School is to me what Lakes are for Fish
Ish and I were driving home from school in her car. Whenever we slow down to a stop, the car goes up and it feels like the frame is going to lift off, it actually shifts so much. It's like the car is a disguised saucer, about to lift into outer space. It rises off of the axel so far! (Her brothers are constantly working on the car to tune it up and keep it running). She commented that maybe one time the car will simply fly off the wheels and we'll go skidding into the intersection. That got me thinking: if the car was to wheels what hands are to mits, then by attaching strings from our mits to our sleeves for the purpose of not losing them "attachables", we should also attach strings from our axel to our wheels, so that we don't lose them either. At least if we did lose them, they wouldn't go rolling very far, or get lost like that notorious meatball in that song, "spaghetti and meatballs."
Had an interview over the phone the other day. It was 4 bilingual call support. Some of it was in French which I realized too late I needed brushing up on, but it was kind of exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time.
I had been looking for full time positions for the summer when I'll be done school. It piqued my interest to find a bilingual recruitment agency that would have a myriad of connections to bilingual positions.
I took French in a school and went on exchanges to Québec, rode on French horses through French fields, and heard the French myths about the unicorn that put the last brick on the cathedral of Trois-Pistoles, and saw French whales pop their heads out of the St.Laurence river, and had my visits to Montrèal. I feel it would be sad to lose all that culture and that linguistic tongue. So I figure a great way would be to keep it up in my work, and help businesses communicate with their clients. The challenge made me reconsider keeping it up in my spare time as well, so I've been trying to read FAQ sheets like these.
About the interview: after playing telephone tag a couple "you're it's," I finally caught the woman who I had been stalking for the opportunity. We had a pleasant chat, but I knew she was probably unclear about all my motives for applying to her agency, so I explained that I'm in school, would like bilingual experience, etc. She asked some questions about my education, about my area of interest: whether I was dead set on a definite goal, for example: to fulfill my objective to be a PR professional writer. As I explained, it is one goal, but I'm more interested in developing many skills at a time -French speaking skills, persuasion, promotions, communication, management which may all lead up to a career in professional writing. In other words, I will accept positions other than "PR professional writer" as I'm eager to start working in general. When she told me to answer questions in French that she was asking in English, it threw me for a bit of a loop, because I had to think of an answer in the first place, and then translate it. She was testing my ability not only to speak in French, but to think in French. I've dreamed in French before, but usually only when I'm heavily immersed in, which at this point, I am not.
So, it was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to describe my ideal work environment as a place that is "joli" and "ouvert," somewhere where I could "enseigner et informer des personnes" or do "ventes". Felt good besides not knowing and having to ask what the word for "website" was iFrenchch ("site de web"). Yea, I was a littlembarrasseded, but it was nothing to slit my wrists over.
Got a contact for the future anyway, to call nearer to the time I'm applying for full time work. Am currently feeling relatively satisfied with having two very non-demanding (timewise) part-time positions which are both on campus. I'll get to maintain security for our school event: the Polar Plunge -an event where students do the insane act of jumping into a lake of frigidly cold water through a hole in the ice. I'll get to distribute the new contact cards that I designed for a business. And I'll have other work too.
Must apply for my placement in the next week or so, which will involve doing unpailaborur. It is part of our program: to gain experience, but at the same time, it is a real job. It may be unpaid, but I'm very excited nonetheless because of how it relates to my studies.
But enough of that. I must now take a vitamin and go to sleep to complete the whole placebo effect of thinking my life is generally in perfect shape right now. Although I didn't jam on Tuesday as part of the new band I have been absorbed into, hopefully my accomplice will have his PA all set to go. Right?
Had an interview over the phone the other day. It was 4 bilingual call support. Some of it was in French which I realized too late I needed brushing up on, but it was kind of exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time.
I had been looking for full time positions for the summer when I'll be done school. It piqued my interest to find a bilingual recruitment agency that would have a myriad of connections to bilingual positions.
I took French in a school and went on exchanges to Québec, rode on French horses through French fields, and heard the French myths about the unicorn that put the last brick on the cathedral of Trois-Pistoles, and saw French whales pop their heads out of the St.Laurence river, and had my visits to Montrèal. I feel it would be sad to lose all that culture and that linguistic tongue. So I figure a great way would be to keep it up in my work, and help businesses communicate with their clients. The challenge made me reconsider keeping it up in my spare time as well, so I've been trying to read FAQ sheets like these.
About the interview: after playing telephone tag a couple "you're it's," I finally caught the woman who I had been stalking for the opportunity. We had a pleasant chat, but I knew she was probably unclear about all my motives for applying to her agency, so I explained that I'm in school, would like bilingual experience, etc. She asked some questions about my education, about my area of interest: whether I was dead set on a definite goal, for example: to fulfill my objective to be a PR professional writer. As I explained, it is one goal, but I'm more interested in developing many skills at a time -French speaking skills, persuasion, promotions, communication, management which may all lead up to a career in professional writing. In other words, I will accept positions other than "PR professional writer" as I'm eager to start working in general. When she told me to answer questions in French that she was asking in English, it threw me for a bit of a loop, because I had to think of an answer in the first place, and then translate it. She was testing my ability not only to speak in French, but to think in French. I've dreamed in French before, but usually only when I'm heavily immersed in, which at this point, I am not.
So, it was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to describe my ideal work environment as a place that is "joli" and "ouvert," somewhere where I could "enseigner et informer des personnes" or do "ventes". Felt good besides not knowing and having to ask what the word for "website" was iFrenchch ("site de web"). Yea, I was a littlembarrasseded, but it was nothing to slit my wrists over.
Got a contact for the future anyway, to call nearer to the time I'm applying for full time work. Am currently feeling relatively satisfied with having two very non-demanding (timewise) part-time positions which are both on campus. I'll get to maintain security for our school event: the Polar Plunge -an event where students do the insane act of jumping into a lake of frigidly cold water through a hole in the ice. I'll get to distribute the new contact cards that I designed for a business. And I'll have other work too.
Must apply for my placement in the next week or so, which will involve doing unpailaborur. It is part of our program: to gain experience, but at the same time, it is a real job. It may be unpaid, but I'm very excited nonetheless because of how it relates to my studies.
But enough of that. I must now take a vitamin and go to sleep to complete the whole placebo effect of thinking my life is generally in perfect shape right now. Although I didn't jam on Tuesday as part of the new band I have been absorbed into, hopefully my accomplice will have his PA all set to go. Right?
posted by sirbarrett at 11:51 p.m.
2 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Dude, don't mean to rain on your parade but it's going to be very difficult to get bilingual employment (or be successful in it). High school french isn't going to cut it -- especially when you start hearing crazy Québéçois speaking three hundred miles a minute in thick duck-like accents over the telephone.
I've taken second and third year University French and consider myself to be pretty good at French. I still couldn't pass an interview in French.
But maybe it's just me.
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