“Hello, this is A.J. from Reach-To-Teach. How are you doing today?”
Even with a significant number of interviews under my belt at this point, this introduction still feels weird. AJ from Reach-To-Teach? As in the same recruiting company that interviewed me a mere 8 months ago? Really?
Frankly, it’s been really weird noticing all the similarities between my experiences as interviewee and interviewer. There are the interviewees who actually reference my history during the interview. “So I see you got your TEFL in Cambodia before coming out to Taiwan?” What the hell? How did they know that? Oh right, my profile on the RTT website. I, too, remember doing a little bit of beforehand internet stalking on my interviewer. They ask questions about the language barrier, about the locals—both concerns I asked a great deal about during my acceptance interview. And I empathize with those who are thrown off when I put them in hypothetical teaching situations, understanding how much pressure I felt when the roles were reversed.
Yet as strange as it’s been finding myself on the opposite side of the RTT interview process, the thing that really trips me out is thinking how I’ve made it to this point. In 2 weeks, I will officially have been in Taiwan for 6 months. In that mere half a year, so much has happened. I’ve pretty much become familiar with just about every aspect of Taiwan life. I've become somewhat of an expert on Taiwan life and teaching English, and I'm able to answer nearly every one of the questions I'm asked with ease and confidence. Apart from the always daunting language barrier, I think it’s safe to say I’ve assimilated.
But every time I mutter that simple introduction, my mind flashes back in time in a very Lost-like fashion. There I am, during late May 2010. I’m a mere 2 weeks from graduation. The Black Mambas just finished a miserable season and Senior Project is all but wrapped-up. Yet I’m still nervous. At this point LanguageCorps has accepted me into their TEFL training program in Cambodia, but now it’s up to me to impress Reach-to-Teach to ensure I find employment in Taiwan before I leave home. Of course the anticipation only grows after the first couple of interview attempts are thwarted by a shoddy connection, a problem I’m all too familiar with at this point. Finally the interview gets under way, and after an hour it’s completed. Every time I conduct an interview now, I swear it’s like déjà-freaking-vu.
Though however strange I may find these flashbacks, their effect is ultimately positive. They provide much needed perspective. Sometimes when I’m feeling down and perhaps doubting what I’ve accomplished here, they help remind me of just how eventful a journey this has been so far; they help remind me of the challenges I’ve faced and the ways I’ve grown. Instead of fretting about researching private military companies for senior project, I’m fretting about how to get my Treehouse 8 babies to study for their quizzes. And instead of reflecting on another disappointing youth basketball season, I’m coaching a promising little league team. And last but not least, instead of sitting in San Luis Obispo daydreaming about the potential difficulties of finding friends in Taiwan, I’ve developed a community of friends here. I’ve cultivated friendships with co-workers, locals, and fellow reach-to-teachers like Carrie and Selina—the very same people I owe for allowing me this great opportunity which I’m now writing about.
At least six more months and countless numbers of interviews await me. I can’t wait to see what they hold.
