Washington DC

The job search continues even though I'm in an office all day, seemingly job having. It's my first time back in an office since I left to go to Peace Corps, so since August of 2006. It's only temporary and it's the perfect way to ease back into the working world. I loved being a Peace Corps Volunteer. I had a great time and I know that my projects made a great difference. So, now I'm temping at headquarters and although the work that I'm doing will probably not rock anyone's world I appreciate being there and know that it's a great opportunity to be in on the action.

At the same time I'm still looking for a job and I'm living in a new city. I turned 31 recently as since I am now officially in my 30s I want a job that will move me in the direction of my goals, so I'm reluctant to take just any job that comes along. There are so many interesting jobs to be done, it's tough to really focus and clearly define my central ambition. If I'm really honest my true, most important ambitions include things like having a family. I also want to have a super cool, stimulating, meaningful job. And so the job search continues.

In other news, I realized late yesterday afternoon that it was my ex-fiancee's birthday. He called me on my aforementioned, recent 31st birthday. I try to maintain a positive relationship friends with all of my exes, some are even good friends, but he's different. I want to be kind and respectful as I do still love him. But, I don't really want to talk to him. Ahh the wonder of the Facebook wall.

Capitol 10K

I'm running! Come and join us. I'm currently reviewing suggestions for costumes.

The job search saga, Part I

I just got back from Peace Corps and I use "just" loosely as today is day 71 stateside. I've been earnestly looking for a job for about a month now. I kicked off my personal quest with a career workshop and job fair by the Peace Corps's Career Services Office. I had done some job search work before the workshop, but not very genuinely or consistently. Last summer, while still a volunteer I started doing some online federal applications back in Peru, thinking of them as practice. Toward the end of service I was so busy that I had to stop. Very recently I learned that there's definitely a system for success in the federal application and I started out totally uninformed and on the wrong track. A few different resources helped me get on track. The Peace Corps Career Services is really top notch and my undergraduate's was pretty helpful too. My grad school office probably would be helpful as well, but they're hard to use remotely. For practical advice on applying for on federal jobs I found MakingTheDifference.org to be very, very helpful.

Results have been slow going for me, although I can't really complain because it has only been a month. In December, in my completely uninformed frame of mind USAID actually flew me to Washington DC to interview for my dream job, based on one of those "practice" applications!!! Sadly, but not surprisingly, I think I blew it. I was "not invited into pre-employment at this time." My oral interview was a panel in an odd room and I don think that they could actually hear me. Also, the complete absence of follow-up questions threw me for a loop, but is apparently standard in federal interviews. I think that they were trying to be impartial, but because I was unprepared for it, it just made for difficult communication. Also, it was my firs time speaking professional English in a year so that was challenging. The upshot is that they told me to reapply because they're lowering the bar a bit... uh thanks? Don't worry I have already reapplied :)

We're dealing with the worst economy in my lifetime and I'm looking for the best job of my life. Frankly, I think I'll get it. I'm a glass-half-full kind of girl. I'm 30. I've worked since I got out of college and I got an MA somewhere in there, so my next gig should really be a "career builder." I want to stay there for a good while, I need it to pay decently and I need it to have good mentoring and growth opportunities. Maybe it could also wax my car and wash my clothes, but seriously if the posts are any indication I really do think that there is a job out there. I'll just have to be open and creative. I'm applying mostly to federal positions so it's taking a while.

Quick and unrelated vignette on why Texans are the best people ever: I just got a phone call from my godmother's cell phone. When I answered the call a woman named Stephanie said that she worked at JCPenny's and that another customer just found the phone in a dressing room. She was randomly dialing numbers to speak with someone who knew the phone's owner. I said that I would certainly tell her and that my godmother works at Nordstrom's in the same mall so she's probably still there. Stephanie said, Oh does she work in alterations? Why yes she does. So, they know each other and my godmother's phone is waiting for her at the catalog counter in the hands of her acquaintance, recently turned friend.

In Defense of Food, ceviche and Dora's wisdom

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan is blowing my mind. It's like an historically grounded summary of what you always knew - Diet Coke just can't be that good for you, my grandma's oatmeal cookies are in fact nutritious and delicious, and vitamins must be overrated because they're not actually food. In fact, its what my adoptive Peruvian mother was saying when she constantly asked me why Americans eat only food that comes from a can. I of course said, "Americans eat all kinds of fresh foods, not just foods from cans, blah, blah, blah." Now that I'm back I'm realizing that the brick-shaped frozen fruits and veggies, sealed tubs of organic spinach, sealed bags of salad, Duncan Hines cake mixes, cans of tuna and Goya beans, Kraft shredded cheese in a bag, sliced 12 grain bread in a bag, pita chips, plastic tubs of hummus, etc. are very, very different from her diet (okay, well that one I actually picked up in Peru when I was desperately missing tofu bagel shmear) and that she would not recognize any of these packaged products as being safe to feed to her kids.

The readjustment process coming back to the US from Peru after Peace Corps is coming along. I'm in Austin decompressing, noting differences that I never noticed before, spending time with my family and looking for a job... in that order. Even in my very traditional family, with whom I'm spending lots of quality time of late, family dinners are not so much cooked as assembled. Today we had savory, amazing enchiladas a la my mom made with ground turkey. All of the ingredients had wrappers except for the onions. Just to put it out there my mom is a woman who breast fed 4 infants for more than 6 months each, made baby food with a food processor, and would only allow us to buy that gross natural peanut butter where the oil separates and sits on top. She is not exactly a processed food princess. None the less the food at the supermarket is very... industrial.

In thinking about food, I want to post photos of a ceviche making extravaganza from northern Peru. The fish here is cabrillon... which I think is sea bass. This is a pricey fish even in rural norther Peru where these ladies' husbands work catching it. Usually these families eat fish called cabrilla, which is mackerel and a lot less yummy but this day was a special day. There was a huge party at town hall celebrating something or other. I don't remember exactly what but the mayor bought enough fish to feed an army.

I only just told Dora, my Peruvian adoptive mother, that I broke up with Michael (former fiancee) almost 2 months ago, and that Peace Corps jetted me off to the US from Lima on less than 48 hours notice. I explained the why of the matter, that when we got to Lima he changed. She took the opportunity to thank god that I had left and tell me that she never had liked that boy, he wasn't down to earth enough for me - of course. Then again, if you ask me pretty much anyone other than an incredibly handsome, kind, humble and fabulously rich doctor would have been less than desirable according to Dora.

So I'll leave you with Pollan's words of wisdom, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." And I'll add, in good company.

Happy Peace Corps Week!

Peace Corps takes a week every year to promote their "third goal" which means that they educate Americans about people and cultures around the world where Peace Corps works. In conjunction with National Peace Corps Week I had the great privilege of speaking to all 300 or so of the students at an Austin-area middle school called the Ann Richard's School for Young Women Leaders on Wednesday morning. It's a public middle school for girls. The students were specially invited to attend, sort of like a magnet school and it shows. I was so impressed with the students. It was such a privilege to be there for a few reasons. First, the girls were so bright and interested. An 8th grader asked me what people in my town had taught me while I was a volunteer. Another girl asked me how the Peace Corps could help in places like Darfur because she was very concerned about the conflict there. Those girls are just stunning. Second, the principal was my high school English teacher. She was that amazing teacher in my life. She pushed and pushed me to create, achieve and take risks that I never would have taken otherwise. She was also super strict and was frequently referred to as the Dragon Lady. In fact I vaguely remember that the Haydon boys, skinny rodeo clown twins in my class, posted a cartoon of a dragon on her classroom door as a joke. I think it lived there for the entire 4 years I was in high school at St. Michael's Catholic Academy. It was a great experience to have this demanding woman see my work. Third, the school's Texas history teacher will soon become my sister in law. (Big Party here in June!) I'm happy to say that I think I may have scored her some points at work. Finally, I have been back in the states for 65 days today. It's helpful to me to talk about Peace Corps as I readjust and start to look for a job. Speaking of jobs, got any leads?

Austin Bikes

Riding bicycles in Austin is fabulous. I mean who doesn't love to ride a bike? AND here in Austin it's warm, other bikers and drivers are generally friendly, and people think that you are forever hip if you show up at a party on your vintage Schwinn roadster instead of your old battered Honda. Let's be honest. It's just all about the digits.

I grew up in Austin but I haven't lived here in years. After I left I always took my bike with me. When I lived in Brooklyn, NY and in Rinconada Llicuar, rural northern Peru I rode a bike all over. One develops skills. In Park Slope, Brooklyn I was frequently being run off the road by aggressive women pushing baby carriages, only to then be picked up by attractive delivery guys bicycling Thai food to some hipster's houses. I thought that this situation balanced itself out. In Peru, The Gringa (i.e. me) doing anything was an incredible show for everyone in town, so The Gringa being the only woman to ride a bike was very entertaining for all. Role modeling, blah, blah, blah, but sometimes you just want to get where you're going so I took to riding through the rice fields where I got many fewer cat calls. Now that I'm back in Austin I have been surprised to discover that when it comes to road riding, Austin is treacherous despite it's green living and outdoors loving reputation.

It's true. There really are a lot of bicyclists in Austin riding outside and keeping their carbon emissions down in their morning commute, so you would think that drivers would be used to trying to avoid killing them. I guess traffic just varies so much. If you're riding during rush hour people are inching along impatiently, staring holes into the bumper in front of them and really they're not going very fast so it feels safer. Any other time drivers seem like they are barely looking at the windshield, much more interested in the radio, the iPhone, or the crying baby in the backseat. I feel almost ridiculous wearing my helmet when a Ford F150 pickup speeds past me grazing my earlobe on Enfield. I'm on a bike. That truck weighs a ton. There is no delivery guy to pick me up and invite me to dinner later. In any case, I know that living in central Austin is a lucky break for someone who loves bikes. There are some bike paths, even if they don't always go where you need to go. And like I said if drivers are paying attention they're usually helpful.

In sum, I am proudly announcing that on Sunday I rode down Enfield, a busy street, to meet my brother for coffee. I guess I figured that he's a resourceful guy, he would notice if I didn't show up and come looking for me. Right? It's only like a 10 minute ride from the house to Medici Cafe at West Lynn and 10th St. It was a very proud ten minutes and I highly recommend Medici for a victory chocolate chip cupcake.