Monday, June 18, 2012

Adapting to the non-academic life...

It's been fewer than two weeks since my graduation, so hardly surprising that I still feel a little lost without school work to do. Not that I'm unhappy by any means but it still feels very weird not to have something due, something to read or a discussion to join in. I keep feeling as though I should be doing something!

There are definite advantages to having this time free, though - I actually did some editing on one of my mss last week, began organizing my recipes, puttered in my garden and even cleaned my office! And I'm hoping that once summer finally arrives here on the Coast, I'll be able to spend lots of time outside with my camera.

I imagine that within another month or so, I'll have adapted to this new, non-school lifestyle and be able to just enjoy it :)

Teresa

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

I finally graduated!!!

Yes, at long, long last, I graduated from Langara College's Library and Information Technology program, so I'm officially a Library Technician.
Graduation day at Langara College

My final term was extremely busy, as it also included two work placements, one at the West Vancouver Memorial Library and another at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. I enjoyed them both immensely, even though for the West Van practicum, I had to be up at 4:50 every morning to get the ferry. The staff at both institutions were extremely welcoming and I loved learning new things. In fact, I'm staying on at the SCMA as a volunteer :)

My time at Langara was extremely challenging, but I was very impressed with the quality of the program and most of the instructors (those I didn't like were not in the LIT faculty). However, without the support of Sean (who cooked countless meals and talked me through difficult assignments), the rest of the family and the staff at the Sechelt Library, I would have been lost. My colleagues were endlessly patient with my many, many questions and were always happy to help me out with assignments when necessary. I learned so much more about how the library runs because of the various interviews I had to conduct as part of the program.


Other than the learning, the best part of my Langara experience is the friends I made - that is what I'll miss most of all, my daily interaction with my classmates. Fortunately, Facebook does provide an easy way to stay in touch, though it's still not quite the same as the Blackboard Social Cafe. 


So, what now? Well, I hope to get more hours at the Sechelt library, but I'm also looking forward to returning to my writing, a pursuit I pretty much had to put on hold over the last three and a half years. Publishing a novel is still a dream of mine :) And I know from long experience that when my mind isn't fully occupied with school work, my characters cannot be silenced for long. I also admit that a summer without school is looking pretty good at this point! What a concept - being able to enjoy the sun and take photos to my hearts content, not to mention getting my hands dirty in the garden.


So, that's it for now - I should be able to update this blog more frequently from now on!


Teresa