Flashes of Panic

Technically, it’s not “after break,” because classes don’t start for another two weeks (plus), and grad students aren’t required to be back until the week before classes start. So I was one of only four grad students in “the extension” this afternoon. (The extension has offices for sixteen of us.) The other three were various international students who do not, generally, go “home” over breaks. I saw two other grad students and only two faculty members all afternoon.

One of the four of us in the extension, who mentioned last month that I was “working much harder” this year, turned up while I was eating lunch. After sitting at her computer for ten or fifteen minutes, she turned back to me and exclaimed, “Classes don’t start until the 18th!”

I nodded in agreement.

“We don’t have to be here until next week!”

I nodded again.

“I thought classes started today!”

My best guess is that when you’re ABD and not actually taking any classes, this sort of scheduling detail isn’t always high on your radar screen. Actually, no, better guess: she has children, and for them classes probably did start today.

Now Playing: She’s On Fire from Drops of Jupiter by Train

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