Tuesday, June 30th....more interviews

Tuesday started off much the same way except that due to the wind it was exceptionally cold. I had two interviews again. I took the subte to downtown again, but this time it was more crowded. It was interesting when I got off, because EVERYONE did, and EVERYONE began walking towards this one street. I was a bit disoriented, so I just went with the flow. I felt like a huge mob of ants, as everyone exited the subte and entered a pedestrian street. So, recognizing that I was lost, I popped into a little kiosk and asked where my street was, which thankfully it ended up being just one street over. So I walked a ways, and then found my building. Here’s the ridiculous part.

It was on the tenth floor.

And I didn’t know how/was too scared to work the old elevator.

So I climbed those stairs. And by the fourth floor I was huffing. But I made it, and collected myself for a few seconds before knocking on the door, but I knew my face was red. This place was much sketchier, with no real sign nor much inside the office. But the lady who interviewed me was very nice, and at this point I just came straight out with the fact that I wasn’t here past August. They do like though that I’m thinking, pues I let them think that it’s more than a thought, about returning next year. She actually had a two-week class to offer me, but it requires an hour train ride out of town, so it’s kind of sketch. I can’t commit until I figure out what my volunteership through Road is going to be. She also agreed to be interviewed.

After that, I made my way down 10 flights of stairs and headed to my final interview, which I almost gave up on. The building was confusing because there were two separate flights of stairs which went to two separate places (at this point I have given up on creaky old elevators in downtown buildings). So I go up the first one, and I am mildly freaking out about the sketchiness of this place b/c it’s dark and there is no sign. So I ring the doorbell then step away towards the stairs. No one answers, and a girl walks by, so I ask her if she knows if a language company is located here. She doesn’t, but she tells me to ask the doorman. So I head back down, and he explains that I have to go up the middle stairs. Oh, of course, the middle stairs, why didn’t I think of that? So I go up again, and this time there is a welcome sign outside of the door.

The lady who interviews me, ugh, I forgot her name, ushered me in, and she excuses herself for a moment, has a frustrated conversation with an English teacher who just didn’t show up for a class, costing them a client, and then comes into our interview frustrated. Uh-oh. But she quickly recovers, and we have a really good interview. My early departure is not a problem because since this is a smaller company most of their clients are one-to-one, and most enjoy switching the accents of their teachers to challenge themselves. In this interview, she actually asks me things pertaining to English, such as how I would teach the difference between “I have been seeing him” and “I did see him”, or something like that. Also the difference between “may” and “might”. We covered both of those topics in my TEFL class, so I was able to give satisfactory answers, and she offered me two clients on the spot. Her only concern was that I not appear as though I was new to this. She was like, we have the passion and the potential, we just need the committed teachers. I like you, but you are young, so when you are with us, you must be representing Language Roots confidently. I assured her I would, and she called the first student.

Pues, turns out he is a middle-aged lawyer who has worked with Wall Street, so I saw my first student come and go in the span of 5 minutes as we realized that my life experiences would not be appropriate for his needs. The second student would have to be confirmed later, but hey, one student is better than none! And at this point, she offered my coffee while I looked through their workbooks, which was when I knew I was in.

On my way out, we were chatting about how long I had been in BA. She also fixed my scarf and recommended I get some gloves and better socks. So I walked home through Santa Fe, which is a huge street in BA. I picked up some cheap empanadas for lunch along the way, which also ensured that I would not stop at any of the cute but pricey cafes along the way. There are lots of gallerias along this street, which function as a group of maybe 10-20 tiny shops, like a mall but smaller and that open to the outdoors. I like them because I can stand outside and look inside at the stuff without having pesky salespeople at my side. Oh, other thing, watchband broke, so haven’t decided if I’m going to get a new one or try to ghetto-rig it. The whole time, I was keeping an eye out for socks or gloves, because I really did need some.

Pues, the ONLY shops in which I found either were like Claires back home, meaning super gaudy, rather cheap material, and made for pre-teens. But I was desperate and am still not sure where the Walmart is, so I stopped in the second one I saw and picked up one pair of gloves and 3 pair of socks, 2 brown and one black. I felt ridiculous carrying the brightly spotted dotted bag back home, but nonetheless I did.

Once home, I picked up my laundry and then pretty much just hung out. My empanadas simply seemed to elevate my hunger, and I was snacking all afternoon. Lulu had some friends over, so Maria Laura made chocolate bread, which I devoured my portion along with some tea she brewed. I was going to go to Spanglish, but I actually got locked in my house. Maria Laura had lost her keys, so she borrowed mine. And without keys, I can’t leave the apartment. So I ended up copying some of her music onto my computer and reading until they came home. We had yummy milanesa for dinner with some kind of weird potato side dish.

I then got ready, and met Rebe and we went to a downtown joint. Since it was rather late, we took a taxi. This place, which is run by French people, is supposed to be one of the best places to get a mojito and listen to live music. So we arrived and made our way to an empty table in the back. The mojito was decidedly awesome, but we saw no live music. So we asked the waitress, and she laughed and replied that they have live music every night except Tuesdays. I still have no idea why the website recommended this place specifically on Tuesday night, unless its their slow night and they were trying to amp it up. So we chilled, chatted, and basically enjoyed ourselves for a while, and then pretty much headed home, where I crashed.