the main event

Everything for the interview needed to be perfect, at least, everything within my control. The whole thing came about so suddenly and I wanted to be as in charge of the situation as possible, so Monday night after I came home from breaking my fast, Claudia and I did a dry run of my outfit, down the earrings, and then discussed potential questions, etiquette, and words that I may not know in German that I maybe would need to know.
I spent the evening reading up on some issues, brushing up on some phrases, and looking over the basic background of the Abgeordnete (like congresswoman) with whom I would be interviewing.

The next morning, I was so ready and intent to be early. Of course, with the Sbahn construction work being done, I was nearly 5 minutes late getting to the building. Fortunately for me, the abgeordnete was running 10 minutes late with the interview before me. During this time, I got to chat a bit with the two recent uni grads working in the office, and one turned out to be the former roommate of someone with whom I had studied in New York/Berlin--die welt ist doch klein!

overall, I would say the interview went well. There didn't seem to be too serious of language issues, and I had the correct answers to many of the history/protocal based questions pitched to me. The one question that at the time maybe I didn't handle best was one of my motives: on my application, I had stated my career goals as they had been at the time (and still largely are), most likely to be a professor. I was asked, if I want to be a professor, why would I want to work at the Bundestag? I gave a long answer about the beauty and necessity of interdisciplinary work and understanding, how no field can work in a bubble, how, as an anthropologist, I would be able to work in a political world in a more humanistic way. All good. Better would have been to include that the abgeordnete herself started her career as a teacher. (I decided to include this in the thank you note that I sent--I know this isnt a German tradition, but I was always taught that after an interview a thank you note ought to be sent, and it can't hurt anything...)

So the interview ended, it felt faster than it was (which I take as a good sign) and I will know in a month or so. Afterward, I made after-eight chip cookies with Kat at Shuff's apartment, and then met W at a local cafe, where we played with local pooches who were joining their owners for a beer. Oh, and I learned the magic of lighters.

let the waiting patiently begin.