“… I painted the house.”

I’m kinda nervous. I’m here much too early, so I stop at a park bench in the sun, adjust my tie, shift stuff around in my bag. Haven’t worn a tie for this long since high school, basically, and I’m not even in the door of the place. Gawd.

m-flo & yoshika start to sing let go. I exhale deeply, glance at my watch. 8:37. Close enough to showtime if there ever was one. I pick up my bag and go.

I get to the building and its newness is palpable. Later today I will find out that, initially at least, I will be working at the older building, right on the harbour. For now, the elevator speeds upwards, fast, and accentuated by the glass letting you see exactly how quick you’re rising into corporate Sydney. It glides to a stop at floor 16, deceleration not helping the nervous stomach at all. The preponderance of glass lets me see I’m not the first, and suddenly it’s just another corporate office to walk into, only I’ll be working here, soon enough. Initial smiles are all a little nervous and tentative, speech just a notch below what it needs to be, but tension is broken soon enough and the introductory routine settles in.

26 grads starting, total of 4 in Technology, 5 ladies spread through other departments. 4 others have moved up from Melbourne, and 2 are here for training, so I’m not so much of an outsider all of a sudden. Best of both cities, really. I’m the youngest here, by a clear margin of 2 years – fast course, young starter. Funny, I feel part of the place already – and it’s only 9:30, and I’ve already forgotten people’s names.

Self-Introductions. I remember to not concede the pronounciation war this time, insisting on the closest to the original sound over ease of pronounciation. I figure you get one crack at getting people to get used to it correctly. Find myself only Monash grad to make it through.

“And over the summer, I painted the house.”

It appears I’m the only one that didn’t either go overseas or do an internship (thereby prepping you very nicely for the environment). Still, it gets a laugh, and that’s worth something.

The rest of the day disappears in a blur of presentations, chatting, snacking on those dainty catered sandwiches and generally feeling your way into the place. We’re going sailing tomorrow as a team-building excercise.

The weather prediction says gale force winds overnight into the morning. It’s blowing a gale outside right now actually.

And right now… I need me some sleep. Haven’t had to concentrate constantly for that long since Elvis was a boy. Figureatively speaking.