Winding Down

I've left this blog completely unattended. Shame on me! Time really does fly, as it seems like only yesterday I landed at Heathrow. Now...I will be leaving for home tomorrow. I don't want to leave really. I can count on one hand the pros of returning home: 1) Seeing the grandparents 2) Graham Crackers 3) Being reunited with the rest of my clothes 4) 24 hour open Meijers and 5) School.

The cons though: Social life...pretty much out the window (Hello study and hopefully either returning to my jobs on campus or getting something to actually support the over $1,200 monthly bills for school I'll have), Toledo traffic (bunch of crazy people), inability for me to work full time and finish school (yes I realize many people pull this off, but I take care of my grandmother full time when not in school or at work if gramps isn't around), no more true pubs, no more easy public transportation, goodbye to the large diverse population, hello to being expected to tip 15 to 20% when I get any food delivered or eat out, trying to figure out sales tax in my head (I'm horrible with this)...

I will stop with the cons as it's too depressing.
On to the highlights of my trip..which are many:
- An internship with State Department at the U.S. Embassy in London
- Queen's Jubilee
- Free Museums
- Krispy Kreme Donuts...from Krispy Kreme stands
- Making friends easily
- Starting my journey of learning Polish
- Friday night visits to pubs with awesome people
- Working in SCS
-Working in Passports
-Working for the CG
- Being delegated as lead on research survey for Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Becoming part of a team to initiate culling of backlog cases
- Meeting the First Lady and getting to shake her hand
- Going to the Olympics for free because of the generosity of a fellow colleague
- Day trip to Canterbury
- Seeing my friends finally play hockey
- Birthday with my best friend and his daughter, and then being invited to dinner with the CG and his family (His daughter is awesome!)
- Apples to Apples with a lovely group of people
- Pizza and a movie with Margaret
- Visiting the Polish Center and Polish restaurants
- Getting my hair cut

I know this summer has had ups and downs, but overall it has been the best experience of my life.

New Day

I realize I hardly have the ambition to keep this blog updated. I just get busy and forget all about it! I should be more disciplined with it. I'm finally starting to feel better, the sore throat is slowly going away. Aside from stressing myself out yesterday, things are still going pretty well.

I've been moved temporarily to work in the passport section, and so far am loving it. I feel a bit slow on the data entry but I just need to remind myself that it's only my third day or so working on it and that I'm only human and not perfect.

I know last post, I said I'd be posting pictures. Well, I started to make a blog over the weekend..and then realized I didn't really have anything to say other than....posting a bunch of pictures, so I didn't bother!

So far I've been working here, almost three weeks. It's only confirming my decision that this is what I want to do with my life. My initial thoughts about the work of Consular as being the 'down to earth'/helping field have held mainly true. I still feel, if not more now, that I am making a difference. I'm extremely happy with my decision to follow through with the application process because it has already paid off! It's amazing to be working somewhere and feel like, even on a 'bad' day...you see yourself never really wanting to leave it.

I'm hoping at some point to take a day trip or something, not sure where too.
Next Post will have pictures...I'll force myself to upload.

Morning Rush

I realize I haven't posted in about a week or so. I just want to let people know it's going well. Just busy! It's about 5:44am...I'm hardly awake, and I feel like I'm getting sick. I think soup for lunch is in order. It's most likely just the weather change. I did do some sight seeing over the past week or so...just have yet to update it. I'll do that this weekend I think, especially for gramps I'll include more pictures with captions (it's the only thing he even pays attention too!).

Learning Curve

Today has been my second day at the internship. My morning routine consists of waking at 5:30am, getting ready for work, out the door by 6:50...a train around 7:00 or 7:15 (if I'm lucky!) that takes about half an hour to then transfer to the tube...for a six minute ride (again that's if I make it in time or if there aren't delays). I then walk a bit the rest of the way to work, to start at 8:30 am. It's amazing the feeling I get when I walk up to the Embassy. I don't know really how to explain it. Maybe, a sense of accomplishment or pride? I show my badge and am on my way. The Embassy is amazing, and though I'm not exactly sure what I can describe and what I can't, I think it is safe to say that it is the place where I have felt the most accepted and respected. Sure I have worked various positions on Lourdes' campus, all have been awesome positions. Nothing like this though. Absolutely nothing negative about my experience with Lourdes intended, as I have tremendous pride for attending and representing Lourdes University here! I can't tell you how many people have asked me what school I am coming from! So the name is definately getting out there.

My internship has me placed in American Citizen Services, working with Special Consular Services. Just as a brief overview, our section visits Americans abroad in jail, assists with family after the death of a U.S. citizen loved one, helps U.S. children and families that are involved in abduction, custoday, support, and other cases, checks on the welfare of U.S. citizens in England and Wales, and provides routine Notary services. There are other things as well, if anyone is interested on learning more about this section or perhaps interested in an internship with Consular (Lourdes Students I'm talking to you!!!), I totally encourage you to check out the site for more information on it. Consular: American Citizen Services, other services overview. Also, information on internships with State Department in general can be found here: http://careers.state.gov/students/programs#nogo.

Consular Affairs is comprised of other services as well, but I focused on the above, because it is what my section works in! It's pretty awesome if I do say so my self.

Later on I will probably post a bit more about my experience with the internship application process itself, so I may be backtracking a bit more. I appologize if this may get confusing to some, but by the time I get 'home' my brain is pretty much fried! So I may stick to posting blogs once or twice a week and at weekends.

Exploring

   So I need to update. Thursday afternoon I topped up my oyster card and headed out on the national rail from Chiswick and took the tube then to Chancery Lane. I found a Sainsbury's (yay grocery store!) and took out some money. I walked around a bit and found my way to the British Museum, sat outside people watching. Now I know most museums around here are free...but I didn't go in. I sat eating my 'crisps' and listening to all the conversations going on around me. It's amazing to hear so many different languages being spoken at one time! I didn't feel so bad pulling out my map to figure out where to go next, because quite a few others were doing the same. It's odd, I feel like a tourist...but not.

Outside British Museum

   I stopped outside the entrance to the museum because someone was playing a bag pipe. Now, in Chicago...you can hear someone playing music often downtown. This is different...Someone playing a bagpipe, and then you walk a few feet or so away and there's someone trying to play guitar getting severely drowned out! I think he should have moved farther down. At least then people would have heard him. Anyway, I snapped a pic of the bagpipe person!
 
    After my trip by the museum, I stopped by a souvenir shop, saw a board listed full of day tours I can't currently afford. I was on a mission to find London A-Z...
didn't find it in that store, but did in a different store somewhere down the road. It was on an outside stand, and then went in to pay for it. It cost £6.50 (so about $10.30) ...walking all the way to the back and there were about five or six men just standing there. It sort of creeped me out a bit...so I couldn't really wait to get out of there. I couldn't figure out if the men were supposedly 'working' there or what.

   The rest of the night was spent at the pub, called Knights Templar. I met up with Kevin to have a Pint. Now I realize a Pint in the U.S. is not the same amount as in the U.K., apparently a U.K. Pint..would be about 19 U.S. ounces...whereas the U.S. Pint is 16 ounces. The one Pint lasted me all night. One thing that amazed me was that...here, you are allowed to take the glass outside! Back in Toledo...atleast the bar I sometimes go too..you aren't allowed to take drinks outside (unless maybe at a patio?). Also...the bathroom was amazing. I mean...you walk in and there's a large sofa...each stall has hard wood. I never thought going to the bathroom could be a neat adventure..and I wasn't even drunk! I wish I would have taken a picture of the sink and sofa part...maybe a reason to return there some day??

   I did take a picture while I was outside though, absolutely beautiful architecture! I'm not sure what the building is. So if anyone has any idea..please feel free to let me know!

    Not a bad view to have while drinking a Pint, outside yea?

Jet Lag

     Backtracking a bit to the flight yesterday. I flew from Toledo Ohio, to London...Heathrow, yay? Not so much of a yay. It started out from Toledo to O'hare, then on to Boston, then to London. The flight from Toledo to Chicago was fine, save for the pit in my stomach and the feeling that any second I could burst into tears. I thought: "Am I really doing this?" Then of course there was the feeling of, me being crazy for doing so. I must have repacked my suitcase well over four times. I still didn't feel prepared. The airport in Toledo is small however, and great for people that get extremely nervous when they fly (aka me!). It was a breeze getting through all of the security (I was literally the only person in line...awesome? YES!), and didn't have to wait long before the flight took off.

     On to the flight to Chicago, we ended up arriving on time, but had to wait a bit to get a gate. I had originally planned to exchange some money at O'hare, but I couldn't find the currency exchange so that plan went out the window. I realize exchange rates at airports are the equivalent to highway robbery but it was the whole mental safety net line of processing that I was going for! I ended up dining on...Mc Donalds (what joy?). I'm not a fan of the food, but it was ok...served its purpose. There wasn't too much time to wait for the flight to Boston. Boston is where it went down hill.

     First mission in Boston was to exchange some money, ended up getting about 70 pounds...not telling how much it cost, but there was a $7 fee included. Still..it made me feel a bit more at ease. Then I headed for food. The layover was a bit longer at Boston, we arrived about 40 minutes late or so, I can't remember the exact time. What really mattered was that the plane was supposed to take off at around 10:10pm...it was delayed till around 11:00...any other time this would be great I guess, but I could barely keep my eyes open and was bored out of my mind! Dinner at the airport before everything closed: a Stromboli! (Sorry Kathy and Admissions, it doesn't count as 'microwave'..I didn't bother taking a pic!)

     I'm glad I got an aisle seat on both flights from Chicago and Boston. Flights make me feel extremely nauseous. I couldn't get over the dizzy/headache feeling. Little did I know..the feeling would only get worse and more complicated after my flights were all over!

    I've come to the conclusion that jet lag turns me into a monster. All I wanted to do after I arrived and 'settled in', was call my grandparents, bite everyone's heads off, cry, sleep, and get out and go...all in one. It was a recipe for disaster. My headache and dizziness only really got worse. It's horrible for me to have this firm belief in not taking medicine for miniscule things unless its absolutley something unbearable. So I went without any kind of allergy relief, anything for a headache, etc.

   It took me near an hour or two to figure out how to get my laptop to work with the converter, as I couldn't get the darn thing to plug in all the way. Per advice from two friends, I was ready to go find somewhere to shell out more cash for a different converter. Thankfully, I used what little common sense was available to me, and asked the hosts for some help! They had no problem really, just forced the converter and the plug from my adaptor together and into the outlet. Piece of cake! Great too, because I had actually broke down crying from all of my confusion, stressing myself  out much more than needed, but that's jet lag for you!

   The rest of my day consisted of walking around a couple of the streets nearby, a trip to a small convenience store (not really sure what the normal term is here?) and the news agent next door. I came back 'home' and ate...the microwave pizza was actually ...decent? Of course I had my pepsi too. But, I don't think I'll be drinking much pop (or should I say fizzy drink? I don't know really). I still have half of the bottle left! Victory for me as I am a total Pepsi addict. My grandparents would be proud. It's a shame they don't have internet so they can't follow my blog.

   Jet lag is like being drunk. Everything moving around in a haze, slow motion. Body and mind...totally not 'together'. I must have spent a good 10 to 15 minutes at the convenience store looking at prices and debating what I was going to eat. When I was back here and done eating, all that jazz..I did the unthinkable. I took about a three hour nap. I couldn't handle it anymore. I ended up waking at 9:00pm, practically wide awake. It turned out alright though because it was a good opportunity to unpack stuff.


    I didn't really get the chance to enjoy my surroundings yesterday, so I will leave you with the view I have from my bedroom window.

Cold Feet?

I have come a long way over the past year. More specifically, since around November. Coincidentally, where it all began.

I started researching internships over last summer. My research stemmed from an interest in any possibility I could have of making a career out of Psychology and Travel. I found the Foreign Service. I realize that most people interested in Foreign Service, may not come from a Psychology background.

What fascinated me about the Foreign Service is the aspect of becoming a world traveller and making a meaningful contribution while at it. I had never had that 'ah ha' moment until I happened upon the role description of Consular Services. What really hit home with me, was American Citizen Services. They help Americans abroad, in crises, adoptions and such. They make visits to Americans in jail. Anyone who truly knows me, would understand the appeal it would have to me. Consular Affairs in general deals with a variety of people.

When I made the decision to apply for an internship with the State Department, I didn't have much faith that I would be a top candidate. I felt that coming from a small University, would be laughable among others who may come from more prestigious schools. I was wrong.

Challenge after challenge, I pushed myself. I had to make a choice between two primary offers for an internship. Something I had been told was a bit uncommon. London or Ottawa. Both, exceptional places to explore I'm sure. I ultimately went with London.

Now, in three days, I'll be flying to a different city, a different country, a different continent. I'll be there pretty much the whole summer. A huge part of me can't wait for the experience. Then, there's the part of me that feels like something is bound to go wrong. I keep wondering, how many positives can happen in a row?

The overwhelming feeling that I have is, the want to make it count. To make this summer the best I've had to date.
Mother's day is tomorrow. I leave on Tuesday. My mother would be beaming with pride.