the compass changes direction. again.

yesterday i went back to the website for the london school of economics.  i was reading about the master's in international relations and i wanted to see what the diploma program is like.  i looked and looked.  i went to the faq section and there it was:

" if you do not have a first degree in a related field, you will probably have a hard time.  if you want to pursue this degree please include in the personal statement why you feel strongly about this degree and what you intend to do with it." 

oh my goodness.  that  means i have to go study somewhere else.  i really wanted to go to lse.  so i kept looking at all their master's programs.  all of a sudden i came across other programs that i didn't see before on my last visit to the site.  there is a master's in human rights and one in international development & humanitarian emergencies; as well as one in ngo and development.  my future has been saved.  both are more specific to what i want to do.  at least the last two are.  the second one's requirement is that the candidate has at least one year working for an ngo.  hmmm....

oh, job hunt.

it's time.  i have to return to the job hunt.  this time, i finally have enough work experience to ask a temp agency for help.  i made an appointment with adecco.  it will be in a few weeks.  i picked them even though they are an hour bus ride to get to.  i picked them because they seemed more professional than the other places i called and they offer a good benefits package which i need.

at first i was going to make an appointment for next week but when i made that call, the time slot i wanted was already taken.  thus, i didn't want an afternoon appointment and asked for the next morning appointment.  i am glad the appointment is two weeks away.  i wasn't sure yet if i wanted a part-time or full-time job.  a part-time position will allow me to continue volunteering at the club.  i also considered a full-time position at the club since i wanted to work in the non-profit sector.  for some reason, i thought the pay would be reasonable.  that it would be more than retail.  after looking up salaries on glassdoor.com, it confirmed what i was afraid of:  low pay.  i know it's the non-profit sector but still.  it burst my bubble.  what do i do?  what if they offer me a job before i find something with the temp agency?  i surely hope i find a better job with a better pay through the agency before something comes up at the club.  unless of course, i can't find anything better through the agency, then i will take a job with the club.  i wish my choices were easier to make.

...unrelated to the job hunt, one of my supervisors gave me two tickets to the movies today as a token of her appreciation for the work i've been doing there.  it was so nice of her.  i really do like the people at this club.  everyone, the adults at least, really do care about the kids and the mission of the club.  if i do get a job somewhere else, i will surely miss this place.

tasks.

so i really want to leave my bank and move all my money to a credit union.  only problem is i know they are going to give me a hard time.  instead of closing my accounts and asking for a check (which makes it obvious that i'm leaving) i've decided i will slowly withdraw money and deposit those funds into my credit union.  then when i am down to the safe amount that won't get hit with fees, i will go to the bank, withdraw the remainder and ask them to close those accounts.  i think that's the best way.  i will make up a story about my hardships and being unemployed.  tell them that i don't want to keep it open since i don't have any money left and i really am unemployed.  (crossing fingers x).

a different direction.

 now that i know i want to work in the nonprofit sector, i need to get myself a graduate degree.  why?  my bachelors was in art. though i don't plan to do this in the next year or two, my mind is already thinking about it.  why not.  i have a lot of time right now.

looking at all the experience and degrees required for a lot of job functions out there, i'm going to need a graduate degree.  at first i looked into public administration with a concentration in nonprofit management and international nonprofits.  today i realized, managing a nonprofit is not what i was thinking.  i skimmed through a few school's curriculum.  it's not what i had in mind.  i just want to work in one, not manage it.  then i looked into international relations.  one of the girls i met at the club is studying it right now.  she wants to work abroad.  looked at those masters program at the same schools for public administration and that's a lot closer to what i have in mind.  only problem is these programs are so expensive.  nearly $50,000 a year.  i know i don't want to do that though i know it would be an investment in my future.

  i can't believe i'm looking into a master's degree.  in international relations!  i really do want in nonprofit/humanitarian arena.  i've always been one who cares deeply about those issues.  i wanted to volunteer and help the victims of katrina, haiti, any major natural disaster.  i looked into volunteering while i was in france but my french wasn't strong enough yet.  this whole time, my intended career was right before me.

next up, i have to fine tune what i want to do.  what i'm going to study.  what area i want to work in.  do i want to go into this field because i want to travel, go back to europe, work abroad, all of the previous?  am i doing this for the right reasons?  only time will tell.

ancient currency.

somehow my thought drifted to buying a replica of a gold coin.  from ancient rome or greece.  somehow i just find it a beautiful piece of work.  ancient coins were handmade and all the imperfections gave them some character.  modern day coins are too perfect.  i think i just want one for my collection and here, i found a website that does only that:  sell replicas of ancient coins.

habiter en seul/living alone

in the very near future, i will find myself living alone.  almost.  it is time.  i wanted this for awhile.  i just didn't know it would happen like this.  ce marche.  one very important thing i have to do is figure out what i'll be eating for dinner and have that planned a week in advance.  must get to figuring out quick, healthy meals.  must think about versatile ingredients.  it was so much easier in france with picard...  perhaps i could try to recreate that magic here with trader joe's.

awesome!

in the u.s. we have a tv drama called the secret life of the american teenager.  browsing the canal + france website under tv show i find, la vie secrete des jeunes.  the same idea but with real french kids from paris.  it's a reality tv show. though this might be more of an undercover camera operation...it's also interesting that it's categorized under "humor".  there's only four minutes of each episode but that's good enough for me.

 

lucille ball would have turned 100 tomorrow.

defining the future.

my plans for the future are becoming more defined.  career-wise, i mean.  i'm glad to say, my career choice will allow me to find work abroad if i want to.  these organizations are so big, it will be better for me to work for an international company than one state-side.  the salary is better.  i just have to figure out how to squeeze in more french language studies as french is the second language in this sector.

i don't know if i will or if i have to yet but i also did a little research on graduate programs for public administration.  some schools are $20,000 a year, the better programs are about $50,000.  i don't like any of those numbers.

having received my first degree in studio art, this tickles me a little bit.  it is such a long road to where i am now.  sigh.