Friday, September 15, 2006
Job interviews, and yet another redhead...
Well, thanks guys.
I wasn't fishing for kindness yesterday. Really I was really just sitting by the zen pond envying those pretty little orange koi fishies swimming around in their happy blue paradise without a care in the world. But I'm still incredibly grateful for the sweet and hopeful responses that emerged from the water when I reeled in my line. So, from the bottom of my bleeding heart -- Thank You!
I had TWO interviews today, one of which was in deepest, darkest South Van, and the other of which was actually out in the burbs, in a rather famous Asian-dominated suburb that I like to visit when I feel like Chinese food, excellent bubble tea, and Japanese dvds. I impressed myself with how adeptly I navigated the Yaohan Shopping Center, the HUGE Asian Mall in which I felt as white as the inside of a winter melon but also grateful that I know what a winter melon looks and tastes like. I suppose that having spent five years in the life, heart, and bed of a real-life CBC (Canadian Born Chinese) boy probably helped me out a bit. I could wander the aisles of the supermarket comparing the merits of green vs. jasmine tea (with or without honey), eyeing the Chinese pork sausages (which taste delightfully of fat, salt, and spices), admiring the jellyfish salad (best with lots of chillies!), checking out the steamed buns and sui mai (which my mom can't eat because she's allergic to shrimp), and sampling the salmon nigiri and red bean pastry buns (my personal favourites). Oh how I love the Asian mall!
My first interview (for a private tutoring service and language school) went well, but the Boss wants me to jump through a spectacular number of hoops before she'll give me the job. She wanted TWO letters of references from people she got to pick from my list, my university AND high school transcripts, my social insurance CARD (apparently the number's not enough anymore), a criminal record check, and a verbal promise not to try to DATE ANY OF HER STUDENTS!
The last hoop was an odd one. Halfway through the interview she stopped talking and said in her thick Hong Kong accent "now, I notice that you are very beautiful..." I stared at her, stunned, trying to analyse her tone of voice for any hint that she was actually coming on to me in the most inappropriate context possible. Then she went on to say "my students, they are about your age. They will want your cell phone number, your home phone, and your email address. And they will want to go out with you. They will be persistent. But we are certified by the Ministry of Education and so you must never, ever agree to go out with a student."
I breathed a sigh of relief, and giggled to myself. As if I'd be interested in slick Asian boys with spiked-up hair, fancy cars and business cards (well...). Their cute little sisters, maybe. Haha. I reassured the Boss immediately that such a thing would be grossly inappropriate and unprofessional. But her introductory remark remains the most BIZARRO comment I have ever heard in a job interview.
The second interview went well too, and I suspect they'll hire me there part-time. They made me take an advanced version of the verbal SAT as a "placement test," but since I'm a huge nerd and a word junkie it was really more fun than anything else. And the interviewer assured me that I'd scored very high. She wants me to teach reading and writing and to pick novels for a grade 4-8 after school program. I could pretty much do that job in my sleep.
When I got home, a little frustrated after sooo many interviews and no jobs, I called the guy who had interviewed me for a position yesterday morning and offered him a letter of reference. He said he was just about to call me -- I was hired! He's starting me in October with only 2 hours a week. Most of his classes don't start until November and by then he'll be able to give me more hours. But, I have a job! SWEET!
So, it's been a successful day. I feel good.
And...I've been talking to yet another cute redhead online. She turns out to be a really good friend of Jon's, which is a good sign since I know that Jon picks his friends carefully. That, and he and I have very similar taste in girls. If he says she's amazing, then I'll probably like her. We talked on the phone for almost an hour last night before she had to go to work. She's a painter, a home-care aid, and a very funny and clever girl, not to mention absolutely stunning in her photos.
I'm not getting my hopes up, because at this point that would be beyond foolish. But she told Jon that she likes me, and I was pretty thrilled to hear that.
We're throwing my great-aunt an 85th birthday bash tonight, so I have to go to the sadly white bread market and buy some salmon. Yaohan it is not, but it'll have to do.
Anyone know a slang word for someone who's white on the outside and Asian on the inside? Haha. I'd love to hear it.
Thank you again to everyone who left me sweet comments, emailed, or called me. You're all so wonderful it makes me want to feed you mango pudding and shrimp rolls with chilli sauce. Because let's face it -- feeding someone is one of the most ultimate acts of love.
Laters,
N
p.s. That's my dirty little brother above. I'd like to say this cheeky stunt on the beach in Cannes was my idea, but actually it was his. Never underestimate the raunch factor of an 18-year-old boy. I'm reposting it because nearly four months after the fact, it STILL makes me laugh hysterically.
