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I have so very many projects slated for the summer but, caught between the headrush of ending Laurier and the distant starting point of employment, I find myself in a state of restless delay. I'll start next week; really, I will. I'll do my taxes and ready myself for a Masters degree and write, write, write. I'll read ten books in a row. I will become the summer me.

Because so many people have been jumping on this whole "Teach English in Japan" bandwagon, it might be pertinent to mention yesterday's interview. After two hours of presentation material that showcased Japan's gorgeous diversity and broke the company down into neatly rendered flow-charts, I went one-on-one with a particular Tenzin Zongdho - Overseas Recruiter. Tenzin was a sharp edge, and the interview largely consisted of snap-responses to questions that he would later pick apart. Amidst discussing my personal shortcomings, I learnt that you always accept business cards with two hands in Japan: it's incredibly disrespectful to grab a card and quickly spirit it away when you first meet someone. You have to glance at it repeatedly during conversation, showing apparent fascination for your fellow conversationalist's credentials. Jen warned me about the respect issue, but the double-handed card-grab technique caught me off guard. Why the hell do I need two hands to take something that's shorter than my index finger? Well, it's tradition. To be fair, Western culture has some fucked-up traditions too - we just don't notice them anymore.

In a bizarre climax to the interview, I had to 'teach' a paragraph out of Nova's training text to Tenzin while he role-played a semi-comprehending student: "What smoke? Me no know smoke billow. What that?" I twirled my fingers in an effort to explain what a helicoptor was, and reached mightily to describe skyscrapers. Afterwards, we discussed the semantics of understanding and I quietly realized that I can suspend my condescending nature when needed. I can teach.

But do I really want to teach with Nova? I would have to remove any and all piercings, and wear a suit. All the time. I fucking hate suits and I love piercings. The pay is moderately less than what I had expected, and let's face it: I need substantial cash-money to embark on my crazy schemes for the future. I am willing to settle, but I am also willing to look outside my current horizons for something better.

I hear South Korea is big.

Posted by Chris at 02:04 PM >> Commentations (3)