Rollin’ On Jobs

Another week passes by, and another month, and I do all I can to find a stable job in this “new-old” country of mine (“new” for the way things are today, “old” for my memories of past, before I left). Could the train have passed me by? No way! New trains keep on rollin’ into the station all the time! I’ll get on the right one, just in time.

In a marketing workshop I once heard the following allegory: when you're driving across the country, you see only as far as your eyes let you or as far as the head-lights of the car reach. You don’t know what’s beyond the limited vision, but you keep on driving. Most likely there are roads ahead and you know where they lead.

Over the Last few weeks, I've circulated dozens of resumes for a variety of writing day jobs. A few people responded, but it’s a saturated market. Too many local professionals offer the very same services as I do – writing, translating, transcripting; most of them have local education and local portfolio. Many get jobs through teachers and friends. As someone new in the market, what’s the best way to break in without an end of a thread? Making new threads.

                                                                                                    

As a freelance who starts from scratch in a new country, your first employer or first clients could be a professional breakthrough. They may go by their gut feeling and hire you without local experience, but that’s all you need on your resume. I made a few good professional contacts and kept in good terms with them. But it’s not enough. Creating a solid circle of clients can be a long process, especially in a small market like Israel. Does everyone go through the same process?

I had coffee with a journalist friend last week. He told me I’m doing great just by making ends meet for now. He gave me the example of a highly skilled professional he knows, who came back to Israel after years of a great career in Germany. It took the guy 18 months to find his first job here. I've spoken with budding professionals in my field, and most of them told me they got their first job through teachers and networking circles they made at school here.

I listen carefully to what people tell me and to my varied thoughts. One day we see things in a certain way, the other day we see them completely differently. The road goes on for miles and we can only see so far. Keeping on rollin’ toward the unknown makes us stronger. Does the train I’m on head toward any specific destination? I don’t know. Perhaps I’m already there.

I am truly grateful for going through this re-integration phase. Some may call it challenging, I call it life. I don’t feel challenged, but infused with persistence. The real challenge is to let go of the thought that what we go through now is who we are in general. Remembering how limited is our view is liberating. Just keep eyes on the road and look as far as you can see, and be grateful that it’s a road you chose.

Back on the Saddle

Hi all!

Six months have passed since I last posted in this blog. I took a look at the pageviews this week and found out there’s been a constant increase in traffic. So why not keeping up the updates? Any comment or communication from the readers is welcome.

Background in a nutshell: My name is Moshe Parnes. I’m a writer. Mother tongue – Hebrew; acquired tongue – English. I grew up in Israel, left in 2006 to the wonderful West Coast of North America. In December 2012 I returned to Israel from Vancouver BC. Previous articles go through highlights of the first few months of landing. Shifts and turns have been taking place since, and this post is to fill you in on main ones.

My re-Integration.

I held on to the North American positivity as long as I could. However, the harshness of the Middle East cannot slip the eye forever. Did you hear that I said North American positivity? If only people knew how good their reality is, they would never complain again. It’s always easy look deeper into the culture we grew up in and critique it. New cultures can seem like a safe haven. The truth is that anywhere we go we’re facing the same challenges. Reaching our actual goals is a matter of time, practice and persistency, not the land or the culture we live in.

Stability is a key word, especially as a freelance. Persistency becomes the result, as the amount of money we make turns into the byproduct. I choose to believe that life takes care of our basic needs. The rest is up to us. We don’t need much but we may want a lot.

The cultural definition for peace in the Middle East is not what we’re used to in North America. Now, I don’t mean peace between people or countries, I mean peace of mind. Most people in North America have no idea how good the daily problems are compared to other places in the world. Anywhere you go there are problems, social plagues, emptiness; but the path of worriless happiness is easier to take in some places than in others. At the same time, happiness can be defined differently in each culture, so it’s an individual point of view with many perspectives.

On the street, smoking cigarettes is a common norm in Israel. If you’re not a smoker and you want to breathe clean air, you're the one to step aside. By now I've got used to it, but it took a few months. Driving is a concert of honking without a reason. There’s always someone in a rush. There are always people who want to make others as uncomfortable as they are. Voices on the street are loud and the tones may sound aggressive. It is what it is and it doesn’t mean people are angry; it’s simply the way they speak. Culture.

“That’s life” and “Nothing to do” are common phrases. I personally can’t get how any culture uses these phrases as mottos. Conversations often revolve around rightness and complaining; an opposite of the North American smiling culture, which too many people in the world tag as phony, but I see as pleasant and beautiful. Tourists may find these cultural differences amusing, but when you live them on a daily basis your whole life with no option to break free, you slowly become a part of it. If you’re lucky, you keep yourself from becoming it.

Career: I gave myself two months to start working after I moved back. In 7 weeks I got my first project as a screenwriter in a sociopolitical documentary that will be screened at the end of next month. Updates will be posted. A couple of months later, I got my first big TV project that kept me going for a while. Obviously, I took several other projects at the same time as well. So working like a maniac, 7 A.M. till late at night, cultivating some sleep and extensive yoga practice into it all, I miraculously made ends meet. Yet now, almost 10 months in, I’m still on survival mode even though people tell me all the time that I’m doing great. I am grateful either way.

Accommodation: some people are awesome. Please credit the Middle East with having a big wide heart. The way I’ve been accommodating though the past 6 months is being a home-care provider for pets, whose owners are abroad or are too busy to take care of them. I mostly work from home so it’s an ideal arrangement. The pets’ owners and I have no previous acquaintance, but they trust me with their home and with their best friends, and I’m happy to prove them right. This circle of trust has been a spark of hope in my life during some dark months of confusion and job hunt.

Health: Back in Vancouver I became addicted to yoga and healthy living. I saw how it changed my mind, body and soul, and I still see it every day that passes. I used to volunteer in one of Vancouver’s most prestigious studios, Yyoga. It’s been hard to meet the same standards in Israel and during the first 6 months I’ve been practicing alone on a daily basis. Finally, on July I found a new yoga studio in Tel Aviv, Prana Yoga College, which supports my practice - yoga as meditation in movement, and not as a workout. Each day I go to class. It’s a reason for me to get out of the house and meet people, which is a very important.

Conclusions: It takes time to settle down in a new country, even if it’s the country you grew up in. Patience, persistency, positivity and securing your inner-peace, keeps you on a good path. Let life do the rest. Be easy on yourself, even with your so called “failures”. If you can’t find the positive in a situation, you simply long for some drama or melancholy, which is okay, just don’t attach yourself to it as a belief. There’s no wrong in letting go for a little while when things become overwhelming. Usually, we can still send off a few resumes a day, even when we let go.

Always continue doing things to achieve your goals and always remember to filter out with activities that aren’t connected to the race for achievements. Those airing activities will eventually bring the energy that you need to move on and reaching your goals. There is a bigger picture. Time is not something you can always dictate, but you can use it on your side.