began early Saturday. He was a key day, the highlight of this fair, since the first interviews conducted on Friday (and logic to "convert the first with whom I am most interested"), and several colleges have offerings that morning for many of the five hundred teachers inundábamos corridors, cafeterias and bathrooms of the hotel. According to Sally told us, "the institutions are asked to give them to applicants within 24 hours to assess the proposals and make a decision." We knew the pressure would be great, and "bid" for hiring teachers was a separate battle would deliver directors and personnel managers. Jessica, who knows everything, finished very well explain, "It starts Saturday when the real tension, because Friday arrived with the worry of getting interviews and, if things went well, we get two or three bids and so begins the most difficult, choice. Worse is when the school you are really interested in Paris or Tokyo, you just cited the Saturday afternoon and that day in the morning, you get a tempting offer from a school that is in Samarkand and Tanganyika, places where has no plans to move out next semester, then, do you expect to risk losing this offer, accept the risk of losing the dream of opportunity or stay stagnant and out of work? "Poor Hamlet!
Amid such uncertainty, at least one certainty we lit; and we were there because we needed a job, they-managers of dozens of schools around the world also needed to fill their vacancies and had not traveled to Boston to enjoy the magnificent, icy winter wind that weekend. We try to get a minute in the shoes of "them" and had not understood that his best days ahead. Many came from Africa or Asia, in endless flight, with three or four levels, and crazy time zone changes that were made "back in time" ten or twelve hours (which then "lost" to return). They, like us, ran the same risk of leaving with empty hands and no signed contract. Sure, the budget allowed them to go even to the next three or four missing fairs held in other parts of the world (although Boston is the largest-so given the trot, and, therefore, is where offer more and better teachers). However, as time was running against him and against the strict sense of planning for these institutions to put together calendars a year in advance. It was not hard to imagine, then, that the mere idea of \u200b\u200bgetting to Budapest, Thailand, Zimbabwe or elsewhere to work, without adequate teachers, necessary and indispensable the start of classes next semester, should not make them very happy. Speculated as to avoid thinking about our own good or bad luck, to return a month on tour with empty hands (and blank contracts) could not see very well in giving explanations to the "Board" which is, after all, that ratification of these organizations or non-managers.
animatedly talked all this while having breakfast. Last night we agreed, "the group" meet at seven in the morning in the hotel restaurant where the fair was taking place. Jessica was a clock and when I arrived, it was early, and was waiting. Gail went down after a while, he was staying at the hotel and minutes later Maki, and had taken the first orange juice when Marc arrived man carrying a sleeping face unpresentable, "What happened?" Said Jessica and I "Sure he went to bars with a guest of his hotel," I said sarcastically and all laughed. No, never been so fun sleepless the night before the fire alarm rang in his hotel at three o'clock, he ignored sovereign alarm until a policeman, a very bad temper, attacked his door telling him not was a sham and should "evacuate the building." What had happened?, "A short circuit, a pump, a cigarette is not put out? No, it was a false alarm on a young worshiper of Bacchus in the impunity of his drunkenness.
Marc told us all this while and we laughed a buffet despachábamos americanísimo (such as cholesterol and triglycerides sends recommended), with tons of fat evenly distributed between scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and ham on the grill. Huge banquet and a hilarious story, told with the sarcastic tone of Marc and seasoned with my cynical, encouraged us mentally as we were speculating about what might happen in this day "crucial." All had at least a second interview with a school and several "firsts" that allowed us to suppose that things still going well, that nothing was written and as someone said, "the ball is still rolling." A tower of pancakes, with lots of maple syrup were the last, silent witnesses of our early-morning chat.
At eight o'clock we left the table and went to wash the watch calmly as did his thing. Each developed its role of activities and launched into the adventure. I had no trouble, just at nine o'clock had agreed a meeting with Malaysia and a little later, with Indonesia. China had asked me a second meeting and we agreed it was about noon. After lunch, Romania and Korea, closed my list.
The Malaysia meeting was formal, friendly but very formal, stuffy, full of formulas and conventions which lasted during these interviews and a handshake stayed at "communicating." Without much trouble and time to spare, I went to the penultimate floor where it would be my meeting with Indonesia.
I received two gentlemen, very nice. You could tell they had done their homework because they knew exactly who he was and what my experience, we talked many things, from me, my stories as a teacher, my stay in Mexico, the new circumstances that made me re-emigrate. It was all very informal, within the formality of the situation, "very nice" as far as three strangers are pleasing, and very comfortable, as far as can be comfortable to wear the suit that disguises me who I am, sitting on a couch made for standard sizes and not for "extra large" like me. Half an hour passed in a flash and parting, when the next interview and knocked on the door-I asked if any of the people I had tested was at the fair. I said "yes, Carol and Philip", and explained who they were when they gave their room numbers. With a smile and a "we are in contact," he closed the meeting.
I was on the first floor corridors, waiting for my second meeting with the school in China, when it happened the first revelation (thanks to good advice of Sally, "stay visible, walking through the different rooms, the hallways, buy a coffee shop where everyone more than once been offered a job in an elevator. ")
While I was doing in line to buy a diet soda ("those who do not get fat but give cancer "), Alan approached me, one of the nicest recruiters with whom he had spoken, who, although he was director in Cyprus, was looking for a school teacher of one of the UAE belonging to the same company he works for . He greeted me with affection, I asked "How are things going?" And said "I want you to someone." I left the row that led to the kingdom carbonated water and walked a few steps up the escalator leading to the restaurant where I had breakfast while Alan reported: "He is the director of our school in the UAE for which I am looking for a teacher English, I want you to know. " We waited a moment until he had to say goodbye to a lady who riddled him with questions and we approached, we shook hands, exchanged a few pleasantries, I made a couple of questions and leave with the same courtesy with which he greeted me. Alan went with him but he said, "do not miss, that after we speak."
I returned for my gas, I found an interesting Cuban professor who also was looking for a job "English teacher" and I got distracted talking to my friendly competitor, as almost all, huge black eyes opened when I said to one of telling questions "I'ma writer." The conversation with the Cuban (divorced, childless, New York, thirty-two) ended when the clock told me it was time to move again toward the floor corresponding skeleton.
I stopped the elevator thinking how would this second interview with China. I had explained to be invited to a second meeting with a school was great, which is usually done to deepen the knowledge of the likely teacher and citing only those who had "great potential". That encouraged me, and go to Asia, to know that ancient culture, the Great Wall, pagodas, rice fields, large industrial cities, Beijing and the mystery of that country with such people, as they say someone said, "If all the Chinese to agree and kicked the floor at the same time, would stagger the world."
I was "enmimismado" front of the elevator, in the midst of my Asian fantasy, when Alan approached me again. Came with that sincere smile that won my respect, a natural smile, quite distant from the other thousands who had been so practiced, so imposts, so cartoonish that reminded me that, finally, we were selling the pictures for us to buy. I asked if he had "a minute" and took me to one side of the corridor as I explained with that paternal tone which he perceived honest, "the director wanted you to know it is with him that would work."
If it were a movie, that had been the right time to put the music on hold, however, the silence that surrounded us was enough. For three seconds I looked incredulous face the castaway who does not know whether what we see on the horizon is the island that is going to save sharks or a piece of wood that distance and fatigue becomes a cruel false hope . Alan comprehensive smiled and added, in case of doubt, do not let me understand what was happening: "I'm offering the position Professor. "
What will have been my expression that I said, "take it easy, Meditate, and afternoon talk, surely you have several more appointments?". I told him that I had meetings, made some mental calculations and fired: "perfect, there's no hurry, I wait at six and a half, there I will cause the financial offer and give you the details of the school, meanwhile, go thinking the ability to go live in the Emirates. "
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