one is just “phew” — there’s no other way to describe it. I guess it’s a mix of relief and happiness. The more I think about it, the more I realize I really was not happy in Israel. Being removed for a month has given me some time and distance to arrive at that conclusion.
I just feel comfortable here, back in the U.S. and in San Diego. Things are easier and less complicated. I don’t have to think about another God-forsaken cockroach again, among other things. It doesn’t even slip into my consciousness. I have changed, though — my habits and my tastes. I guess that comes with age and experience. I was travelling the last month and it was great. People are flying again, which was a good sign.
I took three PCR tests in 23 days:
- Haifa: arranged and paid for by BWC; test taken at a hospital; painless; results in a few hours
- Istanbul: arranged by my hotel and paid for by me; male nurse arrived at hotel on motorcycle and administered test; a little unsanitary (same q-tip in mouth and both nostrils) but not uncomfortable; results the next day; about $32 USD
- Duitama: arranged and paid for by me; taken at a place called Comfaboy in a pseudo-medical facility; results in 20 minutes; the doctor jammed that q-tip pretty far down, most uncomfortable of the three; about $28 USD
Israel – PCR 
Turkey – PCR 
Colombia – Antigen
The one in Duitama was actually an antigen test. Everything in Colombia seems to be so informal. There was no appointment, you just walk-in and tell the security guard you’re there for a PCR test. The guy tells me where to go to meet the doctor who asks me a few questions and then tells me to meet her at the next door. She sits me down, jams that 6-inch q-tip in as far as she can and says we’re done. This one went so deep it caused my eyes to water so I told her “no me gustó” and then asked her if I get a cookie or a prize? She laughed and said no.
I was then instructed to pay my bill in order to receive the results and to wait in the lobby. No problem. I did that and then went out to get some water and food. Before I left the building, I asked the guard if he wanted an “aguita” to which he said yes. I had heard this word so many times before, “quieres una aguita?” Do I want a “little water?” I don’t know what the heck that means, but I found myself actually using it without even thinking about it and I surprised myself.
So, across the street is a shop that sells empanadas — which I think is true of 50% of the street shops in Colombia. I tell the lady my predicament — that I offered the guard an “aguita” but wasn’t sure exactly what he would be expecting. She suggested an “agua panela” which is warm water with sugar cane and some lemon juice. That sounded right to me, but I figured I better take the guard a “little water” too just in case, so I also bought a tiny plastic water bottle. I finished my empanada and waddled back into Comfaboy.
I gave the guard his aguitas and he was very appreciative. I don’t think strangers doing random things like that is very common there, but it’s always nice to surprise people in a good way. Karma. Negative test, check. New smartphone, check. New glasses, check. Refreshed me, check check check. It turns out I barely made it out of Colombia, since strikes were scheduled in Bogotá for the day after my flight. Good timing!
Once back in the U.S., my first mission was to get a new cell phone plan! I haven’t had my own plan in over five years! So, what’s the first thing I did? I went to ATT! And that lasted about 10 seconds since they told me their cheapest plan was $50/month. That’s way out of my price range. I’m looking for cheap. I mean cheeaap. So, I spotted a Cricket Wireless across the street. I’d heard of them, but always thought they were some cooky company, who names themselves Cricket?
It turns out, this was a fortuitous venture on my part. The sales representative told me their cheapest plan was $30/month for 2GB of data + unlimited text/calls. Now we’re talking. I went back home and researched Cricket and they checked out pretty well. The only problem was that they didn’t support the new cell phone I had just bought. D’oh! So I looked online for the best mobile plans and the first one that popped up was Mint Mobile. Never heard of it. But…their cheapest plan was $15/month for 4GB + unlimited text/calls. Holy cow, I had hit the mother lode. I was already ready to sign up with Cricket, but now Mint Mobile was doubling their offer for half the price. Too good to be true. I signed up anyways 🙂
This is what happens when you leave the straight path and do different things. I knew nothing about SIM cards and smartphones and prepaid / postpaid plans before coming to Colombia. I just contentedly paid ATT their $40/month, figuring that’s just how things are done. Now after going through plans with Claro, Wom, Tigo, you name it, I don’t care who my mobile provider is. As long as it works and isn’t too expensive, that’s all I need. So, there you have it — Mint Mobile was in the right place at the right time. Let’s see how it plays out. If you want to try it, let me know and I will refer you — I think I get a referral bonus or something!
Once I got my cell phone situation figured out, I could do so many more things — access my banking accounts, submit a driver’s license application, update my resume, etc. I felt like I was slowly plugging myself back into society again. I have a “To-Do” list of things that I’m slowly working through. The overarching one is to find a job. This has been an interesting and eye-opening experience for me, given that it’s my first time as a free agent.
I got an e-mail last night from a recruiter for a Parking company asking me to attend a job fair today with the possibility of the following positions: Valet Attendant, Cashier, Lot Attendant, Prescreening Ambassador. Interesting, I wonder how she matched my resume with these positions seeing as I don’t have experience in any of these positions. I politely asked her if they would be interviewing for other positions as well, and did not receive a response.
On the bright side, I got another e-mail from a different recruiter which seemed more inline with my experience and what I’m looking for. I am more-or-less open to any positions right now where I’m doing work that I enjoy. I think that’s my key driver, more so than working for a company with a social mission. If I could have both, that would be ideal. But at this point, I’m looking more to get back into the game and doing work that I enjoy and hopefully am good at.
In the meantime, I’ve been relaxing, recuperating and organizing my things the last few days here. I have had my burrito and washed my car. I’ve ordered a few things from Amazon. I feel like I’m ready to get back at it again. I will miss having my freedom, but I had a nice run. Who knows, maybe some day I will be able to do something similar again. But for now, I have other plans and goals in mind.
Viva el Falafel 