I'm at the end of my first week in Corpus Christi and at the end of my first week as an assistant professor of English. This first week has primarily been orientation, professional development, and meetings--in-service type things, but it's given me an opportunity to get to know campus and my colleagues.
I love it.
I told Dear Husband several months ago that I felt like God had given us work to do in Murfreesboro, but that it was drawing to an end. When I visited Del Mar, I came home and told him that I felt like God had work for us to do here. The more I discover about the community here, the more I feel like that's true. Corpus Christi has a population of approximately 300,000 people and a poverty rate of around 50%. While I'd been offered a position at a 4-year college, with every day I spend here, I become more convinced that this was the right decision, and while there have been a few small bumps, the smoothness with which this has all come together has only served to underscore this feeling.
We have a delightful provost who is excited about the community and encouraging about new ideas. He's trying out a new idea with those of us who were just hired--a first-year faculty experience, much like what freshmen would have, but for us to come together and bring new ideas to the table as fresh eyes who are looking at Del Mar for the first time. There may not be a lot of money, but he's ready to try new ideas and figure out how to make them work. That's so encouraging as a faculty member to hear. The president of the college attended Del Mar himself, was raised a mile down the road, and his father's shop is still only a few miles from the college. There are deep ties to the community in the administration of the college. And there doesn't seem to be the burgeoning administrative bureaucracy that I've seen at so many other places. Del Mar is a college with deep roots in the community, and as such is very respected by the community.
More than that, I think this place in general is going to be good for us. We have a beautiful house that we're renting that's just been remodeled--we have a Texas red grapefruit tree in the backyard! We're two minutes from the intracoastal waterway, so you can smell saltwater from our house, and about fifteen miles from Padre Island National Seashore, which is where I went this morning. There's something soothing and healing about the ocean, I think.
Note: I will not, under any circumstances become an Astros or Rangers fan.
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I truly am going to try to keep this blog updated more often. I'll be quite honest, I'd been put off keeping it updated last year after some rather unhappy people read my post on The Care and Feeding of Your Depressive and said some very nasty things, including saying that DH should leave me, that I should pick my own self up and go because modern psychiatry does nothing, I shouldn't depend on depression medication, that I was fat and therefore ugly, I had no discipline, I would never finish my dissertation, etc.
So I am happy to say that I finished my dissertation, graduated with my Ph.D., secured a tenure-track job as an assistant professor, have been diagnosed correctly with the help of my nurse practitioner and am on new medication which has effectively returned me to normal, I've lost thirty pounds, and my marriage is stronger than ever.
Therefore, American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country music radio for your support.
See you guys next week.
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