But I came to realize that with perseverance and determination I could learn to use this typesetting. The training was a week long. I attended class with people from all around the country. Most of them were also administrative assistants. They all had a little experience with TeX. I was the only one who had no experience whatsoever with it. The class was conducted like a regular classroom. The instructor gave us some background on TeX and then we practiced using it. I found it harder than I thought, but eventually felt like I was getting it. It was a long week and in some ways draining. My classmates were a great support. They would ask questions that I learned from and also helped answer questions I had. The small group of us became friends and agreed to keep in touch once we got back home.

Being in San Diego was an experience in itself. I had never been to California, so to be in a different part of the country was exciting. They provided me with a Mustang convertible and I had time to parasail, visit the San Diego Zoo and sightsee. The whole experience made me feel like I had worked hard at my prior jobs, kept applying for better jobs and it had paid off. But at the same time I did not realize the importance of my job. I was now going to be working for a Senior Astronomer/Harvard professor and a group of his students. I still did not comprehend the magnitude of the job. I did not have any proper training in administrative assistant work and that fact would be a problem later.

I was doing my best at using this new typesetting. My boss, Jim, was a Senior Astronomer and wrote articles for journals and manuscripts. I also supported his group of students and post docs, which totaled about 15 people. I was meeting people from all different parts of the world such as Chile, Spain, Germany, and France. I did my best to try and communicate with them. Communication was challenging at times. I really admired and appreciated the effort these people had in expressing their needs and wants. Though most of them spoke fairly good English, it was still trying. I tried picking up common words, such as, housing, eating, etc. In their language that would make it easier for us to communicate. I learned that being approachable and open to work with them until their questions were answered, addressed or understood made them feel more comfortable to come back next time with another issue. It made me rely on my interpersonal skills of being warm and friendly. It also made me regret that I did not pay more attention in my Spanish class in high school. I became aware of why it is helpful to know a foreign language. You never know when you might need it, be it in a professional, personal or pleasure-based environment.
Part of my job was to find housing for the post docs while they stayed in the U.S. I did this by using a list I had from Harvard University and I also had a list of people in the area who like to rent to postdocs. People usually like to rent