"Anything I've ever done
that was ultimately worthwhile
initially scared me to death."
~ Betty Bender
Last week I celebrated my tenth year at my job. I’ve let go of the
administrator role of department chair (yay!) and reduced a good amount of my
service that has been weighing heavily on me for a few years. So now it’s just
me back to teaching, which is what I really love doing.
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| My classroom door! |
I’m also going back to graduate school for a degree in Public History because
why not! :D I’ve probably mentioned before that my young adult dream job was to
become a tour guide; and, along with the Guide School I was in a few years ago
and giving tours at the cemetery, I am developing a Dark Tourism course for my
university. The Public History program hopefully will give me more of a foundation
to go along with my street cred :p
This semester I am taking two graduate courses. One course is a graduate
introduction course to the major so I really have to have it to meet future prerequisites,
which translates to a very complicated Monday commute. If you thought a three
hour one way commute was nuts, you’ll now think I’m seriously a bit off. After
teaching, I will leave campus at 2pm to catch a 2:30 train that will get me to
my town close to 5pm. At that point, I’ll drive in rush hour traffic to reach
the university around 6pm (if all works as planned) for my 6:30pm class start
time. About 4 hrs one way. Yep. But you do what you have to do, right?!?
Even though I’m inside a classroom all the time, I was completely freaked
out about being a student again. I'm trying to remind myself that this is
supposed to be fun; that I already have a job that I love and I don't need this
degree; and, that it's ridiculous to feel so anxious. But, this is who I am. Last
weekend, we walked the University of Richmond campus so that I could feel that
I understood where everything is located. We fit in just fine on their move-in
weekend because we looked like parents of a new freshman as we walked around
the campus. Ha!
Although I’ve grown up in this area, I have never walked the campus. I have
no idea why because this place is beautiful!
Last week was my orientation. When I left the building, I noticed fluttering
above my head. I had to stop count at about bat #30! With beautiful old buildings
and breathtaking grounds, the bats have the perfect environment.
Of course, their mascot is the Spiders! While we walked around campus, my
fella pointed out spiders that were incorporated into the landscape.
We also found a pleasant surprise when we discovered a columbarium and
memorial garden which is located on the east side of the Henry M. Cannon
Memorial Chapel and is available for those interested in having the university
as their final resting place.
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| A reminder from the universe |
