Still Here.

Even after all the handshaking, introductions, pleasantries, reiteration of my job title, the recitation of my alma mater (and location to those who were unfamiliar [98%]) and pushing the threshold of smiling to its physical limits, I am still here.
I moved in with relative ease, mainly because I had little but the bare necessities (i.e. clothes, toiletries, books, etc.) to move. Only on the second trip was the legwork a little more arduous and the forehead/chest sweat more visible. (Thank you, Mom.)
It’s nice. I mean even if they gave me a single room I wouldn’t be complaining because I’m not paying for it. But it is nice. Not three-bedroom, full kitchen, walk-in closets, bidet-ed nice, but livable. I have a smallish living room where, thanks to another new faculty member named Todd who moved out of his house with his family, a blue velvet easy chair now lies; complete with old vomit stains from his two young children. It’s a chair that defines the ‘easy chair’. I expect myself to fall asleep in it frequently, often when I should be grading papers, preparing for the next day’s soccer practice or, yanno, leaving my apartment to do anything.
Next to the antiquated laundry machines is the bathroom complete with everything a bathroom needs. Across the way is a random, slender hallway that leads to an alternate door into the apartment. I can’t really find a cool use of this, so I’ve just thrown my shoes, laundry basket and ironing board in there. The door leads to another adjacent one that opens to a spiral staircase (yes, spiral) leading to the loading dock.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I’m in the service building and my bedroom window happens to be right above where the school receives shipment from loud trucks with even louder men unloading the loudest things possible. I woke up this morning (Monday) to the cacophonous CLAP of a man putting empty plastic trays used to carry large quantities of loafed bread. I could not immediately see any bread and given the early hour I think he was doing it to piss me off and entertain himself. I’ll never know, but I cursed him until I fell back asleep. Only to be woken up soon after by the landscaping crew that sounded like they were using Air Force jets for lawn mowers.
Can’t get a break.

But for the time being, I’ll continue smiling and trying desperately to remember people’s names. (Thank you, Name Tags.)
More from the rookie-teach soon.