Sometimes I have a strange feeling that I live two parallel lives.
Some of my days are dedicated to my education. I go to the university, I listen to some lectures, I take notes. We have interesting seminars and workshops too. It is very exciting for me when different estimate reputable psychologists come to us and tell us about various cases of their practises and the way they managed to solve them. Sometimes I have a lunch with my colleagues and we talk about our professors, about our projects and about our interests. At home I read psychological literature and write my assignments and course works.
Other of my days are devoted to cleaning. I get up early in the morning, I take a shower, I comb my hair and tie it in a ponytail in order not to bother my work. Then I take my washed and ironed uniform in my bag and I go to work. When I get to the cleaning company, I put on my uniform in the changing room and I check up my assignments for the day. And half an hour later I am on my way to some address. Usually I clean big expensive houses or apartments. But sometimes I clean offices too.
It is funny that only few people know about my two occupations. Most of my colleagues in the university do not suppose that I make my money as a cleaner while I am studying to be a psychologist.
The same applies to my colleagues at work too. Only some of them know about my education and about my goals. Of course our dispatcher Nina, who makes our schedule, knows about my studying. She always helps me to combine my lectures and my working tasks. Nina is 10 years older than me, has a family, children and her life is completely different than mine, but after 5 years of working together I can call her a friend of mine. She tells me she wanted to study at university too, but she got pregnant and her life took another direction. But she is very happy for my achievements now.
And what about my clients –they all know me and trust me to come in their houses, but almost no one of them knows that I am a student aside from being a cleaner.
Sometimes combining my obligations is not so easy. I may have a day off to be at some exam, but the former days, while I am studying for the exam, I have to work at the same time. Evenings are not enough for learning, so I read my books while I ride the subway or the bus and while I have a lunch break. It may not be easy, but it is dynamic and exciting for sure and I take it as a challenge 🙂