Name: Gabriella
From: Spain
Living in: Utrecht
Gabriella moved here for better career opportunities. She’s been an administrator at an insurance company for the past few years but wants to eventually have her own consulting company.
When she arrived she faced the challenge so many people have – not speaking the language of the country they now live in. And the result – very limited work opportunities. Gabriella says it’s ironic that she left for a better career but now couldn’t get a starter office job.
So Gabriella took a job at a package distribution centre where Dutch wasn’t needed, it was a good temporary option. The work was taking packages off a conveyor belt and putting them in cages for the shipping company. To her – a completely foreign environment and type of work.
The shifts were 10 hours long, incredibly terious and with the packages weighing on average 10 kgs it was physically exhausting. But Gabriella decided to put her head down and do the work – with gratitude that she atleast had income. The other positive thing – she couldn’t afford a gym membership and with this job was actually being paid to work out.
One day she was working next to a guy who couldn’t stop talking but Gabriella was too tired for hours of conversation. The guy said he was mildly-autistic and so struggled to make friends, especially since leaving his home country.
This changed Gabrielle’s mind, she chose to ignore how tired she was and rather put someone else’ needs first. She would talk to this guy as much as he wanted. And the result? The guy turned out to be such a good storyteller and so entertaining that they laughed so much other people joined in.
The funny side of that kindness – every person who joined the conversation had to sing their national anthem out loud. A bigger challenge than a 10 hour shift on a conveyor belt.
