Kit used is Adventure Time by Designs by Connie Prince.


https://store.gingerscraps.net/Adventure-Time-Kit.html


 


Sometimes great adventures come through tough times. I was sent to Mexico for my job, and what was supposed to be a 3-day trip ended up being over 6 months of hard work. My company had opened a factory in Mexico, not the pretty exotic part, the run down yucky part. I was sent down to train on an inventory system and I had gotten everything under control and was just waiting to head to the airport when I got a call from the big bosses that they wanted me to stay and run the plant. I didn’t want the job, but I got it.  I had to drive 1-2 hours into Mexico each day, crossing the border and going through security checks. It was stressful because the van I drove was large and it tripped the Mexico scales everyday which meant I was pulled over searched everyday by guys with machine guns who didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Spanish. I lead a factory where 98% of the people didn’t speak English, I had to deal with union reps that didn’t respect women or speak English and I had to train 75 teenagers how to build our product. But the real struggle was being away from home, family and friends. I was working 12-16 hours a day and I was really alone for the first time in my life. It was very hard, but I learned some very important things about myself. I was much stronger than I knew, I stood my ground in a society that didn’t regard women as managers, I conquered my fear of crossing the border, and I learned that being alone isn’t all that bad. There were some fun times, but they were few and far between, but I don’t think I would trade the experience. It was an odd adventure, I never learned Spanish, but I was able to get by without much issue. In fact, a group from our office came down for an inventory and were amazed, I was asked questions in Spanish and I responded in English and yet we both somehow understood. After six months I finally had enough, and I wanted to come home. So they hired someone to run the plant. I ended up making trips back for the next five years, but only short ones that lasted a few days at a time. I can’t say it was a happy adventure, but I am truly glad I experienced it because it allowed me to grow and made me a much stronger person.