No More Temping!

Today was my last day temping...actually it was only 1/2 a day as we finished early for the company Christmas party which is tonight (I'm skipping it). I'm so glad to be done! The job was ok, but I dreaded the incredibly long journey to and from work each day.

I'm also so glad to be done with the job search process...and that was the first feeling that emerged when I got a phone call tonight from the NHS who I interviewed with 2 weeks ago. Apparently, their first choice candidate has backed out and so they've now offered me the position. Initially, this job was my first choice, but even though it's very close to where we live and the pay is slightly better, I have declined their offer. It's just no longer worth the stress. I made the decision to work at Newman College and I'm sticking with it!!

The pictures below show a couple of my co-workers. The first picture is of Becky, who has become a good friend of mine. She's temping because she just graduated from college with a fine arts degree and is saving money for an "around-the-world" trip in 2008. She and her boyfriend will be visiting India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Peru.

This picture was taken by my co-worker Racheal who grabbed my camera when I wasn't looking. Bob was definitely one of my favorite co-workers, I really enjoyed sitting across from his because he's just an incredibly nice guy.

Winter Solstice

Today was the shortest day of the year, with the sun rising at 8:16 am and the sun setting at 3:56 pm. When compared to Madison, WI, where the sun rose at 7:26 am and set at 4:25 pm, it's evident that we are quite a bit further north (same latitude as central Canada and southern Alaska).

The shorter days are barely noticeable on weekdays here. Leaving work at 5:00, it doesn't really phase me if the sun sets at 3:56 or 4:25. However, I do not enjoy waiting for my bus in the dark at 7:45 am! Summer, of course, provides longer days here which I enjoyed when we first arrived in August. I'm really hoping to get up to Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Finland during the summer to experience 24 hours of sunlight. However, I have no desire to experience what is known as a polar night, which is 24 hours of darkness.

We're lucky to be living on an island because otherwise the temperatures here would be quite a bit colder given our latitude. The climate here is known as a maritime climate which means we experience cool summers and mild winters, with a much smaller annual temperature range. The wind and rain can be horrible, but I have to say that I really like the mild winter temperatures. Everyone is freaking out this week because the low temperatures are expected to dip below freezing...it'll be our first frost of the year!

Traveling Takes Courage

I definitely would not say that I'm a courageous person, in fact I probably lead a more fearful life than most. However when married to someone who is intent on exploring every corner of this earth, I have to put my fear aside. In just one short week, I will be in Frankfurt, Germany. My first non-English speaking country. I'm already in a panic about how we're going to find our hotel shuttle...what if no one speaks English? I confessed this fear to my friend Becky, my British co-worker, who assured me that it would be fine and that she's traveled throughout Europe only speaking English and never had a problem.

I had never really considered just how much courage it takes to travel. We've been hearing horror stories lately as people share their tales of travels to Egypt. One woman, who was traveling with her sister, mother and father had a man harrass them for not wearing a head scarf (Egypt is 90% Muslim), but then offered to give them scarves for free. 5 minutes later another man was harassing them for not paying for the scarves! I'm lucky to be traveling to Egypt with three men as I think it will greatly diminsh the amount of harassment we receive.