Which of These is Not Like the Others?

I started my new job last Tuesday.

It pays $20K less than my old job did. Ouch.

It hasn't been easy. Everyone but me is Indian or Chinese, but mostly Indian. (Sorry if this isn't making too much sense. I slept poorly last night.) As opposed to Ali at my old company, most of these folks are new immigrants with very thick accents. I only found out the name of my team lead by asking him to spell out his name.

Remarkably, I have been asked to join the group for lunch. This cuts into my reading time, but it's a sacrifice I'm prepared to make to have the companionship. 99% of the conversation at lunch - and at work - is in Hindi. Someone has to be speaking directly to me to talk in English. No, this isn't going to be easy.

The first week was spent getting my system set up so I can access email and the folders I'm going to need to work. I still don't have a building access badge, so I have to wait for Team Lead to get in before going into the office.

I think there must have been an almighty lawsuit against Big Pharma about who is and who isn't an employee. There is a BYOD plan in place. This means, bring your own device, whether it be phone, tablet, or computer. Nothing is allowed to remain in the building overnight, which means I have to lug my laptop to and from work everyday. I may be a technical writer, but I am also a pack mule. Along with my handbag and lunch bag, I also have to carry in my laptop. I am lucky that I was able to get the laptop on loan from my contracting company. Otherwise, I would have had to use my own crumbling laptop or buy (!) a new one.

As Marianne in the movie of "Sense and Sensibility" said, to paraphrase, I may have a job, but I believe I have it on very hard terms.