One Night at Supermarket

Do you ever feel lucky? I mean life treats us mysteriously you know. No matter how much we say that life is what we make, I feel we are somehow controlled by some invisible thread which we fail to notice but mind you if we are wise enough and we happen to catch that very moment, we can’t do anything but to believe, appreciate and accept the fact that life is actually full of surprises. Life never fails to amuse us although unexpectedly, I may not have had the best times, but I also had not the worst, so life has been pretty fair so to say. I may not be born of to a well-off family, but life hasn’t been cruel either, I have had friends, the best of best on the rescue and I am very indebted to them. I have never forgotten the times when I have been lifted and rescued form some nasty and embarrassing moments for the only the incidents our memory can track of are either the worst or the best.

Anyway life has become pretty busy for me recently, we are going deeper into our course from the surface to the integral nitty-gritty parts which keeps us busy not just during days but night as well. But in between I wanted to share about an incident at a supermarket during one of my casual work. After vigorous work for about three hours, it was break time. I decided to buy a can of juice, a cup noodle and a packet of chips. I paid in cash but the beautiful lady at the counter was looking bit uneasy. I thought did I look that terrible not realizing that I was paying Bangladeshi rupee instead of Dollar. She blinked and said sorry to me. I did not believe her until I looked, my hand holding it. How stupid and embarrassing it was! Then I realized my stupidity; there was 20 note Bangladeshi rupee in my wallet which was given my brother and kept as a collection. Before I started my work, I decided to keep my wallet in the locker room and take 20 dollar cash instead just in case I needed. Instead of dollar, I put 20 rupee in my pant pocket and went to work. By the way, the currency notes are almost same in colour except in size. So there I was standing frozen in front of beautiful lady all blushed and trying hard to hide my embarrassment. When I was about to tell her that I will go bring my and then pay, another girl, a workmate came in for the rescue.

“I can pay for him” came the voice, the most wanted word at that moment and before I wasn’t even vanished of my red cheeky and hot ears, she paid, smiled and went on. I murmured thank you and sorry to the lady at counter, who reciprocated with an odd smile. I forced back smile and went upstairs (the rest room) to join crowds of workmates. The girl who rescued me was among them, my thankful eyes caught her glittering smile. Only if she could know how much grateful I was for saving me? I thanked her after the work and gave her the cash back, obviously she refused.

Although the so-called big things do matter in life, it is those little things that comes with genuinely with heart that has an impounding effect, thus my story. I treaded wondering what could have I done in the past?

The question of survival

Whenever I socialize and interact with friends in Facebook and other social Medias after usual exchange of hi and hellos, the conversations after telling them where I am right now usually turn into marking me as a ‘Dollar’ man, it is very funny you know. Some even asks me like how is dollar thing going on and how much dollar I am making as if I am here to make dollars. Well, first thing first, I am not here work and make dollars, I am here for training, to study sent by the company I work for. And my sole purpose and priority remains this: to complete the course successfully, go back and serve anyway I can. But as a matter of fact, because of ample time especially in weekends and during semester breaks, I have considered doing some casual and part time job suitable to this timings. Beside the course isn’t that tough for it is just level 3 course. And fortunately or fortunately I got in one of the super market as a casual Long life Assistant. I go to the work whenever the manager calls me, which is not just convenient but also a source to help me meet the expenses in this expensive country.

And considering the current situations, after hearing lot of hear says and emails, this searching and getting part time job has become some kind of necessity., because we just heard that our stipends from the company will be reduced by about one third of what we ought to get (which we were informed at the beginning) for the completion of course. The accounts division now says that in accordance with the finance ministry’s proposal, the people going on long term training to other countries are supposed to get as a monthly stipend and not on DSA basis irrespective of corporation or government agencies. We are already given almost two third of the revised amount and this leaves us in an awkward situation with the question of survival at here because the amount of stipend we brought along with us which is more than two third of the revised amount is almost already spent and we still have more than six months to stay and complete the course.

Any way the point is, it isn’t always as people see it form outside. Just because one live in dollar country doesn’t mean one get load of dollars just out of nowhere. It is that sweat you shed, the nights of peaceful sleep you sacrificed and the harsh climate any situations you battled.   I don’t know how much this part time job will compensate but we sure are in desperate situation; it is about survival here! I don’t know who is to blame, but had we been informed about the new changes and not given us these false hopes in the beginning before we were sent here, we could have had different story, we would have been wise to manage and adjust the living out here according to that. Five thousand USD is not a small amount! But again what can we do? It is water under the bridge and our only viable option is to try manage, survive and leave.

However, otherwise, the place is treating us pretty well and it is hell lot of learning, I wish to take maximum out of it. Happy weekends!