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.
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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.