Starting over is hard for anyone, right? And surely it wasn’t any different for me. I was working for almost 9 years for a multinational as a financial analyst in São Paulo when I moved to Ireland. I had to go through what most immigrants usually face: starting from scratch. In my case, it meant living in a smaller house than I used to live in Brazil and finding a job position anywhere willing to hire a person with intermediate English.

Work used to be from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 6 pm; weekends and holidays I could spend at home. Other than that, I was always there sitting in the office, attending meetings, doing reports and spreadsheets, with thousands of cups of coffee on my side to relieve stress and an air conditioner over my head. That was my professional life in Brazil. And just like that, in a snap, I found myself in an interview to be a housekeeper in an Irish hotel.

Initially, I was bumped into my self-esteem, but I took a deep breath and accepted the challenge of reinventing myself. My routine consisted now of preparing the rooms for new guests, cleaning bathrooms, taking out the trash, and running about with messy hair. You know what’s even cooler? I would not go back to that same office life. Okay, I am physically more tired, but my life has been a piece of cake without the stress of monthly closings nuisance, financial reports or being always on workwear.

When the shift is over, the work is really over. And this is just one of the things that I’ve learnt and changed over time in this new scenario. I’ve learnt to value simple moments, and to have time to self care and rest. Only recently, I finally managed to get 8 hours of sleep.