"Stuff"

"Honey, are you sure we don't need the Justin Beiber coffee maker? It's 5% Off!"

Ok rant time.

Every year I am extremely blessed to have such an awesome family to go visit for Thanksgiving. It's a great time to relax and enjoy important people in my life. That said, every year I almost vomit in my mouth when I see people during "Black Friday."

I see images of people lining up before midnight to save a few extra dollars... running around like zombies trying to buy stuff they didn't need in the first place. It's one of the few times I actually get disgusted in other people. I love the holidays but I hate that people use this important time of year to conduct senseless commercialism. No waffle maker is worth losing your dignity. We get so worried about the "STUFF" of Christmas that we really miss the priceless "stuff."

Sure, it is easy to say that those are other people being crazy. But, come on... we all are to blame for this behavior. We have created a culture where the holidays have become a game. I have a friend whose mother NEEDS to go Black Friday shopping... it’s her tradition. I really shouldn't be judging other people... but how perverse is that? Shouldn't Christmas or Thanksgiving itself be the tradition.

I thought about photoshopping this...

We have a debt culture in this country and Christmas certainly is big profit time for retailers and credit card companies. There is a good reason why you see Christmas decorations go up right after Halloween now... stores know people just buy more when they "get in the holiday spirit."  How about we change that culture? Instead of going Christmas shopping (and yes, I judge those that do this months in advance) and getting hypnotized by the music, lights, and sparkles. Let's spend more time and spend less money this year. More time with family... more time doing fun things... more time at home... heck, even more time with crazy Aunt Susan.

"BUT I LOVE CHRISTMAS!" Ok, I get it. I had a friend who just LOVES the whole thing ... decorations, gifts, Santa, etc. It's hard not to love. But when did those things become less of a treat and more of a burden? When did leaving cookies for Santa cost you $1000+ dollars?

How about this... instead of buying something that your kids will play with maybe once or twice... take your kid camping/ice skating/road tripping/to a concert/to a football game... anything to have TIME with them. Take your wife to a romantic cottage in the winter... or to a play if that's her thing. Clean your parent's house or, in my case, install their cable box. You might still spend a little money... but time with people is much much much more valuable than Tickle Me Elmo.

More time. Less Stuff. I should write a book with this type of advice... and you are getting it for free. Lucky you.

Ok. Rant over.

Updates

Ni hao! Long time no post. Let me update you with a few things.

First off, I have my Chinese final tonight... so I should be studying for it. Since I am auditing it... I am not too concerned. I am signing up for the second level being offered this winter. My mandarin adventure continues

I can read this. Only took 3 months.

Second off, I have applied to a few things since I am so antsy all the time. Sigh.

I officially applied to the State Department Summer Internship. As I said in a previous post, I choose our embassy in Ethiopia and a consulate in China. I'm not holding my breath about getting one but I will find out most likely after the holidays. It would defiantly improve my resume (in terms of foreign affairs) and I would get to work in another country. I also think I will be able to take a leave of absence from work since this internship is with another agency and somewhat job related. I will have to save up money for food/travel though wince its unpaid.

I also just sent in my application to the JET program. Considering how detailed and annoying the whole application is, I feel accomplished just turing it in ;) If I am lucky enough to get accepted, I am going to have to really think about what I want in life. Not only does JET pay quite a bit less than my current job, but they are actually cutting paychecks for new hires. But in terms of experience and my life, it would most certainly be the more exciting option. I would gain that "living in another country" experience I missed out while earning a somewhat decent living. I really am interested in Japan... so doing a few years there would be amazing. It, like everything, is a trade off... More money or better experience.

Speaking of money, I also got a call for a phone interview in Pittsburgh (my hometown) for a job I applied to over a year ago. It is just a phone interview for now... but the salary I'd get (and the cost of living in Pittsburgh) and being closer to my entire family would make it hard to pass up. It would also grant me a Top Secret Clearance which is pretty valuable in government land. I am worried I am going to get offered this and JET.. talk about internal conflicts!

CONCLUSION: Too many decisions!

(P.S. My Teach for China interview got moved to February. They are a little bit disorganized but I still plan on going to the interview and seeing if its something for me.)

Winter is Coming...

So, its been a while. With my Fall school semester ending this past week, I finally found time to update this blog. I won't start classes again until February, so I get to relax a bit..

I registered for my Spring semester classes:

• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Persuasive Comm Campaigns
• Africa & Global Economic System

I wish I could take a forth class but I think with my full-time work schedule that three is about as much as I can handle. I wanted to fit in a class on the EU and NATO... oh well.

Basically, to bring you guys up to speed with the career stuff, I am applying to three different things: Teach for China, the JET Program, and the State Department Internship.

I actually have an interview for Teach for China in a week but I am not so sure about it. I'd have to pay for my flight and it would be a two year commitment. The JET Program would be better becuase I'd be getting paid and have my travel covered. Plus, I could leave after a year if its not right for me. Obviously though, Teach for China would be better for my Mandarin skill :P

Out in left field is the State Department Internship. I am applying to the Chinese Embassy and the Ethiopian Embassy. From what I understand, it is incredibly competitive to get in. Also, I'd get no pay whatsoever. So I better start saving now to pay for my flight and food. It would only be 10 weeks though...

Anyhow, I will be making more postings soon. Maybe even a current event topic or two. We shall see.

As the world turns...

Well, class was canceled for tonight. I suppose I will have to practice on my own.

In other news, I sort of went crazy the past week or so after the QEP. I know that not having overseas experience hurt my resume, so I looked up a lot fo different ways to become an expat. I might be a deep-seeded regret for not studying abroad in college but it bothers me. Yeah.

The scary thing is now I feel like applying to every program.

Let's look at some my choices:

• Teach for China
• Peace Corps
• The JET Program
• State Department Internship
• Princeton in Asia, Africa,  Latin America
• Boren Fellowship
• Anyone got anything else while we are at it?

So, I did apply to Teach for China.  The application wasn't bad and I just submitted it on impulse. If its as competitive as Teach for America, I won't hold my breath.

That said, I'm probably also going to apply to JET and the State Department Internship in Ethiopia and China. I always sort of wanted to do JET. Japan fascinates me (even though I am taking Mandarin and not Japanese) and it pays. The State Department Internship is a very very good experience but it is unpaid and only for the summer.

I'm not sure about Priceton in A/A/LA. It looks like a good program but I am not sure how competitive it is.

As for Peace Corp, I would do it in a second. The only issue is I am not sure if I could REALLY do it. Two years is a long time to be in a yet to be determined country. I don't want to get into my personal life, but I am not sure I could make it work.

Here is the real issue with all of this: I'd have to leave my job. I would have to give up my secure federal job with good benefits and pay to take a major risk. Luckily, I will be considered career by the time I would possibly leave but its still a big risk in this market.

I guess I don't have to think about it until I get an offer for somewhere. Anyone have any thoughts? Anyone have experience in one of these programs or something else?

First Chinese Class

Chinese Idol?

I started taking Mandarin classes last night at the Graduate School (formally the USDA Graduate school).

So far, I think it was a great idea. It was useful to just hear actually people speaking the language. We went over the basics the first class but it put a lot of what I already read/learned together. The class is made up of similar people too... professionals looking to gain a new skill. I have high hopes.

If I haven't already said it, learning Mandarin Chinese will not be easy. I knew that. I swear I did. I think half of the reason I write this blog is to keep myself focused. Luckily, Chinese is very literal. This makes the grammar somewhat easy. The hardest part for me in Spanish class was conjugating verbs for whatever reason. The hard part with Chinese will pronouncing sounds and memorizing characters/vocab. I am surprisingly decent at pronouncing Chinese (strangely better than when I learned Spanish). As for the characters, thankfully, that is what practice and flash cards are for.

I did have a chance to talk to a fellow student about all of this. They had been trying Rosetta Stone and other self-study methods too. We both had similar experiences. With non-western languages, its seems like these tools can really only go so far. Having a teacher listen to you and correct you in real time is extremely valuable. I am still new but my suggestion is to use everything you can. Take a class, buy software, get cds, etc. Not one source is perfect. Though, it should be obvious, you need to practice. This is coming from a notorious procrastinator. Without practice, you will move slower than a snail at language learning.

For those that have asked me if Rosetta Stone works: Use it as a supplement. Don't expect to get proficient with just that or a book. You need the interaction to stat putting the pieces together. That doesn't mean it isn't useful. You can use it to pick up sounds, vocab, and structure but you will eventually need someone to put those pieces together.

QEP Results in.

No go for me this year... and I don't think I will apply to the PD cone again. Maybe Management next year? I did learn a lot about the process and hopefully that will benefit me next year.

I still get to wait on the OMS position and also I am thinking about applying to the Internship Program to get some overseas experience.

Also, updates might get a bit sparse as I will have some dead time but I will be updating from time to time. I will be starting a Chinese class on Wednesday. So look out for updates on how that goes.
------------------
Edit: I started writing this in the comments but it should be included in the post.

Right now, I am mostly torn on how to better get into an "international" career. I will have two graduate degrees and federal government experience. Also, I'm working on the language part.

The thing I worry about is the lack of overseas experience. I just didn't have the money to do it in college (I financed college myself). I don't think I could take 2 years to do Peace Corps... but seems like the Foreign Service, etc. really want that type of experience in you tool bag.

Quick Update

Two things.

First, no QEP results this week. I am thinking this Tuesday afternoon. Just a hunch.

Second, just signed up for Chinese I at the USDA Graduate School. I hope I'm not stretching myself too thin.

Also, I have been talking with a few people about other options. Anyone have ideas on how to get overseas experiences? Obviously there is the Peace Corp. I feel like my biggest regret from college is not going abroad for financial reasons.

10 Years Ago

At lot has changed in my life over the past 10 years. I remember being in my high school U.S. History class and literally watching history being made as I saw the second tower collapse on live TV.

That moment has had such a great impact on the past decade. This really be the 9/11 decade in a lot of ways. (The War on Terror, the loss of privacy, etc.) I was in Pittsburgh that day and, today, I am literally writing this article within walking distance to the Pentagon. Thinking about what happened here, in NYC, and in PA is really thought provoking.

Part of the reason I came to DC for college was a result of 9/11. It is also part of the reason I am looking to represent the U.S. overseas. It was a horrible day but I do hope that we learn and grow from it.

No news...

9/8 has passed. No QEP news this week.

In other news, my fall semester starts tomorrow. Fun right? At least I have one paper done...

Alright, I am going to watch True Blood before bed. Good night, everyone!

Oh, September!

Summer is coming to an end very quickly. Time to relax this Labor Day. I am so happy to be headed to the beach. I have been on the edge of burning myself out with grad school. Just finished my summer semester (I still need to finish my final paper for my Japanese history class). Fall semester is coming up quick... I might need a drink.

I finally submitted my application for the Office Management Specialist position. I have no idea how that will go but I will just put it out of my mind and, who knows, I might get good news in a few months. Speaking of news... The QEP results are coming soon. Maybe the 8th? I am just going to pretend the whole FS doesn't exist. I keep hearing bad news about the whole budget situation so it really is a shot in the dark at this point. Trying not to be a negative Nancy though!

In other news: Whether you love or hate the guy, Obama really needs to get his butt in gear. He is getting killed in the PR department. Spending more time on "Hurricane" Irene than on a good jobs policy isn't going convince the public. There is a reason his approval is now in the 30s. If the GOP nominates a decent candidate (that never is a sure thing though), he really is in trouble. I am going to hide some of my political leanings but I will say that some of my concerns over Obama in 2008 have been sort of confirmed. We shall see how the next year goes, I suppose.

UPDATES

Well, I survived the earthquake. I was on the 15th floor of my apartment building and thought "This is it.. 2012 a year early". I ran under a door frame, which I remember learning from elementary school. Luckily, I did make it through the tremor. We will rebuild. :) Anyone else on the east coast?

In other news, I think I will be doing the USDA Graduate school Chinese I this fall. I had to move around some of my graduate classes for other reasons so I should be able to take the course now. I have been continuing my other self studies but it will be nice to have an actual class.

Also, I am still writing those  narrative prompts for the OMS position. We will see how that goes. They are due 9/2.

Another door?

A new position opened up today in the Foreign Service. I got word that they are taking applications for the Office Management Specialist position through September 2nd. Foreign Service Specialist are a lot like Foreign Service Officers but they are more specialists in a support function. You still move around the world serving the U.S. Government but the work is somewhat different depending on the field.

There were openings for diplomatic courier positions last month but I didn't apply since it wasn't really a great fit. I love travel but as a courier that's literally all you do. Office Management Specialist work would be a much better fit for me, that's for sure.


Still, I have to think about whether I want to apply for this job. Reading the description, this would be a pretty basic office support job (and at a clearly lower salary than I am getting now). I'm not saying I am below it, but it wouldn't be the direction I'd want to pursue if it weren't with the State Department.


The good news is that I would get to do the same overseas thing as a officer. Also, I am also more qualified for it and would have a decent shot at making it to the oral exam portion of the specialist process (I'll get into that whole selection process later). Finally, if you are a specialist, you have easier access to become a Foreign Service Officer in the future, which would keep my options open.

It will be something to think about...

Chinese in DC

Here is an update on the learning Chinese front.

I want to start classes somewhere in the DC for Mandarin but its been surprisingly hard to find a good program. I had thought that DC would have a slew of options but, at least for Chinese, its limited. There are a few choices though:

• USDA's Graduate School (Its like a community college for Government)
• International Language Institute (in DuPont)
• NOVA (Northern Virginia Community College)
• Global Language Network (Free, but there is a lottery to get in)

I would try to audit the class at American University (Since I am an alumni of that fine institution) but they only offer Chinese during the day and AU isn't exactly close to where I live right now. At this point, it looks like the International Language Institute is the best choice. I'm not sure I like how they set up their level system though. Anyone out there in Internet land have previous experience?

In the mean time, I have been doing some self study. I am using Rosetta Stone (free for me), the FSI course (free), and this book I got at the borders that is closing in Pentagon City. While they are helping me quite a bit, at some point I am going to need a more formal class to pull it all together.

Finally, I found this site. Memrise.com It has been great at learning Chinese vocab thus far. Its sort of in beta right now but it has been a great help. I am adding it to my useful links.

The making of the "Rape of Nanking"

I just read an interesting book for my upcoming course in Japanese History (Seminar on the Asia-Pacific war). I won't go into details about the content, as I know it can be a touchy subject, but I wold recommend it to anyone with an interest in historic memory. In the The making of the "Rape of Nanking," Yoshiba argues that memories of history often change and are used differently depending on the circumstances of the time. It is another reason why history is IMPORTANT. We use History as a tool. This tool can be used to motivate a nation, heal wounds, create aggression, stir national pride, etc. So understanding history is understanding how pretext changes the present.
 

The QEP

The Quality Evaluation Panel (QEP) is the step of the process that really worries me. If you look around the internet you can find many qualified people not making it past  this step. You can prepare for the FSOT and the OA... but this stage is somewhat torture. You hear many horror stories on the internet about very well qualified people getting knocked out here.

Basically, A panel of 3 officers look at all the applications (FSOT scores, language skills, resume, etc.) and your responses to the Personal Narrative Questions (PNQs). They then score and rank everyone in each cone. HR sets some sort of number as to how many will get invited that and if you make it above that line *poof* OA invite.

What worries me is that I'm just a normal person. I didn't get to go abroad in college (just didn't have the money) and I don't speak a 2nd language fluently (Mi Espanol es no bueno so I'm working on Chinese now). I do have decent work/intern experience for a 26 year old but if you look at some of the people applying... I feel downright under qualified. And with the economy the way it is, even more crazy Type-A's are looking at the FS.

Right now, I am waiting to hear back in September. At that point, I will either start preparing for the OA or go to a bar and curse the whole thing.

I do have hope that my personal narratives pull me above the line. I'm a decent writer at times but who really knows what they (the QEP) is looking for. Are they looking for stories that are fun to read? Touch on each of the 13 dimensions? Show that you managed to cure cancer?

How I feel about the QEP...

The way I approached it: I made sure to answer the question first and foremost. I have been in government long enough to know that specifically answering what was asked is important.  I also used the structure of Problem, Solution, Action, and Result, and used examples that related to Public Diplomacy as best as I could.

On that note, I'd love to get in touch with fellow FS wannabes... see how they approached the PNQs and compare what works and doesn't. If we can get a few people in the same cone/same cycle, we could figure out what tickles the QEP. I'd hate to keep doing this process and get caught in the QEP monster each time.

FSOT - The Written Test

Basically, the whole selection process goes as follows:

FSOT > QEP > OA > Clearences > Final Review > Register > Offer (The Call)

This process clearly takes a while and, if you haven't already guessed, if you fail any part, you start all the way at the beginning. I wanted go more into detail on the FSOT (or the Written Test) since I had the pleasure of taking and passing this part of the process.

There are 4 parts to the FSOT: Job Knowledge, Biographical, English Expression, and the Essay.

Job Knowledge is multiple choice and seems like random trivia. Questions like, "What Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote?" The topics of questions can be anything from Basic IT to World History. No question is very deep but you really need to know a little about a lot. It's hard to study for this but I recommend using the Official ACT practice guide. Other than that, I would memorize major court cases, amendments to the Constitution, U.S. Government, Basic U.S. History, and try to well versed in different parts of the world.

English Expression is very straight forward. Make sure you are decent at basic grammar and English mechanics. Read and write more too. This is basic stuff and easy to study for. I didn't study for this and still passed. Now if you aren't a great writer, you may want to brush up with a Elements of Style book.

The Bio section is tricky. I also did the best at this section. I just suggest not being humble and provide every example you can even if it isn't a great example. For example, you can use time spent in college clubs. Don't be shy in this section

The essay is easy. Why do I say this? Because you can't fail it is you write a simple 5 part essay. Intro, three point body, and a conclusion. Make sure you answer the question asked and don't get too ambitious. Most people fail because they try to write too much or use a weird essay structure. Look up ACT essay writing if you are confused.

How did I do?

June 2011 Test:
Job Knowledge: 53.69
Biographic Information: 61.83
English Expression: 55.93
Multiple Choice Total: 171.45
Minimum to pass: 154.00

Essay: 8
Minimum to pass: 6

First Post - I want to do what?

What is this blog about?

Well, a few months ago, I hit my quarter life crisis. I was 25, just starting graduate school, and really not sure what to do next. I was "happy" with my job. It paid well and the people I worked with were great. But something was missing and I felt stuck. Maybe it was just a combination of school work and the somewhat dryness of federal contracting but I needed to do something different.

In February 2011, I had a random conversation with a friend. She mentioned that she was going to visit a friend in Africa. It turns out this friend was a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) and stationed in Uganda. At this point in my life, I knew very little about what the FS was. Of course, one Google search led to another... and here I am, writing a blog about trying to become an officer.

So what is this all about? The U.S. State Department says this:

The mission of a U.S. diplomat in the Foreign Service is to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad.

If you’re passionate about public service and want to represent the U.S. around the world, a challenging and rewarding career is waiting for you. The opportunity to work and experience cultures, customs and people of different nations is truly a career unlike any other.

The work you’ll do will have an impact on the world. You will be asked to serve at one of any of the more than 265 embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions in The Americas, Africa, Europe and Eurasia, East Asia and Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia. Some of these posts are in difficult and even dangerous environments, but working in them affords great challenges and rewards.

Basically, I will move around the world every 2-3 years representing the U.S. as a diplomat. Cool right?

U.S. Embassy in Prague

Learning Mandarin

I'm being realistic about this whole process though. I am still young and this really is a Plan B (dream job). Getting into the FS is not easy and you can't live your life around it being your only option. That said, I would like to put myself in a position to eventually get an offer, so I recently decided to start learning Chinese (Mandarin). Knowing Chinese would give me some major bonus points later on in the process. That said, even if I never make it to the FS, I can use Mandarin in many other ways. So it won't be a waste to get proficient in it at all.

So where am I?

I took the June 2011 FSOT (Foreign Service Officer Test) and passed with a 171. I just submitted Personal Narratives, along with all my other info, back to the State Department. A mystery panel (The QEP) will look over all the applications and rank us based on a variety of factors. Based on this ranking, I may get invited to the Oral Exam in November. If I fail at any point, I'll have to wait until the next June written test.

In the meantime, I will be learning as much Chinese as I can. I have Rosetta Stone and plan on taking classes this fall. My hope is to be at a level 2 in Chinese in at least 2 - 3 years time. Anyone have thoughts on this?

I will go into more details in later posts... but that is a general outline of what I am going be writing about. So if you are interested in taking the FSOT or learning Chinese, Stay tuned.