Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Not Bye, Miss American Pie

To stop and leave is not to say goodbye.

Hold on, Zooe; come again?!

Prof Evans (remember him from my previous post?) knocked on my door this afternoon.

He peeked in and said: Well, bye Professor!  I'm heading off to the airport now.
Me: Oh, hi Paul!  You are leaving today!
Evans: Yes, well, it was very nice meeting you.....
Me: Same here
Evans: I wish you all the best; Happy Marriage and Honeymoon and I hope that you will become a successful and happy and lovely professor in the next 5 years.
Me: Well.....that's......
Evans: No, I really wish that for you.
Me: Then, thank you very much!  Safe journey!  Safe journey!

And with that, he was gone like the wind.

I think he must have felt that I belong in academia, but maybe not in this current university.  So, he was always very encouraging in terms of me giving it another chance and thinking it through. 

I am ambivalent about this profession.  If I do end up doing it again, a miracle or something to that effect must have happened.  While I'm not ruling it out, but for me to step inside another university again, I know that it will take a whole lot of convincing and soul searching.

So, this trip / time off / 7-months-vacation-thing could not have happened in a more opportune time.  It's the perfect way for me to detox and un-jade myself.  I know for a fact that I have become jaded.  I don't understand nor do I believe in the university system anymore and this not good, especially if I work in such a system.

I really look forward to what is to come.  I'm not saying it will be smooth sailing, but at least, it will be in the right direction for me.  So while I am leaving and stopping this now, it doesn't mean I am done and through.

In fact, this is just the beginning.  For me and for Chris <3




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