Abbie Pumarejo on LinkedIn: Can you be a team player and a leader at the same time? I think so. I… (2024)

I’m still adjusting.I kind of forgot about it what with the excitement of chasing a dream and jumping into a family vacation right after our big move.I forgot that in any country move we’ve done, there is a period of adjustment and adaptation. Even if it is the country I’ve chosen to spend the rest of my time in.Did I think that fact would somehow lessen the feelings of discomfort, frustration and doubt that occur when we make a major life transition?I think I did. Meaning I got so caught up in the hoopla, I didn’t remember the flip side of the coin.It happened the day I needed to make a change of address for my residency card. My husband was able to get through the procedure seamlessly. The girl looked at me (at my card) and said we don’t handle foreigners here. The fact is: the office and town where we went doesn’t make those changes and we needed to make an appt at a different office in another town. But I felt personally attacked; and it made me feel pretty bad. My husband and I are not on equal footing anymore. Any other move we’ve both been the foreigners together. I’ve gotten used to the offhand remarks and even how the bureaucracy and red tape can almost strangle you but I wasn’t expecting to feel so bad about it. Maybe because I’ve chosen this place but it has yet to choose me. I’ll need to work harder because this is long term and I want to settle in and feel like I belong. In past moves we’ve known it would always be temporary- dependent on the job and always about the best opportunities for our family at the time.Now it’s just us two. He’s from here and I am not. It complicates our situation at every turn from whether we start a business to which health insurance we choose and which bank accounts we open. It is what it is. And so I must remind myself that challenges are speed bumps that make the journey more interesting, keeping me awake at the wheel. It’s only been two months. And that means I’m still adjusting- staying flexible and resilient for what comes my way.

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Goals, Dreams and Challenges.What do they all have in common? They must be met. And generally, when encountering them, you come face to face with your drive and desire. It isn’t always clear cut how to meet them. Often it takes hard work, attention to detail and a willingness to try many things while being flexible. Our old friend Resiliency comes in handy when meeting a goal, dream or challenge. Goals keep us moving- providing momentum to push forward. Setting up tasks and methodically going through them will see us to the end result. Say you want to run a half marathon. You can’t run 21K right away. But if you decide on a date and set up a schedule, gradually increasing your distance and time- you will reach that finish line. Dreams can begin as ideas that make us feel a sense of joy and contentment. But they don’t just magically happen. For example, a dream to settle in a foreign country requires long-term committment. Making decisions and setting tasks, learning the language, understanding the culture, envisioning your daily life; all can take place over the course of many years, but the dream is fueled by an intense desire. Continuing to believe and trust that once it has materialized, it will be as good, if not better than you imagined. Challenges are surely encountered whenever pushing towards a goal or dream. Health scares have been some of my most difficult challenges, personally. I often repeat this mantra, “You can’t go under it, you can’t go around it, you can’t go over it….so you must go through it.”This opportunity to go through something difficult often produces a sense of accomplishment, an emboldened spirit. When we meet a challenge- we feel empowered and often learn ways to meet new challenges differently and even better the next time around. Do you have goals, dreams and challenges? I dare you to write them down and begin mapping out how to meet them. ✍️ 💪🏻 ✅ 🎉

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After completing a year anniversary at Comcast in November 2023, two days later I left that job due to life circ*mstances that will unfold further in 2024. I think the one word that continues to stand out is RESILIENCY.Over the years I’ve had to be adaptable and flexible in the face of many moves and transitions that life has presented.At first I hadn’t given myself enough credit about that position or what I had done before, but as I reflect on the past year, some things do stand out and I can regard them with pride. It should be noted that after the pandemic and some setbacks, my husband made a career choice that moved us back to the US in 2021- after 25 years of living abroad (in Mexico, Asia and Europe). I didn’t expect to land back in Pennsylvania- where we had lived before our world travels and having children. I also didn’t expect to go into positions that helped me evolve professionally in profound ways. I developed new skills first as a Medical Scribe in early 2022- going through training and testing in order to take on the challenges of that role. I became well versed in medical terminology and kept pace with an accomplished and passionate Oncologist who saw as many as 20 to 25 patients during her shifts. I became familiar with and empathetic to the needs that many of her patients faced and I was privy to their medical histories and maladies. It was heartbreaking and inspiring all at once many times. It moved at an intense pace.However as time went on, I found myself craving something with more creativity and that allowed a more sociable work environment. I landed a role as a Data Quality Editor with Comcast and was thrilled. I was able to have a hybrid position that meant I could work from home three days a week and in the office for two. Taking the train from Warminster into the city and entering the Comcast Technology Center was a blast and I never tired of the views or amenities that the campus offered. But my biggest joy was making connections with my teammates and supervisors.Learning the tricks/specialities of the job and how to be an efficient and discerning editor was exhilarating. I entered into a world of Remapping and Approving, learning about OTT providers, managing QA Checks, Spanish provider data, and new acronyms and terminology that I previously had not understood. And no two days were ever the same. Daily scrums kept us all connected and in tune with what everyone was working on. If someone had a heavier work load than usual- a Slack message went out and people jumped in to help. I loved that.I know my previous life circ*mstances and ability to be flexible, adapting to new situations and my RESILIENCY helped me achieve something important at my 54 years.Two completely different roles in two completely different fields. So I proudly look back on 2023- and am happy to have grown and evolved. Here’s to all the excitement and change coming in 2024!

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Just finished the course “Nano Tips for Peak Performance with Shadé Zahrai”! #performanceimprovement

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Just finished the course “Teamwork Essentials: Stand Out as a Valuable Team Member” by Shadé Zahrai! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/ejWjDjhj #teamwork #personalbranding #professionalcommunication.

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I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Data Quality Editor at Comcast! Looking forward to this new opportunity and excited to be in the communications field once again.

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I’m happy to share that I started a new position in March as Medical Scribe at ScribeAmerica! #medicalscribe

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Two articles in the latest ACCESS. Enjoyed #writing about these topics very much. #vounteers #sports Thanks to ACCESS for letting me contribute! https://lnkd.in/dtWJtENq

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Thought I would #share my love of nature and the #beauty found in the Andalusian countryside.

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