Sidetracked

Under the stress of finding a temporary storage place for books, since the departure is now within sight, I am navigating back and forth to my computer to check my emails, as if I am corresponding with an army of librarians, or with my relatives. In fact, I don’t, because I pretend to keep myself busy all day long.

 

Young and educated abroad, coming from an Eastern land, she’s really one of a kind. Her bright black eyes, so full of life, were in fact deceiving, as my friend said a bit later. He argued that one does not sign a contract in faith and, thereafter, is told a fundamental detail that, if known, would have made a difference before signing. Yes, I’m still learning here. One could say that learning  business skills would never be on my list of priorities, unless I have a wrong perception of how a business person should behave (more likely—but there is less and less time to learn that too).

 

I enjoyed a small talk with professors and colleagues who were present at the reception. Almost inexplicably, I  had an outburst, especially when I was just about to converse with one instructor whom I owe the perception of becoming a self-learner. She was the one who helped me to cross that imaginary bridge—oh yes, an imperfect and cheap metaphor, but still a metaphor.

 

In a conversation with another teacher, I mentioned that I know of one of my colleagues who accepted to work as a library technician. The teacher said something predictable, but I still wanted to confirm it– unless you’re really desperate, you should avoid being sidetracked and accept having your professional status lowered. Actually, this is more complicated, considering that colleague’s particular situation (immigrant with less than near-native speaking skills).

 

I cannot believe how cool it is in Montreal these days: the maximum for today in my part of the island is 16C, although it is sunny.