Gainful Employment

Sweet. I am officially employed. I have a building pass, an access card, and a desk. Tomorrow I will have computer access, voicemail and email. I'm a Big Girl now. Wait, why is this a good thing again? Someone please remind me...

Oh, yes, to pay for my education. Riiiight. Too bad I'd rather be studying! Agggh. I am not made for real life! This is why people like me become academics. I want to have intellectually stimulating conversations about twice a day and then I want you to leave me to my rambling thoughts, NPR and classical music. I want students to knock on my office door, not superiors. And, I want to be able to check my email every 5 seconds. (That was the most disappointing part of the day... no personal email! At all! When do they think I'm going to blog?? ;)

I did managed to convince my boss that taking an hour in the middle of the day to go swim laps will make me a more productive employee. And, I made friends with G, who is probably the sweetest little old man I've ever met. (He's not really that old, but still, think Grandpa.) He made sure I knew where the emergency exits are located. ('Just in case. Nobody else pays attention to these things, but you never know.') And, he showed me the Chapel (which is actually really nice). ('For, you know, those days when you just need to take a break.') Awe.

So, I guess it will not be that bad. I keep reminding myself that my commitment is only a year. And, this job was certainly an answer to (many) prayers. I am grateful that He has put me here for a season, and I'm even more grateful that it is just that: for a season. Hopefully, by this time next year, I'll be headed off to some unknown location for postgraduate work. (I've narrowed down my top 4 schools, but I'm really hoping for a Fulbright.)