Brandenburg Gate, originally uploaded by Wolfgang Staudt.
Yesterday, we met up with another agent who is probably one of the most infectious people I’ll ever meet. I must admit, five minutes into the meeting, I was thinking LOUD! LOUD! LOUD! But as time went by, I couldn’t help but enjoy her dynamism and marvel at the spirit that she carried. It was as though Elmo and Zoe had a daughter who’s all grown up. However, the problem with such personalities is that you can’t help wondering if they’re selling themselves, or the product. Fine line there.
Anyhow, this agent worked out a reverse tour of the other offer, with us starting in Berlin and wrapping it up in Munich. No Prague here (aww), but sanity argued that this itinerary would be much more manageable, for both the students and the teachers. Already, it’s gonna be tough having to look after 20 wide-eyed, overly stimulated teenagers. The extra travelling would certainly make the whole trip more laborious. Also, the company offered us a 3-night homestay in Munich, which is awesome because it’ll be an extremely enriching cultural experience and we get to save on accommodation.
I really liked the previous agent (his itinerary was extremely comprehensive and he seemed so earnest and dependable!), but I think I’m leaning towards this one mostly because (1) they’re able to work within our budget, (2) there’s a lot less travelling, and (3) hello – homestay! Of course, secret reason #4 is that we’ll get to travel via Emirates on this itinerary. After SQ, Emirates is my carrier of choice, so yeah, this agent has my vote. But only barely.
Next on the agenda – shortlisting the applicants. We’ve already come up with the interview questions (some seemingly off-topic, such as “How many burgers do you think a teenage male eats in his lifetime?” but trust me – they’re all totally relevant to our objectives) and the students have been asked to select their preferences. We’re anticipating a slightly overwhelming response but we’ve got an idea of the type of kids we want, so I’m hoping it wouldn’t be too difficult. *fingers crossed*
