The Interview

At work I did nothing special.

After work I went to JianWai SOHO office building A to interview for the job I've been trying to get this weekend.

The office is right next to my tower, in the same building, actually, that I've had lunch in twice. I went inside and found the building directory. It said WellTrend was on floor 27, but the email Margaret Bai sent me said it was on the 29th, so I took a gamble and went to the 29th. I was right.

Picture this. I get off the elevator in a blank white hallway that is reminiscent of where Jim Carrey met God in Bruce Almighty. On one end is a yellow wall through a door. On the other is a bright red sign that I can't read - it's that far away. There is nothing else in this hallway.

Just as Neo took the red pill, so I walked to the red sign, to see just how deep this rabbit hole went.

I walk in in front of a giant WellTrend sign and walk up to the front desk."Hi I'm here to see Margaret Bai?"As I'm pronouncing the word "see," I'm interrupted by the receptionist's "one moment, please." she got up and began walking to a nearby office. Before she got there, though, one of the others in the office looks at me and says through the door: "你的老外到了," or "your foreigner is here." except she used 老外, not 外国人, implying a more derogatory meaning...

Now it all made 100% sense. I was being paid 500元 to be white for 4 hours. That's why Alex was denied the job and why Ross got it. Alex is half-Chinese - even though she was born in New York, grew up on Long Island, lives in Seattle and goes to school at Brandeis in Massachusetts, making her fully American - which means she's half-nonwhite. My race is being exploited!

I was led to a small interview room, where I waited for Margaret. When she came in, I respectfully stood and shook her hand, and then we sat as she asked me several superficial questions about nothing. I was prepared to say almost anything to get this job - sitting still for 4 hours and getting paid to do it - but she just wanted to know what schools I knew about.

I listed some of the top universities in the country, places that friends and family have gone or go to. But somewhere between when she asked me if I spoke Chinese - and I responded in Chinese, prompting her to rant in Chinese for the rest of the interview - and her asking me if I knew Northeastern University, where my old pal Hayden goes, she decided that the "top schools" in the US I would be representing tomorrow are Delaware University and the University of Alabama. I know nothing about either institution.

She gave me two incomprehensible leaflets in Chinese about the schools and said they'd pay me in cash after tomorrow. I thanked her and left, dazed, confused, and blatantly racially profiled.

Caught a cab home, and was pleasantly surprised that after almost 3 weeks here the hostel had changed my sheets.

At 8 the hostel did free dumpling-making, and Kuldeep and I made several. Cole showed up, and Alex, but they only partook in the eating after they were all cooked. I got really into it and had a competition going with some of the staff.

After the dumplings we went out for Coldstone again, this time getting there before they closed. We enjoyed our ice-cream while we argued about time travel, parallel universes and alternate/multiple dimensions. For most of it the english speakers within earshot fell silent, just listening to a conversation far above and beyond normal ice cream banter. I also brought some of my Soju and attempted to mix it with some ice cream but that was a bust.

We walked back and my ankle/foot, which I kept properly wrapped all week from the injury in Boryeong, started to hurt. I limped back using Kuldeep's shoulder as a cane, which relieved much of the pain. Looks like I need a few more days with the ace bandage.

Spent the evening in the hostel since Cole, and now I, have work tomorrow, and Kuldeep, who has been here for several weeks, wants to get up early and see the Beijing sights before he leaves on Wednesday. Alex, since she didn't get the job I did due to blantantly illegal racial profiling (I am trying to convince her to sue..), is going to join Kuldeep.

I put on a playlist on the hostel sound system, and taught the gang Spades before we all called it an early evening around 1.

I fell asleep maybe at 2? I forget.