Sooo...it's official. I'm no longer using this blog site. If you hadn't figured that out already, here is the formal annoucement. I've relocated to http://asmu.tumblr.com/. Feel free to check out my current updates there if you feel inclined. Flip Flops & Ferry Boats---is now retired!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Jambo!
I have officially accepted a job with Church World Service in the Nairobi, Kenya OPE office.
CWS Nairobi is the overseas processing entity (OPE) for Sub-Saharan Africa. They contract with the US State Dept. to process refugee resettlement cases. The position is called a Pre-USCIS caseworker, which means that I will conduct interviews and prepare casefiles for refugees applying for resettlement in the U.S. I will not be making decisions about who goes or stays, but instead just getting things in place for the US State Dept. (USCIS) to come and assess the files, conduct interviews again, and make determinations. There are four different interviews that a Pre-USCIS caseworker conducts, and two of those interviews must be conducted by US citizens. "Quality assurance" is the catchphrase for this job.
The job requires travel throughout Sub-Saharan Africa on circuit rides. During a circuit ride, you will travel to a location (like a UN compound) to conduct interviews. Your day is pretty much spent listening to refugees tell their stories and gathering the specific information needed for the casefiles. Some common criticisms of this job is that it can become monotonous conducting interviews over and over and the issue of having to travel to remote locations. Sometimes the accommodations are nice hotels, other times they are more primitive. Some of the circuit rides are in Nairobi so travel is not guaranteed, but as needed depending on the refugee populations and the focus of US resettlement activities. Overall, I'm pretty excited about the job and think I'll really like it regardless of the downsides. I think it will be a great way to learn about the international side of resettlement, see refugee situations on the ground, hear personal stories from refugees and make contacts with INGOs doing refugee work.
The crazy thing is that this job starts on Jan. 4th. That's less than a month away (and I just received the job offer today)! In addition, I still have to finish my independent study research paper, take finals and hopefully receive my Masters. I will be completely finished with school by Dec. 17th. Then, starts the traditional crazy Christmas family festivities! It's going to be a busy time of visiting people and packing up.
We had to make a quick decision because they wanted to know by...the next day. The whole process started in late October when I applied for the job. I had my first interview in November, then had to wait four long weeks for them to contact me again for a second interview. After the second interview, I submitted references and received a job offer within a week. We've had time to think about the possibility of moving to Kenya so we felt good about saying yes.
Justin was a bit upset with me for posting the announcement on Facebook just a few (or less) hours after I found out. I'm sorry, but I just get too excited and lack patience. I want everyone to know at once, immediately. Justin wants to be much more intentional and relational. Let's call everyone individually and have a two hour conversation about it. I don't disagree with that method, but when you're in the last two weeks of your graduate program, time is something you have an abundance of. In fact, I probably shouldn't be writing this blog right now, but I just finished my reading for tomorrow and decided that I probably wouldn't be too productive trying to start something new since it's after 11:30 pm. My mental functioning drastically declines as I get tired.
The hardest part of leaving will be saying goodbye to family and friends. It's hard to leave. It's hard to be away. We don't take moving overseas lightly. We value our relationships and community. While it's exciting to go somewhere new, you miss out on so much. Life goes on without you. Keeping in touch can be challenging, but we hope to be intentional about maintaining friendships and connections. We don't know how long this move will be for...6 months, 1 year, 3 years, indefinitely. Justin still wants to get his PhD eventually, but you never know how things will turn out. We're open-minded and plan to follow the best path before us.
Anyway, that pretty much sums up my crazy day. Now I am waiting to hear back more details and logistics about how relocation process will work. Already, I have been running thru to do lists and questions to ask. I've made an appointment to get vaccinations and found a friend to loan me Swahili language learning cds. I just LOVE planning. I get really psyched up before a big event or new life phase and start obsessively planning and learning every possible thing I can about every facet associated with said event/life change. My enthusiasm can verge on the point of scary, but I usually calm down and adjust to normal upon commencement of the event. And I've never really suffered any negative effects from being over-prepared, so I have no real incentive to change my behavior. But, I somehow have to channel my energy back into school for the next week and a half. I can do this!
CWS Nairobi is the overseas processing entity (OPE) for Sub-Saharan Africa. They contract with the US State Dept. to process refugee resettlement cases. The position is called a Pre-USCIS caseworker, which means that I will conduct interviews and prepare casefiles for refugees applying for resettlement in the U.S. I will not be making decisions about who goes or stays, but instead just getting things in place for the US State Dept. (USCIS) to come and assess the files, conduct interviews again, and make determinations. There are four different interviews that a Pre-USCIS caseworker conducts, and two of those interviews must be conducted by US citizens. "Quality assurance" is the catchphrase for this job.
The job requires travel throughout Sub-Saharan Africa on circuit rides. During a circuit ride, you will travel to a location (like a UN compound) to conduct interviews. Your day is pretty much spent listening to refugees tell their stories and gathering the specific information needed for the casefiles. Some common criticisms of this job is that it can become monotonous conducting interviews over and over and the issue of having to travel to remote locations. Sometimes the accommodations are nice hotels, other times they are more primitive. Some of the circuit rides are in Nairobi so travel is not guaranteed, but as needed depending on the refugee populations and the focus of US resettlement activities. Overall, I'm pretty excited about the job and think I'll really like it regardless of the downsides. I think it will be a great way to learn about the international side of resettlement, see refugee situations on the ground, hear personal stories from refugees and make contacts with INGOs doing refugee work.
The crazy thing is that this job starts on Jan. 4th. That's less than a month away (and I just received the job offer today)! In addition, I still have to finish my independent study research paper, take finals and hopefully receive my Masters. I will be completely finished with school by Dec. 17th. Then, starts the traditional crazy Christmas family festivities! It's going to be a busy time of visiting people and packing up.
We had to make a quick decision because they wanted to know by...the next day. The whole process started in late October when I applied for the job. I had my first interview in November, then had to wait four long weeks for them to contact me again for a second interview. After the second interview, I submitted references and received a job offer within a week. We've had time to think about the possibility of moving to Kenya so we felt good about saying yes.
Justin was a bit upset with me for posting the announcement on Facebook just a few (or less) hours after I found out. I'm sorry, but I just get too excited and lack patience. I want everyone to know at once, immediately. Justin wants to be much more intentional and relational. Let's call everyone individually and have a two hour conversation about it. I don't disagree with that method, but when you're in the last two weeks of your graduate program, time is something you have an abundance of. In fact, I probably shouldn't be writing this blog right now, but I just finished my reading for tomorrow and decided that I probably wouldn't be too productive trying to start something new since it's after 11:30 pm. My mental functioning drastically declines as I get tired.
The hardest part of leaving will be saying goodbye to family and friends. It's hard to leave. It's hard to be away. We don't take moving overseas lightly. We value our relationships and community. While it's exciting to go somewhere new, you miss out on so much. Life goes on without you. Keeping in touch can be challenging, but we hope to be intentional about maintaining friendships and connections. We don't know how long this move will be for...6 months, 1 year, 3 years, indefinitely. Justin still wants to get his PhD eventually, but you never know how things will turn out. We're open-minded and plan to follow the best path before us.
Anyway, that pretty much sums up my crazy day. Now I am waiting to hear back more details and logistics about how relocation process will work. Already, I have been running thru to do lists and questions to ask. I've made an appointment to get vaccinations and found a friend to loan me Swahili language learning cds. I just LOVE planning. I get really psyched up before a big event or new life phase and start obsessively planning and learning every possible thing I can about every facet associated with said event/life change. My enthusiasm can verge on the point of scary, but I usually calm down and adjust to normal upon commencement of the event. And I've never really suffered any negative effects from being over-prepared, so I have no real incentive to change my behavior. But, I somehow have to channel my energy back into school for the next week and a half. I can do this!
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| Church World Service |
Sunday, December 05, 2010
I am a Humanitarian
So, I've started a new blog on Tumblr. It kind of turned into a way to make studying for current events for comps fun, but I'm planning to keep it going. I'm still debating about whether to keep this as a more personal blog or merge them into one. We'll see. The goal now is to finish school. There are a few more dates/projects that have to happen before that time.
Tuesday @ 11am---Oral Exams with Mingst, Hillebrand and Farley
Tuesday evening---Group Project for PA 661
Friday Dec 10---Graduation
Monday Dec. 16---Independent Study Paper Due
Tuesday Dec. 17---PA 661 Final
Wednesday Dec. 18---French Final
Friday Dec 17---Finals Over & Papers Due
In the midst of this, I have applied for a job in Kenya and am waiting to hear back. I should know something within the next two weeks. Here's the info for the job. It could potentially start in early to mid-January. Which could mean some big changes for Justin and I in the coming weeks. Right now, I just feel like everything is in LIMBO.
Tuesday @ 11am---Oral Exams with Mingst, Hillebrand and Farley
Tuesday evening---Group Project for PA 661
Friday Dec 10---Graduation
Monday Dec. 16---Independent Study Paper Due
Tuesday Dec. 17---PA 661 Final
Wednesday Dec. 18---French Final
Friday Dec 17---Finals Over & Papers Due
In the midst of this, I have applied for a job in Kenya and am waiting to hear back. I should know something within the next two weeks. Here's the info for the job. It could potentially start in early to mid-January. Which could mean some big changes for Justin and I in the coming weeks. Right now, I just feel like everything is in LIMBO.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Life Update
I am still here. I am still alive. I am still really busy with school. This semester began in a whirlwind and it is only picking up speed. Weekly stressing out over Geo-Political Modeling Homework. Intense debates in Socio-Culture Dimensions of Economic Development. Battling thru Notre Dame in French. Crafting a business plan for Fin. Mgmt of a NPO. Plus, Interviews with Refugees for my Independent Study. COMPS, COMPS, COMPS! Oh, and work at KRM!
This week has been especially interesting. Two flat tires on my bike leaving me stranded at different times. I spent an hour or so the previous night learning to patch the flat only for it to fail this evening. Also, a mouse has just been discovered in our kitchen. This required a mini freak-out on my part and then moving large amounts of food off our lazy susan. For tonight, we are trying to catch it humanely by the toilet paper roll and trash can method. Another frustrating occurrence this week is we lost our car insurance because of an unfortunate "accident." I got the envelope and money ready and put it on the counter to be mailed. It was gone in the morning so I assumed Justin had mailed it. He assumed I mailed it. All the while, it was sneakily hiding under a pile of school papers. We found it a day before the due date and sent it in, but it arrived a day late. Now, KY Farm Bureau is telling us we have to pay DOUBLE to get our car insurance reinstated. I understand late fees, but DOUBLING your price is CRAZY. So obviously, that's not going to happen. Although, they already took our money even though the insurance was cancelled. I'm trying to use my negotiating skills to broker a deal, but so far, no luck. On top of everything, Rand Paul from the Tea Party was just elected as a KY Senator. This is very unfortunate (in my opinion) and quite scary for KY. Anyway, that the past few days wrapped up in one crazy paragraph. Needless to say, I feel a bit exhausted.
On a happier note, I had an interview today for a job in Nairobi, Kenya with CWS/OPE. The job would be conducting Pre-USICS interviews to record information for refugees applying for resettlement. It also requires circuit rides throughout Sub-Saharan Africa visiting camps and UNHCR compounds to conduct interviews. I pretty excited about the opportunity, but trying not to get my hopes up yet. I should find out in a week and half if I am chosen for a second interview. The position will start sometime in Dec. or Jan.--which is only 1 1/2 or 2 months away. The thought of moving overseas that quickly seems so crazy. I keep having to stop myself from starting "to do" lists. Justin keeps threatening me about getting too excited and diving into planning mode--which can lead to a spiraling, obsessive tendency to organize every aspect of some future event that I am super psyched about just so I can spend large amounts of time thinking and looking forward to it without feeling guilty. I still don't think this trait is so bad because I don't really care about how the plan actually goes down and I become extremely knowledgeable about every alternative mode of travel/place to stay or eat/activity to do/visa option/travel tidbit/etc. and that usually comes in handy along the way.
So that pretty much provides an accurate update on my life. Just trying to battle the storm of grad school, comps, work, job searching, flat tires, mice, insurance cancellations, and political frustrations. And enjoy Lexington, family, friends, Communality, learning, fall weather, potential job opportunities and life as much as possibly.
This week has been especially interesting. Two flat tires on my bike leaving me stranded at different times. I spent an hour or so the previous night learning to patch the flat only for it to fail this evening. Also, a mouse has just been discovered in our kitchen. This required a mini freak-out on my part and then moving large amounts of food off our lazy susan. For tonight, we are trying to catch it humanely by the toilet paper roll and trash can method. Another frustrating occurrence this week is we lost our car insurance because of an unfortunate "accident." I got the envelope and money ready and put it on the counter to be mailed. It was gone in the morning so I assumed Justin had mailed it. He assumed I mailed it. All the while, it was sneakily hiding under a pile of school papers. We found it a day before the due date and sent it in, but it arrived a day late. Now, KY Farm Bureau is telling us we have to pay DOUBLE to get our car insurance reinstated. I understand late fees, but DOUBLING your price is CRAZY. So obviously, that's not going to happen. Although, they already took our money even though the insurance was cancelled. I'm trying to use my negotiating skills to broker a deal, but so far, no luck. On top of everything, Rand Paul from the Tea Party was just elected as a KY Senator. This is very unfortunate (in my opinion) and quite scary for KY. Anyway, that the past few days wrapped up in one crazy paragraph. Needless to say, I feel a bit exhausted.
On a happier note, I had an interview today for a job in Nairobi, Kenya with CWS/OPE. The job would be conducting Pre-USICS interviews to record information for refugees applying for resettlement. It also requires circuit rides throughout Sub-Saharan Africa visiting camps and UNHCR compounds to conduct interviews. I pretty excited about the opportunity, but trying not to get my hopes up yet. I should find out in a week and half if I am chosen for a second interview. The position will start sometime in Dec. or Jan.--which is only 1 1/2 or 2 months away. The thought of moving overseas that quickly seems so crazy. I keep having to stop myself from starting "to do" lists. Justin keeps threatening me about getting too excited and diving into planning mode--which can lead to a spiraling, obsessive tendency to organize every aspect of some future event that I am super psyched about just so I can spend large amounts of time thinking and looking forward to it without feeling guilty. I still don't think this trait is so bad because I don't really care about how the plan actually goes down and I become extremely knowledgeable about every alternative mode of travel/place to stay or eat/activity to do/visa option/travel tidbit/etc. and that usually comes in handy along the way.
So that pretty much provides an accurate update on my life. Just trying to battle the storm of grad school, comps, work, job searching, flat tires, mice, insurance cancellations, and political frustrations. And enjoy Lexington, family, friends, Communality, learning, fall weather, potential job opportunities and life as much as possibly.
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