Relocating is Hard Work

 Changing jobs while maintaining your home life is difficult. Your old routines are gone. You have to learn new products, services, software and possibly technologies. Add in new responsibilities, new coworkers, schedule and a different commute. The way to get things done and who does them is different.

 

You can see why onboarding new employees is important for success. Companies with poor onboarding lose good people to other opportunities.

 

Fortunately with just changing jobs, your social life, friends and family remain. Your family does not need new housing, schools, and jobs. Relocating across states is much more difficult with added disruptions. You may be the only one affected if you are lucky.

 

Relocating nationally or internationally raises the levels of disruptions. Family, friends, neighbors, associates, small businesses you patronize, your kid’s schools, your church, places you volunteer or donate blood are a little affected. You now need new place to live, registration, insurance, doctor, dentist, hair cutter, mechanic, gym, food stores, and places to go on weekends. Language and pronunciation are different. Moving to SoCal exposed my lack of Spanish, and NOLA my lack of French. Food is different. Cafe de Lait and Community Coffee in NOLA replaces Starbucks. Few chain grocery stores, and cannot find coffee ice cream. Who knew? Is it any wonder people return home if not taken care of? Welcoming and onboarding people is important for team building.

 

Arrived in New Orleans same way arrived in Everett. Long multiple day drive with packed trunk and back seat. Mostly clothes, towels, dishes, silverware, pots and pans, small appliances, small toolbox, table with legs unscrewed, and couple folding chairs. Buy a bed, mattress, office chair, monitor, food and minimum items necessary to get through for months until household can be moved. You don’t realize how much you enjoy home.

 

Been here ~2.5 months, been to the office handful of times (Covid), and beginning to find places without phone map. Streets are beginning to make sense although there have been wrong turns and U-turns. Not sure can find landmarks at night yet. Been to French Quarter twice, and found safe places to run. Eventually have to find restaurants and new volleyball teams. Buying a house will follow.

 

My blessings have been my coworkers and boss who have been wonderfully helpful. One offered to pick up anything I need during a sick day, even though lives 25 miles out of way. Prior boss recommended his doctor and dentist. Other coworkers share work processes, software, restaurants, shopping and took me to lunch to get settled. Helps other new hires here sharing knowledge.

 

Have done this several times. Around one and half years the new place will feel like home. You have friends, a social life developing, and a routine to develop. Am looking forward to the day.

Coronavirus Update

 Back in March was living 13 miles from 1^st breakout in Kirkland WA, and wrote about early Covid-19 info and research last May “Making Sense from Noise”. Unfortunately became political which is not the way to solve contagious diseases. Updating known facts below:

• Covid-19 is not a flu. Attacks nasal passages, lungs, blood circulation, organs, brain and more. 
• New and novel, no one has resistance. Everyone can catch Covid-19. Friends from teenagers to 84 (being careful) still caught it. Paraphrasing Matthew, rain falls on the just and the unjust. 
• Highly contagious causing local breakouts.  If you haven’t caught it, you are just lucky. Everyone in your circle has their circle and on. All it takes is one infection to spread through groups. 
• Transmission mostly aerosols in air. Less likely to get from touching surfaces.
• New variations are being discovered. These mutations are normal since another corona virus, the common cold has been around for centuries overcoming immunity.
• More contagious variations have been found in Brittan, South Africa, South America, and California. By summer these will be dominant strains. Local breakouts hit R3 which is very dangerous. R3 = each infected person infects 3 others.
• Wide ranges how people are affected by Covid-19. Possibly 2 of 3 don’t realize they have it. Others wind up hospitalized or on ventilators. Of known cases, the death rate has been ~3%.
• Recovered does not mean healthy. ~10% of serious cases have extend symptoms including reduced breathing ability, weakened physical shape, brain fog, and painful symptoms.
• 6 feet and 10 minutes are not magical protections. You can get infected further and faster.

 

Staying healthy

• Mask up, they work. Flu rates have fallen worldwide this year. Must cover your nose! 3 layers of cloth or disposables help reduce infections. KN-95 and fitted N-95 are gold standards.
• Try to keep your hands off your face. (My weakness) Can transfer aerosols to yourself.
• Frequent hand washing, especially before eating.
• Treatments are improving, and early intervention is helpful.
• Vaccines are effective, and people who said they weren’t going to take them are signing up.
• Even if you had Covid-19 you need a vaccine to resist other variations.
• Social interactions, phone and video calls help mental health. 
• Get treatment if you are suffering from depression or other symptoms. Earlier the better.
• Avoid eating indoors, avoid large groups, avoid group singing, and limit being unmasked even if vaccinated. Anyone can be a carrier.

 

Rates have been falling lately. New cures are coming for the infected. The rollout of vaccines has been slower than desired. Seeing improvements, up to ~100,000 vaccinations per week here in Louisiana. 

 

The biggest issue is corona fatigue. Exercise, meditate, pray, express yourself, avoid inundating yourself, and stay social despite physically distances. “This too shall pass” has gotten me through other crises.

 

Stats from Worldometers.info very informative worldwide.