Eleven months.

Of course, how could I contribute towards a wedding without even having a job? And with what I had planned, I was going to need to find something fast.

Just like the summer of 2016, the job hunt was proving difficult – at least in terms of finding roles I actually wanted to do; roles I felt qualified for. Needless to say, I started applying for anything and everything.

And then, by some luck (if you can call it that), I got a job in a bank.

Now… where to begin with that?

The staff? Fantastic.

The work? Not exactly my forte.

The customers? Let’s just say they had their moments.

There were three branches in Glasgow, and I managed to work in all of them during my 11 short months with the company.

The first was the main branch in Glasgow’s city centre. It had a wonderful team but horrible customers. It was chaotic, overwhelming, and always a challenge. And given that I was utterly clueless when it came to financial matters, I absolutely hated it.

However, I was then transferred to a second branch located in the city’s main business area. It was quieter, with a smaller (still lovely) team, and fairly regular customers who didn’t kick up quite as much of a fuss. But still, I was struggling. I felt entirely out of my depth, and everybody knew it.

But then came the last move to a branch in Glasgow’s Southside, not too far from where I had been living.

I can’t remember the exact month I joined the team, but it must’ve been around October.

I loved this branch. It wasn’t big, but the team of girls I worked with were kind, welcoming, funny – just the best bunch really. The branch itself felt like a little community hub, too. You got to know all the faces, hear some of the stories…It really felt like another world to me.

The only trouble was, I so clearly wasn’t made for banking.

But I continued on each day, trying my best, asking endless questions to the team, and slowly building a little bit of confidence in the role. If nothing else, I knew the customers liked me – I just couldn’t give them much financial help.

I tried. I really did. I was good with people, I could do the essentials. But when it came to anything more complex, it all went downhill.

But that last branch….that team..!

They made everything that little bit more bearable, and I will never forget them – one in particular. 

At the time, everything felt ordinary. Busy, frustrating, exhausting… but ordinary.

And then came the snow.

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