Now, I make more than $6.55 (I think), but it still ain't enough to shine on. Since I don't really make that much money, my time here can be best described as "ballin' on a budget". Although, it is kind of hard to be "ballin' on a budget" when there is essentially no budget to be had- the last check I got was the first one that covered rent, bills, and had some left over. They even took a photocopy of my passport at the bank because I was cashing such a huge check! Holla!
I was never under the assumption that I would be rolling in dough, but I was under the assumption that I would make enough money to live. (I was under this assumption because I asked about it in the interview, not because I thought any company would be so generous as to make sure we were living comfortably.) What I failed to realize was how long it would take to be able to live comfortably, and even then, not really because you are too worried about all the savings you had to spend the months before while you were waiting for a paycheck that actually covered your rent.
At the end of November, I was poorer than I ever have been before. I had to count out my last bits of change to find enough money to buy some toilet paper, and that was the only thing I could buy until I got paid. It also does not help that we only get paid once a month, at the end of the month. It is kind of annoying, but I guess that is how they roll here.
This possibly sounds like I am just really irresponsible with money, but that is not the case. Shortly after completing my training, I heard that business was slow, and there weren't a lot of classes coming in. To make it worse, the week of September 18th came in the first month I was hear, and all of my classes were cancelled (meaning I don't get paid for them). My first check had to be subsidized because I didn't make the minimum guarantee laid out in the contract. This did not even cover my rent. October came around, and I didn't have any cancellations and only one holiday. My October check covered my rent and bills. This is around the time when I decided to swear off public transportation. It wasn't fitting into the budget. Finally, November came around and I actually kind of felt like I was working and had a good number of classes, and when my balance finally came in, I had enough for rent, bills, and more! Having to get through November was tough though. My goal for November was to cut way back on eating (and therefore, groceries), and I succeeded fairly well, all things considered. (Although, considering October's goal was to star walking everywhere, I do require some level of sustenance in order to not pass out while walking around this city.)
So now it is December, and I finally have a little extra money from my check. I have figured out rent, bills, and groceries, and I think there might be a little left over after these necessities are bought. I might consider a new pair of shoes since mine have holes in them. I should also probably buy new clothes at some point since mine are getting holes in them and super faded where my backpack rubs for hours a day. I have also splurged on some fancy grocery items, like shredded cheese (I want to make a pizza). I don't think I am going to start taking public transportation again on a regular basis any time soon though. It does save quite a bit of money, and it kind of works out since my schedule is really random and I don't get time to run.
Besides not having nice clothes, being able to buy whatever I want at the grocery store, and do go out and do social things with friends, being poor was (and is) also very time consuming. I had to plan every peso I spent, and when the pesos were running low, I had to think hard about what to buy. Do I buy the loaf of bread or do I buy toilet paper? And walking everywhere obviously becomes time consuming. It only takes about an hour to walk to my furthest class (although, I just got a new class, which might take longer to get to), but when adding all that time, it gets to be a lot. I spend more time walking to and from that class than I do teaching that class.
I hope that being poor now brings good karma to me in the future. I don't need to be rich by any means, but it would be nice to make enough money to live comfortably and do fun things sometimes.
Peace
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