I'm way overdue for an update, I know.
So, I started my new job last Thursday. I was pretty apprehensive, for various reasons. For one, this is the first time I've worked full-time in a university. The worst thing was really the transport arrangements. While it's nice to have a chartered bus taking you there directly, it doesn't give me any flexibility with regard to timing, especially since I realised I do have some flexibility.
A pleasant surprise was getting my own office. It does make for a rather lonely time at work, though. There's plenty of space for my books now, but I don't dare bring too much of my stuff to work, in case my contract doesn't get renewed next year. The thing I dislike most about this office isn't the lack of a real window, or having to manually lock the door whenever I leave, but the location, which is very far away from the main department office, not to mention the nearest toilet and pantry. My previous office had both just next door, and I'm spoilt by that.
The new semester starts in September (delayed due to YOG, which also has resulted in our spending August working from home). I have 5 classes lined up, plus facilitation of a community service project. Staggered start dates mean that I'll be teaching right up to Christmas, though. My students will be diploma and PGDE students training to teach in primary schools. Because I'll be working under coordinators, I don't have to do a great deal of prep, which is nice. I think I'll be learning a lot from the courses myself.
What with the new job and driving lessons (always painful, especially when executing turns), I haven't been very good with the other things I ought to be doing. I haven't been practising my forex trading, which probably means I'm not getting as much out of hands-on sessions as I could be. I haven't been working out daily. I was supposed to do 20min or so after work, but I'm just so tired it's hard. I hope to overcome that as I get used to the hours. I haven't restarted my Fast-5 diet either. I just couldn't quite bring myself to explain to new colleagues why I'm not eating lunch. Something maybe I can get around when classes start.
