new week, new semester, new adventures

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back-to-school, college, lecturing, photo, photography, work

Monday morning and a new week begins with grey skies and a large cup of tea while I muse over my weekly planning. Today college opens up its doors again and with that lecturing is back on my agenda. Planning my week will now circle around my students and planning classes will become a main occupation again.

The summer seems to have bid its farewell and autumn already painting the leaves in shades of yellow and orange it truly does feel like a moment of changed. A new week, a new semester, new students and an entirely new course will be like a breath of fresh air and challenge me.

So as I schedule in my teaching hours and the time I need to prepare I can’t help but feel a little bit excited. After all something new and unknown always holds the possibility of adventure.

this is where I’ll be spending most of my time

procastinatingly packing pre-Christmas parcels

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assignments, christmas, Christmas FM, Christmas season, college, german Christmas, Nikolaus, packing parcels, presents, procrastinating, wrapping gifts

I should be writing a few assignments for college, I should be grading a few papers for work, I should be working on my novel and shorts stories, I should be ticking off my to-do list, I even should be having a shower – but instead I have spent the morning packing pre-Christmas parcels.

But since today is the first of Advent, and yes I have lit the first candle and indulged in some Christmas Stollen for breakfast, I have to admit I don’t even feel bad about falling behind in all of my ‘shoulds’. I put on Christmas FM, the perfect christmassy radio station, and decided that the perfect way to start this Christmas season was to make sure my nieces and nephews get a little something for Nikolaus (in Germany children polish their shoes/boots and leave them out for Nikolaus on the night from the 5th to the 6th of December in the hope that St Nikolaus will come and fill them with goodies). 

So, I wrote a few cards, wrapped a few gifts all while still in my pjs and snuggled up in my new Merino woolen poncho (a birthday gift) and allowed Advent to begin. I love this time of year: wrapping gifts, writing cards, decorating my home, sitting in front of the fire while watching tacky Christmas movies and doing all those other wonderful traditions I have accumulated over the years.

Now all I have to do is drop of my pre-Chritsmas parcels at the post office tomorrow morning and enjoy the next four weeks of HoHoHo-ing and jolly Christmas cheer. But before then, I will jump into the shower and deal with all of my ‘shoulds’, after all I have successfully completed my pre-Christmas parcel packing and have to stop procrastinating for today.

all wrapped up

 

lunchboxes and sandwiches

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college, food, lunch, lunchbox, lunchboxes, masters, sandwiches, school, snacks

Going back to college has meant going back to making sandwiches in the morning. And while carving out those precious few minutes to prepare some satisfying food has been tricky, the reward is great when that grumbling tummy rears it’s hungry head.

But with making sandwiches comes the problem of transport. How does one get the painfully prepared food whole and not mushy to school? Well, my lovely and generous friend C. has now solved that problem in the form of a multipurpose plastic box.

Not only can I now safely transport my sandwich I can add a few other snacks as well – some yummy bites to tide me over until I can enjoy dinner at home. An added bonus, this folding box is green, my favourite colour.

Today it will have its first outing and I hope that it works out the way it should. After all no one likes soggy falling apart sandwiches.

my cube of food

folded out, carrots, apples and yogurt covered cranberries

and the final lid open to reveal my sandwich

back to school

Tags

American College Dublin, college, Oscar Wilde, Oscar Wilde house, studying, writing

Today was the big day: I officially signed up to do my Masters. It’s been a while since I have been on the other side of the teachers desk and I have to admit that my emotions are very mixed.

As I ambled through the corridors of the American College Dublin following the rest of new students I couldn’t help but feel somewhat overwhelmed. Thoughts kept racing around in my head: “Do I know what I am getting myself in too?”, “How on earth am I going to get everything done?”, “Can’t wait for the first class!”,  “I need to get more organised”, ‘Wonder what the other students are like” etc, etc, etc. And at the same I was completely excited to be in Oscar Wilde’s house, knowing that I too would soon be writing in the hallowed halls that housed one of Ireland’s literary greats.

We where given a guided tour of the college, the Present greeted us over tea and biscuits, our photos where taken for our student cards (of course a big cold sore is currently decorating my nose) and we got to meet a few of our fellow students.

And since there is no turning back now I have decided to be excited with anticipation, after all on Tuesday is my first class. Until then I will sharpen my pencils and sort my pens and notepads.

I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying

Oscar Wilde

timetable, admin letter and a bag – my student life is about to begin again

 

one down … a whole year to go

Tags

college, cycling, Dublin, education, quotes, teaching

After a week of teaching I have been playing catch-up on myself again. Somehow, over the long summer, I have managed to forget how much time things actually take and although I have spent the last few weeks preparing and getting all my files in order I am already struggling to keep up. But I am sure after a week or so, when the overwhelming sensation of new students, new names, new courses, new data inputting system and new everything has past, I will be back on track,

One thing I do have to say is that cycling in and out of town has been good, well nearly good. After just three days of pedaling round town I got a flat and since I had to teach all I could do was wait for a short break and wheel my disabled bike to a fixer-upper. So now I hope that this is not going to be a common occurrence as otherwise it will be more expensive than taking the bus, even if it does save me some time.

But overall the first week back has been good, a promise of  a wonderful year to come.

The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts. – C.S. Lewis

autumn arriving

Tags

Albert Camus, autumn, college, cosy clothes, leaves, nature, photography, quotes, seasons

As I cuddled down into bed with my book last night a switch was flipped and autumn arrived. Wind tousled with the leaves and the pitter-patter of rain on my wind sounded like tap-dancing birds.  And when my eyes flickered open late this morning the sky was grey, clouds tumbling into each other creating a drama.

With the temperatures dropping I didn’t want to get up but when I did I pulled socks on for the first time in months. With my toes snugly and warm I decided it was time to cover up with a cardigan and greet autumn with a cosy outfit.

So as I lounge around the house today, mug of tea in and and cuddly clothes keeping me warm I can’t help but feel excited about what this new season promises. I look forward to sitting in front of a crackling fire and evenings filled with candle light. I can’t wait to spend those wet Sunday afternoons watching a film or curling up with a book.

But it is also the beginning of  college, which means a lot of time spent teaching , grading, preparing classes and talking to students. So I will have to be more organised in my timekeeping, making sure I don’t forget what I want to do because of all the things I have to do.

However I look forward to blustery walks by the sea and trips to golden woods and hopefully my camera can capture some of the beauty of all that autumn holds.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. – Albert Camus