Changes in Latitude

Well, I'm 2 weeks into the first phase of my new life (working in Canada) and another day closer to beginning the second phase of my new life (baby). As anyone could have guessed, I am struggling somewhat with the adjustment back to a conventional work situation and being here full-time. Adding repatriating back to Canada with a new job and family addition in such a short time frame is bound to be complicated. Short term pain for long term gain though. When this job came up, it never crossed my mind not to do it just because it would be difficult. It was clearly the best thing for me and my family so we are hunkering down and getting on with it.

Here are a couple of adjustments that I have dealing with.
*Commuting. Door to door, my commute time is 57 minutes. And then another 57 minutes home. I am not minding the drive as it is an easy highway drive (that may change once the snow hits). As well, it is a georgeous drive. I kind of like the solitude and get to catch up on all my CBC podcasts. However, it doesn't make a great deal of sense to spend so much time driving. It may only be temporary though as we plan to look for another house in the next few months once things calm down (although we haven't decided if we will remain in the Crowsnest Pass or move to Pincher Creek).

*Short work days. I haven't been feeling overly productive at work as I can't seem to get any momentum. I'm used to 12 hr days (84 hrs a week) and am now dramatically dropping down to 40 hrs a week.

*Weekends. I really haven't had a weekend in 4 years. It is different looking forward to Fridays and dreading Mondays. Someone in Yemen characterized rotational work as being 34 Mondays followed by one Friday.

*The pain that goes with learning a new job. In what I do, so much of it is job/company specific. I have been very overwhelmed thus far, but know that it will come around. It is no different than when I arrived in Yemen. It just takes time and patience to pick up what you need to be successful. On the plus side, the people at the new job have been very supportive and helpful so far.

*Being the boss. I had a supervisory capacity in Yemen, but the new job is requiring a lot more in this regard. It has been really interesting so far, but this will be my main challenge in picking up the role.

*Vacation. I have been granted a generous number of vacation days. I figured out that I have to work 210 days a year. The Yemen job was 183 (but this didn't include about 15 days of travel and numerous more being jetlagged). I am excited to have more flexibility around when I can take days off.

As for Baby, we are now 2 days overdue and are starting to get anxious. I have to admit that I have almost been solely focused on the new job and kind of forgot about baby. Now that it is very imminent, I can't wait for it to happen. I have arranged to take about 2 weeks off when baby comes.

Any thoughts on the sex? Post your comments.