Dive in

Sometimes it is better to not know what is coming your way - if you don't know certain things are about to happen you do not have the chance to fret and worry and lose lots of sleep. I could get all philosophical at this point about how Hell can be defined as the ability to see into the future, etc...........but I won't. Instead I'll just recount a mild example of the benefits of being ignorant:

I actually had a JOB interview last week. A real one at a French company. On the list of requirements for the job it stated must be fluent in English. No ifs, ands or buts about that requirement.

So even though the director of HR was French and so was the institution where I hope to be hired, I didn't give a second thought as to what language I would be interviewed in................silly me.

"So, you speak french I presume?" the HR director peered at me.

"Ahhh, yes, un peu, but of course I am more comfortable in English" (it's an absolute requirement for the job after all....).

"Bon, on va continuer en francais", she briskly stated - uh oh...this was sounding ominous. (by the way - I will translate: "we will continue speaking in french).

Gulp.

As they say in France - j'ai plongé - I dove in. I really did not have much of a choice.

You know what - it came out - the French I mean. It came out of my mouth and I think that she even understood me. Will miracles never cease?

If I had had even an inkling that I would have to conduct this interview - my first real interview for a job in almost 30 years - in FRENCH no less - I probably would not have slept for a week, been sweating through my jacket and arrived with a tongue as thick as a dry loofah.

But...ignorance sometimes truly is bliss.

"You speak French very well, no problem at all", the famously polite french people are really good liars, but I took the compliment anyway.

At least when I dove in (actually it was more like being pushed over the edge) I did not drown.

Comments

[expat on the go]

Hi Mary,
Good luck, my friend! You deserve it and who wouldn't want a hard-working, dedicated, intelligent woman like you!
Brigitt
PS: See you soon.