September
2006
Full circle
One year ago, on September 19th, I returned to work from my two year childraising vacation (payed by the state, to encourage natality growth). My previous cabinet was now occupied by Mia, and I - according to my boss - had a new place in an empty Neurology space, formerly used as their outpatient consulting room.
The next day, on the 20th, I found out that the chief of the psychiatry ward - my boss - “forgot” to ask the chief of the Neurology ward if we can use their place. Since there’s deep animosity between them, never manifested visibly but rather in small chicaneries, it’s only natural that it happened so. The reaction was typical for a mammoth hospital - the Neurology’s head nurse came to the Ambulatoriu and yelled at Dana A. for giving me access to the room, the key was taken and the door locked . My boss was content because she “taught the Neurology’s chief a lesson”. The Neurology’s chief was content because he “taught the Psychiatry’s chief a lesson”. The Neurology’s head nurse was content because she “taught Dana A. a lesson”. I was told to find myself a space and that the Psychiatry doesn’t have any spare rooms.
The three days that followed weren’t exactly the happiest of my life. I stayed at home because I didn’t had a place to go to, looked for potential new jobs and generally felt miserable. Then dad found out what happened and asked if I wanted to go back to the hospital. I thought about it for a few minutes and nodded yes. He then activated the friend network and the next day, I was back at the hospital, with poor Dana A’s room labeled as being mine and hordes of patients at my door. Dana was with me in the room for the next three months - where else could she go - smoking as a chimney, cursing the patients and giving them their files and numbers. The Neurology room remained empty.
My salvation was Mia’s lazyness. She never takes her Neurology patients when she’s asked to, even if her schedule is empty. Therefore, they wait for 1-2 more days in the hospital just to be tested psychologically, and if they are more than 5 minutes late, she cancels the appointment. I deal with mine as soon as possible, usually on the same day. The neurology ward started to send me patients that should have been Mia’s, and I didn’t say no. After a month or so however, I had a talk with Grati, one of the Neurology nurses. Grati is smart, sarcastic, posesses strong organisational capabilities and has free entrance to their ward’s chief. She’s also a good friend of mine.
I asked her to tell her boss that I’ll continue to see their patients but I really need a decent space instead of the hole in the wall I was crammed in at the moment. Nothing official, of course - the apparences had to be preserved, and the two wards were still very much at war. I also said that I understand the fact that whenever they need the room, I’ll relocate. She talked to him and he said OK - after all, he didn’t had anything against me. I moved back.
This week (and the next) they need the room to see their outpatients because the city clinic’s Neurologist is on holiday. Therefore, at the aniversary of the Ugly Days I’m back in Dana’s room. Only this time I’m smiling about it.
Definitely sounds like you got the better of them on that one! Although I’m sure you’ll be very happy to move back into your ‘borrowed space’ as soon as they are done with it.
Okay, I just can’t get over the two year’s paid child rearing vacation. Really?
Mist - really. They give you the medium payment for the economy, regardless of how little you were payed before giving birth, and the employer is forbidden by the law to fire you when you return, or to put you in a different position, with a lesser payment. If, however, you want to return before the kid is 2 years old, the state pays you a sum to hire a nanny.
Since it became possible for Romanians to leave their homeland in search of employment in foreign countries, Romania has been on a minor trend of slightly dwindling population for a several years (where some people take extremists views on implosion and declare the sky is falling).
This is a reversible trend.
Such economic policies as the ‘2-year paid leave’ are geared toward encouraging people to breed thus replenishing the state’s supply of taxable human capital.
As a long term strategy, the two year child leave sounds great, Andrea. And speaking of strategy, you did a great job of getting the room you wanted despite the politics going on between the two departments.
Zile sa se duca in masa.