As part of my desire to try new things (since forever -- okay maybe not), I tried staffing for a local children's summer camp last year. Since I enjoyed it immensely, I volunteered to staff for this year's camp again.
As someone who was deprived from joining such activities when I was a kid, staffing for camp has totally broadened my view of what I can do with my life. Enjoying my second camp experience, my colleagues told me I should try staffing for international camp. Since they opened the application for next year's series of international camps, I jumped at the opportunity. If they get me, great! If not, then I'll just continue with volunteering for local camps.
My contact ((Guy #1) scheduled my interview. 5:30pm in Starbucks. He said I will be meeting him, Guy #2 an Girl #1. Okay.
The thing is when I know that any meeting would be I plan ahead what I would order. I don't want anything that would be hard to drink, hard to eat, that would give me black teeth or anything that would get stuck between my teeth.
But at 5:15pm Guy #1 texted me that we weren't meeting in Starbucks since it was crowded. We will meet in Stella, a tapas place, instead. Crap. There goes my preparations.
When I arrived, it was only Guy #1 and Girl #1 so far. Guy #1 is a friend of my sister's so we had stuff to talk about. Girl #1 was pretty nice, and with the few questions she threw at me, she liked my answers.
Sample question:
Girl #1: What's your favorite drink?
Me: Amaretto Sour.
Yes, the interview was like that. It was more of a getting to know you, and the interviewers were just around my age.
Guy #2 arrives 15 minutes late and that's where it started. I can't remember anyone intimidating that way. He didn't help the situation too.
When he arrived, there was a moment of awkwardness when I wasn't sure if he wanted to shake hands or not. (I shook hands with Girl #1). We ended up shaking hands. He's not your usual definition of attractive. He had that rugged look in him (I found out later on he was a musician) but since it was a weeknight he was dressed in his corporate clothes. He had longish hair and skin that wasn't perfect. But there was something about him.
I later thought he was just really awkward. He was asking me questions but he seemed pretty out of it. Like he would start a question then stop midway and say he lost his thoughts. I blamed it on being late and not being mentally prepared.
It turns out we went to the same university -- one of the universities known for activists. At one point he said, "We are from the happiest school!" I just looked at him oddly. "I said our school isn't happy; it's angry." At least Guy #1 and Girl #1 laughed.
What was most embarrassing was at one point I realized I didn't put my phones on silent. One of the phones I carry -- I carry three phones, don't ask me why -- was on loud. It started ringing. I scrambled to look for it in my bag. But my bag was being its usual black hole and I couldn't find it. It was embarrassing enough, but I felt like Guy #2 was watching me and looking into my bag!
I knew they had another interviewee at 6pm. But by that time the second interview hasn't arrived. So I just stayed put to continue chatting with them -- or trying to. The three of them had history so of course I was a bit out of place.
Our table was right by the shopfront so I saw the next interviewee arrived. I recognized her since she also staffed for the camp this year. Since I was the one facing the glass window, I announced her arrival. So I stood up to say goodbye, then accidentally dropped the table napkin that was on my lap. Embarrassing.
I left with mixed emotions.
It might just be a small fraction of what Anastacia Steele felt when she met Christian Grey, but I couldn't help but remember that scene when I had to endure that experience.
[ Postscript: I saw him a week later in the camp's Christmas party. We shook hands. But it was still awkward.]
No comments:
Post a Comment