Keri's stuff :-)

Holidays (or not)

Finally I have time to think! 

Ah, ever had that feeling like you're on holiday?  Not a bad feeling, as they go, and better yet if there is a good reason for it (like you're actually on holiday).  I think that someone is practicing reverse psychology on me because my particular reason is that I have a new job :-), and one that I would have done for nothing (but I didn't say that in the interview..) so now I will have fewer holidays and free time than before (so maybe the holiday-type-feeling is just as well then!)

This new job is teaching at Pembroke College (see www.pmb.ox.ac.uk) here in Oxford. When I was preparing for the interview, I thought it would be a good idea to read through the lecture notes for the courses involved.  Handy that they're on the net, not so handy that there are 1500 pages of notes for the three courses.  I started to read the notes, and it got to the night before, and I had (give or take a thousand or two) about 1000 more pages to go.  So no chance to read through them all. 

I was trying to figure out what to do - to read through notes, to practice questions, what?  I went and prayed for a while, asking God what to do.  "One thing is needed."  So I gave up studying - I figured that that wasn't the one thing - and just spent time praying and reading (and, I will confess, watching the final of Prison Break).  Each time I got worried, a little voice would say in my head "One thing is needed", you know, from when Mary sat at Jesus' feet while Martha was stressing in the kitchen. 

Anyway, I didn't read the notes, I didn't really prepare answers to the dreaded five year question, I just went in.  (Note: I would say, went in and was myself - but that's not true at all when you put me in a suit and makeup! ) I don't think I made a fool of myself (that I noticed anyway), and got the job.  So really, only one thing was needed.  Is needed.  And I still hear that small voice, all the time.  Maybe there's something in that.  Just a thought :-) K.

• Posted by flyingkiwi on 06/06/2006.
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