It's over...
Our first semester as managers is done! And we survived! These last few weeks have been so busy preparing for the departure of our 128 students for the winter break. This is my excuse for lack of posts... There were lots and lots of papers to retype and organize, print, staple, and pass out, then collect and file. There were lots of dusty fingers, greasy hands, and aching feet. On top of all that, we also made and hand delivered little gifts for each apartment - a loaf of bread and a bag of yummy chocolates!
Our check out schedule lasted for four days, Wednesday - Saturday, during which we were at the mercy of the tenants as they finished their tests and cleaning. When they were ready, we went to their apartment to make sure that they cleaned well enough to earn a full refund of their deposit. Even though we are so tired, we are so thrilled at the outcome. Nearly every student passed and our apartments are quite clean. There is hardly any follow-up cleaning needed! Which is a relief because we volunteered to clean up behind them...
So, one semester down, and the next is right around the corner. Now comes the time to prepare for check ins. Those I'm not as nervous about because I have done it once before. With check outs, it was all new territory. And it was up to us and the owner, who hasn't been that involved over the last few years because she hasn't had to be - she had a property manager that lived in town that took care of practically everything. Now most of those responsibilities have fallen to me, and I know practically nothing. Though it has been exciting to learn.
It is intimidating to be the manager of so many people older than I am. I feel like they might think, "who is this little girl, and why does she thing she's the boss?" During one of my clean checks I wore my "Class of '09" t-shirt. A tenant noticed and asked, "are you really class of '09?" I -slightly embarrassed- told him yes, to which he replied that he was class of '05... awkward silence. We ended up laughing it off. It's a similar situation when I chat with the girls that live here, especially when I started revealing that I was pregnant (oops... I promise to blog about that soon!) and only 21. Not that I regret the decision to start our family by any means! Sometime you just get weird looks... Oh well. Their loss, right?
Managing has been hard for me, I'm not going to lie. Every day I'm pushed outside of my comfort zone by talking with people, approaching people, calling people, etc. It's really not a job I was cut out for, but I am learning so much and doing better. Tom has been a real sweetie through it all. He is so willing to pick up where I leave slack. He's much better at talking to people and approaching situations in a calm matter - I tend to freak out. A lot. Working on it.
Really, managing is more of a lifestyle change than a job change. We can't just clock out and forget about work. We have tenants who need us to be available all the time, in case of emergency. I think that is really why it has been a challenge; I don't do well with change. But honest, I am improving. And now that we have a semester under out belts, I know a little more of what I am up against. Before too long, I'll catch up to where Tom is and be a pro at this managing business!
All in all, this job has been a blessing for the both of us. We get to spend so much time together! We talk about what we used to do when we both had school and work and only had a few hours a day together before we headed to bed. Now we get to spend nearly every waking moment together. It is so great. We're really lucky and cherish all the fun we're having. It's so great to be in love. Cheesy, I know, but oh so true!
