The First Day

My least favorite day of a new job is the first day. It was the same way when I was in school, only it was worse then because there were always two first days every new semester. I always hate the information overload, meeting 50 new people and trying to remember all of their names, and trying to figure out where I fit in. I always hate being the new person, the greenie who doesn't know anything. For some reason the second day is always the best of the beginning to me. Perhaps it is because by the end of the first day, I have a better idea about what is expected of me, how to get around in my new situation, and whom I think will make good friends. The second day means first impressions are over, and I no longer feel like I have to sit up completely straight, like I can relax a little and be more myself, rather than the person with the plastic smile plastered on my face as I walk around the new office meeting all of the new people who will remember my name quicker than I will remember theirs.

My first day in my new job was everything I expected and more. It was a typical first day in that all I could think about was I couldn't wait to define my role and get started doing what I do best. It also came complete with the expected information overload. The exception to my first day in this job was that I was actually 100% interested in everything I was told today. I was given a tour of the facility to help me gain a better understanding of my role within the company, and the more I saw, the more excited I became about my career at this company. Usually my first day in any job bores me to the point that I become sleepy and seriously desire a nap; not today! Today absolutely flew by, and I didn't get tired until I had left the office for the day.

I did feel bad for all of my new coworkers though, because I showed up with a cold that sounded much worse today than I've felt all weekend. The cold is starting to clear out, but has moved to my throat in an attempt to escape my body, as a result, I sound HORRIBLE. My new supervisor told me he had taken Zicam three times during the day. Of course, I laughed, and told him I was really sorry. I can't count the number of times he asked me today if I was feeling well enough to stay and if I wanted to go home. I always told him that I sounded worse than I felt, but that if HE wanted me to go home, I would. I also assured him I was doing everything I could to prevent the spread of my virus. I had come prepared with Zicam, tissues, and Vicks Cold Prevention Hand Foam that is guaranteed to kill 99.9% of the germs on my hands for up to three hours. By the time I left work at 5:00, I sounded even worse than when I got there this morning, which did not make our realtor happy when he picked us up to go check out a few more houses tonight.
I am so glad my first day of work is behind me, and now I can look forward to really getting my feet wet and digging into my new role (which includes playing with every single piece of medical equipment I can get my hands on!). I promise all of my blog friends that as soon as I get a little more settled and we have put an offer on a house, I will catch up on everyone's blogs and start posting some pictures of our temporary digs.