Every semester that our classes started, we called the first week “syllabus week”. This is pretty self-explanatory; in each class you pretty much spend hours going over the syllabus. You put them all together at the end of the day and think “It’s gonna be a long one…..”
I never thought I’d say this, but I miss syllabus-week.
We had our orientation today: Just a small refresher, I’m starting a dietetic internship. This particular program (most are similar) is 10 months, comprised of work in the following settings; hospitals, community centers, WIC, food service, management, meal planning, business, and technology training. I’m in the Baltimore-DC area, so it’ll be a LOT of driving and a LOT of dealing with traffic and a LOT of getting used to this “city” atmosphere.
I’m in a new state, a new apartment with new furniture (built with my own hands, thanks to IKEA and their DIY philosophy. Ehhhh), and starting a completely NEW life style. For the first time in my life I have a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday schedule. I will never again look at all my syllabi and get stressed out just thinking about the class-overload I’m about to enter. But I’ll also never get to spend random hours coming back to my apartment for a morning/afternoon break. Or trek to the library for a coffee-and-crossword puzzle break. Or wake up on a Friday at 9:30 a.m. for a 10:10 a.m. class, only to be done by 11 a.m. and think “Helloooo weekend.”
Nope. Those days are gone, and a consistent schedule (well, for the next 10 months) has replaced them. Instead of a variety of topics to study and get to know, I only have one. Nutrition. Not that I’m over here thinking that will be any easier, because I will have to know nutrition like the inside of my purse. I will have to reach into my brain and pull out those work-place skills; critical thinking, organization, time (and stress) management, problem solving, etc. And I’ll shake a lot of hands, take a lot of business cards, and say things like,
“Hi, I’m Heather. It’s nice to meet you. Please hire me when I’m done because I’d Loooove to work for you!”
Well, maybe not word for word, but something along those lines.
It feels good to have Day 1 over with, to have something under my belt. And so the next phase of my life begins….
Posted by Mary Ellen Nunes at 09/02/2008 11:48:30 AM |