From a Chance Encounter in Mexico to a Dream Change in My Career
In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 46 of 52
One afternoon that changed my life, and I didn’t know it!
It was an unusual time in my IT career. I was an independent contractor building programs/apps for companies. As my contract ended, I did not have another lined up for a while. During the break, I decided to spend a few months in La Paz, Baja California, Mexico.
I rented a small house on a quiet street. My immediate neighbor kept a few chickens. I rose every morning with the sun. The rooster had decided that before I even moved in.
I was writing a user manual for one of my standalone software programs. The work was going well, but my printer was not happy.
At the electronics store, I met a man who seemed even more frustrated than I was. He was trying to get someone who knew how to operate a Compaq PC. The store employees knew of no one in the area.
I introduced myself, and we spoke for a long time. The customer, Paul, led me to his home office and showed me his problem. I had seen another client’s similar troubles before and demonstrated the fix for him. I showed him how to handle the situation when it happened again.
Paul offered to let me use his printer until the parts arrived from the States. We sat back and talked about many things. He was a retired German with a Mexican wife. They had met when he was running a tourism company in Spain.
We spent some time together each week and became good friends. After my sabbatical, I called my attorney in Phoenix, who had some real estate rentals. I moved back to the US at the end of the month and slid neatly back into my client work.
The work was good, and the compensation increased. I was doing well. Once in a while, the phone would ring, and it was my friend, Paul, from La Paz.
The first call was to tell me about a job in Kenya. I was to start the following week. I tried to explain that I had jobs lined up and would not go to Kenya.
Two months later, there was a job in Nigeria. No, I would not go to Nigeria.
Two months later, I was desperately needed in Namibia. I did not go to Namibia.
By this time, I had only one contract to finish, which would be done in two months. During my quiet moments, I realized contracts were getting harder to sign. I was over 50, and the people doing the hiring were 20-somethings.
The phone rang one evening, and it had ‘that’ ringtone. I could feel it.
Paul said, “I will need you next month and deposit this amount in your bank account every month. I will provide a residence on the beach, a car, and a driver, and you get to pick your own team and decorate your office.”
Before I could say no, he had ticked all the boxes. I asked more questions, and the answers made me smile.
I was to be the IT Director of a large tourism agency in the Dominican Republic. The company was owned by LTU Touristic in Dusseldorf.
The IT Director was the equivalent of the Chief Technology Officer. The residence was a suite at a resort hotel on the beach. The one-year contract finally expired after 2.5 years. I made many friends and had some memorable times.
This happened because I helped a stranger in an electronics store in Mexico. I thought I had made a retired friend, but instead, I made a life-long friend and changed the narrative of my life.
Here are a few stories from my friends:
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