"You'll receive your visa in 7 days by Chronopost". Those were the last words that the embassy employee said last Wednesday after my final interview at the consulate in Paris. These words were a relief to me. I thought: "That's it, the wait is over. After more than a year of being processed, my visa has finally been accepted and I will be able to hold it in 7 days." I was thinking that I would be able to make my plane which was already booked for the next Friday, 9 days after the interview.
Now is exactly 7 days later. I am at home. I am doing nothing. I am waiting for this visa. I am waiting for the master key that will enable me to be with Mike again. I am waiting by the window, looking at every car passing by, hoping that one of them is going to stop and hand me my precious visa. Waiting is a real torture. The Chronopost envelop has to arrive before 1pm and it is already almost 11am. Every minute passing by is one less chance to receive it today. And if I don't get it today? What do I have left? Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be 8 days after my interview but since Tuesday was a holiday (nov. 11), it would make sense that the process be delayed by 1 day.
Ok, I guess that tomorrow will again be a "waiting day".
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
I love Paris in the summer
Working in the center of Paris made me realize that it is such a beautiful city... Here are some of the picture that I took during my lunch breaks.
L'Occitane, a true story
I haven't been writing on this blog for a while and I feel kind of bad but I have been working for the last two months and a half - which i hadn't done for a while!
After spending three weeks of vacation in Gleizé in July, Mike had to go back to Boston and I stayed with my parents, waiting for my visa to be processed. I decided to apply at L'Occitane, a company selling beauty products because I had already worked there last Christmas and I needed a job right away. Being a sales assistant isn't the best job ever but it can be fun and it is only temporary.
I like L'Occitane. They have very good products, made from natural ingredients. Working with those products everyday made me appreciate them even more. My favorite ranges are honey and lemon (the body scrub and lotion, the hand cream, the soap and the perfume smell wonderful), almond (especially the body cream and exfoliating soap) almond and apple for face care and cherry blossom for the perfume. The only downside of the brand, in my mind, is the price: the almond shower oil is amazing for both its texture and fragrance but I don't think that it is justified to charge 14.50 euros for something hat is basically soap and is going to run out pretty quickly.
I started working at a store on l'île de la Cité on August 8th. It was a very nice store in a nice area. I'd stay that 80 % of the clients were tourists and I loved that. I got to speak English of course but also Spanish and Italian with them. Our clients came from everywhere: a lot of them came from Italy, Spain, Germany, England, Ireland, China, Japan, the United States and Brazil but I also met some people from Canada, Venezuela, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, India, Korea...
The downside of being in such a touristic area - right between the City Hall and Notre Dame- was that our store was often mistaken for an information stand: we were asked all kinds of questions about how to go here and there -Chatelet, la Sainte Chapelle, Opéra, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the Latin Corner... Someone even asked my friend Oriane how to walk to the Mont Saint Michel! But the two things that we were asked to indicate several times a daywere McDonald's and B
erthillon (the famous ice cream maker).After working at this store for two months, and given that my green card wasn't ready yet, I continued working at l'Occitane in different stores inside Paris. I got to meet different types of people and I also had the pleasure of helping very weird clients including one who yelled at me because I asked her if "I could be of any help" and another one who tasted the hand creams that I was showing her. Yes, she actually tasted some of it and when I told her that hand creams were not supposed to be eaten, she replied very coldly that you have to taste everything that you put on your body, didn't I know that?!
Anyway, L'Occitane is a good experience (I am still working there for the next three weeks). I worked with wonderful people and even though I was thinking at first that the job would just be a way of passing time while waiting for my visa, I got to like it a lot. I used to feel a little ashamed of liking being a sales assistant, I was thinking of what the people from Sciences Po would think if they knew but I don't really care anymore. I am glad that I am liking what I am doing. I know that I wouldn't want to do that for the rest of my life because my project is to become a teacher and I am very motivated but I don't regret this experience at all.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Waiting for Miss Green
I wanted to write a post about how hard it is to just wait. I don't think that I am a particularly impatient person but sometimes waiting can be some sort of a torture.
Mike and I got married last July in France. We came back to the United States in August and sent an application for a spouse visa in September after gathering together all the necessary documents. Unfortunately, we forgot to add the check (!) to the package so we learned that we had to resend the whole package one more time, which we did a month later in October. At the time, we were told on the phone that the process usually takes 3 to 4 months to come through and I was happy thinking that I would be a legal resident by January or February. Little did we know that because of an increase in the fee (which we were not aware of), the number of applications doubled during the summer months and delayed the process. We didn't think much of it at first and continued to wait. Meanwhile, I had to go back to France in November because I cannot stay more than three months in the United States with a visitor's visa. So, I went back to France, I worked in a store for the Holidays and I came back to the United States mid-January. The immigration officers kept me for a while after I landed in Boston because I didn't have a return ticket. At the time, I was thinking that my green card would be ready by April and that I would take my return ticket once I knew exactly when I can pick up my visa at the American embassy in Paris. Unfortunately (and I should have known that), you are not allowed to come to the USA without a return ticket if you are a visitor. Luckily, Mike was at the airport and bought me a ticket to go back in April. This little event traumatized me a little because I felt like the officers were accusing me of sneaking into the country. One of them told me : "I am two inches to deporting you back to France." I am probably too sensitive but I had just traveled for 10 or 12 hours, I was very tired from the jet lag and this officer scared the hell out of me.
Anyway, I felt better after a couple days. Mike and I started looking for a house because we were still living with his parents at the time. Given the good economic conjuncture for buying real estate (with the prices dropping) and Mike's good salary, we decided to look into buying instead of renting. It was a fun period that kept me busy. I kept looking for houses on the Internet and Mike and I would go to open houses in the week end. After a couple of weeks, we found our dream house in Wakefield. We went to an open house on a snowy day and we put an offer right away. We passed papers in March and became homeowners - rather Mike became a homeowner as they refused to put my name on the deed and the loan probably because of the residency issue. In April, we had still not heard from the visa office. All we knew was that the check had been cashed in January. Mike decided to contact his Congressman, Edward Markey and his aid, Maggie McClory helped us by contacting the visa office for us and sending a letter to have my case expedited. She also managed to tell us our application number.
April came and I had to go back to France. I decided to go for just a week because I didn't want to be apart from Mike for a long time any more. I was very happy to see my family. I told them everything about the house and the town of Wakefield. After a week, I came back. This time, I didn't make the same mistake again: I had a return ticket for July. Nevertheless, the officers were even harder on me. The first immigration officer asked me what I was going to do in the USA. I told him that I was here to visit (because I have a visitor visa). He asked me who I was going to visit. At first, I just said: "some friends" because I know that "husband" is the trigger word that brings me directly to the special office downstairs for further interrogation. But then he asked me if I was married and I always swore to myself that I would never lie to immigration officers because I want to do things the right way. I am convinced that if I do things the right way, everything is going to go fine for my Green Card. That's the reason why I never overstayed any visa, I never worked while being in the USA. I have always done things the right way. So I told him that I was married to an American citizen and that I was coming here on a visitor's visa to be with my husband while my spouse visa was being processed. And of course, as I was expecting, he sent me to the special office downstairs for further investigation. Downstairs, the officer asked me all kinds of questions about me and Mike, where we met, where I went to school, what I studied... He asked me if I had a job in France and I said "no". I told him that I had a return ticket, that I never overstayed any visa and I was just here to be with my husband. He spent a long time behind his computer typing things and it made me really nervous. Then, he told me to go get my bags which I did. He opened them and checked all the items I had. While in France, I went to the store with my mom to buy some little things for the house like place mats and bowls. I also brought some stuffed animals and things that belonged to me. When he saw those, the officer told me that as a visitor, I am only supposed to bring things like clothes and toiletries and that the items I brought make things look like I was going to stay in the USA and not come back. At the end, all my things were scattered on the floor. He told me to put them back into the suitcases and went back to the computer. The people there were all looking at me and I felt a little humiliated. I closed my suitcases and went back to sit on the bench. I waited a long time and eventually, the officer came back and gave me my passport. He told me that it was okay for this time but that I have to be very careful because it might not be as "easy" next time! He told me that if I continue to do this, I will have spent more time in the USA than in "my foreign country" and that it is not normal. I wanted to tell him that all I wanted was to be with my husband, with the love of my life and that I wasn't trying to do anything illegal. Is it wrong to want to be with the person you love more than anything in the world? Is it wrong to try to start building a life with the person you love? Is it wrong to bring personal items to the place I want (and am entitled) to live? In his mind, there was a risk that I was going to immigrate illegally to the USA. But what would be the point for me? As the spouse of an American citizen, I have the right to come live with my husband (or rather my husband has the right to have me live with him) so why would I try to compromise that by immigrating illegally? Is being an illegal alien such a desirable life? Having to hide from authorities all the time, not being able to find a real job, not being able to be part of a community: is that desirable? I know that some people come to America illegally because they are desperate: they live in a poor country, have no job and see no future for themselves. In that case, for them, coming to the USA and living as an illegal alien beats the alternative. This is extremely sad and I feel grateful for not being in that position by my situation is totally different. I am not immigrating to the "USA", i am immigrating to "my husband's country" and it is very different. I really like the USA and I like living here but I would have never come live here if it wasn't for Mike. I am not coming here to have a better job. I went to one of the best universities in France and I know that I could have found a very good job in Europe. If anything, my job opportunities here are thinner because while my school, Sciences-Po, has a very good reputation in France, it is hardly known here. I wanted to tell all that to the immigration officer but I didn't dare. I thanked him and walked away, eager to fall in Mike's comforting arms.
It is now mid-June. We still haven't heard from the visa place. They were supposed to have sent us a letter to confirm that they received our application in January but we never received anything. Congressman Markey asked them to resend the letter in April but we still didn't receive anything. Mike called again on Monday to make sure that they had the right address and they are supposed to resend it another time. According to their website, they are supposed to be done processing the applications from July 31st, 2007 and it hasn't moved since March (it already said July 31st). We sent our application in October but it was opened only in January so I don't know which one counts. I am going back to France on July 6th with Mike. We are going to spend 3 weeks there together and then I don't think that I am going to come back on a visitor's visa. I think that I am going to stay there until I finally have the card. It is getting too expensive to go back and forth. It is already hard enough to pay a mortgage and everything that goes with it with just one salary. I don't really know what to think anymore as far as the how long it is going to take. Mike thinks that once they pass those summer months, it should get faster. I am trying to stay positive and be optimistic but it is not always easy. I always thought that I could start applying to schools by now and that I could start working in September. Now, I don't think that it is possible any more.
I feel really frustrated because all I am doing now is waiting. I am waiting and I don't even know for how long. I feel like I cannot start my life because I don't have this magic pass. That's what the immigration officer tried to tell me by pointing out all of the things I brought with me: I do not have the right to feel at home here yet. I feel like I am not welcome here, I feel like I am a suspect and I have to keep a low profile until they clear me. All I want to is living a normal life with my love: when am I going to be allowed to do that?
Mike and I got married last July in France. We came back to the United States in August and sent an application for a spouse visa in September after gathering together all the necessary documents. Unfortunately, we forgot to add the check (!) to the package so we learned that we had to resend the whole package one more time, which we did a month later in October. At the time, we were told on the phone that the process usually takes 3 to 4 months to come through and I was happy thinking that I would be a legal resident by January or February. Little did we know that because of an increase in the fee (which we were not aware of), the number of applications doubled during the summer months and delayed the process. We didn't think much of it at first and continued to wait. Meanwhile, I had to go back to France in November because I cannot stay more than three months in the United States with a visitor's visa. So, I went back to France, I worked in a store for the Holidays and I came back to the United States mid-January. The immigration officers kept me for a while after I landed in Boston because I didn't have a return ticket. At the time, I was thinking that my green card would be ready by April and that I would take my return ticket once I knew exactly when I can pick up my visa at the American embassy in Paris. Unfortunately (and I should have known that), you are not allowed to come to the USA without a return ticket if you are a visitor. Luckily, Mike was at the airport and bought me a ticket to go back in April. This little event traumatized me a little because I felt like the officers were accusing me of sneaking into the country. One of them told me : "I am two inches to deporting you back to France." I am probably too sensitive but I had just traveled for 10 or 12 hours, I was very tired from the jet lag and this officer scared the hell out of me.
Anyway, I felt better after a couple days. Mike and I started looking for a house because we were still living with his parents at the time. Given the good economic conjuncture for buying real estate (with the prices dropping) and Mike's good salary, we decided to look into buying instead of renting. It was a fun period that kept me busy. I kept looking for houses on the Internet and Mike and I would go to open houses in the week end. After a couple of weeks, we found our dream house in Wakefield. We went to an open house on a snowy day and we put an offer right away. We passed papers in March and became homeowners - rather Mike became a homeowner as they refused to put my name on the deed and the loan probably because of the residency issue. In April, we had still not heard from the visa office. All we knew was that the check had been cashed in January. Mike decided to contact his Congressman, Edward Markey and his aid, Maggie McClory helped us by contacting the visa office for us and sending a letter to have my case expedited. She also managed to tell us our application number.
April came and I had to go back to France. I decided to go for just a week because I didn't want to be apart from Mike for a long time any more. I was very happy to see my family. I told them everything about the house and the town of Wakefield. After a week, I came back. This time, I didn't make the same mistake again: I had a return ticket for July. Nevertheless, the officers were even harder on me. The first immigration officer asked me what I was going to do in the USA. I told him that I was here to visit (because I have a visitor visa). He asked me who I was going to visit. At first, I just said: "some friends" because I know that "husband" is the trigger word that brings me directly to the special office downstairs for further interrogation. But then he asked me if I was married and I always swore to myself that I would never lie to immigration officers because I want to do things the right way. I am convinced that if I do things the right way, everything is going to go fine for my Green Card. That's the reason why I never overstayed any visa, I never worked while being in the USA. I have always done things the right way. So I told him that I was married to an American citizen and that I was coming here on a visitor's visa to be with my husband while my spouse visa was being processed. And of course, as I was expecting, he sent me to the special office downstairs for further investigation. Downstairs, the officer asked me all kinds of questions about me and Mike, where we met, where I went to school, what I studied... He asked me if I had a job in France and I said "no". I told him that I had a return ticket, that I never overstayed any visa and I was just here to be with my husband. He spent a long time behind his computer typing things and it made me really nervous. Then, he told me to go get my bags which I did. He opened them and checked all the items I had. While in France, I went to the store with my mom to buy some little things for the house like place mats and bowls. I also brought some stuffed animals and things that belonged to me. When he saw those, the officer told me that as a visitor, I am only supposed to bring things like clothes and toiletries and that the items I brought make things look like I was going to stay in the USA and not come back. At the end, all my things were scattered on the floor. He told me to put them back into the suitcases and went back to the computer. The people there were all looking at me and I felt a little humiliated. I closed my suitcases and went back to sit on the bench. I waited a long time and eventually, the officer came back and gave me my passport. He told me that it was okay for this time but that I have to be very careful because it might not be as "easy" next time! He told me that if I continue to do this, I will have spent more time in the USA than in "my foreign country" and that it is not normal. I wanted to tell him that all I wanted was to be with my husband, with the love of my life and that I wasn't trying to do anything illegal. Is it wrong to want to be with the person you love more than anything in the world? Is it wrong to try to start building a life with the person you love? Is it wrong to bring personal items to the place I want (and am entitled) to live? In his mind, there was a risk that I was going to immigrate illegally to the USA. But what would be the point for me? As the spouse of an American citizen, I have the right to come live with my husband (or rather my husband has the right to have me live with him) so why would I try to compromise that by immigrating illegally? Is being an illegal alien such a desirable life? Having to hide from authorities all the time, not being able to find a real job, not being able to be part of a community: is that desirable? I know that some people come to America illegally because they are desperate: they live in a poor country, have no job and see no future for themselves. In that case, for them, coming to the USA and living as an illegal alien beats the alternative. This is extremely sad and I feel grateful for not being in that position by my situation is totally different. I am not immigrating to the "USA", i am immigrating to "my husband's country" and it is very different. I really like the USA and I like living here but I would have never come live here if it wasn't for Mike. I am not coming here to have a better job. I went to one of the best universities in France and I know that I could have found a very good job in Europe. If anything, my job opportunities here are thinner because while my school, Sciences-Po, has a very good reputation in France, it is hardly known here. I wanted to tell all that to the immigration officer but I didn't dare. I thanked him and walked away, eager to fall in Mike's comforting arms.
It is now mid-June. We still haven't heard from the visa place. They were supposed to have sent us a letter to confirm that they received our application in January but we never received anything. Congressman Markey asked them to resend the letter in April but we still didn't receive anything. Mike called again on Monday to make sure that they had the right address and they are supposed to resend it another time. According to their website, they are supposed to be done processing the applications from July 31st, 2007 and it hasn't moved since March (it already said July 31st). We sent our application in October but it was opened only in January so I don't know which one counts. I am going back to France on July 6th with Mike. We are going to spend 3 weeks there together and then I don't think that I am going to come back on a visitor's visa. I think that I am going to stay there until I finally have the card. It is getting too expensive to go back and forth. It is already hard enough to pay a mortgage and everything that goes with it with just one salary. I don't really know what to think anymore as far as the how long it is going to take. Mike thinks that once they pass those summer months, it should get faster. I am trying to stay positive and be optimistic but it is not always easy. I always thought that I could start applying to schools by now and that I could start working in September. Now, I don't think that it is possible any more.
I feel really frustrated because all I am doing now is waiting. I am waiting and I don't even know for how long. I feel like I cannot start my life because I don't have this magic pass. That's what the immigration officer tried to tell me by pointing out all of the things I brought with me: I do not have the right to feel at home here yet. I feel like I am not welcome here, I feel like I am a suspect and I have to keep a low profile until they clear me. All I want to is living a normal life with my love: when am I going to be allowed to do that?
Friday, June 6, 2008
cats and lilies
A little while ago I was going to start writing a post about how wonderful my cats are, how funny and adorably mischievous, how affectionate and cute. But then came the lily... Actually the lily was there a day before we got the kitties. On a friday night, we threw a housewarming party to celebrate the purchase of our first home. We invited around 50 people and had a great turnout in spite of the rain. Of course, along with cole slaw, noodle salad and brownies, some guests brought flowers. We got a very nice and colorful bouquet from Mike's parents:
The next day came the kitties. The first 2 weeks with Doodle and Crinkle were wonderful. Little by little, they adapted to their new environment. They checked out the whole house and were pretty curious about everything. Then on a Friday morning, we noticed that one of the cat (we suspected that it was Doodle) threw up on the carpet. We didn't think much of it at first but since we had to bring them to the vet soon for a checkup, we decided to take an appointment for the same night so we could know why he vomited and if it was ok. I noticed that a piece of the big yellow flowers was missing and that another one was on the floor (at the time, I was naive and didn't even know that those flowers were actually lilies). I spent the day with the kitties, trying to check their behavior and I didn't see anything wrong. At 4:30, we went to the animal hospital. The veterinary examined both kitties and according to her, everything seemed to be normal. We told her about the flowers and she told us to check what kind of flower it was because some flowers are toxic and can be fatal for cats. She told us about the lily but believe me or not (and I feel very silly to admit that now), I didn't think that those flowers were lilies - for me lilies are the white long flowers we had at our wedding. Back home, we check out the flower and sure enough, it was a lily. We kinda of panicked because we went on the Internet and saw that if it is not treated immediately, cats who swallow some piece of a lily can die within 72 hours. Meanwhile, Doodle threw up again (including some pieces of flower) which only increased our freaking out. We called the vet in a hurry. She told us that the animal hospital in Wakefield was now closed but she advised us to go the one in Woburn, which is open 24/7. We went there quickly with the 2 kitties. We were totally panicking at that point. We had to wait for about 45 minutes before a doctor came and examined Crinkle and Doodle. She said that the best thing to do was testing their kidney by testing their blood level (because plant poisoning can lead to kidney failure). So we waited while the vet was taking their blood and analyzing it. A little while later, the vet came back and told us that the results from the blood testing wouldn't be available for another hour or so 9it was around 8:30 at that point). She also told us that whatever the results are, it would be preferable to keep them for 24 hours and treat them because the poisoning might not show up in the blood test right away even if they were actually poisoned. Mike and I felt a little strange because she didn't tell us that at first when we arrived. Why didn't she tell us right away that the blood tests wouldn't be reliable and that the kitties would have to be treated anyway? Well the answer probably resides in the bill. She presented us with an estimate of the cost of keeping the cats for 24 hours under IV and giving them charcoal to clean their stomach and intestines. The bill amounted to $1,200! But we didn't have the choice, we had to do it because alternative might have been the death of our cats. We didn't spend time thinking. We knew that it was a serious matter and that we had to do it. Even though we only had them for 2 weeks, we became very attached to Doodle and Crinkle and beyond that, we are their owners and we have a responsibility to take care of them as well as we can. So we said goodbye and we left them there. During the night, the doctor called us to inform us that they received the test results. Doodle's blood test was normal and Crinkle's was a little bit elevated but according to her it was either due to dehydration or to the shot he received at the vet early this night. It made us feel a little better but we still spent a rough night worrying about them. At 6:30, after her shift, the night doctor called us and said that Crinkle and Doodle were doing good and that it was the first time that she saw cats drinking the charcoal without a problem, "no wonder they ate the lily at your house," she said, "they would eat anything!" Later that day, another doctor called us and told us that the cats were doing good but that she would prefer to keep them at the hospital for another 24 hours just to make sure that they are ok. At that point, Mike and I had just balanced our checkbook and we noticed that we were very very tight budget now that we paid $1,200. We could definitely not afford another $8 or 900 to keep them there. She told us that "if it was her cats, she wouldn't hesitate" but she probably doesn't know what it means to be on a tight budget! We told her that we would be waiting for the new blood tests results and that we would decide afterward. Later that day, the blood tests showed that both cats were normal and we started feeling much better. After all, the tests were already good the day before. We went through the treatment anyway as a prevention but now that they are good again, we wanted to bring our babies home. And we did. The next doctor was much nicer and signed a release right away. The next few days were pretty hectic because I was very anxious that they wouldn't feel well. I would wake up in the middle of the night and make sure that they are okay. After a week , we were supposed to have the blood tested again but since it would have another couple of hundred dollars, we didn't do it. It has been 3 weeks now and the kitties are doing okay. Their hair is growing back very very slowly where they were shaved for the IV.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
MTEL test
I took the MTEL last Saturday. I had to be at the English High School in Lynn at 7:45.
In the morning, I took the Communication and Literacy test which includes two subtests: Reading and Writing. The test lasts 4 hours and you need to time yourself pretty well because the test is long. I started with the Reading part which is made up of 30 multiple choice questions based on 6 readings and 6 open-response questions where you have to give the definitions of selected words. I wasn’t too worried about the multiple choice questions at first but I found on the day of the test that some of the questions were a bit tricky. The definition part of the test was what stressed me the most before I took it because since English is not my mother tongue, my vocabulary isn’t as wide as a native speaker’s. However, I found that the list of words to define wasn’t quite as hard as I was expecting it to be. Examples of words were confront, status or peril. Then I went on to the Writing subtest which is more time consuming. The test started with multiple choice questions testing grammar and syntax – especially punctuation, spelling and capitalization -. It continued with 3 open-response questions asking you to define some grammatical terms. The ones I was given on the test were so easy (adjective, interrogative sentence, imperative) that I even felt a little disappointed: after all I knew all about adverbial adjuncts, conjuncts and disjuncts and I was asked to define a simple adjective! Three other open-response questions asked to correct sentences that contained mistakes: I recognized a dangling modifier, several spelling mistakes and a wrong comparative structure and I hope that I corrected the sentences well. The test ended with two essay questions. For the first one, we were asked to summarize a text in no more than 250 words. I didn’t have any time to count how many words I used but I hope that I didn’t write to much and that I rephrased the text in an understandable way. The second essay was an open question and required the candidates to develop an response with several paragraphs, pertinent arguments and relevant examples. The question was about whether or not you consider that “No Pass/No play” is a fair policy in American High Schools. I wrote three paragraphs arguing that it wasn’t an efficient policy. I felt disappointed that some arguments for and against were already given to the candidates in the question itself. I felt like the test makers were spoonfeeding us which is unfortunate especially since coming up with arguments is my favorite part of an essay. It is very hard for me to judge myself on the essays because I know that my English isn’t as fluent as an American’s. I know that the people correcting my essays will probably notice that English is not my first language but I don’t know if it is going to be in my advantage or not. I know that I must have made some errors, either in the construction of the sentence or typos (because I finished just in time and didn’t have time to do any proofreading).
Here are some pieces of advice that I would give to anybody that would be interested in taking the MTEL test in order to become a teacher:- Watch the time! I think that this is the most important thing. I read that some people even take only one subtest per test in order to have more time. Personally, I preferred to do everything at once, especially since the test is only offered 4 or 5 times a year. Do not spend too long on the essay questions: do not write a draft but just an outline so you know where you are going and try to time yourself at home (I consider that each essay question should take you around 45 minutes).
- review your grammar. Points can easily be won (or lost) because of a comma or a capital letter in the writing section.
- study with a preparation book. The MTEL test is very technical and the same types of questions always come up. Books can help you review the important points on the test quickly. I personally used 2 preparation books: the one from REA and the ones from XAM.
- treat after a delay and put a temporary implant
- treat immediately and put a permanent implant.
I chose the first answer because I remembered the word temporary very well (I even wrote it down) but I was surprised because none of them seemed right to me.
After the reading comprehension comes the grammar questions. Some of those multiple choice questions were very easy for me because I could tell which sentences sounded right and which one didn’t. However, a couple startled me and made me stop for a while and wonder. For one of them, none of the four propositions sounded right. We had to transpose a sentence from Simone de Beauvoir to the active voice. The original sentence was something like this: ”... mes livres n’ont été écrits que pour…” I believe that the correct answer should have been: “Je n’ai écrit mes livres que pour” but this answer wasn’t among the choices. I don’t exactly remember what I picked but I felt very dubious. Another one made me reflect about the usage of the subjunctive in French (something I usually do naturally and rarely think of). We had to conjugate the verb to have in this sentence: "Penses-tu que le parti socialiste (avoir) des chances de gagner les élections ?" My first reflexe was to use the subjunctive "ait"; it seemed logical and sensible and I chose this answer. However, to make sure it was the right answer, I modified the sentence with the other interrogative form, that way: "Est-ce que tu penses que les socialistes (avoir) des chances de gagner les élections ?" In that case, the logical answer answer is the indicative mood - ont - and not the subjunctive. I couldn't even really tell why in that case, we use the indicative and the subjunctive like in the other one but that is the way it is. My guess is that although the second sentence is a question, it is phrased as an affirmative sentence (subject - verb - complement) and therefore requires the mood associated with an affirmative sentences: the indicative mood. In the end, this test made me reflect about my own language which is great.
The next part was history and culture. Some questions were really easy for me but some others were really tricky and required the candidates to have a deep knowledge not only of French culture and history but also Canadian, and other French speaking countries' history, notably Senegal. Some questions dealt with the Acadians, others with la négritude and Senghor. Some questions dealt with French economy, some with ancient and recent history. I was mad at myself for not remembering who François Villon was (14th century poet from La pléiade). As I told my friends, I would have preferred them to ask who François Fillon was (our current Prime Minister). Maybe it is because I am a political science and international affairs major, but I think that it would have made more sense to be quizzed about current events rather than poets that are not even taught in French classes in France, let alone in America. Anyway, I am just maybe feeling a little resentful because I failed this question.
The last part of the written test was an essay question. I am hoping to get all the points on this question because it was very simple. You were supposed to write a letter to a foreign friend that just announced her engagement to you. It wasn't written how long the essay should be so I wrote as much as I could. I actually had fun writing this essay: I tried to be creative and invent things to make my life more interesting!
After you are done with the written part of the test, there is a 2-minute oral test in a different room. You listen to instructions on a tape, have one minute to think about what to say and then you have to pretend to talk on the phone for 2 minutes about the topic. The topic I got was pretty silly: I was supposed to imagine that I spent 2 months in Paris at some friends' place and that the day that I left, I broke a plate. I was asked to call the people I stayed with to apologize about the broken plate. It was really random and the format is not easy. It is not natural to talk to yourself for 2 minutes without anybody answering to you or even nodding in agreement . I kinda invented a story and bullshitted random things for 2 minutes but I can see how this exercise can be hard and stressful for an American, especially since we have only 1 minute to prepare and we don't have the right to take notes.
After all that, I was done and pretty tired after a full day of exams. I wasn't confident that I passed either the French or the English tests. The results will be on June 13th and it will be a pretty scary day!
Now, what I forgot to mention is how hard the French test is supposed to be. When I arrived in class, it seems that everybody was asking me if it was my first time taking the test because apparently a lot of people are taking the test several times. One the girls there took the test 6 times before and missed it by 70 points last time. For another one, it was her 12th time and she has been teaching French for about 10 years I think. Apparently, there are so few teachers that get certified in French that some high schools have to create "critical positions" in the French department which means that they can hire teachers even though they are not certified. I felt really confused and astonished but I did find the test pretty hard and deep. Here are some advice that I would give to someone taking the test:
- Take your time answering the questions. Unlike the communication and literacy test, the French test is much shorter which allows you to spend a lot of time on each question, read the extracts several times and proofread everything at the end
- Take notes during the listening comprehension. Jot down some important information on your test booklet. I noticed that it is harder to remember things that you heard as well as things that you read or wrote (at least for me). If you have time, try reading the questions first so as to be able to look for the answers while you are listening.
- At home before the test, study French history very well (I would say from the barbarian invasions to Sarkozy), and make sure you know the following (you don't need to know everything about every subject but know what they are, what it involved and who were the main characters, also know the dates because they will test you on dates too) : - Vercingetorix - Clovis, - Charlemagne, - Jeanne d'Arc, - Francois 1er, - Henri 4, - Edit de Nantes, -Richelieu, - Louis 14, - Louis 16, - Révolution Francaise (Bastille, 1ere République, décapitation du Roi, Terreur), - Napoléon 1er, - Restauration: Louis 18, Charles 10, Louis-Philippe, - 2ème République, -Napoléon 3, - guerre franco-prusse, - Commune de Paris, -3ème République, -1ère guerre mondiale, -front populaire, -2ème guerre mondiale (Vichy, collaboration, résistance, France libre), -4ème République, - De Gaulle, - guerre d'Indochine, - guerre d'Algérie, -Mai 68, -Mitterrand, -Chirac. Try to know also some canadian history but I can't help as much about that. Try to know the countries that got their independence from France, when they did so (Haiti was the first Black Republic for instance), if it was peaceful or after a war and who were the main protagonists. It seems that Senegal appears frequently on the test so study its history.
- You should also study French literature, including the Pleiads (without forgetting François Villon!!), humanism, classicism, romanticism, realism and existentialism, and do not neglect the Négritude.
- Review French grammar well.
- Try knowing French geography -main cities, mountains, rivers, seas, adjacent countries- as well as economy - what are the French main resources are and what is produced where.
So good luck to everybody who's still willing to take the test after reading my post. Also, although the test is supposed to be really hard, I believe that we are still lucky because it is not nearly as hard as the test you have to take to become an language teacher in France: http://www.anglaisfacile.com/capesagreg/capes_organisation.php
This test, includes a 5-hour essay on a literature topic, a 5-hour essay on a civilization topic, a 5-hour translation test and a 1-hour oral test (after 3 hours of preparation)! I kinda feel lucky that I want to teach in America now! I had to get used to those 4 and 5-hour essay tests because I took so many between high school and college but I still don't like them and find them exhausting. Now that I am used to the American system, I'd much rather take multiple choice questions although they can be tricky too. Indeed, in an open question, you can try to convey everything you know and avoid the parts you are not confident about, which you cannot do with multiple choice. Still, I'd rather take the MTEL again and not the CAPES!
See more progress on: pass the MTEL test
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Doodle and Crinkle are home!
Yesterday, we got our Doodle and our Crinkle!
First of all, I have to say that we didn’t get Coco because although we sent several messages in order to see her in her foster family, some older couple apparently gave a deposit to adopt her. The Protection of Animals in Wakefield Society tried to show us other cats such as Brook and Genevieve (a mother and her daughter). The daughter was an orange and white gorgeous cat. The mother wasn’t as cute: she was brown with a lot of different spots everywhere. However, as we wanted to get a pair of cats, we tried to get acquainted with them but Brook almost bit me because she is very protective of her daughter Genevieve. As a volunteer said: “They love each other a lot but nobody else.” That was not the kind of cats we were looking for but I still hope that they’ll find a nice family to adopt them. They then showed us Jacoby (named after a Baseball player). We liked him. He was a gray tiger with long hair ; he was calm and very soft. We agreed to meet him in his foster family during the week.
Nevertheless, we felt a little down. We were sad not to be able to have Coco anymore because she was the one we really liked. We decided to go back to Methuen because they had a lot of cats there and it is a fun place to hang around, pet the cats and also the rabbits.
When we got there, we first took a look at the rabbits because they have a Flemish Giant rabbit that I really like there: Wikki. But Mike and I are not ready to get a rabbit yet. We need to think about it more before taking this decision. Then we went to the area where they keep the cats. We started looking around at the cages and we stopped in front of a cage with two cats. One was gray, the other was black. The black cat was fast asleep. The gray one, however, came to the edge of the cage as soon as we stopped and he started rubbing his head against our fingers. He was very small, only 6.5 lbs as we would learn later and terribly cute: gray with white paws and a white spot under his chin. he was really affectionate, he licked our hands and bit our fingers very gently.
We decided to ask a person there if we could go to the “Get acquainted room” with the two of them. This is a room where you can get to know better the cats that you want to adopt. We stayed there for at least half an hour, petting them, playing with them. The black cat was more shy than the gray one and stayed under the chair most of the time but he liked being pet and rubbed. The gray cat was very friendly and affectionate. He would come to us and rub his head against our arms or our heads. We knew right away that we wanted them but we kept playing with them because it was so much fun.
We eventually filled out an application. We learned that Mr. Gray and Gremlin are about 1 year old and they arrived at the shelter about a week ago. They were rescued by a police officer from a house where way too many cats lived. The police officer found them so cute that she asked the shelter to be notified when they would be adopted so that if nobody was to take them, she would have taken care of them herself. After filling out our application, the girl asked us if we wanted to take them with us today. I had no idea that we could bring them home that early and I was totally delighted. We got several items for them like a litter box, some food and some toys.
They are now living with us and are getting used to their new names: Doodle (the black one) and Crinkle (the gray one). They are extremely cute and curious. They like to discover everything around the house!
See more progress on: have a cat named Doodle
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Stray crinkle?
From 43things.com:
I don’t know if what happened tonight is going to bring me any closer to have a cat named Crinkle but this night, while making dinner, we found a black cat in our yard. He seemed kinda lost and frightened: he kept looking everywhere and was scared by every little noise. We gave him some food (that we had bought for when Doodle would come home) and he ate a lot of it. He seemed very hungry. Although he was pretty shy, he let us pet him and even seemed to be interested in coming in (but was too shy to actually do it).
He was very cute. Pretty thin, all black, with white paws. We don’t know if he is a stray or if he belongs to some of the neighbors. We’ll have to figure it out but if he actually is homeless, we will probably take him and make him our Crinkle.
Crinkle was the name I thought of when we decided that it would be nice to give a friend to Doodle. I think that Doodle and Crinkle are two cute names that go well together.
To be continued…
Coco or Doodle?
From 43things.com:
Mike and I have been thinking of getting a cat ever since we started looking for a house of our own. When we visited the house we are currently living in for the first time, our first reaction was to say: “This is a cat’s house!” Indeed, the house feels so cozy and warm that I feel like it was made for a cat to live in. We started thinking about it more and more and even came up with a name: Doodle. Doodle is a pretty random name that I imagined. I like it because it sounds soft and sweet and it is not a common name for a cat.
After living here for about a month, we started looking for a kitty more actively. Given the number of poor cats that are abandoned every year, we definitely chose to adopt from a shelter. We visited several: the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Peabody Animal Life Savers, the Protection of Animals in Wakefield Society and the Methuen Animal Care and Adoption Center.
Those four shelters are very diverse. The shelter in Salem is what I had in mind when I was thinking of a shelter: it is located at the back of an animal hospital and available cats and dogs live in pretty small cages. However, the nice thing is that they don’t euthanize the animals that are surrendered to them.
The Peabody Animal Life Savers (or Pals) is located inside the store Petsmart, a few blocks down the road after the Northeast Animal Shelter. It only has cats and the adoption fee is pretty high ($140 per cat) but the volunteers are very nice and they let us pet the cats and talk with them in the back room. Their premises are pretty small so they don’t have that many cats.
In contrast, the shelter in Methuen is gigantic. Along with cats, they rescue dogs, rabbits, hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, ferrets and even farm animals such as goats, cows, pigs, horses, sheep, chickens and ducks. Some of the cats there are in cages but others are living in what they call “community rooms” that they share with 4 or 5 other cats. Several cats appealed to us there: Mike liked Ruthie and I liked Branigan but none of them really jumped at us immediatly.
However, when we visited the shelter in Wakefield – located inside the animal hospital – we fell in love right away with Coco. But first, let me give a little more details about the Protection of Animals in Wakefield Society (or PAWS). The Wakefield shelter is no regular animal shelter. Indeed, Instead of living in cages, cats live in foster homes (located in Wakefield, Stoneham and Woburn) while they are waiting to be adopted. The shelter is open on Saturdays and it is up to the foster family to decide if they want to bring the cats they are taking care of or not. Last Saturday, when we visited the shelter, only one cat was actually there: Coco (it is her in the picture).
Coco is a very sweet 1-year old girl. She is a brown tiger with beautiful green eyes. We got to pet her and she seemed to really enjoy it. From what we saw, she is pretty calm and very affectionate. We really had a crush on her right away. We gave an application to the shelter and they sent a message to Coco’s foster family so that they could arrange a time this week for us to come see Coco at their place. We haven’t heard from them yet but we can’t wait to see Coco again.
Now, there is something I am wondering. We were thinking of naming our cat Doodle and I am not sure if it would be appropriate to change Coco’s name to Doodle. According to a volunteer in Peabody, you can change a cat’s name, especially when they are young and Coco is pretty young. It wasn’t easy to find opinions on the Internet about changing a cat’s name, but I did find this discussion where most of the people are encouraging it (or at least most do not see anything wrong with it):So I think that if we get Coco, which I dearly hope, we are going to rename it Doodle.
See more progress on: have a cat named Doodle
First post
So I decided to start my blog today: April 30, 2008.
I could have definitely found a better sentence to start with, something more original, but the white page kinda scared me so I preferred to jot down a first sentence quickly.
I guess that I should introduce myself in this first post. Here is what I wrote about me on my Facebook profile:
I could have definitely found a better sentence to start with, something more original, but the white page kinda scared me so I preferred to jot down a first sentence quickly.
I guess that I should introduce myself in this first post. Here is what I wrote about me on my Facebook profile:
"I am a French citizen waiting for her spouse visa to become a Massachusetts resident. I fell in love with my soul mate 3 1/2 years ago and now we are married and homeowners! I love you Mike ♥
I think of myself as a pretty easy going person even if I can get upset for silly reasons sometimes (but it usually doesn't last long at all).
I like simple things. It doesn't matter what you are doing as long as you are with people you love. I love my family and my friends and even though I can't see them as much as I would like too, it makes the moments we are together that much more special. My goal in life is to be happy, do what I like and make people around me happy.
I am romantic, shy, anxious, insecure and sensitive (sometimes a little oversensitive but I am working on it). I am a perfectionist but I like to start things and have to be better at finishing them. I am liberal, curious, creative and considerate and I value tolerance, modesty, open-mindedness and respect.
Once I get this (longed-for) visa, I am planning on trying to find a teaching position. I would like to teach French, ideally in high school."
I think of myself as a pretty easy going person even if I can get upset for silly reasons sometimes (but it usually doesn't last long at all).
I like simple things. It doesn't matter what you are doing as long as you are with people you love. I love my family and my friends and even though I can't see them as much as I would like too, it makes the moments we are together that much more special. My goal in life is to be happy, do what I like and make people around me happy.
I am romantic, shy, anxious, insecure and sensitive (sometimes a little oversensitive but I am working on it). I am a perfectionist but I like to start things and have to be better at finishing them. I am liberal, curious, creative and considerate and I value tolerance, modesty, open-mindedness and respect.
Once I get this (longed-for) visa, I am planning on trying to find a teaching position. I would like to teach French, ideally in high school."
This description doesn't say everything about me but I think that it is a good start.
Right now, I am at my desk, in my office, in my house, in Wakefield, in Massachusetts, in the United States of America, on Earth.
I decided to start a blog because I would like to talk about my life, my experiences and my thoughts. A lot has changed in my life recently: I got married 9 months ago, I moved to a new country, I applied for my green card last October (and I am hoping to get it this summer), Mike and I bought a house and I am starting to look for jobs and for the kind of career I would like to pursue. I humbly think that it might be of interest for some people even though I must admit that I created this blog primarily for me. I think that it can help me know myself better and gain some confidence.
I feel like I am just starting to be a grown-up. This feeling is really recent. Even after I got married, I felt more like a child (or maybe a teenager) than an adult. It was probably due to the fact that I lived either with my parents or my in-laws. But Mike and I have been living in our new house for more than a month now and I think that it changed my state of mind. I feel more responsible and I am less scared of calling people on the phone - Ok, I didn't say that I wasn't scared at all anymore - but I handle it much more easily.
I am also feeling more confident about my professional future. I think that I know what I want to be and this gives me a lot of self-assurance. As I said earlier, I would like to be a teacher. I attended three classes yesterday and I talked to several teachers at the Melrose High School and I feel really confident that it is what I want to do. After wondering for years what I wanted to do for a job, I think that I finally know and it makes me feel really good. Ever since I got my diploma from Sciences-Po, I have been considering teaching but I wasn't positive that it was what I really wanted to do. And this ambivalence, this uncertainty made me feel really uncomfortable. I started doubting that I would ever find a job. I think that, to be honest, those doubts originated from a letter I received from the administration of Sciences-Poin 2005, a couple of weeks before starting my Masters. I still have this letter in my email box and I copied it (sorry it is in French):
Right now, I am at my desk, in my office, in my house, in Wakefield, in Massachusetts, in the United States of America, on Earth.
I decided to start a blog because I would like to talk about my life, my experiences and my thoughts. A lot has changed in my life recently: I got married 9 months ago, I moved to a new country, I applied for my green card last October (and I am hoping to get it this summer), Mike and I bought a house and I am starting to look for jobs and for the kind of career I would like to pursue. I humbly think that it might be of interest for some people even though I must admit that I created this blog primarily for me. I think that it can help me know myself better and gain some confidence.
I feel like I am just starting to be a grown-up. This feeling is really recent. Even after I got married, I felt more like a child (or maybe a teenager) than an adult. It was probably due to the fact that I lived either with my parents or my in-laws. But Mike and I have been living in our new house for more than a month now and I think that it changed my state of mind. I feel more responsible and I am less scared of calling people on the phone - Ok, I didn't say that I wasn't scared at all anymore - but I handle it much more easily.
I am also feeling more confident about my professional future. I think that I know what I want to be and this gives me a lot of self-assurance. As I said earlier, I would like to be a teacher. I attended three classes yesterday and I talked to several teachers at the Melrose High School and I feel really confident that it is what I want to do. After wondering for years what I wanted to do for a job, I think that I finally know and it makes me feel really good. Ever since I got my diploma from Sciences-Po, I have been considering teaching but I wasn't positive that it was what I really wanted to do. And this ambivalence, this uncertainty made me feel really uncomfortable. I started doubting that I would ever find a job. I think that, to be honest, those doubts originated from a letter I received from the administration of Sciences-Poin 2005, a couple of weeks before starting my Masters. I still have this letter in my email box and I copied it (sorry it is in French):
Les champs couverts par le master Carrières internationales sont passionnants et attirent de nombreux élèves, français comme étrangers. Cette lettre a pour objectif de vous tenir informé(e) du caractère très compétitif et volatil des marchés du travail auxquels vous pouvez prétendre à la sortie du master de Sciences Po.
1) Pré-requis
Grâce à l’expérience des dernières années, nous savons que, avant d’entrer dans ce master et pour préparer au mieux votre entrée sur le marché du travail, il est préférable de :
- maîtriser au moins trois langues vivantes : français + anglais et une autre – que vous suivrez au moins en niveau 4 dès votre entrée en master ;
- disposer au préalable d’un domaine de compétence, c’est-à-dire avoir déjà eu une expérience professionnelle significative dans le secteur privé (en marketing, en finance, en ressources humaines, en communication…) et/ou disposer d’un parcours académique plus technique (école d’ingénieur, école de commerce, université de droit…). En effet, les entreprises, organisations internationales, ONG et associations sont à la recherche de jeunes diplômés compétents déjà formés et, si possible, possédant une solide base technique.
2) Un exemple de débouché
Le cas des organisations internationales :
- Vous pouvez être recruté(e) en tant que consultant(e) parce que vous avez une bonne connaissance de terrain acquise grâce à une double formation (par exemple ingénieur/Sciences Po) ou si, après votre master, vous faites l’équivalent d’un PhD – dans ce cas, attention, le master Carrières internationales ne permet pas d’inscription en thèse à Sciences Po.
- Vous pouvez travailler dans une organisation internationale en tant que fonctionnaire international(e), selon les modes de recrutement de chaque organisation (dossier, concours, annonce…) si vous êtes ressortissant(e) d’un pays sous – ou pas du tout – représenté en son sein. Attention, les organisations internationales étant en effet soucieuses d’atteindre un équilibre de représentation parmi leurs fonctionnaires, la nationalité devient un critère de recrutement discriminant pour les jeunes professionnels. C’est la raison pour laquelle ce master compte et attire autant d’étudiants étrangers, et qu’il peut se révéler une impasse pour des ressortissants de pays normalement ou sur-représentés. Sont visés ici – mais pas seulement – les étudiants de nationalité française, qui sont fortement encouragés à consulter les sites Internet des organisations internationales et à se renseigner sur les processus de recrutement (sur le site de l’Unesco, par exemple, vous avez un état des lieux de la « répartition géographique », c’est-à-dire de la représentation de chaque pays).
- Vous pouvez travailler au sein de la représentation de votre pays d’origine auprès d’une organisation internationale. Attention si vous êtes ressortissant(e) français(e) : si vous êtes intéressé(e) par une carrière diplomatique, le master Affaires publiques est plus approprié pour vous former dans la mesure où, face à la sur-représentation de la France dans plusieurs organisations internationales, les délégations nationales sont votre principale voie d’accès. Le master Affaires publiques vous préparera alors de manière très performante aux concours administratifs qu’il vous faudra passer. D’autre part, le master Carrières internationales attire aussi beaucoup d’étudiants étrangers parce que, en fonction de leur projet professionnel, sitôt leurs études terminées ils envisagent de rentrer dans leur pays d’origine afin de faire valoir la diversité et la qualité de leur formation et, ainsi, occuper des postes à responsabilité.
Aux étudiants issus des 1ers cycles de Sciences Po, aux étudiants qui proviennent des filièreslittéraires et similaires, etc. :
- Malgré votre forte motivation et la qualité de vos études, il vous faudra peut-être – pour être compétitifs sur le marché de l’emploi – chercher à suivre une formation complémentaire ou à obtenir des stages très variés, de longue durée et à responsabilité. Sans cela, beaucoup de recruteurs dans ces secteurs risqueraient de trouver votre profil moins dense que celui de diplômés disposant de plus d’expérience ou d’une compétence technique spécifique.
- Face à ce problème, voici deux solutions qui se fondent sur des visions à moyen et long termes :
1) Vous acceptez les règles du jeu de ces milieux professionnels, c’est-à-dire des stages successifs non rémunérés ou du volontariat dans des zones reculées (avec des indemnités tournant autour de 350 Euros par mois),vous faites vos preuves et acquérez les compétences techniques sur le tas, jusqu’à ce qu’on vous propose un CDD voire un CDI. Mais là encore, vous devez être conscient(e) que les postes qui vous seront proposés seront faiblement rémunérés – autour de 1.500 Euros par mois. Si vous n’avez pas choisi cette filière pour l’argent, interrogez-vous tout de même sur le coût de la vie dans la région où vous travaillerez.
2) Vous adoptez une approche différente et, dans un certain sens, plus pragmatique : vous partez des métiers pour atteindre l’institution et ses objectifs philanthropiques. L’UNESCO, le PNUD, l’AFD, Veolia Environnement, Médecins du Monde…, toutes ces institutions ont besoin de marqueteurs, de communicateurs, de juristes, d’administrateurs, d’auditeurs, de financiers ou encore de gestionnaires en ressources humaines. Vous suivez d’abord une formation dans ces domaines, puis, une fois diplômé(e) ou après quelques années d’expérience dans une entreprise – qui vous auront permis de maîtriser ces compétences techniques –, vous postulez auprès de ces institutions avec une réelle valeur ajoutée.
This letter basically said that choosing International Affairs as a major was a bad idea if your goal was to find a job after getting out of school, unless you were okay with spending several years during various internships (paid euro 350 per month)... I was probably very innocent at the time because now I recognize that everything in this letter is not wrong like I thought ; but I felt cheated when i received it because I had always been told that whatever you study in Sciences-Po, you'll get any job you want because it is such a great school. Ok, I know, I WAS pretty naive but that's what they told us at the time: "Wow, you're going to Sciences, you have Dominique Strauss Khan as teacher, you are the elite, blah blah blah." Inspite of this letter, I decided to keep studying international affairs because it was what I wanted to study from the beginning. As soon as I entered Sciences-Po right after High School, I knew that it was what I wanted to study. I have always been interested in international current events, the relationships between countries and I really wanted to work for an International Organization. I ended up keeping this major because no other one appealed to me. I didn't want to study marketing, communication or business. I already knew at the time that I wanted to live in the United States after graduating and I didn't see the point in studying French Law or French public administration. So, I studied International affairs with a concentration in Conflicts and Security. I don't regret it because I learned a lot of interesting things during those two years. The classes were great, the students and the faculty were more international than in other Masters and in the end, I am happy that I did it. But for the months that followed my graduation, I didn't know what I was going to do for the rest of my life and it scared me a lot. During all my school years, I was like on a path already written for me. I knew where I was going: towards graduation, I knew what I had to do: study, do well on the tests... Life was pretty easy. Once I graduated, I felt like I was left alone, I had to decide where to go and what to do on my own and it frightened me a lot. In addition, the fact that I didn't have my green card yet and therefore couldn't work in the United States added to my frustration. I felt useless, I felt like I was burden for Mike. I feel much better today, although I still don't have my green card but I know that it is on its way. The USCIS opened my application in January. I was assigned a number and I am now waiting. The process usually takes 3 to 6 months but this year, because they increased the fee (which we were not aware of), the number of applications tripled right before the deadline. They had to open a whole new service to take care of the surplus. It now takes closer to 9 months to get the visa. I hope to get it this summer because I would really like to find a job for next September. If I can't work right away, I guess that I'll try to find a position in the middle of the year - although it would be much harder - or I would do substitute teaching in order to get some experience with students. I would like to be able to work soon too because I hate to see the burden of paying for every expense rely on Mike. The mortgage and utilities are big expenses and at the end of the month, we don't have much more to spend. Another salary would really make things easier! But even without considering the money, I really feel like I want to do something, to feel useful and feel like I am making a difference, even if it is a small one.
Ok, that was my first post and it ended up being pretty long. I doubt that all of my posts will be that long but I really really hope that I'll stick to writing my blog every so often so that I can share what I am living, my experiences and my thoughts with others that might be interested.
Thank you for reading my first blog.
1) Pré-requis
Grâce à l’expérience des dernières années, nous savons que, avant d’entrer dans ce master et pour préparer au mieux votre entrée sur le marché du travail, il est préférable de :
- maîtriser au moins trois langues vivantes : français + anglais et une autre – que vous suivrez au moins en niveau 4 dès votre entrée en master ;
- disposer au préalable d’un domaine de compétence, c’est-à-dire avoir déjà eu une expérience professionnelle significative dans le secteur privé (en marketing, en finance, en ressources humaines, en communication…) et/ou disposer d’un parcours académique plus technique (école d’ingénieur, école de commerce, université de droit…). En effet, les entreprises, organisations internationales, ONG et associations sont à la recherche de jeunes diplômés compétents déjà formés et, si possible, possédant une solide base technique.
2) Un exemple de débouché
Le cas des organisations internationales :
- Vous pouvez être recruté(e) en tant que consultant(e) parce que vous avez une bonne connaissance de terrain acquise grâce à une double formation (par exemple ingénieur/Sciences Po) ou si, après votre master, vous faites l’équivalent d’un PhD – dans ce cas, attention, le master Carrières internationales ne permet pas d’inscription en thèse à Sciences Po.
- Vous pouvez travailler dans une organisation internationale en tant que fonctionnaire international(e), selon les modes de recrutement de chaque organisation (dossier, concours, annonce…) si vous êtes ressortissant(e) d’un pays sous – ou pas du tout – représenté en son sein. Attention, les organisations internationales étant en effet soucieuses d’atteindre un équilibre de représentation parmi leurs fonctionnaires, la nationalité devient un critère de recrutement discriminant pour les jeunes professionnels. C’est la raison pour laquelle ce master compte et attire autant d’étudiants étrangers, et qu’il peut se révéler une impasse pour des ressortissants de pays normalement ou sur-représentés. Sont visés ici – mais pas seulement – les étudiants de nationalité française, qui sont fortement encouragés à consulter les sites Internet des organisations internationales et à se renseigner sur les processus de recrutement (sur le site de l’Unesco, par exemple, vous avez un état des lieux de la « répartition géographique », c’est-à-dire de la représentation de chaque pays).
- Vous pouvez travailler au sein de la représentation de votre pays d’origine auprès d’une organisation internationale. Attention si vous êtes ressortissant(e) français(e) : si vous êtes intéressé(e) par une carrière diplomatique, le master Affaires publiques est plus approprié pour vous former dans la mesure où, face à la sur-représentation de la France dans plusieurs organisations internationales, les délégations nationales sont votre principale voie d’accès. Le master Affaires publiques vous préparera alors de manière très performante aux concours administratifs qu’il vous faudra passer. D’autre part, le master Carrières internationales attire aussi beaucoup d’étudiants étrangers parce que, en fonction de leur projet professionnel, sitôt leurs études terminées ils envisagent de rentrer dans leur pays d’origine afin de faire valoir la diversité et la qualité de leur formation et, ainsi, occuper des postes à responsabilité.
Aux étudiants issus des 1ers cycles de Sciences Po, aux étudiants qui proviennent des filièreslittéraires et similaires, etc. :
- Malgré votre forte motivation et la qualité de vos études, il vous faudra peut-être – pour être compétitifs sur le marché de l’emploi – chercher à suivre une formation complémentaire ou à obtenir des stages très variés, de longue durée et à responsabilité. Sans cela, beaucoup de recruteurs dans ces secteurs risqueraient de trouver votre profil moins dense que celui de diplômés disposant de plus d’expérience ou d’une compétence technique spécifique.
- Face à ce problème, voici deux solutions qui se fondent sur des visions à moyen et long termes :
1) Vous acceptez les règles du jeu de ces milieux professionnels, c’est-à-dire des stages successifs non rémunérés ou du volontariat dans des zones reculées (avec des indemnités tournant autour de 350 Euros par mois),vous faites vos preuves et acquérez les compétences techniques sur le tas, jusqu’à ce qu’on vous propose un CDD voire un CDI. Mais là encore, vous devez être conscient(e) que les postes qui vous seront proposés seront faiblement rémunérés – autour de 1.500 Euros par mois. Si vous n’avez pas choisi cette filière pour l’argent, interrogez-vous tout de même sur le coût de la vie dans la région où vous travaillerez.
2) Vous adoptez une approche différente et, dans un certain sens, plus pragmatique : vous partez des métiers pour atteindre l’institution et ses objectifs philanthropiques. L’UNESCO, le PNUD, l’AFD, Veolia Environnement, Médecins du Monde…, toutes ces institutions ont besoin de marqueteurs, de communicateurs, de juristes, d’administrateurs, d’auditeurs, de financiers ou encore de gestionnaires en ressources humaines. Vous suivez d’abord une formation dans ces domaines, puis, une fois diplômé(e) ou après quelques années d’expérience dans une entreprise – qui vous auront permis de maîtriser ces compétences techniques –, vous postulez auprès de ces institutions avec une réelle valeur ajoutée.
This letter basically said that choosing International Affairs as a major was a bad idea if your goal was to find a job after getting out of school, unless you were okay with spending several years during various internships (paid euro 350 per month)... I was probably very innocent at the time because now I recognize that everything in this letter is not wrong like I thought ; but I felt cheated when i received it because I had always been told that whatever you study in Sciences-Po, you'll get any job you want because it is such a great school. Ok, I know, I WAS pretty naive but that's what they told us at the time: "Wow, you're going to Sciences, you have Dominique Strauss Khan as teacher, you are the elite, blah blah blah." Inspite of this letter, I decided to keep studying international affairs because it was what I wanted to study from the beginning. As soon as I entered Sciences-Po right after High School, I knew that it was what I wanted to study. I have always been interested in international current events, the relationships between countries and I really wanted to work for an International Organization. I ended up keeping this major because no other one appealed to me. I didn't want to study marketing, communication or business. I already knew at the time that I wanted to live in the United States after graduating and I didn't see the point in studying French Law or French public administration. So, I studied International affairs with a concentration in Conflicts and Security. I don't regret it because I learned a lot of interesting things during those two years. The classes were great, the students and the faculty were more international than in other Masters and in the end, I am happy that I did it. But for the months that followed my graduation, I didn't know what I was going to do for the rest of my life and it scared me a lot. During all my school years, I was like on a path already written for me. I knew where I was going: towards graduation, I knew what I had to do: study, do well on the tests... Life was pretty easy. Once I graduated, I felt like I was left alone, I had to decide where to go and what to do on my own and it frightened me a lot. In addition, the fact that I didn't have my green card yet and therefore couldn't work in the United States added to my frustration. I felt useless, I felt like I was burden for Mike. I feel much better today, although I still don't have my green card but I know that it is on its way. The USCIS opened my application in January. I was assigned a number and I am now waiting. The process usually takes 3 to 6 months but this year, because they increased the fee (which we were not aware of), the number of applications tripled right before the deadline. They had to open a whole new service to take care of the surplus. It now takes closer to 9 months to get the visa. I hope to get it this summer because I would really like to find a job for next September. If I can't work right away, I guess that I'll try to find a position in the middle of the year - although it would be much harder - or I would do substitute teaching in order to get some experience with students. I would like to be able to work soon too because I hate to see the burden of paying for every expense rely on Mike. The mortgage and utilities are big expenses and at the end of the month, we don't have much more to spend. Another salary would really make things easier! But even without considering the money, I really feel like I want to do something, to feel useful and feel like I am making a difference, even if it is a small one.
Ok, that was my first post and it ended up being pretty long. I doubt that all of my posts will be that long but I really really hope that I'll stick to writing my blog every so often so that I can share what I am living, my experiences and my thoughts with others that might be interested.
Thank you for reading my first blog.
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