summer days

Well, for the 2.5 of you that occasionally read this blog, I apologize for not updating it for so long. It’s not that I’ve been busy, I’ve just been…well….lazy. So in the past month or so, a few notable things have happened. Summer is officially here and it has certainly been a relief. Wellington is pretty much a crap hole for 9 months out of the year, but during the summer, it’s actually quite nice. So I’m spending a lot more time at the beach (what I thought I would be doing when I first got to New Zealand).

I got all my grades back – 3 A’s and a B+, not too shabby. Now I’m just working on my thesis for the summer. Last week I presented it at a conference hosted by DevNet (a development organization in New Zealand). There were about 30 or so people attending my particular session, and it seemed to go alright. Right now I’m trying (emphasis on ‘try’) to get most of this paper done by next Friday. My supervisor edits an academic journal on Africa, and so if I can get a decent 8,000 word article done by then, I could get it published in the December issue. It adds a line to my resume, plus will push me to get the bulk of my thesis done early.

I was also able to celebrate thanksgiving here with Americans and Kiwis, which was nice (they don’t do Thanksgiving here, so it was new for some). On that thought, here’s a random note. My friend mentioned how he saw a bald eagle back home during Thanksgiving. We then got to talking about how big they were. He says that one could probably snatch up a child, maybe an 8-year-old. I don’t think eagles are that big, and guess they could maybe pick up a toddler up to 3 years old. What do you think? It’s also interestingly morbid that we were using little children for size ratios rather than animals or something.

And finally, I’ve officially started the job-hunting process for going back to the U.S. At current, I’m looking for something to do with foreign policy or aid. So I’m starting to apply for stuff like the State Department, USAID, UN, etc… The only problem is that they’re all in D.C., and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of international stuff available in L.A. You’re gonna laugh at this, but I’m dead serious: I sent in an application to the CIA (and the website said I should use discretion in who I tell…oh well). It’s nothing James Bond or anything. Just a political analyst position that does research and informs policy. Although I do admit that I got interested after watching some James Bond and Bourne movies. Maybe in another life, I would’ve totally done the whole secret agent thing.

That’s about it. I’m starting to wrap up my time here in NZ – about a few more months left. It’s been an interesting experience, but reflections are for another post. I’m in that torn stage again though. I would like to stay a little longer, mostly only because of some of the friendships I’ve made. But otherwise I’m ready to get out of here. I’m not too fond of the environment or culture in NZ. But I’m not all too eager to go back to the U.S either. The only reason I’m going back really is for my mom, since she’s all by herself. Otherwise, there were some UN jobs in Sudan or Afghanistan that looked quite appealing and I would go in heartbeat were circumstances different. I’m still trying to figure out this following God thing. It’s never as easy as church makes it sound, but then again, we may never really get it. We’ll just see where He takes me next. I’ll probably write something a little more reflective/though-provoking next time. Over and out.