H-E-Double-Hockeysticks

One need only compare my work tendencies in America to the work habits of Garly to get a sense of the inner struggle I battled for two years. Throughout my service I didn't dare delve into all of my emotional struggles at the time of hardship. My survival mode was in high gear and that didn't include the option of self pity.

So, below is a sketch of my work pattern in America during college. Realize this was a self-created world in which I lived pretty much exactly as I wanted.

-I did not pull a single all-nighter.
-I planned meetings and appointments weeks in advance and thrived in a super-organized environment.
-I hated procastinating or cramming for tests.
-I considered group projects to be slow and annoying. I often delegated and avoided actual collaboration during tedious paper-writing, Power Point presentation making, etc. (I recognized the worth of teamwork but cared more about efficiency.)
-I never said, “I don’t have time,” but used the more accurate, “That isn’t my priority right now.” I didn’t like excuses because I felt we were all choosing our actions therefore completing our work on time, or not, based entirely on what we wished.

Below is a list of Garly’s work habits. Note the fireworks type clash.

-Work took place largely at the last minute. People finished their specific jobs right before a meeting, simply to avoid being singled out.
-Nothing was ever done immediately. Work times were not set for “today” but for “the day after tomorrow in the evening.”
-My village work depended solely on group collaboration, teamwork, etc. Work days required rounding up people and dealing with endless reasons as to why they couldn’t make it or excuses as to low quality work.
-Something was always coming up- celebrations, weather complications, field work. A sense of powerlessness pervaded everything. “God knows, God willing, it’s in God’s hands,” talk certainly didn’t get things moving.

In a nutshell, for a person who thrives on action, efficiency and reliability, it’s a wonder such a slow paced work environment with little self-accountability didn’t drive me completely insane.

Or maybe it did, and you can be the judge of that in just a few weeks.