Nagging Bitch

Since my return home from my short trip last week, I have been very, very busy. I’ve had to catch up on assignments that I had to get extensions for, as well as work on the final projects/assignments since the summer session is winding down for the two classes I’m taking. My mom got surgery a few days ago and I’ve been busy with taking care of her and keeping house. I’m trying to wrap up loose ends for my upcoming trips, like plane tickets and accommodation, which is never an easy task.

These responsibilities have been compounded with headache-inducing frustration and stupidity from various “professionals” in my life. All the stuff I’ve already mentioned has been pretty commonplace for me this summer; classes, vacation-planning, and family responsibilities aren’t exactly new territory for me. But there are some other things on my plate that have become far more complicated and drawn out than is necessary, which has been causing me untold amounts of stress. All of it comes back to the same thing: I have to chase up various professionals in my life for overdue answers.

• The results of a blood test
  I had a blood test done a month ago. Nothing fancy, just routine check up stuff. She told me that the nurse would call me in 4-5 days with the results of my test. 4-5 days passed… nothing. 2 weeks passed… nothing. By the time the one-month mark was hovering along the horizon, I placed a phone call to the nurse and asked what was going on. Cue several more instances of phone tag before I got my results – one month after I had been promised them, and only after I had called the nurse multiple times. What ludicrousness. What if I had been dead and dying of some horrible, deadly disease? More importantly, why was it up to me to push and push the nurse to do her job of obtaining the results of my blood test?
• My banker’s inefficiency at her job
  At the closest branch of my bank, there is this one lady who is an absolute trainwreck. She’s incredibly careless. She forgets to tell you things like required minimum balances or service fees. She also has a tendency to make typos when it comes to bank account and routing numbers, which is obviously a huge mistake in the world of banking. A month ago, I had to get a letter from my bank with my account and routing number information. She wrote it and I mailed it; I had thought that was that. Wrong. Apparently, she mistyped one of the numbers, because I got notified that the letter couldn’t be processed. I probably should have double-checked the numbers in the letter before I mailed it, but come on – the woman is a banker. Bankers should know better than to mistype account and routing numbers. After an additional, and very frustrating, trip to the bank, I got a copy of another letter with my correct information.
• My school’s abroad office’s lackadaisical manner
  Being lackadaisical isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when it comes to running an office that sends students abroad, it is a very, very bad thing. I need a visa to study abroad in China next year, and until I get documents from my abroad office for proof of student status, I can’t apply for the visa. The office has known since April 15 (read: they’ve known for two months!!) how many students are going to China. However, I have yet to receive any forms for my visa. This is a problem. Starting July 1, I am out of town, and starting July 27, I am out of the country. How am I supposed to take care of my visa if I am not at home to a) receive the visa documentation and 2) apply for the visa? This is an abroad office. They should know that students travel during the summer. Hell, I have made it clear to my advisor that starting July 1, I won’t be around to apply for my visa and if that happens, I’m screwed. I just really want my documents so I can get my visa and secure entry into China for next year. Is that too much to ask for from an abroad office? I don’t think so.

In all three instances I have had to make numerous phone calls, send various emails and even make trips to the office to get things done. It’s stressful, it’s ridiculous and it’s not part of my job description. It’s not fun to be a nagging bitch; I don’t particularly enjoy it. All of these people are paid to do their job. So why do I have to chase them around until I get answers? Why am I the one scrambling for information that was promised to me weeks ago? Why has it become my responsibility to make sure things get done or risk things falling apart when they are the professionals, not me?

Cross-posted from breakthesky.net. Please leave any comments there.