Ding-Dong, London Calling

Well, not London. But Brussels! Heeeeey.

So I'm still at Starbucks. I had a great review. My boss is searching for a second store for me to go to. Will be there a few months before going for an ASM interview. All good, right?

On Tuesday, I picked up a phantom shift at Queen & Bathurst (they love me). Before I left the house, I checked my e-mail. In it was a note from Annika. Annika is one of the interviewers for the job I applied for at the EUD.

It turns out she has since left the EUD, and is now working as a Parliamentary Assistant to Helga Stevens, a Deaf Member of European Parliament (MEP), also in Brussels. Turns out that they've been daisy-chaining VGT, spoken Dutch and spoken English together, and it's really not effective. They are looking for an ASL-English or BSL-English interpreter to work till the end of the current session (April 2014), and if they like me, they'll keep me until 2019.

Um, WHAT. HI. LET'S CHAT.

So, luckily, I chatted with Annika over the phone. Her first words were, "I bet you have a lot of question!" Yes, I certainly do! Ha-ha-ha. Basically, this offer sounds amazing, except for the whole 10-weeks business. I asked what's the possibility of extension. Turns out that, even if they don't renew my contract, there is other work available within the EP and at the EUD. Main contract is a daily rate, payable in Euros. Cool!

Annika wanted me to interview with Helga and Oliver (main guy running Overseas Interpreting in Paris) the next day. So I did. Erin thought I was crazy for getting my shift covered for super-mysterious reasons.

I had yet another 6:30 AM interview with folks in Strasbourg. The connection was a bit choppy, but I think I did pretty well. They were big on me getting my COI, and me being able to handle the crazy EP language that floats around. The thing lasted about 45 minutes before we ended it. Good stuff, beyond the random disconnect in the middle.

No answer yet. They said they'd be in touch. Nothing yet, so I sent a thank-you e-mail to Annika. It's a thank-you, yes, but also a *poke poke* remember to let me know if I have the job or not.

So. Is Brussels gonna holla at me and bring me back? Let's see.

The European Job

I'm currently a candidate in the running for a pretty sweet job in Europe.

I work as a freelance ASL-English interpreter. That's a fairly interesting job as it is. My colleague in the program, an Irish guy, forwarded me a job ad from this super-cool organization in Europe. It's the European Union of the Deaf (EUD), with its headquarters in Brussels! 

This is my job! Not pictured: Me. 

For those who don't know, I am obsessed with Brussels since I lived there for a time in 2007-2008, but was forced back to Canada to finish university. O, cruel Fate! Histrionics aside, I actually do love the place and the memories and friends I still have and cherish, so that's why I always make time for a visit.

The ad said "Office Administrator", which basically screams for my freakishly organized tendencies to come out and play. I was egged on by my parents to apply, and so I did. I made up a great resume, cover letter, and - and! - this being the EUD, I filmed my cover letter in sign language (ASL) and sent it off too. 

I got an answer quite quickly. I sent it off on the Thursday, and the following Monday I received an answer that they would be in touch after the deadline. The deadline came and went, and I was on the verge of getting in touch, when they drew first blood and asked me for an interview. Normally, we'd work out a time that was mutually convenient, me being six hours behind them. But, they said 12:30 in Brussels, and I didn't want to be problematic, so ... my job interview was at 6:30 in the morning over Skype. For the record, this entailed me waking up at 5:15. But I did it.

I asked when the position starts, and they said it would be by Friday. Sure, no probs. Friday comes, and I got an e-mail saying, "Whoops! We know we said Friday, but let's make it Monday. We're still talking." Today is Saturday (well, Sunday, it's 12:36 AM), so it won't be long before I find out. I have a cold sore from the anxiety.

Wish me luck!