Mi primer trabajo después de graduarme de Ingeniero Agrónomo era lo que había soñado. El lugar estaba en el campo, en una zona agrícola. Era una estación experimental de una Universidad donde además de cultivos de frutales y raíces y tubérculos, había ganado bovino y cultivo de peces en lagunas artificiales. Colinas transformadas en potreros sembrados de pasto, cercados para mantener al rebaño e intercaladas con bosquecitos verdes. Solo de verlo por primera vez me enamoré de este lugar.
Yo estaba encargada de hacer los estudios de suelos en las diferentes áreas de la estación. El paisaje era hermoso, una zona húmeda por la alta precipitación y muy cálida. Mi trabajo me mantenía las manos llenas de tierra y las botas de barro. Esa era la imagen que yo tenia de un agrónomo.
Me quedaba a dormir en un pueblo cercano, en una casa muy vieja con techos de tejas y como todo el personal, comía en la Estación. Las señoras de la cocina me consentian ya que era la única mujer del grupo y muy joven. Con ellas aprendí a hacer unos buñuelos de yuca con melado de papelón que es mi postre favorito.
Me llevaba muy bien con mis compañeros de trabajo y había hecho amistad con algunos de ellos. Recuerdo con cariño a una familia que vivía cerca de la Estación y que visitaba con frecuencia, el señor era uno de los choferes y su esposa era extranjera, tenían cuatro niñas muy simpáticas, con los cabellos rubios, la mayor no tenía más de once años, a las cuales les gustaba peinarme el cabello. Yo me sentaba con mucha paciencia en el patio de la casa. Alli criaban perros y como a mi me encantan, disfrutaba mucho de esas frecuentes visitas al salir del trabajo.
Durante esos dos años aprendí mucho de mi profesión y también sobre el manejo del ganado porque ayudaba a los médicos veterinarios, cuando no tenía mucho que hacer. Me sentía muy feliz y satisfecha con mi vida. Los fines de semana visitaba a mis padres y hermanas ya que el lugar no quedaba muy lejos, solo a dos horas en carro. Y otras veces iba a la playa ya que la costa quedaba muy cerca. Era una zona muy turística donde se comía un pescado muy rico llamado lebranche. En una época del año hacían una feria del lebranche, donde lo cocinaban a orilla de la playa de diferentes maneras, un festín animado por los toques y bailes de tambor características de la cultura de las poblaciones de este lugar.
Un dia me llamaron a una reunión en el galpón donde funcionaban las oficinas. El jefe de la estación tomó la palabra para explicarnos a los más jóvenes y nuevos lo que estaba sucediendo con la autoridad… el director.
El director comenzó a ser cuestionado por los trabajadores más antiguos, así que por solidaridad con ellos, firmé una carta donde se le exigia algunos cambios. El asunto se puso complicado porque otras estaciones se unieron a las exigencias y el director para aplacar los ánimos caldeados, decidió separar a los profesores responsables del conflicto, y los enviaron a estaciones diferentes, separados unos de otros para evitar que se reunieran. Allí se cumplió la expresión "divide y vencerás". Como yo era un personal contratado, no se me renovó el contrato y me quedé sin mi trabajo.
Me sentí muy mal y triste por tener que abandonar aquel lugar que me gustaba mucho y tuve que regresar a la casa de mis padres y explicarles lo ocurrido. Ellos me apoyaron y en ningún momento me criticaron por lo que había pasado, y como padres amorosos estaban felices de que me quedara en la casa mientras ponía orden en mi vida.
Empecé a cuestionarme el porqué había firmado esa carta, tenía que haber pensado en las consecuencias. Me había quedado sin trabajo por mi irresponsabilidad, por estar apoyando a otros, por pensar que tenía que ser solidaria. Ese defecto que yo tenía de decir que si a casi todo..
Luego de pasar por un periodo de incertidumbre y de no saber con certeza qué rumbo tomar, comencé a buscar alternativas laborales, ya no podía permanecer en la casa viendo televisión y conversando con mis padres y mis hermanas. Aunque debo reconocer que era muy agradable y cómodo. Mi padre que era un hombre muy trabajador y responsable, de vez en cuando me decía, así como quien no quiere presionar
—Hija cómo va la búsqueda de trabajo, ¿has encontrado algo bueno?
A mi eso me daba mucha vergüenza y me impulsaba a seguir buscando
En ese proceso estaba cuando uno de los profesores con el que trabajé me llamo un dia por telefono
—¡Hola! ¿como has estado?, ¿qué haces?
—¡Hola! bueno aca en casa de mis padres, buscando trabajo.
—Te quería decir que las inscripciones para el postgrado de agronomía están abiertas, es una buena opción para ti.
Creo que él se sentía un poco culpable por lo que había sucedido y trataba de ayudarme.
Eso representaba volver a la ciudad donde había estudiado y a la misma facultad. Me preocupaba un poco los gastos y el costo de los estudios ya que no estaba trabajando pero había la posibilidad de solicitar una beca y eso hice y me la dieron. Y comencé de nuevo la vida de estudiante.
Fueron tres años de estudio y en ese período, además de estudiar mucho, la vida era muy divertida, sin muchas responsabilidades, conocí personas de otros lugares e hice amistades que todavía conservo a pesar de la distancia.
Antes de finalizar los estudios comencé a trabajar primero de manera parcial y luego como personal fijo en un instituto de investigación agrícola, en el cual estuve durante muchos años.
Esta decisión que tomé un poco forzada por los acontecimientos me abrieron una gran oportunidad de trabajar en investigación, un poco alejada del campo, cambie el suelo y el barro por las batas blancas y los tubos de ensayo, pero me sienti satisfecha de los resultados y de vez en cuando regresaba al sol, a la tierra, como en aquellos días.
My first job after graduating as an agricultural engineer was what I had dreamed of. The place was in the countryside, in an agricultural area. It was an experimental station of a university where, in addition to fruit and root crops, there were cattle and fish farming in artificial ponds. Hills transformed into pastures planted with grass, fenced to keep the herd and interspersed with green groves. Just seeing it for the first time made me fall in love with this place.
I was in charge of doing soil studies in the different areas of the station. The landscape was beautiful, a humid area due to the high rainfall and very warm. My work kept my hands full of dirt and my boots muddy. That was the image I had of an agronomist.
I stayed overnight in a nearby village, in a very old house with tile roofs and like all the staff, I ate at the station. The ladies in the kitchen spoiled me since I was the only woman in the group and very young. With them I learned to make cassava fritters with piloncillo syrup, which is my favorite dessert.
I got along very well with my co-workers and had made friends with some of them. I remember with affection a family that lived near the station and visited frequently, the man was one of the drivers and his wife was a foreigner, they had four very nice girls, with blond hair, the oldest was no more than eleven years old, who liked to comb my hair. I would sit patiently in the courtyard of the house. They raised dogs there, and since I loved them, I enjoyed those frequent visits after work.
During those two years I learned a lot about my profession and also about livestock management because I helped the veterinarians when I didn't have much to do. I was very happy and satisfied with my life. On weekends I would visit my parents and sisters since the place was not far away, only two hours by car. And other times I would go to the beach since the coast was very close. It was a very touristic area where they ate a delicious fish called lebranche. At one time of the year they had a lebranche fair, where they cooked it on the shore of the beach in different ways, a feast animated by the drumming and dancing characteristic of the culture of the people of this place.
One day I was called to a meeting in the shed where the offices were located. The head of the station took the floor to explain to the younger and newer ones what was going on with the authority... the director.
The director began to be questioned by the older workers, so out of solidarity with them, I signed a letter demanding some changes. The matter got complicated because other stations joined the demands and the director, in order to calm the heated tempers, decided to separate the teachers responsible for the conflict, and sent them to different stations, separated from each other to prevent them from meeting. As I was a contracted staff, my contract was not renewed and I was left without my job.
I felt very bad and sad for having to leave that place that I liked very much and I had to go back to my parents' house and explain to them what had happened. They were supportive and never criticized me for what had happened, and as loving parents they were happy for me to stay at home while I put my life in order.
I began to question why I had signed that letter, I should have thought about the consequences. I was out of a job because of my irresponsibility, because I was supporting others, because I thought I had to be supportive. That defect I had of not questioning anything and saying yes to almost everything...
After going through a period of uncertainty and not knowing for sure what direction to take, I began to look for work alternatives, I could no longer stay at home watching TV and talking with my parents and my sisters. Although I must admit that it was very pleasant and comfortable. My father, who was a very hard-working and responsible man, from time to time he would say to me, as if he didn't want to press me
"Daughter, how is the job search going, have you found something good?"
I was very embarrassed by this and it encouraged me to keep looking.
I was in that process when one of the professors I worked with called me one day on the phone
"Hello!, how have you been, what are you doing?"
"Hello! Well, I'm here at my parents' house, looking for a job".
"I wanted to tell you that the enrollment for the agronomy graduate program is open, it's a good option for you".
I think he was feeling a little guilty about what had happened and was trying to help me out.
During those two years I learned a lot about my profession and also about livestock management because I helped the veterinarians when I didn't have much to do. I was very happy and satisfied with my life. On weekends I would visit my parents and sisters since the place was not far away, only two hours by car. And other times I would go to the beach since the coast was very close. It was a very touristic area where they ate a delicious fish called lebranche. At one time of the year they had a lebranche fair, where they cooked it on the shore of the beach in different ways, a feast animated by the drumming and dancing characteristic of the culture of the people of this place.
One day I was called to a meeting in the shed where the offices were located. The head of the station took the floor to explain to the younger and newer ones what was going on with the authority... the director.
That meant going back to the city where I had studied and to the same school. I was a little worried about the expenses and the cost of the studies since I was not working, but there was the possibility of applying for a scholarship and that's what I did and they gave it to me. And I started my life as a student again.
There were three years of study and in that period, besides studying a lot, life was very fun, without many responsibilities, I met people from other places and made friendships that I still have despite the distance.
Before finishing my studies I started to work first partially and then as permanent staff in an agricultural research institute, where I worked for many years.
This decision, which I took a little forced by events, opened a great opportunity for me to work in research, a little far from the field, I changed the soil and mud for white coats and test tubes, but I was satisfied with the results and from time to time I returned to the sun, to the earth, as in those days.
Muchas gracias por leer este relato que escribi recordando algunas experiencias personales/Thank you very much for reading this story that I wrote remembering some personal experiences.
La imagen de la presentacion y los separadores los edite en el programa Canva.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)