for
2/17/2001
Then there's Rusty. Rusty bothers me. He's applied to be an RA for the last two years. Missed it by a hair last year. Needless to say, he knows what he's doing.
I'm in this group, with six other people all trying to become "Residence Assistants"--note to self: read up on the responsibilities. Competing as we struggle to work together. I can facilitate better than you can. Kiss my process, mofo! I think those are both good ideas, but don't you think that, as Rusty was saying... gah! Nonsense. All of it. And I'm trapped in it.
Now we're on lunch break, until 3. It's not that I mind nonsense. On the contrary, I feel snug in a situation where everything's all messed up, and that means it's working. Situation Normal All Fucked Up (SNAFU).
But...
How to pull myself out of this. The answer? Anything you do will cancel itself out, or otherwise produce unforseen consequences. Just ride the wave. "Be yourself."
Round two. Limbo. The essays got me through the first judgement. I've already gotten through three tasks today.
Oh yeah, the tasks. The first one was a survival question.
They divide us up into a group of seven, herd us into a room, and then give us an earthquake scenario; here's what happened, what do you do first? Second? Third? Not at all (in order, from 8 to 12). Good, now discuss. All of our answers were put up against one of those Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook type's answers. And that's game.
Second task:
$10,000
"Diversity," "International" or "Relationships"
Plan a week's worth of activities in 25 minutes. We did okay, considering. Rusty worried me here. He took charge--maybe that's a bad thing. Really doesn't help to worry. Unified front--someone had to speak up, so I did, and tried to package things nicely, then turn it over to (Rusty) to discuss the first night's activity. Bounce it around the room. Moderate a little. Add important information if needed. Sum up? (Kind of.) Thank.
Hmm.
You may be assuming that I don't want to be an RA. Well you're wrong. Only right now, I'm playing a game (yes, it is a game, although it's one in which truth and true personality are extremely useful). It's an unfamiliar game, but with undertones I'm quite used to. It's just like any other job interview, just with a lot of corporate retreat (team building) thrown in. And that's fine.
International Zen Competition: "I am the serenest!" comes to mind, from the pages of the Onion.
And finally, the third task: me and someone I'd never met (rather hairy for a pretty girl-- probably shouldn't mention that) were given a scenario. Briefly, a girl is bulimic (probably) and may or may not have friends, and hates us for asking her about it--what do you do? (To help her, yes.) We came up with a process: Gain trust/Pass information/Shunt to help, even as saying that no "process" per se, would work. It'd have to be done in a friendly, genuine manner. Must care--and I believed that.
Rusty added on, when we presented our question and ideas, the idea of trapping her in the cafe after a meal--keeping her from throwing up immediately, giving her face time. It worried me that he'd been the only one to speak up, naturally. Did he do himself more harm than good, I wonder, but it's all water under the bridge.
Yes, we're the only two guys in the group.
So now it's 1. I have two more hours before I go back, for the group interview. I thought this whole day was the "group interview." Who knows.
Oh, also, I mentioned something after Rusty's three-person group presented.
Touch the Toast