My Interview With The Fulbright Commission In Malaysia

-
Whatever happens to you during your interview will never be as bad as this one.
So, give it your best!!
A few months ago, I encouraged everyone to apply for the Fulbright programs. When applying, keep in mind A LOT of money will be spent on you & they want to know if you'll be a good investment. Be sure to read up on the aims/objectives of the program/organisation you're applying to, figure out where it overlaps with yours & have that reflected in your application. It's not just all about you. It's partly about them/their country too. How can you make them better?

In this blog post, I will share about my interview which was one of my worst interview performances ever. I flew in from Sarawak that morning & came straight from the airport because I wanted to be early. I was there an hour before schedule. I wanted to use that time to make myself look extra presentable & prepare emotionally.


Little did I know that I would be immediately called in because an interview ended early & the next person wasn't there yet. In my head, I imagined that I looked like a wild jungle man because my hair was probably all over the place from my uncomfortable in-flight nap. I wasn't even wearing the tie & suit I had in my bag. Also, I was still holding my pee from the 2 hour taxi ride. Like a lembu, I mindlessly let myself be led into the meeting room.

It was probably -4 Celsius in there. If they wanted to see how I would behave in the cold climate of the US, they succeeded. I was physically shivering & so was my voice. It squeaked like a mouse & wavered like a broken record. I sat on my hands as I spoke which was a bad idea because moving my hands in front of my face helps me to ease fancy English words out of my mouth. There were 4 people in the room. They stood up to meet me with an introduction & handshake. All of them were friendly & relaxed except the director of MACEE who had a really stern look on his face. When he stared at me, it was as if he was tearing away the fabric of my skin & gazing into my soul.

He also gave me the hardest & pointiest questions. They didn't ask what was already written in my application. They wanted to see what I was made of. They needed Fulbrighters to truly represent: deeply defend what they want to do & have figured out how they can contribute once they are done.

Here are some of the questions I was asked:
-You already have a degree in TESOL. You don't need another one. (Pedas kan?)
-How is this not a paid vacation for you? (Aircon sejuk. Tapi ini lagi pedas!)
-The US is incorporating technology in the classroom. It can't be done in your rural situation, isn't it? (Pedas tahap dewa!)
-Do you have a university in mind?

Me. At the urinal.

I did my best with all of the questions that they asked me & the interview was over before I knew it. I took less than 30 minutes. After saying goodbye & thank you, I was able to finally use the facilities & I conformed all fears when I found a buffoon looking back at me in the restroom mirror. Honestly, if a frozen buffoon who squeaks & sits on his hands can do it, so can you!! All the best!!!

Feel free to contact me if you have further questions.

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding The New SPM (2021) English 1119 Paper Format

-
Image
This outline & those of other SPM language papers were made publicly available on the Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia (LPM) website . I'm sure you've seen the above being circulated on the internet. But, what does it mean? How does this paper compare to the current SPM paper for English? Do we have to change our testing practices in Form 4? At this moment, information is sparse despite great public interest. As the head of the English panel at my school, my Form 4 colleagues will come to me for what to do & parents will ask me what this is about. Until we have very specific instructions from the ministry, this is what I will be telling my colleagues & parents based on the limited amount of information available to me from my intimate experience with the current SPM paper & second-hand information about the PT3 English paper. Let me know if I got anything wrong or if you have more detailed information.
Open Full Post »

What To Do When Your Unifi Service Suddenly Drops

-
Image
After finally putting my kid to sleep, I was about to settle into the couch with my wife & stream a movie, when my Unifi fiber optic internet connection suddenly dropped. When it didn't come back after 1 hour, I realized that I had to do something. Considering that I pay my bills promptly every month, it must be a technical issue. Here's what I did to fix the problem. It look me less than 20 minutes. 1. First, I checked my modem (the white machine). I checked the lights on the modem. When the modem is functioning properly, lights will be on for POWER, PON, LAN1 & TEL1. If the red light for LOS lights up, call 100 to resolve the issue. Also, I made sure that all the wire connections were tight. 2. Next, I checked my router (the black machine). Again, I checked the lights. When the router is functioning properly, lights will be on for POWER, GLOBE, WIFI, LAN1. My POWER light was blinking, so that means that there was no internet connection. Again, I made sure th...
Open Full Post »

How To Fix Logitech Options Not Loading

-
Image
I use a Logitech K380 bluetooth keyboard at home & love it to bits. Very quiet & the tactile response is just perfect. Also, it's super small so easy to put away when I need to pile exam papers on my desk. Still, there's one small problem though... It is a compact keyboard so the multimedia buttons double as function keys. I use the function keys A LOT & it's really cumbersome for me to have to hold the "fn" button every time I want to use them. I.e., try pressing alt+fn+f4 with one hand. Thankfully, with the Logitech Options software, I can default to the function keys. A few months ago, I was chagrined to learn that my keyboard had spontaneously returned to factory settings. "No problem", I thought. "I'll just change the settings in Logitech Options." Only to find that the app wouldn't load on my Windows 10 machine, resulting in the blank window you see screen-captured above. "Let me try reinstalling." Uni...
Open Full Post »

Exotic Fruit: Buah Isu

-
Image
I've been teaching in the Iban motherland for more than 1 year now & I have tasted many exotic fruits exclusively available only within these quiet secluded timber forests. Now, don't you smirk at me! You perverted baskets I call friends are thinking about a different 'fruit'! There are no innuendos here. The exotic fruits that I'm talking about are REAL fruits. First, let me introduce you to the cousin of the king of fruits... Buah Isu Buah Isu resembles it's cousin, the Durian , but I was told that it is NOT in the Durian family. The spikes are longer & they are sharper. They are also very much smaller than the Durians. It's about the size of a man's palm. It has a pleasantly sweet fragrance which is not pungent like the Durian's. Because of it's size, it is easily opened with a cleaver. After opening my first Isu, I couldn't help but bounce off the walls in gay laughter. It was all too amusing to me! I though...
Open Full Post »

A Review of Mosquito Coils In The Market

-
Image
Mosquito coils = The first line of defence against savage jungle mosquitoes. Remember when there was completely no electricity at my school ? It happened during the dry season so the nights were really really warm & hard to sleep with the windows closed. Why close the windows you ask? Because if you don't close the windows, the savages from the jungle will climb in & suck your blood! Literally! I'm talking about swarms of mosquitoes gang-banging your skin & leaving you with clusters of chickenpox-like bumps on your skin in the morning! These guys even bite through clothing!! The itchiness that ensues will practically ensure that you never have a good night sleep. In order to keep those monsters at bay, I had to go really low-tech. I eventually experimented with mosquito coils. There are so many in the market & I thought that all of them worked the same since they had the same basic ingredients. I was wrong. They had different effects on the mosquitoes ...
Open Full Post »