Ready to Jump on That Plane

I'm happy to say that Sunday's meeting with the future employer* went well.  My mother ended up joining me, which I was glad she did.  I was a bit nervous on the way there, and she kept my nerves in check.  Although I'm not sure who was more nervous, me or her.

Funny story though: We were scheduled to meet the future employer at her sister's house downtown.  My mum and I left with plenty of time to spare (and it was Sunday, so the traffic was minimal) and our only issue was finding parking on the street.  Luckily I got there about 15 minutes early, so that gave me enough time to prowl through the neighbourhood to find a spot.  I found a spot a block away with five minutes to spare, so we walked leisurely to the house.

We arrived at the house a few minutes before 9am, but rather than standing outside the house until 9 like creeps, I went up and knocked.  After a few moments of no answer, I knocked again.  Still no answer.  My mum started to laugh nervously and ask, "are you sure this is the address?  Are you sure you're to meet at 9am?  Is it today, not another Sunday?" and I started to worry.  Thank goodness for technology since I was able to look up the confirmation email on my phone.  It was the right day, time and location.  Why was no one answering?  Had they forgotten?

I then tried calling (I was hesitating since it was 9am on a Sunday.  Who calls then??).  She answered after the first ring, and I asked, "You're number ___** right?"  Nope, she wasn't.  She was actually a different house down the street a bit.  Oops!  I'd been knocking on some random person's door at 9am on a Sunday.  SORRY!  No wonder no one answered.  I wouldn't!

Long story longer, my mum and I walked down to the right house, and met the future employer, her sister, and her eldest son.  Oh, and the sister's dog, Freckles.  We then went to the nearest Starbucks to sit down and chat.  We spent roughly an hour going over some paperwork for my visa, exchanging questions/answers (I even had questions from the two other sons to answer), and discussing our expectations for the year.  I had a fair list of questions to ask, and many of them the F.E (future employer) answered  during her discussion of her expectations.  My mum piped in a couple times with a few questions of her own, especially when it came to health insurance and emergency situations.  But all of my questions were answered, and from Skype and now meeting them in person, I can say that their family seems to be the most genuine family.  I am so excited to go work for them!

I now have some paperwork to finish and mail to Switzerland.  In order to complete the paperwork, I need to get my medical insurance figured out, update my CV, write my letter of why I want to work in Switzerland, and get new passport sized photos for my visa.  I may cry a bit when I see next month's credit card statement, but it's all worth it in the end.

It's all starting to fall in place now, and soon I'll be zipping up my luggage and heading off to the airport. I can't wait!



*Out of respect for the privacy of everyone, I won't post the names of anyone without their permission.  I will either refer to them by a "title" or a made up name.

** She'd actually given me HER house number, not her sister's.  Now I'll never forget their house number!