New Job - Old Car

So I started my new job this week and it has been an adventure to say the least! the best way I can describe it is to say that it is like being overseas. I arrived in Spokane last Thursday, signed a bit of paperwork for the job on Friday, had about two hours of training Monday morning, and then was thrown in to the wolves in the afternoon! There isn't really a "job description" for my position and I kind of just have to figure it out as I go. I still have not signed an official contract, but apparently that is normal. honestly though, the only thing that seems normal around here is that every day is different.
My first full day in the computer lab where I am teaching, I had about 8 students wander in at all different skill levels. One student had never been on a computer and it was starting from scratch completely. Others were pretty good at typing and were just working on Microsoft Office programs. For the most part, they work individually and I help them as they need it. Some obviously need more help than others. I also had an ESL class consisting mostly of Russian speaking eastern Europeans come in during the last half of the lab and that raised the class numbers up to about 35 people. Even the cross cultural element reminds me of being overseas and is exciting to me.
so for that most part, the job is going well so far and I am enjoying connecting with the students and encouraging them as they try to gain skills that will benefit their lives and hopefully their family situations. I have already had several students open up and share pretty personal things with me and it is great to be in an environment where I can encourage them and try to be a voice of love and life to them.

Now to the old car. the second day on the job, I ended up leaving my lights on when I got to work. My car does not have any indicator to remind me that they are on, so I just forgot about it. Needless to say, I had to push start it in a slushy parking lot in my nice dress clothes.
The following day, I managed to lock my keys in the car, so I had to track down a coat hanger in the building, and pull my already bent door out enough to slip the hanger inside. Then it was a matter of trying to position it just right to flip the lock. Finally I was able to get it just right (with the help of a student on the other side of the car guiding my efforts) and I flipped the lock open.
today, I awoke to about 4 inches of snow and figured I would go and get some pictures of it at one of my favorite parks in Spokane. So I opened my car and started the engine to let it warm up. While it was warming up, I stepped outside to scrape the snow and ice off my windows. After I had cleared the windows, I grabbed the door handle to hop in and I pulled on it. To my surprise, the door did not open! I pulled the rubber seal off the bottom of the window (it hardly stays on anyway) and looked down into the door to discover that the handle mechanism had snapped! I guess the combination of age and the cold ended up taking its toll on the plastic piece that opened the door. So my car was running with the keys in it and I could not open the door. I again grabbed a coat hanger, and after about 20 minutes, I managed to unlock the passenger door.
So the car made the trip up here, but now it has only one functional door (the passenger side door) and it sounds like it is going to fall apart every time I hit a pothole. I guess it keeps my life interesting. I will be sure to write about its gradual death as it progresses.