I had to get up at 3:30am on Friday to fly to re-training for work. I must have Candy Land expectations of American customer service after Belgium’s because I called several cab companies, looking for one to make “my” cab company. I was looking for that cheerful operator who’d chat me through how much time to plan for the drive to the airport, but hung up on several because of their sullen operators. (I absolutely HATE it when people repeatedly ask you questions and then don’t let you finish answering before cutting you off with a rude response. It’s so passive-aggressive.)  After my third try, I remembered that cab operators always (seem to) hate their lives so I called back the least offensive one.

A nice black man greeted me quietly but cheerfully in the dark of morning. Dressed in white slacks, white short-sleeved linen shirt and a Panama hat, he looked like he was fresh off the beach in Kenya. I liked him immediately. We drove to the airport – me very happy to discover that an early morning cab is only about $20 (instead of the seemingly universal $35 minimum airport charge) – with the windows rolled down and 80’s R & B in my ears. Al Green is surprisingly appropriate for my mood at that time of morning. My driver ended up proudly telling me about how he is a 3rd generation Washingtonian and that I would come to love the city as much as he. I liked this guy and he started off my morning as well as possible considering the offensive hour.

It was a good start all things considered, but the early morning doomed my brain. I stumbled through the next 17 hours of work duty feeling like there was an actual fog in my head. I answered even the simplest of questions wrongly (i.e. “Is this equipment functioning or not?” “Uhhh, not.” “Wrong. The green seal means ‘good’. Remember, a red seal would mean not functioning or ‘bad’.”) Luckily I was too tired to care how stupid I was that day, and very aware that the instructors are used to people getting nervous and giving stupid answers here and there. Del wanted me to defend myself and explain my exhausted state, and I was tempted to, but the fact is they don’t care if I’m actually stupid or not. They’re just doing their job and getting me through all the information review. SoI kept my mouth shut. Well, except for when I was saying something idotic. Anyhow, I got good sleep that night and breezed through all the tests on day two and now I’m ready to go. Well, after my my security clearance is renewed. That seems to be taking a while. I wonder if it was all that living abroad….