Right now I'm on a train to the first day of my new job
Click through to read about all my feelings on the matter.
Time to go be a real adult!
Is it too much to ask to find an apartment that I’m actually excited for and don’t feel like I’m settling? Grrr. I’m putting too much pressure on myself because it will be my first real apartment (by myself), and I’m starting a real job and finishing up my grad school program and writing my master’s thesis. It’s going to be a big year for me and I want a place to match it.
In other news, I start my full-time job one week from today. That in and of itself is terrifying.
Reverse Culture Shock
I had a little freak out session last night. Click through to read about it if you’d like, or carry on.
When someone asks if I’m glad my summer job is over
A fellow staff member from my program just linked to this. It’s totally accurate. So many feelings happening, but mostly right now it’s exhaustion because I have to leave for the airport in 45 minutes and got 90 minutes of sleep last night. It’s 3:15am right now and I’m not happy.
If ever there was a perfect Friday night, tonight was it.
Tonight was the last Friday night our staff was off, so a group of 9 of us went up to this park summit that looks out over the city. It was amazing. We had local pizza and just enjoyed the company of each other along with the breathtaking views (pictures to follow in a later post). When we went back to park the car we heard music and saw colorful lights, and ended up watching a drag show that was going on in a bar’s back beer garden from the parking garage and passed around a bottle of wine (because apparently people here drink on parking garage roofs. It’s like a thing). Then we went back to the staff lounge, had a big cuddle fest, and played a few chill games.
I really will miss these people come next Sunday when it’s all over. I’m so glad I had this experience. Despite the struggles and frustrations from time to time, it’s nights like tonight that make it so worth it. I feel like I’ve known these people forever, but really it’s only been 6 weeks.
Another NYC trip is happening tomorrow, so I desperately need sleep. I’ll be getting my second Broadway show experience :) And some shopping.
"You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place. Like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again."
-
Azar Nafisi
I will be feeling this majorly when I leave this two-month adventure in 10 days. The people I have met here are amazing, and it’s sad to think I will probably never see 99% of them ever again.
(Source: paradoxicalsentiments, via middlechildcomplex)
{Gratituesday: July 24, 2012}
It has been a really long time since I have done any of my weekly memes. This job has been ridiculously busy, crazy, and most of the time really great, but it hasn’t left much time for Tumblr-ing or much else.
So while I am waiting to head over to the dining hall for lunch…I am grateful for:
- All the amazing people I’ve been working with the past four weeks and will continue to work with for the next three.
- Having the opportunity to have such a baller summer gig, despite the inherent challenges. I don’t know of any other job with free housing, free meals, a salary, and the opportunity to chaperone trips to crazy awesome places (e.g. NYC, Broadway shows) and get paid for it. Plus I’m getting some awesome campus programming and teaching experience.
- That my parents are trying to be helpful in my apartment search back in Chicago while I’m on the East Coast. When I get back I’ll have two weeks to find a place to live, so they’re trying to make it easier for me by trying to narrow some places down.
- That I’ll get to see my puppy in 3 weeks! I miss her like crazy. I’m also grateful for the people who bring their puppies to the park every morning so I can at least get some puppy playtime in my day, even though it’s not my puppy.
- To being healthy and having a rockstar immune system. A lot of the staff and the students have come down with all sorts of crazy illnesses while they’ve been here, and I’ve made it through thus far (knock on wood) with just a few brief sore throats and/or being nauseous for a few hours (or the minor headache/stomach ache I have right now). I haven’t been knocked out with bronchitis or the stomach flu that other people have had, so I’m very happy about that, especially considering we all share drinks when we go out and live in close quarters.
- Having a night off tonight - it will either be spent catching up on sleep or at weekly trivia, depending on how much energy I conjure up after I’m done teaching and meeting for the day.
today/tonight was epic. More on that later. Right now I need water and sleep since we all have to start working early tomorrow again. Having just one night completely off was amazing though.
About to curl up with my B&N Nook
and then go to bed. Before 10pm. I’m so excited it isn’t even funny. Tomorrow and Sunday will be the epitome of insane (moving 800 students out, massively cleaning campus, one night of all-staff partying without any students, and then 700 more students moving in on Sunday).
It’s so nice outside right now (slight drizzle, mid-60’s), and I’m super excited to read and go to bed early. Right now I’m reading this random book Peaches, which was B&N free book on Friday a few weeks back.
My summer thus far
Basically a quick-ish recap of my first 3 weeks here.
Just an update: I’m still alive, but my time is literally not my own here (even with every other night off…we either spend it drinking, bumming around in the air conditioned staff lounge, in the office doing work anyway, or frantically preparing lesson plans for the next day).
I’m really hoping I’ll be able to make a detailed post this weekend about my first few weeks. On Saturday will be the 3-week mark (4 more to go). It’s been extremely slow and extremely quick at the same time…it’s strange. I should have more downtime this weekend since I’m chaperoning a thing on campus instead of getting sent to Broadway or some other weekend excursion (and I could actually use the extra downtime, which is great).
But all in all…despite a rough patch last week, this has been a really cool experience, and the people (staff and most of the students I interact with) are fantastic.
Guys, this job is insane
I haven’t watched ANY television in 9 days. That’s a new record for me (previous record: about 12 hours without TV). I just had my first night off in 9 days, and by night off I mean I was able to leave around 7pm and don’t have any responsibilities until 7:30am tomorrow. A few of us wandered around, grabbed a beer, and then hung out in the air conditioned staff lounge because it’s disgustingly hot every where else and sang NSync songs because we’ve legitimately gone loco.
But, it’s been fun. Today was my first day teaching (the students arrived over the weekend, and we had just been doing staff training stuff before then). It was interesting. This whole job is so random, but also kind of awesome.
I’m looking forward to this weekend when I’ll actually have a full day off. Until then, enjoy my queue (which is not as great as I’d hoped because I’ve been falling behind) and maybe a random post here and there.
{Gratituesday: June 26, 2012}
I almost forgot about it! I have no concept of time or what day it is or anything. Between jet lag, time zone changes (albeit a change of one hour) and being thrown right into work craziness, I don’t know which way is up. But nevertheless…
Today I am grateful for:
- This amazing experience I’ve had in New England thus far for my summer job. I’m loving it. It’s just going to get more crazy, but hopefully it stays as awesome as it’s been the past three days.
- Officially accepting my full-time job that I’ll be starting in the fall. I have my start date solidified, and have scheduled my orientation with HR.
- The opportunity to apparently be interviewed for an alumni magazine on successful alumni. I was not aware that I was considered a successful alumni, but I will take it!
- My graduate assistantship being cool about me backing out of the position I agreed to for next year in order to take the full-time job. I work with cool people (or rather I would have worked with cool people. But, I’m sure my new coworkers will also be awesome).
Lots of work-related things this week!
Stay tuned for more pictures and stories once I get a chance to breathe.
Just sitting here freaking out about leaving on Saturday. I keep going back and forth from super excited to a ball of anxiety. I almost wish I could back out and start my new full-time job (especially because I would make a lot more money if I did that).
But, I know it will be an amazing experience. I just need to breathe.
Less than four days away…
{Gratituesday: June 19, 2012}
Today I am grateful for:
- An amazing job offer that came in yesterday.
- Rockstar dancers who have been making teaching my summer dance concert piece in just 3 rehearsals super easy and not at all stressful.
- Being able to work with awesome dancers at my old dance studio last week when I subbed a class, which I’ll be doing again tomorrow.
- The challenge of working and living somewhere completely new (Connecticut) for two months this summer. I leave on Saturday, so this is my last gratituesday from good ol’ Chicago for a long time.
- That for once everything is coming together and working out well. It sure took a long time to get here, but I’m excited for everything that is happening (at least professionally). Here’s hoping nothing comes along to screw it up :P
