GSM:TABRITMIA
[Note: I will be citing the state, the theme of the conferences, and the month/year, but not the name of the conferences or the names of the host(s) or organization(s).]
It has been difficult finding work or networking connections outside of caregiving in the past, and going to medical school requires a lot of student debt, which was why the more naturopathic or herbalist conferences have been a bust. This economic conference was a risk in trying to connect with people who had a similar awareness of the current situation and a chance to build a support group that could understand and help me.
At the end of the conference, I took a rest for a day in Texas and left the following day. I did give my card to two people: one of which I was hoping to get an email about advice for work or investing as I liked her more conservative investing style and the other was to someone who was checking on me when I wasn’t feeling too well at the VIP event. The one that contacted me came to talk again at breakfast the day after the conference. I let her know when she reached out when I was in Mississippi mid-return and when I returned to Georgia that I was fine via text conversations, and she texted me briefly in May; however, it doesn’t feel natural as it left me wishing, at least, for a deeper email conversation. I’m not surprised that this one didn’t pan out as the initial interaction was to check up on me, so it felt more like a “doctor-patient” connection of sorts. Sadly, I’m disappointed that the first contact never sent me an email or phone call even though I was comfortable enough around her during the VIP event that I subconsciously kept making eye contact with her as she spoke (a normally daunting task for me), and I think my comfort around her led me to being too open about my personal situation, thus scaring her away. Furthermore, the person I communicated with the most was the host himself, and honestly, that wasn’t my plan as I wanted to socialize more with other people; but he was the one whom actively communicated with me – seven times, even if it was to make sure I was okay – and with the initial contact with him was him making eye contact with me at breakfast the morning of the VIP event while I was quietly eavesdropping at his group’s conversation wanting to glean new information. (Ironically, his background as a comedian allowed for my autistic idiosyncrasies to be easier for him to digest as humorous instead of weird or awkward.) Frankly, more people need to actively talk to me at these events in order for me to feel comfortable talking to them and not because I am in a distressed state or focused on a task.
When I returned, the lack of social or financial reward for the effort made the diurnal routine wear off, and I reverted back to a nocturnal clock. I felt the socialization risk was a huge bust, so I’m conferenced out at this time. With the geopolitical and economic situations at the time of this post, it’s unlikely I’m going to anymore conferences unless a job offer that is a good match for me out of Georgia and my family’s shadow is certain.
Read the rest (nine parts total):
Part I: Backstory.
Part II: Planning and Announcements.
Part III: Venues.
Part IV: The Schedule.
Part V: Presentations.
Part VI: Got Food?
Part VII: Entertainment.
Part IX: Summary.