Let’s the celebration start

I am going to SAVOR this moment of “victory” for a LONG TIME!!!

As I talked/texted a dozen of colleague friends to tell them about the news, before they hear it officially (which what friends would do), it made me so happy to know ALL of them are genuinely happy for me. I don’t take it for granted that true friendship happens at work, which means you truly want someone to progress, get promoted, get a big job, without jealousy or resentment. This is precious and priceless. There were so many interactions/quotes that made me happy:

• The hiring manager who called me at 5am (5pm for him) was so excited and felt apologetic that he couldn’t tell me earlier. He said the decision for the panel was made on the same day of the interview but it was a long process to go through, a lot of people to talk to, he said: I had to talk to everyone, even the POPE! 😀
• I talked to a friend who used to be in Brasilia office, who’s also Argentinian. He said: we Argentinians are taking over the management team. hahahaha….
• I tricked my friend K, my Indonesia best buddy who left this year, by asking him to send me the references he sent. It was 7am his time, he got worried, sent the screenshot to me. I called him, acted a bit neutral, asked him about his day, and then dropped the BOMB! He PAUSED for 2 secs, and then said: I can’t believe you did this to me! I am going to remember this one, revenge is coming! hahahahah… .Then we savor this moment together a while longer while he ironed his shirt getting ready to start the day, in his PJ.
• A former manager who was part of this process called me to congratulate me, and said how happy he was to read all the 15 references (3 that I didn’t give name for). He didn’t have to do that but he really wanted to share his excitement with me, so he called me at 11pm his time.
• I had a long call with my current manager who is usually very composed and professional. He was not during our call. He was emotional, so happy, felt a bit guilty as he was hard on me last year when I wanted to start applying. He went on and on how proud he is to read the interview report and all the references. His most important advice was to CELEBRATE this achievement WELL with my family, like really WELL, because this doesn’t come easily nor frequently in our career within the institution. Some say, this promotion is the hardest to get.
• My mentor congratulate me after I sent a long message to him thanking him for 7+ years of mentorship. We both hope to work again in the future, meanwhile I’ll continue to seek his wisdom no matter where we are.
• I called my BFF on the spot and she answered: is there carnival music on the background already? She knows. 🙂 I Love her and this job will allow us to see each other more often as she visits Argentina 1-2 a year. So excited!!!

Celebration #1: with husband for lunch. My appetite is nowhere to be found but he devoured the food. It is so nice to share this moment with him. He is my rock, listening to all the details of this process and my intimate fear and hope. We got here together, firming even more our love.

Celebration #2: with the girls who are thrilled as well. Not so much about changing school, but mostly to explore a new continent. They witnessed the whole process closely so they appreciate this outcome just as much.

Logistic tasks I need to figure out:

• School. I reached out to the new school whether they have spots for the girls this academic year or next.
• Early termination of our lease. can I get my unused rent back?
• Our move date is still being decided. My current unit doesn’t want me to go, the new unit wants me to go ASAP. So they are negotiating. The latest would be next June/July, but likely to be earlier, Feb or March 2025.
• Make a plan to finish/delegate my current work program.

That’s a long post, one that I’ll revisit for years and decades to come, because this is so special. 🙂