[00:00.00]Megan had attended secondary school
[00:03.60]at a private girls'school
[00:05.67]five hundred kilometers from home.
[00:08.52]In junior school she had
[00:10.81]been a straight A student.
[00:12.79]Now in high school
[00:14.43]she continued to study hard,
[00:16.07]play sports, join the school orchestra,
[00:20.66]plus a variety of school clubs.
[00:23.07]As a joke, her friends
[00:25.37]labeled her a genius,
[00:27.12]often just to make her angry.
[00:28.76]As well as being
[00:31.06]a high academic achiever
[00:33.13]she had a great capacity for fun.
[00:36.20]She thrived on
[00:38.17]an active social life.
[00:40.03]Slender, pretty and vivacious,
[00:42.76]she was the apple
[00:44.51]of her parents’ eye.
[00:47.24]Every year in accordance with
[00:49.88]school policy, a student candidate
[00:52.06]was chosen to travel and
[00:53.70]live in another commonwealth country
[00:56.76]for six months.
[00:58.84]As Megan had an interest
[01:00.92]in a diplomatic career
[01:03.11]after completing university,
[01:04.87]she figured she would be
[01:06.28]considered a prime applicant
[01:08.03]if she applied for the position.
[01:10.55]A detailed essay was necessary
[01:13.17]to provide the committee
[01:15.69]with a clear idea of her intention.
[01:17.88]The selection committee would
[01:21.60]spend a fortnight reviewing
[01:23.25]the applications in an attempt
[01:26.30]to identify the ideal student.
[01:29.37]Megan also needed to undergo
[01:32.11]a rigorous personal interview,
[01:34.84]which would validate her academic background
[01:37.57]and evaluate her general behavior.
[01:40.64]The interview proceeded well,
[01:44.69]Megan taking the initiative
[01:47.64]to underline her strengths.
[01:49.72]After school some of her friends
[01:53.11]gathered for coffee
[01:54.86]in the cafe near the school.
[01:56.94]They confessed to Megan that
[01:59.23]they were rather envious of
[02:01.21]the opportunity she might have
[02:03.40]to live in another country.
[02:05.80]They enquired about
[02:08.97]the details of the interview.
[02:10.84]Two weeks later Megan received
[02:13.46]a phone call notifying her of
[02:15.32]the successful results of the interview |