Interviews set

My in person interview has been set for this Saturday in Philly. I'm not too nervous actually. Its at UPenn with someone who has an office in the English Department. I'm good with English Department people...since I am one and all. The person I'm interviewing with is a former volunteer, and as far as I know, not involved in the administration of the organization. Then next Tuesday I have a phone interview with a woman who I think is the China administrator. I'm more nervous about that. I will update about how it went next week.

Long Term China Post

This is the information from the VIA website about the post in China that I am really hoping to get:

"Qinghai University (QNU) and Shem Women's Group or the Nationalities Department, English Training Program (ETP), Xining, Qinghai

Qinghai Normal is a key provincial university offering a liberal arts education and training for future and in-service teachers. It has 2,500 students who come from all parts of China.
Shem is a women’s group founded in 2004 by VIA volunteer Michelle Kleisath and several of her students in a small-scale development course she taught as a VIA volunteer in Xining. Shem’s aim is to empower Tibetan women and their communities through grassroots development.
ETP is designed exclusively for Tibetan students from all over the Tibetan plateau. ETP students are the very best from high schools, middle schools, and teacher training schools throughout the vast area of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. All students are on full scholarship and most have never studied English when they enter ETP. In addition to their coursework, students work on cultural preservation and small scale development projects aimed at improving the lives of rural Tibetans.

Role: English Teacher and English Resource -Two VIA volunteers will be posted in Xining. Both will teach English part time (approximately 10 hours per week) at Qinghai Normal University and volunteer part time as an English Resource person at either Shem or the English Training Program (ETP) that is part of QNU's Nationalities Department. The English Resource part of this position might include grant writing, editing, website revision, and English tutoring.Housing: The VIA volunteer lives in an on-campus apartment with bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and Internet access.

Place: Xining is the provincial capital and largest city of Qinghai, which is located on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in western China. One of China’s least populated provinces, Qinghai is a multi-ethnic region, with Tibetans, Hui, Tu, Salar, and Mongolians making up around 40% of its population. Several nonprofits working with Tibetan populations are headquartered here. "

Application

Well, I've turned in my VIA application. They will be contacting me soon to schedule an interview. According to their website, interviews take place on Mar 1 & 2. That's coming up so quickly. I am anxious to know for sure if I'm accepted and where I will be going. I'd like to start learning the language as soon as possible. I'm afraid it'll be very difficult. I did okay at Spanish, but when I tried to learn French, I couldn't even remember the numbers.

I'm also a little worried about finances right now. There's a r/t flight to California, the 2,000 fee, and a one way flight to Thailand. Not to mention that after the Thailand training, you are on your own for a few weeks, most people travel. I have canceled my personal trainer at the gym, so that will save me about 150 a month. I'm trying to decide where else I can cut costs. I also need to find out how to defer my student loans.

VIA

Around the same time that I was starting to have doubts about the Peace Corps, a new employee started at my work. We started to become friends and he told me about his experience volunteering abroad with a company called VIA http://www.viaprograms.org. He had such positive things to say, that I researched the company further. About half their positions are completely based on teaching English. The other half combines English teaching with non-profit work. The only negative thing about this company is the cost. If I continue to save, I can afford it. But just barely.

PROS
- allows you to choose your destination
- allows you to browse available positions
- smaller organization (you're not just a number)
- you don't work a full work week, so you can have another job on the side to earn money
- provided housing sounds nicer than peace corps
- works directly with local charities/non-profits
- focuses on Asia, which is what I'm most interested in anyway
- can work one year then decide if you want to stay for a second


CONS
- Charges $2,000 fee + r/t airfare to California for training + one way airfare to Chiang Mai, Thailand

The Peace Corps

When I first made the decision to volunteer for a year, the Peace Corps seemed an obvious route. I didn't really know if there was even another way to do it. After all, The Peace Corps is even mentioned in Dirty Dancing. Plus, I knew it wouldn't cost me $10,000.

PROS
- Government organization (so you'd know some shoddy little company wasn't going to leave you stranded in Ghana and not contact you for three years)
- Gives a $6,000 bonus when you return
- Doesn't charge you anything to get there
- Apparently looks really good on a resume
- Probably has the resources to do real good

CONS
- Government organization (has an agenda. Most likely one I don't totally agree with)
- Heard from past volunteers that, while it's a great personal experience, you're not actually doing ANY good for the community you're living in.
- Heard from other travelers that PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) were often obnoxious kids looking for a free two year vacation
- You can't choose your destination or post
- Committed to two years



There's probably more that I'm not thinking of at the moment. But the big Con for me is my second point. I'm not volunteering for the personal experience, though that's certainly an important and exciting benefit. I'm volunteering (as pretentious as it may sound) because I actually want to help some people. While I'm young and free, I want to help people overseas. I plan, after my work abroad, to work in the US.

Anyway, originally I was aggressively pursuing the Peace Corps as my main option. However I have stumbled across something that seems better, though not without it's own Cons. I will post on that soon.

Probably, there's nobody reading this at all. But just in case, if anybody has some thoughts or experiences (Pro or Con) about the Peace Corps or anything, please comment.

The begining

Have you ever tried to start a journal and about 5 entries in realized "um...yeah, I'm really boring." Happens to me about once a year since I was ten. How did all the girls in the pre-teen novels I read keep up with it? And as an adult, it's just kind of self-indulgent, right?

So, this is not a boring journal about my life. Okay....well....It sort of is. Well...Yeah, it definitely is. But it's more focused than any of my previous efforts. So maybe not as boring? Time will tell, I suppose.

I'm beginning the process of volunteering abroad. The details are still pretty fuzzy, I'll write more about that later. But for now, I'm just going to recount my experiences and, with any luck, there'll be more than 5 posts. And then I'll win a Noble Peace Prize. Presented by the Dalai Lama. Yup, it's only a matter of time.