Part 1: http://wp.me/p4xLH1-p7
I remained calm and collected as I defended myself. I was being attacked for minor errors, errors I had rectified once they had been addressed and errors that hadn’t even endured. I am open to constructive criticism, however this was something completely different. I felt like I was an outsider looking in; the interpretation of my performance did not match the reality of the situation.
The learning curve I was promised became a myth. I was never given any legitimate guidance or feedback and all the contributions I had made were not recognized. I had supposedly isolated myself in a corner from the start, I was looked in the eye and told I was welcomed with open arms and I wasn’t. The only welcome I received was from the cold air hitting me when I first entered the room. It was probably a warning for what was to come!
I made a conscious effort to greet everyone each day and it was often one sided, but I still continued to do so. The friendly environment I expected only emerged when outsiders were present. After all the probing, I was the one that allegedly had the problem. I had to escape!
The journey home that day was a blur. I was lost in my thoughts, it was as if I was on an empty train. The sequence of events that had taken place felt so unreal. I thought why me? Day one started to make sense, there were empty desks for a reason. I clearly wasn’t the only one that had been put through this ordeal.
There was only one other in the same boat as me; the last man standing. I watched as he had his confidence knocked each day. He quickly picked himself up and kept going. In any other situation I would say good on him, but if you were in my shoes you would wonder why he didn’t run with me.
I call this experience ‘The Great Escape’. I wish I could retract this whole chapter- The lesson learned here is to always follow my instincts! I knew something was wrong from the start, but I tried to convince myself otherwise.
Living With No Excuses 