'New Girl Syndrome'

All of us have experienced those very awkward first days at work or school.Saying it is uncomfortable is an understatement it straight out nerve-wracking.See most of us  start school at the same time with our peers so it is not as appalling as when you have to be the new girl who looks scared and shy.Through primary you become  the senior and finally the one who notices all the new faces around because at this point you are in the comfort zone of your school circle.

High school for me was even more depressing being the new girl.My friend and I were among the last ones to join our classmates so I would say at least the rest had got enough time to know each other or to stare.We on the other hand were just thrust in unfamiliar territory from strange introductions that felt like they were taking forever.I mean you do not want to  steal the spot light on the first day or seem too forward or shy.The uncertainty in whether you should simply laugh  at a  'so not funny' jokes to camouflage is very evident.For that one minute you look around and realise hi-you have no idea who your room-mates are and their faces sort of creep you or probably your face does the same to them.After all that they are still seniors lining up as if they have an inherent power to supervise all the new girls.All the discomfort that goes with it like watching you do not look as if you were sneering.I can not tell you how many times I had to fake a smile just to get through the seniors 'unharmed.'

Somehow time drags when you are new and a simple semester in Varsity feels like eternity and while the actual lecture,hmmm....., it just makes you wish  you could  go back to High school.There is the odd silence and no one knows who to share notes with or even what language this strange alien 'speaks'!From my communication class I would confidently tell you to always make sure you gravitate to people whom you think you could possess similar world  views but never hang out in the corner alone.Is this always the case?Of course not as much as I know this I am also realistic but I will not seat in a corner alone.I think I just contradicted myself.

Truth is the 'new girl syndrome' is something we all go through whether at work or in school,.The trick is simply in the way we respond to it.As tempting as it is to seat in a corner and devour all the food alone,the best conversations happen at that moment.From my P.R class we  had a whole two hour lecturer on the bset way to network in an elevator,strange you think?A plus is - there is always someone who is just feeling the same uncomfortable tickle that you feel and they have chosen to plunge into deep conversation.

So plunge into that conversation-just do not dominate and sharpen your networking skills so no one will put you in a box without your concent!!