Passed Word Certifcation

Part of the OMS process is submitting a MS Word certification. Well, I took the test today and passed. I procrastinated and am doing this last minute...

Let me tell you though... it was harder than I thought it would be. I suggest preparation for anyone going to take it out there. I got lucky.

India



"It is hot and humid all year round"



Another door opened up. I got offered an internship in Chennai, India with another agency (in the Foreign Service). I can do it either in the Summer or in the Fall but housing is unfortunatly not provided. If I do decide to take it, I am thinking in the Fall as I will have more time to save up money.

A little math for 3 months (not that you people care)*:

Airfare- $1,400 R/T (give or take a hundred)
Housing- $160/m up. I feel like I'd end up paying a lot more since I am not a local and doing only 3 months.
Food-  Cheap meal is about $2.00
Spend-???

*Cost of living in Chennai

Is it worth it? Or should I wait to see if the State Dept (with housing provided) comes through for the Fall.
I should pick up a good travel book on India and see whats up. A lot to think about.

And if you are wondering why I am looking at internships if I passed OA... that will take a few months to even be on the register and then I may wait quite a while for an invite, if ever. So, I want to keep moving forward and pretend that OMS won't ever happen. Easier said than done. 

BBQ Diplomacy

People have asked me why the blog is called "French Fry Diplomacy." First off, its a catchy name. Second, and more important, I was referencing BBQ Diplomacy. LBJ's first state dinner as president was a Texas style BBQ rather than a black tie super formal gathering. 

Now, I love me some pulled pork but the take away for me was the casualness that diplomacy can work in. People think of Diplomats as very straight edge black tie kind of people. Maybe there lies some truth to that. Diplomacy on the other hand is more than the protocols and rituals, though.  To me, nothing is more casual than french fries (with some Heinz 57, of course). Also, nothing is more American.

So... little more than a catchy name. But still, I didn't put too much thought into it.

OMS OA PASSED!

YEP. Talk about nervous. For those who haven't done an OA before... it was enough to churn my stomach. But guess what? I passed.

My day started at 5 AM. I woke up (didn't get much sleep) and prepared myself for the long morning. I got to the testing location at abut 6:40 AM. I signed the NDA and other forms and then the assessment began.

I will go into more detail if people want it but I think its been talked about at length elsewhere. Let's just say, I wish I practiced the writing portion more. It was harder than I thought and I didn't pass it. I assumed the prompt would be simplier since we were given 45 minutes. I wasn't exactly right about that. The Structured Interview went very well but I am curious what I scored on it. I think the key is to really know your resume and to talk about your actions

Anyhow, I am in a great mood. I scored a 5.3 which means I need a plan to get Chinese to level 2 within 18 months.

Until next time....  再见

A lot of Nerves.... and Bad News.

Well, lets get it out of the way now. I didn't get an interview for the JET Program. I swear I am not that person but I am honestly surprised. It is a very competitive program but I was sure I'd at least get to the interview stage.  You can't take anything for granted!

This certainly doesn't help that my OA for OMS is tomorrow at 7AM! I am a ball full of nerves and the JET interview list coming out the night before was poor planning by the universe.

You know what? I am just going to brush it off and keep going. I've had set backs before and I've lived. I am going to wake up tomorrow and get it my best shot. I'll let the universe figure it out. :)

I will update on OA at somepoint. Until then, take care!

U.S. Policy in Central Asia

I am applying for the Fall State Department internship since I only made alternate for the Summer. Since the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs isn't offering overseas internships in the Fall, I have been looking at other regions that might interest me. Right now, I am leaning towards South and Central Asia.

As I was doing research into what that Bureau is up to, I came across a good topic to think about. A little while back Secretary Clinton announced and idea/initiative called the "New Silk Road." The idea is to develop Central Asia as a way to allow freer trade from Afghanistan (and the rest of Central Asia) to South Asia. In theory, this would benefit both regions and provide a conduit of trade around Iran. It would bridge the gap between East and West. To say this is ambitious is an understatement.

Robert O. Blake, Jr. (Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs) stated:

Our hope is to encourage all of the countries of the region and beyond to help build a network of roads, bridges, pipelines, and rail lines to facilitate the goal of embedding Afghanistan more firmly into its neighborhood and helping Afghanistan realize its goal of creating an economy based more on trade than aid. We must also seek to reduce barriers to the efficient exchange of goods across borders, open markets, and promote private sector investment in the region.

This is something that many Americans miss. Our interests in Afghanistan go beyond just controlling the Taliban (or the al-qaeda threat). In terms of freeing international trade and economic security, one of the major road blocks has been Central Asia. Many of the reasons for this are no fault of their own. I know this because it is extremely difficult to travel over land from Europe to Asia without going through Russia or Iran. Trust me, I have looked into this (:p) With oil and other resources in the area, the US Government knows the benefit of this area loosening its ties to Russia and to provide a overland trade conduit around Iran.

Can it be done with the current budget constraints? I have no idea but I will never say Hillary Clinton didn't have grand ideas.

The Atlantic's opinion
The Diplomat's take

Internship Update (so many updates)

It appears I didn't get offered anything in Africa. Per the offical State forum, it looks like you are only offically offer one position. So if you get an email saying you are an alternate to one office you applied to, that's it. In my case, that is as an alternate in China. I'm not sure if African Affairs even selected anyone yet (since no one online has heard anything from them as of today) but I will just assume I am a alternate. So, I will have to wait and hope whoever the primary candidate is will for whatever reason not work out.

Also, the funny thing about the China position is that its in Cantonese territory. My luck, right?

My other option is to apply for the Fall since my school schedule is flexible. I have a higher GPA now and Fall seems to be less competitive.