Curse of the First Week

To be honest, I generally hate first weeks. Experience has taught me they are going to be awkward, that I am going to get lost, and there will be a minimum of five embarrassing incidents before the weekend can officially start. And while last week was technically our first week with AAPD, I was really terrified to start work Tuesday because I was sure the first week disasters were coming. Needless to say I did not sleep much Monday night, instead re-living every horrible first week. My family and friends back home were all very kind and supportive (sarcasm doesn’t translate very well to blogging) in reminding me of every “hilarious” (to them) embarrassing first week incident.

“Remember how your car got towed”

“Remember how you accidentally turned on the shower in the bathroom and nearly flooded the office”

“Remember when you destroyed the conference room by spilling your pop all over”

“Remember how you spilled the huge jar of jelly beans in the boss’s office EVERYWHERE”

Remember, remember, remember….AHHHHHHH!!!!!

When my alarm finally went off Tuesday morning, I got dressed like I was going to my execution, sure that I would be dying of embarrassment before the day was through. I left way too early, and was on time. I went to get my picture taken for my ID, and while I won’t be submitting it to America’s Next Top Model, it’s certainly not as bad as my license. Plus, I haven’t lost it yet! Then I was set the task of learning the buildings and how to get around. And while I still have no clue where I am or where I am going half the time, at the least the look of sheer panic on my face garners sympathetic smiles and nods in the right direction. The Capitol and its associated buildings are connected by a ridiculous maze of tunnels that all look the same and seem not to be heading anywhere. Several times I thought I was lost in a basement or vacant corridor, only to turn the corner and find a security desk or office or random cafeteria. I really need a map. The rest of my first week has revolved around learning about the office and meeting everyone. And I am very happy to report, I think the first week curse has been broken! The only minorly awkward incident I can report is that my shoes have decided to make very loud squeaking noises every time I take a step. Clearly this is not the disaster I feared. And yes I did take the wrong train and ended up going the opposite direction of my apartment, but I still eventually made it home in one piece. And yes I have accidentally run over several feet on the metro, but no one has reciprocated with violence and in fact people seem to run in the opposite direction now when they see me coming. And yes my scooter has decided it is tired of carrying me around in the hot, humid DC weather, but it decided to quit on me once I was safely back to the apartment and able to call for a repairman. Thus, all my melodrama and anxiety seems to have been wasted, and I am about to complete a first week I actually enjoyed. AAPD is really to thank for this, the orientation last week basically ensured I would not fall on my face.