Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
40 Million Commitment-Averse People?
My personal experience has determined that at least half of all Spaniards have commitment issues. Other than the fact that the marriage rates are among the lowest in the world and that young people barely seem to get into relationships, the Spanish seem to avoid locking them into even the things they seek out. I say this based on my experience as a private English teacher. Plenty of people contacted me via e-mail saying they were interested and then quickly stopped responding when I gave them more information on scheduling and cost, which I can hardly blame them for.
My issue, however, lies with the ones who go through all the motions and then at the last minute back out. Out of the 10 serious candidates I've had contact me, I am now down to three students. It's hard to make a living out of something when clients continue to not materialize!
Two out of the first four people to contact me ended up deciding against everything after setting times to meet "due to personal issues." The next couple who wanted a tutor for their children kept me on for three weeks, and then told me on the day of our seventh class that it was my last day, no explanations given. Then there was Lara, a friend of my flatmates, who needed to improve her English for business meetings (she works for an Australian retailer). I tried to be as flexible as possible with her availability, but after two classes, she stopped calling me to schedule classes and only after I contacted her a week later did she say she didn't have time. She still owes me 36€ and has a book of mine. Next came Mario, who wanted an intensive refresher course for an interview he had in January. I tried to let him know that I would be travelling throughout December and it would be a good idea to schedule classes as soon as possible, but he continued to jerk me around until the first week of January. We never set an actual date, his interview passed and I still haven't heard from him. Then there was Carlos, who said he was interested in improving his English to change jobs. We exchanged approximately 20 emails, discussed availabilities and prices (he endlessly tried to haggle with me, begging me to lower the price because he "has two kids and a mortgage!"), and finally arranged to meet. A day later I get an email explaining that, not only did he not find a new job, but he also lost the one he had. I didn't know how to respond, considering I only knew he existed by a Yahoo! email address and was hardly in a position to sympathize. The most recent one to fuck with me was Igor, an assumed businessman. He wanted a rapid and intensive refresher course to help his transition to a new job. On top of asking for my CV, credentials, availability, etc., he wanted me to give him a full two-week lesson plan at the drop of a hat. He also expected me to begin the same day he proposed a schedule for the two weeks, which would have given me a whopping two hours to prepare. After I told him I couldn't possibly do it during exams, we arranged to turn the two weeks into one and meet this Monday. On Saturday I get an email telling me that he had decided to leave the topic of English classes for another time, only after I had gone through the effort of preparing the first class and rearranging my schedule to accomodate his needs.
Is it just me, or does it seem like this entire country has commitment issues? Am I wrong for expecting that setting a date means having a verbal contract? Everyone recognizes the importance of English in the working world, especially in Spain and Europe, but when it comes down to time to turn desire into deed, they all back out. My question is: Why do they even bother jerking me around if they don't plan to put anything into practice? GRR!
My issue, however, lies with the ones who go through all the motions and then at the last minute back out. Out of the 10 serious candidates I've had contact me, I am now down to three students. It's hard to make a living out of something when clients continue to not materialize!
Two out of the first four people to contact me ended up deciding against everything after setting times to meet "due to personal issues." The next couple who wanted a tutor for their children kept me on for three weeks, and then told me on the day of our seventh class that it was my last day, no explanations given. Then there was Lara, a friend of my flatmates, who needed to improve her English for business meetings (she works for an Australian retailer). I tried to be as flexible as possible with her availability, but after two classes, she stopped calling me to schedule classes and only after I contacted her a week later did she say she didn't have time. She still owes me 36€ and has a book of mine. Next came Mario, who wanted an intensive refresher course for an interview he had in January. I tried to let him know that I would be travelling throughout December and it would be a good idea to schedule classes as soon as possible, but he continued to jerk me around until the first week of January. We never set an actual date, his interview passed and I still haven't heard from him. Then there was Carlos, who said he was interested in improving his English to change jobs. We exchanged approximately 20 emails, discussed availabilities and prices (he endlessly tried to haggle with me, begging me to lower the price because he "has two kids and a mortgage!"), and finally arranged to meet. A day later I get an email explaining that, not only did he not find a new job, but he also lost the one he had. I didn't know how to respond, considering I only knew he existed by a Yahoo! email address and was hardly in a position to sympathize. The most recent one to fuck with me was Igor, an assumed businessman. He wanted a rapid and intensive refresher course to help his transition to a new job. On top of asking for my CV, credentials, availability, etc., he wanted me to give him a full two-week lesson plan at the drop of a hat. He also expected me to begin the same day he proposed a schedule for the two weeks, which would have given me a whopping two hours to prepare. After I told him I couldn't possibly do it during exams, we arranged to turn the two weeks into one and meet this Monday. On Saturday I get an email telling me that he had decided to leave the topic of English classes for another time, only after I had gone through the effort of preparing the first class and rearranging my schedule to accomodate his needs.
Is it just me, or does it seem like this entire country has commitment issues? Am I wrong for expecting that setting a date means having a verbal contract? Everyone recognizes the importance of English in the working world, especially in Spain and Europe, but when it comes down to time to turn desire into deed, they all back out. My question is: Why do they even bother jerking me around if they don't plan to put anything into practice? GRR!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Lust on Platform 2
Why must the strangest things happen to me at the most inopportune moments?
So on my way home from teaching, I descend the stairs in the train station to the tracks and I pass a guy about my age. I don't think anything of it, but when I get to the middle of the platform, I look back and we cross glances. I then turn away and watch the news displayed on the monitor. A second later, I look over again and realize that he's staring at me and smiling. I don't quite know what to make of it, so I quickly go back to watching the TV. He's a young guy, average height, thin build, dark hair, light complexion, adorable smile - all good things in my book. I smile as I look over again, only to realize that he's now staring intently at me. I hurriedly look for something to do, but the sign still says 3 minutes. I clumsily fish my pack of gum out of my pocket, but in the process I drop the tube of posters that Paloma had given me and am forced to bend over and pick them up. Not only do I feel entirely sheepish, but as I look over again, he seems far too amused and is now staring at me with the intensity with which a wolf stalks a rabbit. I can do nothing but blush and timidly smile back, but after a short while, I get nervous and stare back at the ground, not knowing quite what to do. His train arrives a minute before mine, but it stays in the station for a bit. Rather than sit down, he stands leaning against the doorway smirking at me like something out of a James Dean film. My train arrives and I hurriedly shuffle in to find that it's standing room only. Even though at this point I'm as red as a tomato, I turn back around to look at the guy, and sure enough, he's still smiling at me, beckoning a response. I can only blush more as the doors begin to close and he waves at me as cute as can be. Our trains depart the station at the same time, leaving me with a 45-minute ride to smile, shake my head and wonder what might have been...
Why me? Why today? I'm sick, I haven't slept, I'm unshaven and wearing old jeans and a t-shirt. Of all the times for something like this to happen to me, it has to occur when I'm feeling the least confident. Sure, I can chuckle about it now, but an hour ago I could only stand there and smile like an idiot. Please tell me I'll have another chance!
So on my way home from teaching, I descend the stairs in the train station to the tracks and I pass a guy about my age. I don't think anything of it, but when I get to the middle of the platform, I look back and we cross glances. I then turn away and watch the news displayed on the monitor. A second later, I look over again and realize that he's staring at me and smiling. I don't quite know what to make of it, so I quickly go back to watching the TV. He's a young guy, average height, thin build, dark hair, light complexion, adorable smile - all good things in my book. I smile as I look over again, only to realize that he's now staring intently at me. I hurriedly look for something to do, but the sign still says 3 minutes. I clumsily fish my pack of gum out of my pocket, but in the process I drop the tube of posters that Paloma had given me and am forced to bend over and pick them up. Not only do I feel entirely sheepish, but as I look over again, he seems far too amused and is now staring at me with the intensity with which a wolf stalks a rabbit. I can do nothing but blush and timidly smile back, but after a short while, I get nervous and stare back at the ground, not knowing quite what to do. His train arrives a minute before mine, but it stays in the station for a bit. Rather than sit down, he stands leaning against the doorway smirking at me like something out of a James Dean film. My train arrives and I hurriedly shuffle in to find that it's standing room only. Even though at this point I'm as red as a tomato, I turn back around to look at the guy, and sure enough, he's still smiling at me, beckoning a response. I can only blush more as the doors begin to close and he waves at me as cute as can be. Our trains depart the station at the same time, leaving me with a 45-minute ride to smile, shake my head and wonder what might have been...
Why me? Why today? I'm sick, I haven't slept, I'm unshaven and wearing old jeans and a t-shirt. Of all the times for something like this to happen to me, it has to occur when I'm feeling the least confident. Sure, I can chuckle about it now, but an hour ago I could only stand there and smile like an idiot. Please tell me I'll have another chance!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Well THAT was a fun trip
Call me cheap, but I refuse to pay 10€ to get into a dirty pub I don't even like in the hopes of finding people I barely associate with and watch an American football game I'm not even interested in! This night has become far too indicative of my life of late.
Friday, February 1, 2008
The Future is Now
Throughout my life, I've always had at least some idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up and how to achieve my goals. I flirted with the thought of many professions, often more than one at a time. In chronological order, they are:
Policeman
Architect
Industrial Engineer
Environmental Scientist
Military Intelligence Officer
Foreign Service Officer
Interpreter/Translator
Campaign Manager
Sports Agent
International Corporate Lawyer
International Human Rights Lawyer
Professor of International Relations
Professor of Romance Linguistics
So why, all of a sudden, do I clam up when someone asks me what my plan for this coming year is?!
Policeman
Architect
Industrial Engineer
Environmental Scientist
Military Intelligence Officer
Foreign Service Officer
Interpreter/Translator
Campaign Manager
Sports Agent
International Corporate Lawyer
International Human Rights Lawyer
Professor of International Relations
Professor of Romance Linguistics
So why, all of a sudden, do I clam up when someone asks me what my plan for this coming year is?!
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