00 - Who doesn't call?
"Last shift for the chemistry department interview. Mr. Gunyukol Jiraroj, you may enter the interview room."
I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, inhaled again deeply and exhaled...
"Gunyukol".
Before I could catch my breath, they called me again. I can't take it anymore, I'm about to faint. My heart is racing, but I have to tell myself that everything will be okay. Soon it will be over and everything will pass.
"They've already called you several times. What are you waiting for?"
My friend's voice brings me back to reality after getting lost in my thoughts for a moment. Being the last person in line for the chemistry department, the pressure was quite intense and stressful. Everyone else seems to answer the questions well, but I'm the only one struggling. What I am going to do? Will the teacher kick me out? A lot of things are swirling in my head, but right now I can't do anything but face it.
"I just need a moment to prepare."
I turned to my friend who was sitting alone outside the room. At this moment, the staff's voice interrupted once again.
"Gunyukol Jiraroj, where is he?"
"Sorry! I'm here"
As I stood up from the chair, I took hesitant steps forward, trying to maintain a confident façade, but my body was shaking inside. "Keep calm" I told myself, but even my legs were shaking uncontrollably as I walked.
"Calm down, just calm down..."
"The last one from the chemistry department, please sit down."
After opening the door and entering the room, which was unusually cold, the voice of one of the teachers, who had been waiting, was heard, and I followed the order with ease. I placed the folder I had prepared on my lap, making eye contact with the three people sitting in front of me. They were male teachers and looked quite young, fresh out of school. The teacher on the left and the one on the right were wearing glasses, while the one in the center was wearing a tie and light blue shirt, looking quite different and cool.
"Please introduce yourself to us."
The first question wasn't difficult to answer so I answered quickly so as not to ruin the interview.
"Hello, my name is Gunyukol Jiraroj."
It was too brief.
It seemed like the entire room suddenly entered an abrupt state of freezing. The teachers probably didn't expect my presentation to end so quickly. It was just like... what did my friend tell me? But when I thought that such a short introduction might make me stand out in a bad way and get kicked out of the department in the final round, I decided to add something else to my introduction.
"Uhm... my nickname is Gun. It comes from the first part of my full name. And, in case you don't know, 'Gunyukol' translates to 'both ears/two ears' in Thai."
Shit!
Let's see if I die or survive this fight.
"What a meaningful name. Every student in our faculty has a unique name. What was the name of the student who interviewed last year?"
It seemed like the teachers were having a casual and fun conversation with each other. I took advantage of that moment to let out a little air and breathe gently because the atmosphere was not as tense as I thought.
"Oh, you mean Anon?"
"Yes, Anon translates to 'someone without debt.'"
I think my name has a strange meaning. 'Anon' is more significant than me. But I am proud to endure, even if I am alone in this bitterness. I blink away the tears.
"Okay, which subject do you like best?"
Remembering the name of the student they interviewed last year, the second question caught me off guard.
"I... don't like anything in particular, sir."
"Then why have you come to study chemical engineering?"
"Because of the score, sir."
What a shame...
I think I've made a mistake. I feel like I've missed something and that I've fallen into a trap laid right in front of me. I feel so stupid that I don't even know what words to use to scold myself. I'm so nervous.
"Uhm".
I stammered mindlessly, wanting to quickly sort out the different thoughts in my brain, I simply exhaled and waited until the teacher asked me another question.
"Do you have friends from your previous school studying at this faculty?"
"Yes sir".
I was relieved when the professor smiled widely.
"But all my friends are studying other careers. I'm the only one who came to study chemistry."
"If he doesn't have friends, will he be able to fit in at college?"
"I can always adapt to the environment and make new friends, sir."
Whether they are humans or lizards.
"Excellent, he is very intelligent."
Phew, the professor smiled even more than before.
"Thank my Lord".
"Now, it's a tradition of our faculty to let him solve one chemistry problem, just one."
While saying that, the person in front of me did not hesitate to hand me a paper with the problem written on it. It's actually an exam, simple as that.
"I must do it?"
"Yeah".
"Right now?"
"That's how it is."
"What if I can't answer correctly?"
"We will begin to consider whether or not he can enter the faculty."
Oh~
Tears flowed to my chin, trying to smile to make my heart hurt less as a new kid.
I really want to call my little brothers to let them know that I have been carrying this burden, it seems that I have paid my karma. My life has had fatal problems repeatedly, but what really has to die is now.
What kind of problem is this? I'm not familiar at all. I don't know where to start, I don't think I can do it. But now that I have reached this point, I can only grab the pen next to me, bow my head, and write with a trembling voice. After doing everything I could, the teacher first broke the silence.
"Can you solve this problem?"
"No, sir. I messed up and ruined it. My mother always told me that if I couldn't answer something, I should screw up first."
Um... Why... Why do I have to tell the truth? Idiot.
But as soon as I finished speaking, the teachers started laughing.
Almost crying, I was about to beg them to stop laughing. This cruel world is too hard on small, sensitive hearts like mine.
"Okay, I see your effort. This problem is something that not even a first-year student who has studied thoroughly can solve. We just wanted to test your reaction. Your quick thinking right now is worth more than anything. But, your score for this moment is probably zero. So, what do you have in your portfolio that you want to show us?"
With what he told me my spirits lifted a little, but I shivered slightly when I saw that smile.
"Here, sir."
Without hesitation, I immediately placed my folder in front of the professor.
"Please tell us your strengths. What are your strengths?"
"Let me introduce you to my strengths. I am someone who is happy-go-lucky, and I easily get along with everyone."
"Any notable activities?"
"Oh, I used to compete in scientific problem-solving competitions and I also acted in plays."
The teacher then opened my folder and flipped through it page by page paying close attention until he stopped at the certificate and the photos of the school plays in which I used to perform.
"He's talented. What role did he play in the play?"
"I played the dog, sir."
He could feel the older man struggling to contain his laughter.
One way or the other.
"GOOD".
He flipped through the folder to the last page.He then switched to looking at the feedback form they had just distributed to the class before the interview. I wrote everything down on it, but there was one point that intrigued the professor because he frowned.
"On the evaluation form it is written that if you pass the interview round, you request a room with a window that can be opened and that your roommate can sleep all night with the lights on. Is this a joke or is it a joke?" Serious?"
"I'm serious, sir."
So the teacher didn't ask anything else, he just wrote down some data on his iPad. Then they handed the folder back to me and briefly said:
"You are the last person in this round. Congratulations and welcome to the Faculty of Engineering."
"Did they accept me, sir?"
"If there is no problem, yes. But wait for the faculty to announce the results again."
"Thank my Lord".
I stood up from my chair, smiled as my eyes became watery, and bowed my head to the person in front of me before turning to leave the room. It's like I'm the winner of a contest. My new friend, whom I had just met, was waiting for me. He started bombarding me with questions as soon as I stepped outside.
"How did it go?"
"Wow, I'm amazing."
"Did they ask you questions?"
"Yes, they were easy."
I didn't tell him about the moment when I almost cried blood in the classroom when the teacher asked me to solve a problem.
My friend and I walked through the entrance area, where we had been waiting earlier. But now it is full of students who will be interviewed for other careers, so they have come to wait here until the space is filled. That's why we had to walk further until we found the exit. Deep down, they just had to pray for good luck and not be massacred. Just like I did, right?
"The next department is Civil Engineering. If you hear your name, quickly enter the interview room. The first shift..."
"Mr.Yotha. Yotha Thanawat".
