In Which Wednesday is a Very Good Day

To some, hump day... to me, on this particular occasion, a day full of good news, good food and good friends. :)

Yesterday, I had planned to have two friends over for dinner. In the morning, I got up, went grocery shopping, and then came home to start cooking. On the menu: a sweet potato risotto (parsnips in the recipe, but I've always been one to improvise), a lentil salad, a green salad, some homemade garlic bread and "hand made" chocolate mousse (hand made because I didn't have the right equipment, aka the electric hand mixer -- but it still came out delicious!). My French neighbor Benoit, who lives in the penthouse apartment of my building, stopped by to see my roommate, and was so impressed by the menu that he wants to have us all over for dinner (the whole building) next week. And I promised to bring something. I also ended up with a recurring coffee date to get together and practice my French, starting with Monday night. All good things. But moving on. :)

At 3:30 I had a job interview at the Israel Opera in Tel Aviv, with Ms. B, the production manager. Ms. B is an American woman who has lived in Israel for twenty three years, and doesn't speak a word of Hebrew. Everyone warned me before the interview, "she's a total character -- don't be alarmed," and "she'll either like you or hate you, there's nothing you can do about it, so just relax." All things you want to hear when you're going into a job interview!

At 3:30 I was waiting in Ms. B's secretary's office. At around 3:40, Ms. B's door opened and I was invited inside.

After the hellos and how are yous, Ms. B said to me "Shani, tell me about yourself." So I told her about my undergraduate degrees, and my decision to move to Tel Aviv after college... and her response was "ok. Let's cut the bullshit."

I was very taken aback, because that's not something I was expecting to hear two minutes into my interview. I didn't know exactly what I had done wrong, but I stopped talking and looked at her for a clue as to what to do or say next. And then she continued that thought. "...enough with the small talk. You sold me when you walked in the door."

We spent another twenty minutes or so chatting, her asking me about my experience, whether or not I can read music (affirmative), whether I can read/speak any other languages (affirmative), whether I like opera (affirmative)... she told me that normally does not like hiring relatives of employees (for those of you who don't know, my aunt Limor works in the Tel Aviv opera house), but that clearly I am not just taking advantage of my connections, that I actually have the skills and experience necessary for this kind of work (not on stage, but backstage - production work). The peak of the conversation was the moment when she told me that ideally, she wanted me in the position of ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR... but that that job is taken for the time being, by someone who, I gather, is unsatisfactory. She hinted that there may be a chance that the position will at some point become available, but for the time being that she really wants me around the place, that it's where I belong, and that I will be called whenever I am needed. At the end of the interview, she stood up, shook my hand, and said "welcome aboard."

...

I now work for the Israel Opera in Tel Aviv! Officially! :)

After the interview, in a daze, I walked to my next appointment, which was a two hour babysitting job. In this house, I am half babysitter, half governess -- the family just spent two years in Pittsburgh and has hired me as much for English practice as for babysitting. I will meet with the three girls once a week (ages 5-9), pick them up from school in the afternoon, and then spend a few hours of exclusive English speaking with them until their parents come home in the evening. Yesterday, we played some board games, and then when it was time for me to leave, all three of them draped themselves over me, saying "no! Shanini! Don't leave!" which I was very touched by, of course. I will see them again next Thursday.

Then, I came home, finished cooking, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in my apartment with my childhood friends, Sahar and Alma. What a very lovely day!

P.S. Today my roommate's sister came by to pick something up, and remarked that Bamba has never acted around any of the other roommates as she does around me... she lets me play with her, kisses me on the nose, curls up in my bed... apparently I am the first to receive that privilege. More good news. :)