Zoo and Traffic

Getting a job at the Zoo

It's been a long year. After working with NY&C I took some time off, felt listless and applied for a guest services job at Elmwood Park Zoo. Unemployment does negative things to the psyche and I was nervous yet overjoyed to be working again.

 I love it at the zoo. The coworkers and my managers are great. The CEO is really down to earth. When my manager who hired me said this zoo felt like a family, I never imagined it to be true. Now peak season is ending; many people I've met during the summer are leaving to college/school.

I'd love to stay longer but even I'm feeling my time is coming to an end. After 120 days of working full time, my hours were cut to part time. Company policy. If I worked more than 120 days full time, the zoo would've had to start paying me benefits. Bummer.
I'll enjoy seeing the animals and working with nice people until a better opportunity arises.

Getting used to a new car

During the first month of employment, I was fortunate to have parents willing to buy me a car that drives in the snow and then  month later, I got into an accident with my new car. It's fixed now but I can't afford to get into another accident.

My driving is better. I have slightly more confidence driving to unknown places with the GPS (went to Ocean City, NJ with family, visited a dear friend I haven't seen in two years). Now because of the accident, I know if I feel uncomfortable, I better call family before driving (My eyes were dilated because of the eye drops and the street signs were blurry). I crashed into someone at an intersection; now I double check before driving past stop signs.

Probably a lot more has happened since the last time I posted. Mainly it's been fun working at the zoo although, the 30-45 minute commute through weekday traffic wasn't fun.