My new office is cold, my hands are icy, but it has a great view. One wall is all windows, looking out onto a snow-filled courtyard. I am up on the third floor of the library, outside my open door students come and go looking for books or a quiet place to study. There is plenty of desk space and even this antique power macintosh so I can connect with the internet world, check my email, update my blog, see if my students are doing their homework and posting comments to the website as ordered.
I was feeling pretty bad when I woke up this morning. Was it something I ate yesterday? A bad scallop at the party? (hard to believe, it all tated so good.)
The party was fun, if a bit draining. So many people, even Dom didn’t know them all. But at least I know all his immediate family now and feel comfortable enough with them that I don’t have to cling to his arm like a scared child. I hate big groups, but we choose a corner room and hung out there, all the kids running around and the parents chatting. I was amazingly comfortable except when I had to go get food or drink from the main room and run the gauntlet of all the strangers, feeling like they were wondering who I was. (my own paranoia, I know.) Funny how Evy obviously felt the same, waiting until Dom and I drove up so we could go in together. Funny also how Dom’s cousin assumed Chiara was mine as I walked in holding her hand and held her for awhile until she was comfortable enough to run around and eat all the finger foods from the low tables. (it was a funny juxtaposition, the nice catered party in the beautiful house, all the little bowls of nuts and plates of cheese and crackers on low tables which were just temptation for the toddlers to stick their messy hands in: Chiara picking up a lemon slice garnishing the cheese plate, sucking on it for a bit and then putting it back.)
I’m glad I was still in my church clothes: wool skirt and nice sweter, I’d have felt seriously underdressed in my usual hanging out stuff.
So far two students this morning, Connie and Donald.I can already tell they are the motivated ones. Connie is cute and uncertain, like most non-native speakers, but determined. Donald is also not one of those students who feels like he is a good writer, and I’m sure he has quite a few issues. But the real trick is getting them to care. And these two obviously do.
I’m going to have to come down hard on those students who are no-shows and who have not done the homework yet.
Am quite nervous about tonight’s humanities class. We missed all last week with the snow and it is going to be hard to jump back into what is already a bit of an enigma. So far I have much more of a sense of disinterested students than last semester. It might be like pulling teeth to ge these kids to talk.
But I’m only going on first day impressions. I’m sure it will be fine.
