This evening was the last night of my first class. For the last five weeks I have enjoyed teaching, getting back into academia, and getting to know the people around me. In fact, I have been eating dinner with another instructor. We usually chat, laugh, and he tells me about his wife and kids. In exchange of course I tell him about my wonderful life. Jerry has been very nice to me and kind of filled me in on important pieces of information that everyone else forgot to tell me...like the code to get into the faculty work room and the fact I don't need a parking pass. Needless to say, we have gotten to know each other. This evening I walked in to our work room to sit at my cubicle and my hubby called me at the same time. Of course I answered the phone (he has been so sweet to call and talk to me before I teach every class, which helps since we don't see each other on Mondays and Wednesdays). I'm talking to my hubby, but Jerry, who has headphones on, keeps answering. Finally, he looks over and realizes I'm on the phone. Haha, he let out a big laugh and went back to work. After I hung up with Jason, I looked over and Jerry was working hard, so I got back to work.
A few minutes later, Melissa walks in. She has also been very nice to me and has talked to me every Monday and Wednesday for the past five weeks. She is telling this story to anyone who will listen about how her treat for her class shattered and as she was telling another staff, they randomly walked away. She tells this story about three times in ten minutes. She was clearly flustered. Finally, Melissa sits down and starts signing a stack of cards. She flips through them and says loudly, "I don't even know who some of these people are...like who is N?" Jerry now says, "I don't know who that is either." I pause for a moment stunned. Then I turn my head and say, "Did you just say you don't know who N is?" Melissa says, "Yeah." I of course say, "I'm N!" Melissa's face turns red and she begins apologizing. At this point Jerry is now laughing again. I point out to Jerry that we have had dinner together every Monday and Wednesday for the last five weeks and he didn't even know my name! Melissa is still apologizing, but it gets better. She says, "Wow, I just shoved my foot right into my mouth. I'm so sorry Amy." I giggle. Clearly, my name is not Amy. Jerry and I both correct her. Fast forward two minutes. Melissa, "I am so sorry Amy." She called me Amy no less than three times in ten minutes. Finally, I said, "Should I put my name badge on to help you learn my name?"
It was really awkward and really funny. Good news, I'm getting a birthday card. Bad news? Apparently, there are only like four staff who know who I am. Previously, just two knew my name. Now we are up to four. At that rate, I'm really making friends. At the end of the night Melissa went to say good-bye to me, she made sure my name was still N. I said it was and just for fun replied, "Good Night Jamie." Haha. Before I left for the night she smiled and said good night Amy, I replied with a good night Jamie.
