so what now?

I've been back at work for two weeks now. It's been a rather fragmented couple of weeks as I try and work out what I'm meant to do and try to understand the institution I left almost five years ago. Everything has changed, especially me. I walk the corridors wondering where I fit in and whether I have anything to offer. Sure I 'almost' have a PhD in Higher Education Studies - but what does that mean? Everyone is so busy with day-to-day practical issues that seem to bear no resemblance to the ideas, concepts and theories I've spent the best part of five years trying to grapple with and understand. My PhD doesn't say anything about how I'm meant to translate or mediate the abstract theorisation that is my PhD into practical applications or solutions that make sense to my colleague or help them deal with the daily realities of teaching at a university of technology. Because I've been away for such a long time, I've also lost my 'on-the-ground' knowledge and sensibilities related to Teaching and Learning in the higher education context. I feel out-of-touch and without being involved in any teaching at the moment I almost want to say I have no 'street cred'. So I wonder around the corridors unsure of what I'm meant to do and how this PhD fits in to it all. Does the PhD add any value to my job function? Will my job be able to accommodate the new me with the PhD experience? In a consolation attempt I tell myself, rather reluctantly, that maybe these aren't the kind of questions that can be answered after just two weeks on the job.