I had my very first language shock today in my phone interview with Garin Tzabar. As I mentioned in my previous post, Garin Tzabar is the program which we hope will facilitate our move to Israel and our service in the IDF. We had been waiting for months (years, even) to apply and were relieved when we finally received notice that we would have our phone interviews, the first follow-up to the application. What's unique about Garin Tzabar is that it has its potential participants attend four seminars in a “feeling-out” period. So while we could participate in the program, at least in terms of its seminars, there is no guarantee until after the last one that we have a spot in our “Garin,” or group. Nothing like a bit of suspense!
It's definitely an interesting situation when the most nerve-wrecking thing in your final exam week is a phone interview. I usually excel in conversational settings and have never had a problem expressing myself in that type of situation. With that said, I expected the phone call to be smooth and successful. I was excited to begin my ongoing relationship with the program. Well, it all went out the window when I answered the phone and heard, “Mah nishma?,” Hebrew for “how are you?” And so it began... I dealt with that relatively simple question with some hesitancy and felt myself becoming nervous out of nowhere. The realization hit me in the face that I had just begun an interview I had waited such a long time to do. And that it would be one of many. And that this would not be even close to the last time I would be spoken to in Hebrew only to freeze in thought and response. Only the very next thing he said, I had to ask to be translated. It was a rough start! I was struggling, but settled my nerves, persevered, and managed my way to the more comfortable part of the conversation, in English.
The interview was pleasant besides the hiccup in the the beginning. I was given another overview of the program and asked various things about myself and my interest in Israel, the IDF, immigration, becoming a lone soldier, and all. The questions asked were more-or-less what you would expect and it turned out to be much more conversational in nature than I thought it would be. We talked about the usual things like my motivation for wanting to serve in the IDF, and talked about the obviously far more important things, like Manchester United (of course it crept its way in there). I feel as though I gave a good account of myself and was relieved that the interview had turned around that way. By the end, when I had the chance to ask questions for the interviewer, I was far more relaxed.
We will begin our seminars in February and are still waiting to see if we will be part of a small “Garin” from Florida, which currently does not seem to have enough interest, or if we will be part of one of the New York “Garinim.” Whatever the case may be, I am looking forward to the journey ahead.
- Darren
- Darren
