Paying my dues

I have been working at the Golan Heights Winery for over a month now. And I don't know how much longer I'll be working there. The guy in charge doesn't seem to know from one day to the next what is going on. It's not a bad job; good, clean manual labor. I spend most of my time in the warehouse filling orders. I get to go around pulling a case of this and 3 bottles of that. It all gets stacked on a pallet and wrapped in plastic wrap. Then it waits for the truck to deliver it.

Because I am a religious Jew I also get to work in the bottling area. I have pulled several shifts in the champagne room. It's fun, and varied from the warehouse. But it usuallt means working a 12 hour day instead of just 9 and a half. Twice I even got to help remove less than perfect grapes from the Pinot Noir harvest. The Yarden Pinot Noir 2009 should be an excellent wine... if you like Pinot Noir.

But all this being said, it is still not the kind of work I'd like to be doing. Especially not at this salary. My friend pointed out that this paying my dues. Many a doctor and engineer made aliyah only to sweep streets for a while. Many of them were able to move back into their field, or something related. Hopefully I will soon be able to move back into one of my fields of interest, where I can do work I enjoy at fair compensation. I have realized that I am a chronically positive person. May this year bring forward movement and success for me, my family, and all of us.

Shana Tova.