Wednesday, October 19, 2016 (2/76)

It's Wednesday, October 19th, and I arrive at the university at 9:00 am. I follow the same routine as yesterday, remembering the instructions given by the guard at the reception. I take the elevator from the administrative building and stop on the first floor. It wasn't the first office but the one in the middle. I knock and enter. It's not just the Director; there are other people in his office whom I didn't expect to see.

Me: Good morning, everyone.

Director: Good morning, sister, the one we've all been waiting for. Sister Theresa Rodrigo is at our school for just three months. She will be our new personal guidance teacher for some of the students. Let me introduce you to some of your new colleagues: Dr. Jorge, who teaches Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Professor Marta Olivera, who teaches Interpersonal Communication Skills, Dr. Adrian Alva, who teaches Algorithms and Data Structures, my secretary Barbara Gomez, the finance manager Mrs. Monica, Mr. Alberto, who is in charge of housing, Mrs. Renata, the director of the UDS restaurant, and the two guards, Julio and Alfred.

Me: Nice to meet you all, and I look forward to working with you.

Director: Well, that's one thing done. I ask everyone to return to their work, except for Sister and Mrs. Gomez, please.

As ordered by the Director, the others leave the office, leaving the three of us alone in his spacious office.

Director: Alright, to begin with, regarding your accommodation, don't forget to see Alberto. I sent him an email myself yesterday to speed things up so that you settle in well at the residence. We have assigned you an office like each of the professors who teach at this majestic university. Gomez will show you and explain the rest. Have a good start to your work, Ma... sister.

Me: Thank you, Director.

Barbara, if I'm not mistaken about her name, indicates that I should follow her, and I do. We head towards the elevator. After observing, I notice that Barbara is a very beautiful blonde woman with a severe bun, like a hairstyle one might wear to go to war, dressed in a well-fitted black jacket and an elegant pencil skirt. All that's missing are the glasses for a typical secretary look.

Barbara: Are you coming, Sister? I've been talking to you for a while now.

Me: Please excuse me; I was lost in my thoughts.

Barbara: It's okay, please follow me.

If I understand correctly, my office is on the second floor, and it's the first door. I enter after our exemplary secretary.

Barbara: Here is your office for the three months you will be spending at our school, and I hope it meets your needs.

I'm shocked, stunned. The office has been carefully decorated. There's a computer, new notebooks, and brochures, a chair facing the desk, and three other chairs a little farther away with a small table between them containing candies and treats. There is also a shelf filled with books and folders of various colors.

And what I loved the most are the two posters behind the chair at my new desk. The first on the left is a proverb, I believe: "Use your talents wisely, and they will multiply." The second is a photo of children from around the world. I don't know how they managed to gather all these children for this photo, but the result is incredible. You can see that they are physically different, but they are happy, and it's beautiful to see. They are dressed in white clothes that symbolize peace. I believe the author of this work wanted to convey this important message and decided to use children as models because children are innocent beings, and their expressions are sincere. I could very well take this frame and photo with me at the end of my three months, just seeing this image soothes my heart.

Barbara: I see that the office meets your expectations, Sister.

Me: Yes, it's beautiful, and I'd like to know more about the photo on the right, please.

She smiles before responding.

Barbara: You can use the familiar form with me. I also really like this photo. It was exhibited in the largest of the four authorities of Elena Uno by a famous photographer who organized a photo shoot. I don't remember the exact price, but I know it costs a fortune because we received it as a gift in 2013. I tried to search the Internet to see if I could have one too, but there are only five copies in the world.

Me: Really? And where are the others?

Barbara: According to the interview of the photographer in Elena Uno, I learned that he had the idea for this photo shoot to gift it to the four world leaders. This means that initially, he wanted his work to be only for the four leaders, but if we received the fifth one from him, it was out of... kindness. I'll be going now; I have a lot of work waiting for me. I'll send you all the necessary information by email.

She quickly writes on her notebook, copying the information onto her tablet, and tears out the page before handing it to me.

Barbara: Here is your school email and the temporary password, which you can change later. Have a good day.

She left my office, and I take the opportunity to start my work, I mean, to begin working.