Marina Rose Travels

The office neon hurts my eyes and the socks I chose this morning aren’t holding up their end of the bargain. My ankles are blistering as the cheap shoes rub against my skin, and I mentally prepare for my trip to the restroom.

This building is boring like most corporate places are, so I laugh a lot at half funny jokes, and try to keep moving in a place that stands still. My job would be on the line if they could automate any of the systems that I’m the ‘bandwidth’ for, but fortunately, our Swiss management hasn’t caught on yet.

I get up and squeeze past the finance team, ever scrunchy-eyed, and take the thin hallway as my runway, trying to move fast enough to get off the ground.

The bathroom is a welcome escape, despite the harsh tile floor and the soap dispensers that never seem to have enough soap. A minute to watch a few videos on my phone and get away from everyone for a while.

Two years ago, this job was a life saver. A reprieve from the hectic, unrelenting nature of teaching middle school. Now all the peace I was so grateful for has ebbed and a kernel of resentment has grown to cloud the once paradise. I spend the days learning new things for my own self-improvement and dread the realization that this is the life so many people end up settling for.

In my Auralign notebook my looping, messy handwriting scrawls the page, joyful news to tell the wanting paper. My remote work has been approved! Costa Rica is more real than it has ever been! Knowing my time in this cubicle is coming to an end settles the frustration that rises every morning around 11am.

I take a deep breath and release.

There’s not much to do at this point except for what needs to be done. Yes, the taxes still need to be filled out and yes, I’ll have to call the car loan company to see if I actually can sell my car, but I finally know for certain I will have an income in Costa Rica, so I relax.

Or try to. I’ll still finish the Bookkeeping Certification just to have my bases covered. I wonder if Westlake Financial ever makes exceptions and when should I post the garage sale that I am setting up for next weekend? There is still a lot to do but the universe is pushing my story along and I can’t help but notice how easy it is.

The cubicle is still mine, covered in Happy Birthday cards and postcards from my time abroad. Spain, Berlin, and Ireland have made the wall. I should finish those scrapbooks.

“I’ll be out there again soon, traveling the world, living the life that I have worked so hard for” I say to myself as another call comes in.