The Jitters

So my boss makes me really nervous. I'm not sure why, but I totally freak out whenever I see him. I always try to be on my Ps and Qs with him, but I believe I end up looking more like a mute freak. I become crazy quiet and yet I have all this nervous energy, so I start to fidget. Today I was copying something and he came out of his office. He greeted me in his deep voice and I quickly said hi in an Office Space manner like the guy who says, "who took my stapler" and tried to run away. As I ran away, I kinda didn't see this thing, called a wall, and I definitely ran into it. I just kept going...all the way to my car, which I believe might have added to the awkwardness.

Wait...do you work here?

So there hasn't been as many awkward situations with my job as I initially thought. I was just starting to feel like I had a purpose, now that I actually had duties/responsibilities. I still hadn't received a "folder" in which I thought would be the basic information required to pay me, so I decided to see if a week and a half was enough time to put this so-called folder together.

As I go into the folder man's office (note: this is the same guy who welcomed me to the team so graciously), I ask him if he has a folder for me, to which he replies no. Apparently someone has to get it and they are gone (why he can't get it himself...I don't know). I go on to ask about my time sheets because I have no idea how that works and I'd like to get paid since that's why I'm here.

"Oh you're on paid staff?" He retorts. "You're not working for exchange?"
I pause...wondering what type of time exchange would be worth staying here and not getting paid...especially as I am preparing for no tests.
"Ummm...no, I believe I supposed to be paid" I reply.
"So you're not working for free tutoring?" He presses.
"No....."

He then goes on to see if I have talked to the administrative assistant and scolds me for not going to see her in the first place. I suppress my initial reaction to ask how could I have known this information magically and instead ask how I can get in contact with her. Thankfully everything is close and I meet with her within a couple minutes.

The administrative assistant, however, also seems baffled that I am a paid staff member and lets me know that she will have to "double check" this new-found information before she can give me any forms. That's understandable, but I begin to ponder the countless wasted hours I've spent here just for some form of payment and seriously consider if I should cut my losses and just go. No...I've come this far.

I really hope after today that it can be confirmed that I work here and work for money and not some sort of barter system. I'll keep you posted and apparently I'll still keep doing my duties with or without pay since its the most human interaction I've been getting these days.

The Step Child

I've come to the conclusion of why it's so awkward at work...it's because I am like the step child. I kinda eased my way into this job without really anyone knowing and just appeared one day. There was no 9 month prep for people to mentally prep and I jumped right passed infancy (being a student) to a full fledged adult (a tutor) in a week's time frame. Currently I am sitting in the parking lot in my full uniform getting ready to go to a meeting I heard via the grapevine. Am I supposed to go or was my lack of knowledge intentional? Am I a slacker if I don't show up? I guess let the awkwardness begin and I'll update you shortly.

Champaign Adventures

So I've decided that Champaign is my kind of town in that it breeds awkwardness. Although I didn't have many awkward experiences while I was a student now that I am an employee I feel the awkward experiences keep coming. Maybe I just have a finer tune to awkwardness since I feel pretty awkward being here and learning what my life role is here. Here are some of my experiences so far (its day 3):

1.) Having lunner (my new term for a combination of lunch and dinner)with the elderly at Panera. Old people can sometimes emit a smell and when they are collectively in one location it apparently has a cooperative effect. I looked up from my work when I noticed the smell and noticed I was surrounded by old people. One cute old man with super big shades reeked of alcohol as he came in with his daughter. Another couple was at a table near me and were smiling at me as I was typing and laughing away. Here was our conversation (I hope its the beginning of a new best friend)

"What's so funny?"
"Oh...I was just talking to some of my friends..." (insert awkward pause)
"We thought so....you sure can type fast"
"Yes...well...thank you."
"How fast can you type?"
"I'm not sure...I haven't taken one of those tests" (since that was something in the 90s)
"I can type pretty fast with my two fingers" (insert demonstration)
"Wow...that's pretty good." (awkwardness....and go back to typing)

2.) Being told by the librarian at this library we ask customers to keep their shoes on (opps)

3.) Coming home to find an unknown animal dying at our stairs. Frightened by the fact I didn't know a. what type of animal it was (a cross between a beaver/groundhog/unknown) b.) not sure if it was dead or alive) c.) me feeling like he was looking at me and about to attack.

4.) Going to the landlord to inform him: I believe this is an unknown animal dying on the stairs of a certain apartment in a calm manner and then his response.

That's all for now, although it doesn't seem like Champaign has much, it sounds it will deliver on the awkward experiences.

First Day

Today was my first day in a job I'm extremely grateful to have despite a bit of a hiccup in my school path. And although I'm extremely grateful, I feel like I would be doing a disservice to this blog if I didn't share my first day, which was awkward even for me. There were various aspects that I will place in bullet-point form:

A.) Showing up to work without officially knowing where/when to go and no one really knowing that I'm starting there
B.) Changing roles from being a fellow-study buddy to a tutor within a week (note this is awkward for both aspects as my formal tutors are now supposedly my work-mates)
C.) A meeting that consisted mostly of eating and random mumbling between people
D.) Introductions where the introducer forgot several people's names (thankfully I wasn't one of them)
E.) Sitting in a corner (lurking) as is my new role for training to learn the tricks of the trade
F.) Down time with no place to go = me investigating things on my phone extremely intensely (thank goodness for my iPhone)
G.) Ending the day with the Assistant to the Director telling me he didn't think it was a good idea that I'm starting in my role, but since the Director said it was okay, I'm here, but just for my information he doesn't think I should start now.

Awesome. Can't wait to see what day 2 will bring.