Wow, it has been quite a while since I last blogged. So much has happened since then.... Let me get you all caught up really quickly.
Firstly, and most importantly, my wonderful boyfriend flew over here from New York in May, and moved in with me. It has been an adjustment, for sure; I had never lived with a boyfriend before this.. or with any boy who wasn't my brother. But I've loved every minute of it. He actually drove back home with me to meet the family! ( An event we had both been a little terrified of) And it went surprisingly well too. Except for the one little slip up from my lovely grandmother, when he was petting her dog ("I wasn't sure if he was gonna bite you or not. I don't think he's ever seen a black person before...") it was actually quite enjoyable.
In other news, the bar that I was working at went out of business, so I'm on the job hunt. Again. Boo. And since the bar was bankrupt, they have been unable to afford to pay my last paycheck. Double boo. So now I have to jump through all kinds of governmental hoops to try to get a lousy 200 dollar paycheck.
But on the bright side, I just had an interview at another little bar yesterday, so I'm reallllllly hoping I'll be hired there, and I can stop all this job application nonsense.
As far as everything else goes... well... it's going. I seem to be losing motivation for everything lately. Thank God it's summer, because I definitely wouldn't be able to do school right now. I think the only reason I did as well as I did last term (not very well, by the way) was because Kasheef was here pushing me through dead week and finals. And this loss of motivation is not a new thing by any means. The last year of school has just been torture. I don't know why it's been so hard. Maybe its watching other people from my high school class graduate, and knowing its not my turn yet. Maybe I just burned myself out during fall term with my three jobs and overloaded course load. Or maybe I'm just a little bit depressed. It seems weird to think that, because I don't really feel sad, necessarily. Its just that I feel completely unmotivated to do things that I used to like doing. Really, I just want to sleep, all the time. I feel tired, no matter how much caffeine I consume, no matter how many hours of sleep I get. I have headaches almost every day. I don't know, maybe there's something neurologically wrong with me, but I'm just really struggling. I am just so tired of feeling like all this work, all this striving towards a goal, just leads to more of the same. I've felt that way since my sophomore year of high school, and nothing has changed! Sure, I graduated high school. Great. I have a high school diploma, which, by the way, does next to no good in the job market. And now I'm in college, doing the same things I was doing in high school, but with maybe a little more direction. And once I finish that, I'm gonna have more college to get my Masters and start my career. And all that's even without the Peace Corps.
And all around me, I see people doing it the "wrong way". Getting knocked up out of wedlock in high school or college, moving in with their parents, or taking the other route and taking care of themselves. I see people entering into marriages that I'm sure won't work out. I see people living off of WIC and food stamps. And yet.. its hard not to be jealous of those people. At least their lives have started! It just seems like there is so little reward in this world for the people who want to work hard and take care of themselves. In a world where the government says, "what? You got pregnant, and you can't afford to take care of that child? Thats okay, here's some money. And some free pre-natal healthcare. Oh, and by the way, this is way more that you would earn working that minimum wage job, so why bother?" or a world where they say, "No, if you're a college student, you can't earn any unemployment. You have to find a way to pay for tuition and books on top of food, rent and bills, while working a minimum wage job, because that's all you're qualified to do. In fact, after you graduate school, that's still all you'll be qualified to do, because you don't have any real world experience. So now you've got 50,000+ dollars of student loan debt and you can barely pay your bills. Good luck." Not to mention the fact that its damn near impossible to find a job while you're a student, because employers don't want to work around a student's schedule, when it changes every three months. Especially not in this economy, when people with PhDs are competing with me for work at McDonalds. My mom tells me that I just need to work full time during the summer and save up so that I don't have to work during the school year, but that math just doesn't add up to me. Even if I saved every additional penny I made, I might have enough to last me through the first term of school, but definitely not the whole year. I don't mean to whine, or throw a pity party here, but its just the way society is, and it is so unfair. Call me a cynic, or say that those are only the exceptions, but you see it everywhere! The girl who came into a job interview dressed like a whore, who flirted her way into the job that you should have gotten. The family with 6 kids living off of welfare and making more than you'll probably ever see in your college educated life. You even see it on talent shows like America's Got Talent or American Idol. If a contestant has a sob story about how they screwed their own life up, on drugs, or as a single mother, or living on the streets, even if their talent is only mediocre, they will make it far. And someone who has worked hard, who has done everything they were told, they'll be cast aside, because they aren't marketable enough. Why does our society reward the screw-ups while ignoring the rest? I understand, they had a long way to come. They had to work hard to get where they are, but so did I. And I did it without messing up.
Maybe that is really the biggest contributer to my motivation problem. It's really hard to feel motivated to complete something when you know the reward is greater when you fail.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Things I've learned in College
I apologize for my long hiatus. Last term was.. hellish at best. With a lighter course load and a new job, which I love, hopefully I'll feel a bit more human this term! Which brings me to my main point:
College is hard. And with all that money and effort that we put into an education, we certainly hope that we walk away having learned something useful. However, these lessons do not always occur in the classroom. Sure, you may learn how to read Canterbury Tales in Middle English, or the names of Jupiter's moons, however, if you are like most people, this knowledge will never be needed beyond the final exam. Unless you play Trivial Pursuit. Or Jeopardy. The really important lessons, the ones you will use for the rest of your life, almost always take place outside of the classroom. Here are a few of the lessons that I've learned so far:
1. How to parallel park. Seriously.. I was so intimidated by parallel parking before coming to college. Then I moved off campus and was told that a commuter parking permit would cost me 80 dollars per term. (seriously? For 80 dollars a term, I should be able to have valet service and a foot rub on my way to class) So, I did without the parking permit, but that means that I now have to battle with every other poor, broke, permit-less off-campus student for one of the 20 parking spaces within a block of the school. Therefore, I've learned to take what I can get. Even if I have to parallel park to get it. Trust me, when you're running late to a midterm, close parking spots are godsends.
2. To take heart, because no matter how terrible of a French/English/Grammar teacher I am in the future, I will still be better than my current French teacher. I know this because I could teach that class better in my sleep. I hate to say that, because my French teacher really is a nice lady, and she really does seem to care about her students, which counts for a lot in my opinion. She just... doesn't know how to teach. And its extremely frustrating to sit in a class everyday, knowing that your teacher is less competent in second language acquisition than you are.
3. When to compromise. As a poor college student, you learn how to cut corners to save money. Like, "I know my nose and my toes and frozen, even though I'm bundled up in blankets, but I don't want to pay to run the heater, so I'll just sit here and shiver." and "tv? Who really needs tv? I already have to pay for internet, and I can just watch everything online anyway." However, there are times when you just have to bite the bullet and pony up the dough. Like with toilet paper. I don't care how poor you are. Do not buy the cheapest brand of toilet paper. Just don't. It doesn't mean you have to buy the most expensive one either. A nice mid-range brand is good. Just trust me. Everyone deserves halfway decent toilet paper, and the cheap stuff is nowhere close to decent.
4. Spanish/French/ASL obscenities and insults. I know, some of you think that this won't be useful later in life. Suffice it to say that I beg to differ.
5. Small talk. I'm in the process of learning this one. With my new job as a bartender, chitchat is a pretty important part of the job description. I'm pretty proficient at talking about the weather now, but I've still got a bit to learn.
6. How to job hunt. It amazes me how many people come into my shop, dressed in sweats, or with a buddy and ask me if we have applications. Not to mention how many people come in unprepared. When I say we don't have applications, but I can take a resume and leave it for the owner, almost everyone I've talked to tells me they don't have a resume. You're walking around.. looking for a job.. and you didn't bother to write/print off a resume to take with you? Oh, and, just dropping off a resume or application isn't good enough. You should be asking to speak to the hiring manager. And then you should call or stop in to check on your application. Seriously. Make them so sick of seeing you that they just hire you to get you out of their hair. This job market sucks already. Don't make it worse on yourself by being ill prepared.
7. That sometimes, I will disagree with my parents. And that's okay. This one has been a tough lesson for me to learn. I love my parents very much, and relative to most of my peers, we have a great relationship. I love to make them proud, and I love when I have their approval. But I'm learning that I won't always have their approval. That we won't always agree about everything. But thats okay. It doesn't mean that I love or respect them any less. It just means that I'm forming more of my own identity, which I think is a good thing. Maybe sometimes I'll have to listen to them say "I told you so" as a result of those decisions, but I guess making your own mistakes is all part of growing up.
College is hard. And with all that money and effort that we put into an education, we certainly hope that we walk away having learned something useful. However, these lessons do not always occur in the classroom. Sure, you may learn how to read Canterbury Tales in Middle English, or the names of Jupiter's moons, however, if you are like most people, this knowledge will never be needed beyond the final exam. Unless you play Trivial Pursuit. Or Jeopardy. The really important lessons, the ones you will use for the rest of your life, almost always take place outside of the classroom. Here are a few of the lessons that I've learned so far:
1. How to parallel park. Seriously.. I was so intimidated by parallel parking before coming to college. Then I moved off campus and was told that a commuter parking permit would cost me 80 dollars per term. (seriously? For 80 dollars a term, I should be able to have valet service and a foot rub on my way to class) So, I did without the parking permit, but that means that I now have to battle with every other poor, broke, permit-less off-campus student for one of the 20 parking spaces within a block of the school. Therefore, I've learned to take what I can get. Even if I have to parallel park to get it. Trust me, when you're running late to a midterm, close parking spots are godsends.
2. To take heart, because no matter how terrible of a French/English/Grammar teacher I am in the future, I will still be better than my current French teacher. I know this because I could teach that class better in my sleep. I hate to say that, because my French teacher really is a nice lady, and she really does seem to care about her students, which counts for a lot in my opinion. She just... doesn't know how to teach. And its extremely frustrating to sit in a class everyday, knowing that your teacher is less competent in second language acquisition than you are.
3. When to compromise. As a poor college student, you learn how to cut corners to save money. Like, "I know my nose and my toes and frozen, even though I'm bundled up in blankets, but I don't want to pay to run the heater, so I'll just sit here and shiver." and "tv? Who really needs tv? I already have to pay for internet, and I can just watch everything online anyway." However, there are times when you just have to bite the bullet and pony up the dough. Like with toilet paper. I don't care how poor you are. Do not buy the cheapest brand of toilet paper. Just don't. It doesn't mean you have to buy the most expensive one either. A nice mid-range brand is good. Just trust me. Everyone deserves halfway decent toilet paper, and the cheap stuff is nowhere close to decent.
4. Spanish/French/ASL obscenities and insults. I know, some of you think that this won't be useful later in life. Suffice it to say that I beg to differ.
5. Small talk. I'm in the process of learning this one. With my new job as a bartender, chitchat is a pretty important part of the job description. I'm pretty proficient at talking about the weather now, but I've still got a bit to learn.
6. How to job hunt. It amazes me how many people come into my shop, dressed in sweats, or with a buddy and ask me if we have applications. Not to mention how many people come in unprepared. When I say we don't have applications, but I can take a resume and leave it for the owner, almost everyone I've talked to tells me they don't have a resume. You're walking around.. looking for a job.. and you didn't bother to write/print off a resume to take with you? Oh, and, just dropping off a resume or application isn't good enough. You should be asking to speak to the hiring manager. And then you should call or stop in to check on your application. Seriously. Make them so sick of seeing you that they just hire you to get you out of their hair. This job market sucks already. Don't make it worse on yourself by being ill prepared.
7. That sometimes, I will disagree with my parents. And that's okay. This one has been a tough lesson for me to learn. I love my parents very much, and relative to most of my peers, we have a great relationship. I love to make them proud, and I love when I have their approval. But I'm learning that I won't always have their approval. That we won't always agree about everything. But thats okay. It doesn't mean that I love or respect them any less. It just means that I'm forming more of my own identity, which I think is a good thing. Maybe sometimes I'll have to listen to them say "I told you so" as a result of those decisions, but I guess making your own mistakes is all part of growing up.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
My Life as a Linguist
So, for those of you who don't know, I'm majoring in Linguistics at my university. Because this is such a little known field, I thought I should address a few common questions and explain a little bit of what it is that I actually do.
So, jumping right in:
A. Well, its the study of language. It includes the study of language acquisition, morphology, syntax, phonology, semantics, historical linguistics, etc. There are research linguists who work in different ways. Some study historical linguistics, tracing back modern languages to their common ancestors, and trying to recreate lost languages. Others travel to remote parts of the globe and document previously undocumented languages. Other linguists work as speech therapists, language teachers, translators, or even forensic linguists. (I just heard about the latest one. Apparently there are linguists working for some police departments who analyze language in connection with possible crimes. This could apply to suicide notes, ransom letters, recorded speech, etc. Cool, huh?)
Q. Linguistics, huh? Are you a cunning linguist?
A. Ha.Ha. No.
Q. Oh? A linguist? How many languages do you speak?
A. This is a common misconception about linguists. Many linguists only speak their mother tongue. You don't have to be fluent in a foreign language to be able to describe its syntax and morphology (Don't worry. I'll explain these terms later). Also, if your focus was on first language acquisition, or how children learn language, you wouldn't need to know a foreign language at all.
Q. What attracted you to linguistics?
A. Well, I took my first linguistics class while I was an English Education major, and it just clicked with me. One of the first things we discussed was how children learn language. Now, if you ask the average person on the street how it is that young children learn language, they would tell you that kids hear things and repeat them. When they make correct utterances, they are rewarded by being understood, and when they make incorrect utterances, they are corrected, kind of like training a dog. However, if that were the case, children would not every be able to create original sentences. It would be based completely on repetition. Also, if that were the case, why do children almost universally make errors like "feets" and "teached". They certainly don't hear these words used. So where do they come from? The child is applying a fairly complex system of rules to the language that he or she knows. Which, for a 2-3 year old, is highly impressive. It is argued in linguistics that children are born with an innate ability to learn language. Their brain is hard-wired to make sense of an extremely confusing system. The specific language they learn obviously depends on the input they are exposed to, which is why children born in Boston speak English, while children in Tokyo speak Japanese.
So, jumping right in:
FAQ's
Q. So.. what exactly is Linguistics? And what can you do with it?A. Well, its the study of language. It includes the study of language acquisition, morphology, syntax, phonology, semantics, historical linguistics, etc. There are research linguists who work in different ways. Some study historical linguistics, tracing back modern languages to their common ancestors, and trying to recreate lost languages. Others travel to remote parts of the globe and document previously undocumented languages. Other linguists work as speech therapists, language teachers, translators, or even forensic linguists. (I just heard about the latest one. Apparently there are linguists working for some police departments who analyze language in connection with possible crimes. This could apply to suicide notes, ransom letters, recorded speech, etc. Cool, huh?)
Q. Linguistics, huh? Are you a cunning linguist?
A. Ha.Ha. No.
Q. Oh? A linguist? How many languages do you speak?
A. This is a common misconception about linguists. Many linguists only speak their mother tongue. You don't have to be fluent in a foreign language to be able to describe its syntax and morphology (Don't worry. I'll explain these terms later). Also, if your focus was on first language acquisition, or how children learn language, you wouldn't need to know a foreign language at all.
Q. What attracted you to linguistics?
A. Well, I took my first linguistics class while I was an English Education major, and it just clicked with me. One of the first things we discussed was how children learn language. Now, if you ask the average person on the street how it is that young children learn language, they would tell you that kids hear things and repeat them. When they make correct utterances, they are rewarded by being understood, and when they make incorrect utterances, they are corrected, kind of like training a dog. However, if that were the case, children would not every be able to create original sentences. It would be based completely on repetition. Also, if that were the case, why do children almost universally make errors like "feets" and "teached". They certainly don't hear these words used. So where do they come from? The child is applying a fairly complex system of rules to the language that he or she knows. Which, for a 2-3 year old, is highly impressive. It is argued in linguistics that children are born with an innate ability to learn language. Their brain is hard-wired to make sense of an extremely confusing system. The specific language they learn obviously depends on the input they are exposed to, which is why children born in Boston speak English, while children in Tokyo speak Japanese.
The point is, there is something about humans that makes us hard-wired to communicate, and that is just amazing to me.
Also, linguistics radically changed the way I looked at grammar. I had always found grammar to be confusing in school, but as soon as it was explained by a linguist, it was like, suddenly everything was clear. Thats part of the reason that I want to teach English. Students deserve to know that grammar doesn't have to be this big scary intimidating thing. (Also, linguists are "descriptive grammarians", meaning that they don't abide by all those stupid rules you learned growing up. You wanna end a sentence with a preposition? You wanna use a double negative? Go for it. The only ungrammatical sentence is one that a native speaker wouldn't understand the intent of. So, a sentence like "I ain't got none" might hurt your ears, but from a linguist's standpoint, its completely grammatical.)
Q. What are you gonna do with that?
A. Well, I'm getting my certificate in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and then I'm going to go into the Peace Corps to teach English abroad with them. Afterwards, I will probably come back and get my Masters in Teaching and teach high school English (and probably French too) here in the states.
Okay.. and now for the things that I actually study:
Phonology- the study of the sounds of a language. Studies the way we make sounds, why sounds change over time a certain way, etc. For example, if you are a native speaker of English, you know that to form the plural of a word, you add an -s or -es. However, you probably didn't notice that you pronounce that plural in three different ways. Don't believe me? Say "pigs", "picks" and "pieces". Catch the difference? The first was a -z sound, then an -s, and then a -iz or -uz. Why is it that all native speakers will do that without ever having to be instructed in it? Any its not just repetition either, because we apply the same rules to made-up words!
Here, I also get to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet, which makes so much more sense than English spelling. There is a letter for each sound made in a work. So, in the word phone, the "ph" would be represented by [f], because that is that sound it makes. Also, the "sh" sound is represented by [ʃ] and the "th" in "thin" would look different than the "th" in "this", because they are different sounds. The problem with writing everything in IPA, because trust me, I would love to, is that IPA transcribes accents and pronunciation differences. For example, my friend Rachel and I would have different spelling of the word "button" because we say it differently. And who is to say that one accent is superior to another?
Morphology- is actually cooler than it sounds. It has to do with morphemes, which are the smallest meaningful parts of words. So, the word speakers has three. speak-er-s. The first is this root verb. The second part turns that verb into a noun. and the last morpheme marks it as a plural noun. Its because of morphology like this that we can play with language like we do. Its why I can say a made up word like "verbify" and you know that it means to turn something into a verb. And we all do this without even thinking about it!
There's a lot more to it, but I'll leave you with that for now. I could talk forever about language, but I don't want to bore you all to tears!
-D
Monday, January 23, 2012
Deluges of Books and Water-- A.K.A Welcome to Winter Term
Hello, all. Its Monday. The beginning of the third week of winter term, and I am completely overloaded with assignments. And we all know what that means! A new blog from me to you while I procrastinate. (I'm doing laundry while I write, so that makes it okay, right? Right? Guys?) Not to mention, I needed a coffee cure to the monday blues, so I'll be up all night anyway. And trust me when I say I needed the coffee.. it wasn't a desire, it was a need. You try sitting through six solid hours of 400 level linguistics classes and let me know how your brain feels. Moral of the story- Mondays suck.
While I still have your attention, I'll apologize for the inordinately long previous post. Obviously, I get a little excited about the Peace Corps. Long story short: I finally got to start my application, I still won't even know if I'm accepted for about another year, and, oh yeah.. I'm really freaking excited. Thats pretty much it. =)
So, the last few weeks have been a blur. I can only hope the rest of winter term goes by this fast. Unfortunately, this has resulted in my room looking like a class five tornado just ripped through it. There is laundry everywhere (though hopefully that gets taken care of tonight), jewelry and shoes scattered everywhere, and books covering every conceivable surface. I kid you not. You remember this scene from the Beauty and the Beast?
Yeah. My room is like that. But less organized. And with more clothes on the floor.
Now, I'm not above admitting that I always dreamed of one day having a library like that. I just had always imagined that the books would be... ones I actually enjoyed reading. I mean, like the ones that you go back and read again and again. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Diary of Anne Frank. And sure, maybe I would throw in Paradise Lost or Dante's Inferno just to be pedantic, (I love that word, by the way. I also love pairing it with "pontificate" and "prodigious". Alliteration is the shit, and words are fascinating) but it wouldn't matter, because I wouldn't actually have to spend hours trudging through it unless I wanted to.
Finally, it has stopped raining. The river is receding, and so far as I've heard the damage was really pretty minimal. But living across the street from a river during a flood is.. a little terrifying. Especially when you hear about nearby towns evacuating. But no worries. We're all fine here. Unless you count the 20 extra minutes that it takes me to get to Salem until all the roads open back up.
Anyway.. just a short update for you all. Time to get back to work. =( I've got the start of another blog in my head, so I'm sure I'll be back here before long.
-D
While I still have your attention, I'll apologize for the inordinately long previous post. Obviously, I get a little excited about the Peace Corps. Long story short: I finally got to start my application, I still won't even know if I'm accepted for about another year, and, oh yeah.. I'm really freaking excited. Thats pretty much it. =)
So, the last few weeks have been a blur. I can only hope the rest of winter term goes by this fast. Unfortunately, this has resulted in my room looking like a class five tornado just ripped through it. There is laundry everywhere (though hopefully that gets taken care of tonight), jewelry and shoes scattered everywhere, and books covering every conceivable surface. I kid you not. You remember this scene from the Beauty and the Beast?
Now, I'm not above admitting that I always dreamed of one day having a library like that. I just had always imagined that the books would be... ones I actually enjoyed reading. I mean, like the ones that you go back and read again and again. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Diary of Anne Frank. And sure, maybe I would throw in Paradise Lost or Dante's Inferno just to be pedantic, (I love that word, by the way. I also love pairing it with "pontificate" and "prodigious". Alliteration is the shit, and words are fascinating) but it wouldn't matter, because I wouldn't actually have to spend hours trudging through it unless I wanted to.
In other news, I almost died a couple days ago. Okay, so I didn't really almost die.. but my town did flood.
.
Finally, it has stopped raining. The river is receding, and so far as I've heard the damage was really pretty minimal. But living across the street from a river during a flood is.. a little terrifying. Especially when you hear about nearby towns evacuating. But no worries. We're all fine here. Unless you count the 20 extra minutes that it takes me to get to Salem until all the roads open back up.
Anyway.. just a short update for you all. Time to get back to work. =( I've got the start of another blog in my head, so I'm sure I'll be back here before long.
-D
Friday, January 13, 2012
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Peace Corps, and then some
I've been waiting for this day for years. And it has finally arrived. What's so special about January 13th, 2012, you ask? Well, I will tell you. Today, I begin my application to the Peace Corps. =D
When you begin your application process (which should last around 9 months to a year) one of the first things you are asked is what date you are available to begin your service. After that question, they have a nifty little drop down box which gives you options of months. Unfortunately, the options only extend a year and a half in advance. So, until now, exactly a year and a half (hopefully!) before my departure date, I was unable to start my application.
What on earth, you may be asking, would cause the application to take a whole year? Well, let me give you a little overview of the application process:
1) I fill out the application itself, which is no small task. It will probably take at least a few week to get my references together, write my essays, and give an account of every relevant class, job, or hobby that could help me out. Not to mention gathering up all my financial information, health status review, and college transcripts.
2) Roughly two weeks after my application is received, I should hear from my regional Peace Corps recruiter to set up an interview time. The interview could be conducted in person or over the phone. (More likely over the phone since the nearest Peace Corps office is in Seattle)
3) If the recruiter determines that the Peace Corps will be a good fit for me, and all of my application materials have been received, I will be nominated. This means I will be told in general what region of the world I will be working in, general type of work and an approximate departure date. Nothing is set in stone at this point.
4) After nomination, I will be required to complete a medical review to make completely sure that I'm not dying.
5) If I'm not dying, they will do a legal review, to make sure I'm not secretly a felon, or married, or skipping out on loans, etc.
6) Then, I'll be evaluated on the basis of my skills. They call this a competitive review, where basically they take stock of what I have to offer, compared with other candidates.
7) Finally, if I survive all of that, and there is a position that I qualify for, I will receive an invitation letter. This letter contains the specific country I will be serving in and a detailed job description, and the specific date of departure. You usually receive your letter about 2 or 3 months in advance. It also comes with the "welcome book" for that country. These are actually really cool.. I've found some PDFs online of welcome books for different countries, and there is a lot of information in them. There's a map of the country, a brief history, overview of politics, religion, culture. Information about the climate, the food, the language. A description of what your training will be like. Packing lists specified to that country (so useful! You're only allowed to pack 80 pounds so its nice to know what you'll be able to find there and what you'll need to bring with you). There's also a pretty detailed section on safety in that country and what you need to do to stay protected and safe. Oh, and there're letters from past volunteers to that country! I think this is really cool. The letters will often tell you about challenges that volunteer experienced and how they overcame them, or give you advice or warnings, and they all give a ton of encouragement.
8) After receiving my invitation, I can choose to accept it or I can wait for another invitation. However, its important to be flexible. Just because a country isn't the one you initially hoped for doesn't mean you should reject the invitation. The Peace Corps prizes flexibility in their volunteers, and if you come across as unwilling to compromise, you are not going to be seen as as competitive of an applicant.
9) After I accept an invitation, the Peace Corps will buy me a ticket to my "pre-service orientation site" also called staging. I think this is usually in DC, but I'm not sure. This is short, basically just a chance for the volunteers to meet before leaving the US. Then, we'll all fly out together, and the real training begins in country!
10) I'll have 11 weeks of in cAountry training in the country's capital city, which includes language and cultural training, as well as technical training for your field. Volunteers usually live with host families during their training. After that, I'll receive my official site assignment and off I go to begin my two years!
As you can see.. its going to be quite the process. But I am so excited! I feel like I've waited forever to begin the process, and now that its here, I'm actually a little bit nervous. I mean.. what if I don't make it? What if all the anticipation, all the hours of lost sleep, all the planning isn't enough? I suppose I'll have to cross that bridge if and when I come to it.
While I'm on the subject of the Peace Corps, I think I should probably answer a few questions that I am always asked:
Q: What is the Peace Corps?
A. The Peace Corps is a US Government agency. They send Americans overseas to work in developing countries for 27 months. They only send volunteers to countries who have requested volunteers. The Peace Corps is not about invading and Americanizing the developing world, but providing trained workers for interested countries while promoting cross cultural understanding, both on the part of the people being served and on the part of the volunteers.
Q: Do you get paid for this?
A: Yes. In a few different ways. During my service, I will receive a stipend that allows me to live comfortably at the level of the locals. This means, yes, I will have enough to eat. No, I won't be living in the embassy. Peace corps also pays for my plane tickets to and from my country of service. In addition, some student loans are eligible for deferment or even cancellation, I'll receive $7,425 (before taxes) upon completion of my service, and I'll have free medical and dental care during my service. Also, if I should choose to go to graduate school after my service, I can earn college credit for my service, and in that way, save myself some money!
Q: What will you do?
A: The Peace Corps has a few different program areas. These are: Education, Agriculture, Business and Information Tech, Youth and Community Development, HIV and AIDS, Health, and Environment. Since I will have my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification, its a pretty good bet I will be teaching English.
Q: Where will you go?
A: The short answer is... wherever they send me. I don't get to choose my country of service, although I can indicate if I have a region I prefer. But, there are some ways to try to determine where you're gonna go. For me, because I have a background in French, and TEFL, its a pretty good bet (though not set in stone) that I'll end up in a French speaking country that also has an Education program set up today. Because so many people ask me this, and I was a little curious myself, I looked through all the peace corps countries to figure out which ones I was most likely to end up in. Here's a list of the French speaking education countries (the numbers next to them indicate how many volunteers are currently there, which can help determine the likelihood that I will get that place. More volunteers now means more open positions for me!) Cameroon: 221, Burkina Faso: 155, Madagascar: 148,Togo: 118, Benin: 112, Vanuatu: 68, Guinea: 31, and Niger, where the program has currently been suspended. Now, these are the countries where my skills fit the best, but its just as likely that the Peace Corps will see that I know French, and take that to mean that I could just as easily learn Spanish or Portuguese or Kiswahili or Wolof. Basically, it could be one of the countries I mentioned, but it could also be the Philippines or Albania or Kazakhstan or Samoa. I just won't know till I get my invitation. And that's all part of the adventure. =)
Q: Will you have running water (or electricity, or internet, or phone)?
A: Well, that's all dependent on my placement. Not only on the country itself, but also my location within the country. For example, if I'm in Cameroon, but I'm in the capital I might have access to a lot more than if I were in Romania, but living in the rural countryside. Chances are, I will probably have a cell phone. Even the least developed countries usually have cell phones, though service may be iffy, (Though that's not a big change from my AT&T service now!) and phone calls to the states will be expensive. Even if I don't have internet in my home, many larger cities have internet cafes, but the prices vary and so does internet speed. If nothing else, the peace corps office in my country should have internet, and when I make trips into the capital city, I'll be able to use it.
Q: Is it safe?
A: Well.. again, thats dependent on the individual assignment. Some countries are safer than other, some volunteers safer than others. Medically speaking, each peace corps office maintains medical staff for care of volunteers. If for some reason, a volunteer cannot be adequately treated within the country, they can be medivacked (on the Peace Corps dollar) to the states. Also, the Peace Corps has evacuation plans in place in every country, in case of some revolution or natural disaster. The Peace Corps works very closely with the Embassy to be sure that in case of emergency, all volunteers can be safely evacuated. As far as other safety issues such as theft or assault, common sense reigns supreme. There is a lot you can do to keep yourself safe. Don't go out alone after dark. Lock your doors. Don't keep valuables where they are easily seen. The Peace Corps does everything in its power to keep volunteers safe, but accidents do happen.
When you begin your application process (which should last around 9 months to a year) one of the first things you are asked is what date you are available to begin your service. After that question, they have a nifty little drop down box which gives you options of months. Unfortunately, the options only extend a year and a half in advance. So, until now, exactly a year and a half (hopefully!) before my departure date, I was unable to start my application.
What on earth, you may be asking, would cause the application to take a whole year? Well, let me give you a little overview of the application process:
1) I fill out the application itself, which is no small task. It will probably take at least a few week to get my references together, write my essays, and give an account of every relevant class, job, or hobby that could help me out. Not to mention gathering up all my financial information, health status review, and college transcripts.
2) Roughly two weeks after my application is received, I should hear from my regional Peace Corps recruiter to set up an interview time. The interview could be conducted in person or over the phone. (More likely over the phone since the nearest Peace Corps office is in Seattle)
3) If the recruiter determines that the Peace Corps will be a good fit for me, and all of my application materials have been received, I will be nominated. This means I will be told in general what region of the world I will be working in, general type of work and an approximate departure date. Nothing is set in stone at this point.
4) After nomination, I will be required to complete a medical review to make completely sure that I'm not dying.
5) If I'm not dying, they will do a legal review, to make sure I'm not secretly a felon, or married, or skipping out on loans, etc.
6) Then, I'll be evaluated on the basis of my skills. They call this a competitive review, where basically they take stock of what I have to offer, compared with other candidates.
7) Finally, if I survive all of that, and there is a position that I qualify for, I will receive an invitation letter. This letter contains the specific country I will be serving in and a detailed job description, and the specific date of departure. You usually receive your letter about 2 or 3 months in advance. It also comes with the "welcome book" for that country. These are actually really cool.. I've found some PDFs online of welcome books for different countries, and there is a lot of information in them. There's a map of the country, a brief history, overview of politics, religion, culture. Information about the climate, the food, the language. A description of what your training will be like. Packing lists specified to that country (so useful! You're only allowed to pack 80 pounds so its nice to know what you'll be able to find there and what you'll need to bring with you). There's also a pretty detailed section on safety in that country and what you need to do to stay protected and safe. Oh, and there're letters from past volunteers to that country! I think this is really cool. The letters will often tell you about challenges that volunteer experienced and how they overcame them, or give you advice or warnings, and they all give a ton of encouragement.
8) After receiving my invitation, I can choose to accept it or I can wait for another invitation. However, its important to be flexible. Just because a country isn't the one you initially hoped for doesn't mean you should reject the invitation. The Peace Corps prizes flexibility in their volunteers, and if you come across as unwilling to compromise, you are not going to be seen as as competitive of an applicant.
9) After I accept an invitation, the Peace Corps will buy me a ticket to my "pre-service orientation site" also called staging. I think this is usually in DC, but I'm not sure. This is short, basically just a chance for the volunteers to meet before leaving the US. Then, we'll all fly out together, and the real training begins in country!
10) I'll have 11 weeks of in cAountry training in the country's capital city, which includes language and cultural training, as well as technical training for your field. Volunteers usually live with host families during their training. After that, I'll receive my official site assignment and off I go to begin my two years!
As you can see.. its going to be quite the process. But I am so excited! I feel like I've waited forever to begin the process, and now that its here, I'm actually a little bit nervous. I mean.. what if I don't make it? What if all the anticipation, all the hours of lost sleep, all the planning isn't enough? I suppose I'll have to cross that bridge if and when I come to it.
While I'm on the subject of the Peace Corps, I think I should probably answer a few questions that I am always asked:
Q: What is the Peace Corps?
A. The Peace Corps is a US Government agency. They send Americans overseas to work in developing countries for 27 months. They only send volunteers to countries who have requested volunteers. The Peace Corps is not about invading and Americanizing the developing world, but providing trained workers for interested countries while promoting cross cultural understanding, both on the part of the people being served and on the part of the volunteers.
Q: Do you get paid for this?
A: Yes. In a few different ways. During my service, I will receive a stipend that allows me to live comfortably at the level of the locals. This means, yes, I will have enough to eat. No, I won't be living in the embassy. Peace corps also pays for my plane tickets to and from my country of service. In addition, some student loans are eligible for deferment or even cancellation, I'll receive $7,425 (before taxes) upon completion of my service, and I'll have free medical and dental care during my service. Also, if I should choose to go to graduate school after my service, I can earn college credit for my service, and in that way, save myself some money!
Q: What will you do?
A: The Peace Corps has a few different program areas. These are: Education, Agriculture, Business and Information Tech, Youth and Community Development, HIV and AIDS, Health, and Environment. Since I will have my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification, its a pretty good bet I will be teaching English.
Q: Where will you go?
A: The short answer is... wherever they send me. I don't get to choose my country of service, although I can indicate if I have a region I prefer. But, there are some ways to try to determine where you're gonna go. For me, because I have a background in French, and TEFL, its a pretty good bet (though not set in stone) that I'll end up in a French speaking country that also has an Education program set up today. Because so many people ask me this, and I was a little curious myself, I looked through all the peace corps countries to figure out which ones I was most likely to end up in. Here's a list of the French speaking education countries (the numbers next to them indicate how many volunteers are currently there, which can help determine the likelihood that I will get that place. More volunteers now means more open positions for me!) Cameroon: 221, Burkina Faso: 155, Madagascar: 148,Togo: 118, Benin: 112, Vanuatu: 68, Guinea: 31, and Niger, where the program has currently been suspended. Now, these are the countries where my skills fit the best, but its just as likely that the Peace Corps will see that I know French, and take that to mean that I could just as easily learn Spanish or Portuguese or Kiswahili or Wolof. Basically, it could be one of the countries I mentioned, but it could also be the Philippines or Albania or Kazakhstan or Samoa. I just won't know till I get my invitation. And that's all part of the adventure. =)
Q: Will you have running water (or electricity, or internet, or phone)?
A: Well, that's all dependent on my placement. Not only on the country itself, but also my location within the country. For example, if I'm in Cameroon, but I'm in the capital I might have access to a lot more than if I were in Romania, but living in the rural countryside. Chances are, I will probably have a cell phone. Even the least developed countries usually have cell phones, though service may be iffy, (Though that's not a big change from my AT&T service now!) and phone calls to the states will be expensive. Even if I don't have internet in my home, many larger cities have internet cafes, but the prices vary and so does internet speed. If nothing else, the peace corps office in my country should have internet, and when I make trips into the capital city, I'll be able to use it.
Q: Is it safe?
A: Well.. again, thats dependent on the individual assignment. Some countries are safer than other, some volunteers safer than others. Medically speaking, each peace corps office maintains medical staff for care of volunteers. If for some reason, a volunteer cannot be adequately treated within the country, they can be medivacked (on the Peace Corps dollar) to the states. Also, the Peace Corps has evacuation plans in place in every country, in case of some revolution or natural disaster. The Peace Corps works very closely with the Embassy to be sure that in case of emergency, all volunteers can be safely evacuated. As far as other safety issues such as theft or assault, common sense reigns supreme. There is a lot you can do to keep yourself safe. Don't go out alone after dark. Lock your doors. Don't keep valuables where they are easily seen. The Peace Corps does everything in its power to keep volunteers safe, but accidents do happen.
Monday, November 28, 2011
My momma told me...
My mom is a pretty incredible woman. She has probably had more influence on my life and on the woman I have become than any other person. Sometimes I feel a bit worried as I see myself becoming more like her, but for the most part its a good thing. When I was growing up I was always pretty close with my mom. Sure, we had our tears and slammed doors, like every young girl and her mom, but in spite of those things I always felt like my mom and I had a better-than-average relationship. I know she'll be reading this, so I won't say that she was always right about everything, but I guess she's a pretty smart lady. I've learned a lot from her, more than I could ever sit down and enumerate, but I'll hit the highlights for you.
1) How to persevere in spite of present difficulties. I feel like this was one of the overarching lessons of my childhood. From skinned knees to broken hearts to job hunting to panicky stressed filled finals weeks, my mom has always been there to remind me that, "this too shall pass." "Momma said there'll be days like this, there'll be days like this, my momma said..."
2) How not to take myself too seriously. This is definitely a lesson in progress. And it probably will always be. I'm a stubborn, proud woman, and its often difficult for me to even admit that I have made a mistake, nonetheless to be able to laugh about it.
3) How not to be afraid of hospitals and sickness. This is something I don't often think of, but since my mom has worked in the hospital almost my entire life, I've spent a lot of time in hospitals. Unlike most people, I rarely went to visit loved ones who were sick or dying, so hospitals have never had a dark scary feeling to me like they do for so many. However, when I did have a loved one who was sick in the hospital, I was able to watch my mom interact with them, and learn from her how to act around someone that's seriously ill. Some people never learn that.
4) How to cook. Though I'm pretty sure she has to share credit with the food network for this one. And I'm also pretty sure that she taught me this one out of ulterior motives. She figured once I knew how to cook, she would be off the hook for a while.
5) How to read, and enjoy it. This is another one which she needs to share credit for. This was definitely accomplished through the joint efforts of my mom and grandma, but its one of those things I'll always be thankful for. It has definitely made school much, much more bearable.
6) How to clean. I always took this for granted until this year. My first year of living in my own place, and I'm starting to see just how much of an art cleaning and organizing can be, and my mom definitely has it down.
There is so much more, but I have papers I should be writing.. like usual. So I guess I'd best get back to those. I love you, mom.
1) How to persevere in spite of present difficulties. I feel like this was one of the overarching lessons of my childhood. From skinned knees to broken hearts to job hunting to panicky stressed filled finals weeks, my mom has always been there to remind me that, "this too shall pass." "Momma said there'll be days like this, there'll be days like this, my momma said..."
2) How not to take myself too seriously. This is definitely a lesson in progress. And it probably will always be. I'm a stubborn, proud woman, and its often difficult for me to even admit that I have made a mistake, nonetheless to be able to laugh about it.
3) How not to be afraid of hospitals and sickness. This is something I don't often think of, but since my mom has worked in the hospital almost my entire life, I've spent a lot of time in hospitals. Unlike most people, I rarely went to visit loved ones who were sick or dying, so hospitals have never had a dark scary feeling to me like they do for so many. However, when I did have a loved one who was sick in the hospital, I was able to watch my mom interact with them, and learn from her how to act around someone that's seriously ill. Some people never learn that.
4) How to cook. Though I'm pretty sure she has to share credit with the food network for this one. And I'm also pretty sure that she taught me this one out of ulterior motives. She figured once I knew how to cook, she would be off the hook for a while.
5) How to read, and enjoy it. This is another one which she needs to share credit for. This was definitely accomplished through the joint efforts of my mom and grandma, but its one of those things I'll always be thankful for. It has definitely made school much, much more bearable.
6) How to clean. I always took this for granted until this year. My first year of living in my own place, and I'm starting to see just how much of an art cleaning and organizing can be, and my mom definitely has it down.
There is so much more, but I have papers I should be writing.. like usual. So I guess I'd best get back to those. I love you, mom.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Our apathetic youth?
So there I was, sitting at work. Bored out of my mind. You see, it was raining today. I live in Oregon, so it is usually raining, but apparently most people don't want to eat ice cream when it's raining. Weird, huh? Anyway, as I was sitting there, dying of boredom, I saw it. A new Salem Weekly. It's this little newpaper-like thing that comes out every week and covers different local events and such. Anyway, this particular issue was concerned with politics, and why the youth are so seemingly indifferent to the entire political process. I was intrigued. After all, it is my age group, right? Well, the first thing I found were some reader responses to the question, "Why are people less likely to vote, the younger they are?". Here's what was said:
One reader says, "Too busy voting for the next American Idol."
First of all, really? American Idol? Thats just insulting. Who watches that anymore? I mean, maybe when I was in middle school, but for goodness sakes its 2011! Simon Cowell isn't even on the show anymore! But on a serious note, yes, the youth of America is too busy. Not voting for American Idol, but educating ourselves, working two jobs, trying to climb the career ladder, starting a family, volunteering, traveling.. You know. All that useless selfish stuff that we do.
Another, "Sadly, when one does not vote, one guarantees the continuation of the system. If you despise it, do something. Only action will create change. Does it seem 'the lesser of two evils'...? Surely the lesser evil, then, is preferable. Imagine how the world might have been better...if only a few more had voted for Gore vs. GW Bush.
Ignoring, for the moment this woman's blantent political leanings, and the fact that she didn't answer the question at all, lets address the point she brings up. Is it better to vote for the lesser of two evils than not at all? My answer would be a resounding no. As a friend of mine said, "Refusing to vote is a vote in itself. It is a vote of dissension." In other words, its saying, "No, I don't like this system. I refuse to vote for an inbecile rather than an idiot, just because he has more money than the intelligent fellow over there". You want proof that this is our mindset? Look how youth voting numbers increased in 2008. With Obama, who promised us "change" and "hope". Young people finally thought that they had a candidate that they could believe in. And on the opposite end of the bipartisan spectrum, the same thing has happened and continues to happen with Ron Paul. When someone starts making sense, the youth gets excited. When its more of the same bullshit we've always been fed.. well... not so much.
The next, "...because they are 'checked out'. The majority don't really have any idea what's going on; they're not paying attention." Strangely enough, she seems to contradict herself as she goes on to say, "they are beoming a bit cynical about the media outlets, and don't really know where to go to get unbiased information about candidates. They don't just want info from the candidate's pages, they want third party analysis withouth the hype and party fliters."
Its funny to me that a demographic which she characterized as completely "checked out" and "not paying attention" seems to be seeing right through all the games that the media and the candidates play. Yes, we are a cynical generation. I don't think that makes us "checked out". Politically speaking, I think that makes us pretty damn smart. Of course this guy is gonna say whatever it takes to get elected. Of course he's gonna look good and sound good. But we know how this game works. Look at his funding. Who has this guy in their pockets? Because that'll really show you how things are gonna go if he gets elected. (I'll also take this opportunity to say that Ron Paul has never accepted campaign donations from big banks, corporations, or special interest groups. Also, he has raised more money from active military than any other republican candidate. In fact, he also raised more than Obama did.) Really, it seems to me, that if you have this cynical youth, who are unwilling to just take a politician's word as fact, who are actively looking for valid information about these politicians and their views.... well, it seems to me thats about as "checked in" as you can get.
Much moreso, in fact than the fast majority of Americans, who get their new through Bill O'reilly or Glen Beck, or The View. Young people actually thinking? And making their own opinions? But... they don't have some Harvard educated political scientest to guide them? How will they possibly understand? At least, that seems to be the majority opinion of these political commentators.
I know its a long video, but the important part is at about 1:10:
Heaven forbid a rapper (omg, a rapper, those guys are all terrible) have a political opinion. Heaven forbid that he encourage America's youth to think critically about the actions that our government takes. Becasue God knows that we can't question the government or everything will fall apart.
And then, from Bill O'Reilly again, because he just makes it waaaaayy too easy.
"Stoned Slackers", Bill? Really? "The people who are on your intellectual level"? If Bill O'Reilly had his way, no one would vote until they were 45, and then, they would have to promise to vote Republican. Its just sad to me that he is so threatened by the idea that young people actually might have intelligently weighed the options, and still decided to vote Democrat. Or as the case may be, decided not to vote at all.
Because, as another reader wrote, "Elections are sold to the highest bidder. And... the under 30 crowd has more sensitive bullshit detectors"
One reader says, "Too busy voting for the next American Idol."
First of all, really? American Idol? Thats just insulting. Who watches that anymore? I mean, maybe when I was in middle school, but for goodness sakes its 2011! Simon Cowell isn't even on the show anymore! But on a serious note, yes, the youth of America is too busy. Not voting for American Idol, but educating ourselves, working two jobs, trying to climb the career ladder, starting a family, volunteering, traveling.. You know. All that useless selfish stuff that we do.
Another, "Sadly, when one does not vote, one guarantees the continuation of the system. If you despise it, do something. Only action will create change. Does it seem 'the lesser of two evils'...? Surely the lesser evil, then, is preferable. Imagine how the world might have been better...if only a few more had voted for Gore vs. GW Bush.
Ignoring, for the moment this woman's blantent political leanings, and the fact that she didn't answer the question at all, lets address the point she brings up. Is it better to vote for the lesser of two evils than not at all? My answer would be a resounding no. As a friend of mine said, "Refusing to vote is a vote in itself. It is a vote of dissension." In other words, its saying, "No, I don't like this system. I refuse to vote for an inbecile rather than an idiot, just because he has more money than the intelligent fellow over there". You want proof that this is our mindset? Look how youth voting numbers increased in 2008. With Obama, who promised us "change" and "hope". Young people finally thought that they had a candidate that they could believe in. And on the opposite end of the bipartisan spectrum, the same thing has happened and continues to happen with Ron Paul. When someone starts making sense, the youth gets excited. When its more of the same bullshit we've always been fed.. well... not so much.
The next, "...because they are 'checked out'. The majority don't really have any idea what's going on; they're not paying attention." Strangely enough, she seems to contradict herself as she goes on to say, "they are beoming a bit cynical about the media outlets, and don't really know where to go to get unbiased information about candidates. They don't just want info from the candidate's pages, they want third party analysis withouth the hype and party fliters."
Its funny to me that a demographic which she characterized as completely "checked out" and "not paying attention" seems to be seeing right through all the games that the media and the candidates play. Yes, we are a cynical generation. I don't think that makes us "checked out". Politically speaking, I think that makes us pretty damn smart. Of course this guy is gonna say whatever it takes to get elected. Of course he's gonna look good and sound good. But we know how this game works. Look at his funding. Who has this guy in their pockets? Because that'll really show you how things are gonna go if he gets elected. (I'll also take this opportunity to say that Ron Paul has never accepted campaign donations from big banks, corporations, or special interest groups. Also, he has raised more money from active military than any other republican candidate. In fact, he also raised more than Obama did.) Really, it seems to me, that if you have this cynical youth, who are unwilling to just take a politician's word as fact, who are actively looking for valid information about these politicians and their views.... well, it seems to me thats about as "checked in" as you can get.
Much moreso, in fact than the fast majority of Americans, who get their new through Bill O'reilly or Glen Beck, or The View. Young people actually thinking? And making their own opinions? But... they don't have some Harvard educated political scientest to guide them? How will they possibly understand? At least, that seems to be the majority opinion of these political commentators.
I know its a long video, but the important part is at about 1:10:
Heaven forbid a rapper (omg, a rapper, those guys are all terrible) have a political opinion. Heaven forbid that he encourage America's youth to think critically about the actions that our government takes. Becasue God knows that we can't question the government or everything will fall apart.
And then, from Bill O'Reilly again, because he just makes it waaaaayy too easy.
"Stoned Slackers", Bill? Really? "The people who are on your intellectual level"? If Bill O'Reilly had his way, no one would vote until they were 45, and then, they would have to promise to vote Republican. Its just sad to me that he is so threatened by the idea that young people actually might have intelligently weighed the options, and still decided to vote Democrat. Or as the case may be, decided not to vote at all.
Because, as another reader wrote, "Elections are sold to the highest bidder. And... the under 30 crowd has more sensitive bullshit detectors"
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