Handy-woman

Yesterday a call came through at 4:45 p.m. about a guest's bathtub being clogged. My maintenance guys were going home, which meant I had to take care of the issue. A challenge! I was up for it. After a quick verbal lesson, I was off to solve the guest's problem. It turns out they also had a towel rack fall down, so I got two projects in one. It's a good thing Alan, the Property Manager, gave me a leatherman to use because it came in very handy. During the course of the time I was in their unit, I used the large flat head screwdriver, the phillips screwdriver, the small pointed tool, the pliers, and the scissors. AND, I got to use one of those snake things to unclog the drain. However, I couldn't go through the drain in the tub itself, so I had to remove the part of the tub that opens and closes the drain and I went through there. After removing the problematic source of the clog (I'll keep those details to myself--no need to gross you out), I heard the water rushing down the drain and I felt so proud. It's amazing what small victories can do for a person. I had never done this before, I have never even seen anyone do it, yet I managed to figure it all out myself. I know it's nothing major, but the fact that I was able to get the job done and satisfy the guest made me feel like this job is a really good fit for me. After all, who gets excited about unclogging a drain? The other highlight of the excursion was a lovely conversation with the guest about how great Chicago is. I actually get to interact with people! That is something I've really been missing. Plus, I get to use my Spanish a lot, which is wonderful. Even though it can be extremely busy and stressful at times (and I've only been on the job for five days!), I really enjoy what I'm doing. I can't wait to see what I'll learn next!