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there go my rollover minutes... or "how I spent my weekend"
Since 8 am on Friday, I have spent 20 hours on the phone, 8 of them since 3 am.It's almost 11 now, so that's 8 straight hours, just on this one leg.
I'm part of a 10 person crisis team to work on trying to get many expats/families out of Tunisia. If you've not been following the news on this, the president was essentially overthrown and fled the country on Friday, and they're on their second president since then! Riots began there in much deeper detail earlier this week, and our crisis team began to assemble on Wednesday, I joined on Thursday, and have been fully involved since then.
The good news is we believe we are only a few hours away from having all 47 up in the air and out of the country. But for the last 3 days, it has gone from making the call to evacuate, immediately discovering the airspace was closed, and coming up with various plans B, C, D and E... and maybe more since then.
It has been incredibly emotional and stressful, and, heck, I'm not even one of these people in the war torn country! This morning, as I listened to an employee calling us from underneath his table, was waiting for his secure ground transportation, but there was a man in his garden with a gun and someone had just been shot in the streets and he wasn't sure he'd get out. (He did.) Then the local HR person from our company operations there, who has been giving us animated updates of how things are going in the streets, explained to us her cousin was killed over night, while in front of his place of work, shot by military (potentially, he broke curfew? Don't know.)
It's been so overwhelming, and I've felt so helpful. Truth is, I don't REALLY have a role in all of this (I can't charter a plane or secure ground transportation or get people through military checkpoints), but as the HR person responsible for some of these expats, and as kind of an "honorary member" of the risk team (remember those classes I'm taking in risk management and business continuity? This is an awesome case study), but I'm glad to be there for my colleagues who are doing a ton, and I'm able to help with communications and such. Once these folks get out of Tunis and into whatever country they get to (we charted 3 private planes, heading to 3 separate airports), I'll start to get questions and have actions to take on how we're keeping these people up, will they go back, what happens to their stuff, their pay, etc...
So, that's what i've been doing. and, since I only have a personal phone (dropped the blackberry a while ago when i was able to get work e-mail on the iphone), i've long since used up my rollover minutes! Can't wait to see this phone bill... ugh.
Hope everyone else is having a great weekend!
Re: there go my rollover minutes... or "how I spent my weekend"
That's such a horrible situation. That stinks about your minutes, but I'm sure they're appreciative. Mayne you can write off your cell bill as a "business expense"?
October 11, 2008
Trusty Gal blog|Trusty Tales
Wow, I've heard about the situation on the news, but I'm sure hearing it firsthand it so much more.
Hopefully you can just bill them for the minutes or whatever, I know my old job used to do that when they would call me all the time and used up my minutes.
Good luck to everyone and I hope they get out safe!
Wives Unscripted
Alexander David
11.25.09
my blog
I can't think of a better reason for going over your minutes! I'll tell Jacob all about it the first time he goes over his and explain, "now, if you use them all up trying to get people out of a war-torn country, that's OK. But talking to your girlfriend until 3 in the morning is not OK."
Good for you. I hope that you can get them all out safely!
OMG Kathy, I'm sure that must be incredibly overwhelming, among so many other l emotions.
I had to read your post twice and feel like I still don't fully appreciate everything you guys have been working towards. Amazing!!! I hope your able to get a good nights sleep.
Thanks everyone for your feedback and support! It's been exhausting, and I'm probably moments away from trying to sleep for the next 12 hours. Went to a party to watch the Pats game (booo) but it was a nice diversion to get my mind off things.
we got confirmation a couple of hours ago that all have landed safely in Europe. Our amazing day is done!
I hope I didn't give anyone the impression i'm upset about the rollover minutes! I'm not, of course, and I won't submit the bill for the company. :-)
If anyone is interested in any of the details at any time (that I can share), especially the HR types, happy to talk off line about it. It's an event that will go on the resume, for sure.
Thanks again, everyone!
Wow Kathy, that's just crazy!!! I can't imagine how overwhelming the situation must be. I'm glad that all of your coworkers have arrived safely and I hope that the worst is past.
Mrs. Little Drew 10/25/08
Blog
TTC since 1/2010 - Dx with Stage IV Endo
11/10 - 100mg Clomid + trigger + IUI + Estradiol + Progesterone = BFN
12/10 - Unmedicated cycle due to RE not doing treatments in December = BFN
1/11 - 100mg Clomid + trigger + IUI + Estradiol + Progesterone = BFN
2/11 - Same sh!t, different month = IUI cancelled due to no response = BFN
IVF #1 - Start stims (Follistim) 5/10, add in Ganirelix 5/14
ER 5/21 - 13 retrieved, 7 mature, 5 fertilized; ET 5/26 - transferred one perfect 1AA blast. 3 snowbabies.
Beta 6/3 - 15.8; Beta 6/7 - 21.8; Beta 6/10 - 7
FET - Transferred 1 AA blast 7/11. Beta 7/20 - 311! Beta 7/22 - 784!! First u/s 8/10
*~PAIFW/SAIFW~*