south of the border

Well, I'm back from Iowa and I have some news to pass along (per someone's request). Here's a brief synopsis of what all went on this last weekend.

I got to Iowa late on Thursday night and got my stuff ready for the next day. Clothes were hung up, CVs were carefully organized, my alarm clock set. I got some mexican food and fell asleep while eating my burrito. No, it wasn't actually IN my mouth, I had set it down and woke up a half hour later. I went to bed as early as I could because I knew that Friday was going to be one busy day.

It started off with an interview with the American School of Kuwait at 7:15 in the morning. If that sounds a bit early, you aren't the only one who thought that. But hey, it was a free breakfast and I am never one to turn down a free meal. The director of ASK pushed hard for me to go to their school but something just didn't feel right. Maybe it was because it felt like he was a used-car salesman the way he was working the situation or that I couldn't quite envision myself working for the high school principal that was there, but in any case, I quickly shifted ASK to a spot low on my list.

I got a little bit of time off and then I sat down with the director and her husband of the FDR School of Lima, Peru. We chatted for about an hour and I thought things went really well. They were one of my top choices from before the fair and the interview didn't disappoint. After that interview, the fair actually started. I mean that it started in the fact that others got their chance to schedule interviews with schools. I kinda jumped the queue because I'm so wicked cool.

Or something like that.

But then I did my signups and the interviews were fast and furious - 30 minutes top per school. I talked with Seoul Foreign School (great package) in Korea; ASF in Guadalajara, Mexico; ASF in Tampico, Mexico; Escuela Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela; IS Manila in the Philippines, and the Kwajalein School of the US Marshall Islands. That's right, 8 interviews in one afternoon. Ugh, me tired. But the day wasn't over. There was still the 'social mixer' for candidates and recruiters to mingle and chat and hob-knob and basically kiss ass. While I was there, I walked up and got myself a beer - a Heineken. When the barmaid said that it would be $3, I scoffed. "They don't cost that much in Holland." She giggles and flips into Dutch. I have no idea what she said but I chatted with her for a minute and found out that she was there because of a man in her life, a transplant from Haarlem. What are the odds??? I'm in the middle of a small town in IOWA and I bump into a Dutchie. The world is a truly small place.

Saturday was second interviews and I went back to talk with FDR and Seoul Foreign. I had a second interview with Venezuela scheduled as well but dropped it so I could sign a contract with FDR. Even though the package that SFS had was absolutely amazing, I just felt like Lima was going to be a better fit for me and decided to take the job there. So I'm off to South America! What a hectic summer its going to be...

There's other small drivel of information about the weekend but nothing that really makes the story any more exciting. And more to the point, I'm exhausted and want to grab a nap right now (I am writing this mere moments after returning home). So ask questions and I'll be glad to answer. For now its nappy time.