Yep, can you believe it? Exactly 366 days ago from this night, I landed in the Isle of Enchantment for the first time, and ordered up some room service as I watched the Mavericks take the NBA Championship home to Dallas. (Incidently, 21 years ago tonight I graduated from high school, certainly never thinking that in 21 years I'd be living in Puerto Rico. Hell, all I wanted then was just to BE 21!) It has been quite a year, and as I sit here on my patio, watching the sun set over the Atlantic while sipping a cool glass of pinot grigio, I can honestly say I have no regrets about making this decision.
First off, without a doubt it’s been an excellent career move. I won’t bore you with too much detail, but there are executives running this division with friends in high places, and given the small size of our Export Operations, they know me by name. In a company this size, this never hurts. One is pretty young to be as high up the ladder as he is, so we’ll have many more years working here together. A productive one on one meeting with him last week has left me feeling very optimistic about my future. Also, because of my “ISE” status (International Service Employee) during my yearly trips to Detroit, I’m afforded the opportunity to meet individually with the executives running my “home” division. In one as large as North America, the chance for them to get to know me personally is priceless.
Aside from the connections, as many people who’d had Export experience had told me it would, the job by far goes down as my favorite to date, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up the favorite of my entire career. I had never thought twice about this division in my first decade with the company. A friend from my MBA program had done three years here, as had another coworker in Dallas. But other than their farewell lunches, I never gave Puerto Rico much thought. The experience has been invaluable as far as opening my eyes to our global operations. North America has it easy. The next time I have to listen to a North American dealer complain about something to do with our operations, I will have to bite my tongue to keep from launching into a diatribe about how the other half live. The daily challenges we face with global pricing, distribution, and fundamental dealership operations make for never a dull moment. Are there parts of the job I would change? Absolutely. But I have no doubt that’s the case everywhere.
Now, on a personal front. Am I where I thought I’d be? Absolutely not. I had the sad realization today that there isn’t one person on this island I care more about than Charlie, and given the choice between any of them and the dog, the dog wins. Of course it’s on the heels of a week back home, surrounded by friends and family, that I have this thought, but nonetheless, it is true. However, there’s hope. You may have seen my Facebook posts from a few weeks back that there is FINALLY a CrossFit in Puerto Rico! A married couple a few years younger than me packed up shop in New Jersey and moved to Puerto Rico to open one. We are currently doing our WOD’s on the beach with a limited amount of equipment, but I couldn’t care less. Someone else is programming my workouts and yelling at me to get them done, and that’s what I need. After just two weeks, I can already see and feel the muscle definition coming back. And running barefoot in the sand is the all time ass kicker.
They are a small group, I believe I was the 10th member, but their affiliate has just been approved so now that they can use the CrossFit name, I have no doubts that in six months they will have a solid client base. And that I will have gained some amigos from that client base. It’s just the way CrossFit works. And it’s SOOOOOO much easier to make friends when you already have a hobby or interest in common with them.
Which brings me to my next point. I’ve found a couple of online groups for expats in Puerto Rico. One is through meetup.com (which, if you haven’t heard of it, is a good place to look if you’re looking for a group of people with a specific interest in your area) and one is an official group for expats around the world. So far I’ve been to one event for each, and actually met very few expats. Most of them have been Americans who have moved here permanently, and that’s where our similarities end. I don’t know if they’re looking to escape something back home or trying to get away from the rat race, but we are in very different situations. As insta-friend and I drove back from yesterday’s event I wondered aloud about if I didn’t have an end date to my stay here, would I be more tolerant of the things about Puerto Rico that really drive me nuts? I bet so. I bet if this wasn’t a three year ends to a mean and a great move in the chess game that is my career I would see things a little bit differently.
So that’s my goal for the rest of my time in Puerto Rico. Before we know it, it will be Christmas and I will be at the half way point. I don’t want to spend the rest of my time here worrying about what’s next. I’m going to try, as best a type-A, aggressive American can, to adopt the island life and enjoy each moment as it comes. Appreciate the little things. To do this has always been a challenge for me. I recognize that I have a very hard time living in the moment and am always worried about what is coming next. But I have an opportunity to garner some life skills from this culture that can at times drive me completely, utterly, mad and by God, I’m going to take advantage of that.
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