Monday 1 September 2008

First day over!

Well, the first day is over and I'm sitting with a £1000 laptop on my knee, but I'll get to that!

It went OK. All the new people met with the Head of School and heard from him how wonderful we all are and how wonderful the university is. He told us about the areas of research and how there are 4 research groups and we would be a member of one. There's where my first dilemma lies. We have already been placed in a group and I suspect I am in group A where all the people are who I wish to avoid. Not only because I don't trust them (it's likely they would be my mentors and supervisory/probationary team) but I don't trust myself to go to them if I was having problems as I don't believe they would be very helpful. We can ask to change groups if we feel we are in the wrong group but how do I explain my reasons for this?
We then met the computer officer where we were asked did we want a laptop; 3 of us took her up on the offer and when we got these great laptops the other 2 wished that they had too! If I knew how to link to one on the internet I would!
My office is small but has everything I need: lots of shelves, which is the important thing. I just need a proper chair before I can do any work in it as I had this old wooden one and my back is already aching from sitting on it.
I had lots of coffee with the other new people and got a time tomorrow for my staff card to be printed out with my mug shot on. I also have to write a blurb about myself and I can't put forthcoming publications on it so it means I have none, which is pretty weak and embarrassing as everyone else does. I'll have to put in my blurb that I have a book contract for my thesis.
Later in the week we meet the directors of the research group and am worried about that: a bit scared they'll look at me as one of their students seeing as most of them will have taught me.
Off to bed now, thankfully the staff card is being done at 11am so not as early a rise as this morning.

1 comment:

madsadgirl said...

There you are. It wasn't so bad was it? Just remember it's like so many things in life; take one step at a time, and don't try to run before you can walk.

I suppose that's a bit insensitive, but you know what I mean. I'm sure that once you get settled in you will wonder what you were worried about.