Diary of an average worker in Brazil

I’m going through a shiny corridor and thinking how to deal with the boredom in the office today. I get
the feeling that I’m wasting another day in this cubicle. Then I think, “ I need to pay bills” so I can force
myself through the day. As I hang my Id, I see my coworkers. Some seem happy as they are looking
forward to a meeting today. Meeting, Outside of work. On a beach somewhere in Rio de Janeiro. I would
also go, but spent all my comfort money on my kid’s birthday the other day. Bought him a bicycle.
Besides, I had to pay for my medical bills as our insurance does not include dental plan. I guess people in
other countries like Australia, don’t have to worry about this.You can’t have it all, I guess. I work in data
processing department. Our cubicles are 2 meter apart and we rarely talk to each other. So we have to
make up excuses to see other human’s face from time to time. As the employer installed an instant
coffee machine 1 week ago, coffee brakes became more and more frequent. The job itself is very boring.
Half of it is actually done by algorithm, so my work is waiting for the computer to work.

Diary of a teacher in Brazil

I’m waiting for my student to arrive in class. As always they are late. Some of them have a reason to be
late as they live in favelas and need at least 2 hours to come to school. The bus that brought them to
class broke down last week and our director is struggling to raise the money for the repair but in vain. I,
myself live nearby and don’t need public transport. My salary itself is not that low but because of
inflation, everything seems expensive. Most of it covers the basic needs, Apartment rent, Food, medical
bills for my child with asthma and that’s all. Government gives us additional money as we are part of
Bolsa Familia program but we it’s not enough for anything really, so we save it.

Average worker in Australia

I’m working on my computer in an office that is too small. 50 people are stuck in a room and
continuously talk on a phone or type on a computer. Everyone has their own concern here. Jane is
saving up money for plastic surgery, while Michael is trying to move to US and work there in an office, I
guess. I am satisfied with my job to be honest. Salary is not that high but benefits are great. Insurance
covers most of my medical expenses and they added dental insurance this year. My wife also works and
we are usually able to save the money for vacation abroad. Last year we went to Fiji and this year we
intend to visit Indonesia.

Average teacher in Australia

I’m filling out exam reports for my students. They wrote a test this week and I’m correcting them and
giving recommendations. This was the last test of the year so I’m also planning my vacation. As I can not
afford going abroad, I’ve decided to visit my parents in Adelaide and take a rest from stressful
environment in Melbourne. Maybe my friends will come too. We often talk during coffee break. Food
and drinks are really cheap here so we often invite each other in a Café. Although taxes have increased,
we have universal healthcare here so medical bills are no concern generally.