Day 327 { A Very Sad Day (Cuz Please Come Back)/Possibly The Worst Boss} - Monday, February 9, 2009

Day 327 { A Very Sad Day ( Cuz Please Come Back)/Possibly The Worst Boss }

A Very Sad Day (Cuz Please Come Back)

Went work like normal today. For some time now, I normally wait a bit before turning on the computer at my main school. But today I decided to turn it on a bit earlier and then check my email. Only to be greeted with an email saying that my cousin drowned in Portland, Jamaica along with 2 other guys. First I was in shock and total disbelief. Then I got a second email confirming that it is in fact my cousin. Instantly I called my mom in Jamaica and asked her what is going on...and she told me the story. To date, I can't recall ever crying so much after hearing something. I had to go into the school bathroom and get myself together...I told the vice principal and he told the principal. The principal then called me in his office and asked me what happened...Again I broke down in tears that I had no control over...

I actually grew up with this guy and have always been trying (since we were kids) to either reach to his level or outdo him. I was never successful in any. At primary school, he passed his common entrance exam (an exam we had to take to go to high schools in Jamaica ) in grade 5. He got into a good traditional high school known as Wolmers...I wasn't quite as brilliant or fortunate to pass in 5th grade. But when I was in 6th grade, because he went to Wolmers, I selected Wolmers as my first choice, and Excelsior as my second choice... again I wasn't so fortunate or brilliant so I was sent to Excelsior...

He started to study computer stuff in 4th form (10th grade)...So I started studying it as well. He passed all his High school subjects (CXC exams) with very good grades, except for English Literature and so went on straight to 6th form (12th grade). Again I wasn't as fortunate or as brilliant as him and I failed both Math and English Language at my first go... He went to what many think is the top University in the region (University of the West Indies) while I had to be going to a Community College. When I finally started University, he was in his final year. As soon as he graduated, he got a job as a Database Administrator at a Cell phone company in Jamaica known as Digicel. He got this nice job at age 21...I got my first job after University at 25, and it was teaching rotten kids for very little money. His salary tripled mine.

The only thing that I could outdo my cousin in was having girlfriends.....While he had his first girlfriend at around age 20 or 21...I had my first at about age 14. Me and my cousin pretty much did everything together since we were kids...We went on countless retreats and stuff. He made me start to exercise more and he taught me a whole lot of stuff...He also got me into this Pokemon game business. Our friends used to make a lot of fun of him because he would do some strange things at times. He had such a calm spirit and an outgoing personality. A very calm individual and very very friendly. He practically bought my plane ticket to come to Japan. Then while I was fretting about paying him back, he said that he didn't even remember about it and that it was a gift. He said that money is the least of his problems....

This guy to date is probably the single most humble person I have known... He didn't care about money nor the flashy lifestyle... ...Even though he was making a whole lot of money in his job, he thought it unnecessary to buy a car for a loong time... so he took the bus to work religiously until very recently he decided to buy a car....The last time I spoke to him was the day I got my Japanese Driver's license on Day 294 - January 7, 2009. Right now, I can't even imagine him not being around...He was a true genius while being very humble at the same time. If I were to get married, he would undoubtedly be the best man at my wedding. He is the only male that I knew and kept in constant contact with since birth almost literally....

Possibly The Worst Boss 

Now, because I want to go to my cousin's funeral whenever it is going to be...I asked my boss a few questions and he didn't disappoint me by NOT being uncaring and unsympathetic... These are the questions I asked along with the Answers I got:

Question 1 - My cousin died, is it possible to attend his funeral

Answer 1 - Well as you know, you only have 5 days for the year so if you can go to Jamaica, attend the funeral, then come back within the 5 days, then that's fine.

Question 2 - What about taking 10 days without pay

Answer 2 - No! The company only give 5 days. No pay leave is not an option...We may consider extra time if it was a parent who died but nobody else.

Question 3 - Can I get a pay advance if I was to go to the funeral..

Answer 3 - No we can only give you a loan

So if I do get to attend my cousin's funeral, it is at the risk of losing my job. The worst thing about it, is that, if I stop my contract, I will automatically owe my company 200,000 yen...Because they give us that as a loan to buy the car...But it will be canceled if we complete the contract.

All I can do is ask for your prayers...

Peace and love