No. It does not mean that my owner will turn on a switch wired to my back. It means that I am being activated into the work force of Denmark. It consists of classes, tips and some headhunting all aiming to improve my CV, my job search skills and my communication and interviewing skills.
Day 1 - total confusion. I have to make a list of skills consisting of on-the-job and technical skills and personal skills. The list must be comprised of sub-categories which fall into a few main categories. It is the Karate Kid approach to job hunting. I must first sand the floor before I can punch. My previous CV gets tied to my waist and I must go through rigorous training in order to break down the elements, separate them and bring them together in a broad overview only to dissect them over and over until I have an ultra awareness of myself and what I can do on paper.
There's just one problem. I find myself jotting things down that I haven't a clue about just to expand my breadth of skills. I wrote down "project management" and "organization" as skills. The last person you want managing your project is me. I can barely manage my own shit with my innovative filing system. I Keep everything I've ever had the privilege of receiving or creating all on one desk in an abstract pile that almost can swing from the ceiling. Perhaps if I approach the paper work in a Calderesque way and have a curved wire spanning my entire house I can have papers hanging with the ability to turn and slide. That way I can see everything at all times instead of calling for a search party for every little detail I need to examine.
Day 2 - laid back. Birthday breakfast for one of the users. I pray that there is no song to sing. As I tense up when we sit down I acquire the awkward feeling that I'm attending a birthday gathering of someone I dont' know. And I don't know anyone there. Rolls, cheese, jam and coffee. No birthday song. Thank god.
Woman sitting next to me in the computer room is eating yogurt and I can hear every detail of her mouth with an audible microscope. I need to escape.
Day 3 - Lesson on communication. The instructor neglects to introduce himself. We hold practice interviews with one another. Instructor calls on me and asks how people communicate in New York - do strangers say hi, make eye contact etc. A woman from the back of the room hears New York and blurts out, "So many JEWS in New York". I turn and say "excuse me?? What was that?". She gets a look at my nose. Doesn't say anything more.
I'm finally getting the big picture. I'm getting a hang of this job search process and realize how different it is from the American style of job hunting. That's entirely for another post.
