I'm a software quality control engineer for a major company. Currently vegging in a hotel in Mexico while on a business trip. It would be nice if anyone had given me a straight answer to my dozens of e-mails inquiring just what this trip was for and what I was supposed to be doing down here. Already spent a week in the offices down here with both the Mexican engineers and me just looking at each other like, "... Okay?" I figure next week, when more of the American engineering team gets down here, they'll start whining at me that I haven't been doing what they sent me down here to do, but will still refuse to tell me exactly what that is. This whole thing has gone like:
LEAD ENGINEER: "Hey, I'm sending you to Mexico for my project."
ME: "... Why?"
LA: "To test it."
ME: "Why would I need to go to Mexico to test it? I can test software here just fine."
LA: "You need to go to Mexico."
ME: "When?"
LA: "Next week."
ME: "What? But I don't even have a passport."
LA: "Then as soon as you get one."
*two weeks and many company fees later*
ME: "Okay, I have my passport."
LA: "Well, the project's been delayed."
ME: "So, do I not have to go to Mexico, then?"
LA: "No, you're still going, I just don't know when. Keep yourself open."
*one month later*
ME: "So... Mexico?"
LA: "I dunno. Sometime in November, maybe. How about over Thanksgiving?"
ME: "What? But Mexico doesn't observe Thanksgiving and I'm not allowed to take holiday pay by working those days."
LA: "Well, that's when I want you to go."
ME: "How about the week before?"
LA: "Oh, maybe. I'll get back to you."
*two weeks later*
ME: "Okay, you still haven't gotten back to me on finalizing these travel dates, and flights are now starting to get really jacked up in price due to the impending holiday. Am I going these days? Will things be ready?"
LA: "Whatever works for you."
ME: "This isn't just about things working for me. Is what I'm going down there to work on, which you still haven't explained, going to be ready if I go a week early?"
LA: "Oh, there's always work to be done."
ME: "There's only one seat left on the last available flight. I'm going to take it. Is this really okay?"
LA: "Oh, sure, it'll be fine."
*I get down here*
MEXICAN ENGINEER: "Yeah, nothing's going to be available for you to work on until next week."
ME: "FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU"