Mondays = evil.

And for more than just because it's the end of the weekend and the start of the work-week (at least in the U.S.).

On Mondays, I have programming. I know. It sounds like we're being brainwashed, right? In a sense, we are. We've had it pounded into our heads since we got here that we have to be making contacts, planning for life after graduation, getting our career tracks in order, figuring out what we're going to do and how we're going to do it, etc. That's pretty much what Monday programming is, 2-3 hours of some form of the above.

While this tactic is good for someone like me and Alice, who are 26 and mature and know who we are for the most part, I don't really believe anyone else is taking it seriously. Not that I think they should, because they're mostly 20 or 21 and still partying and having fun. Still able to function on five hours of sleep (I'm not anymore).

That's getting off-topic. Anyway, in addition to this programming, which takes place in the afternoon, and which we have to wear business dress for, I also have class on Monday nights from 6-9. I like the class, it's very interesting, but it's late, I'm tired, and the metro, for some reason, is hellaciously crowded.

I've learned a lot about myself in this first half of the semester. One thing is that I will never be comfortable in crowds. Ever. In a crowded place, my anxiety levels slowly rise and my mood slowly falls until I'm grinding my teeth or cursing everyone around me or launching into a panic attack. Thankfully tonight, just the one happened.

I've also learned that if I don't get a day to myself during the week, a day to relax and unwind and decompress, I get extremely exhausted. I think this also deals with my anxiety issues. Also has to deal with some of my spiritual beliefs, but as this is somewhat of a professional blog, I will not bore you with them here.

I have also learned that I am intensely curious about other cultures. I have three Chinese roommates, an intern from Spain working in the cube next to me, a Japanese supervisor, and a Japanese ex-patriot advisor. I've been having so much fun learning about new cultures and such. I always have tons of questions and I dearly thank these people for putting up with me.

This blog has just been all over the place, hasn't it? I'm sorry.

So today's programming was a career bootcamp, where we were sent a list of about 20 workshops to choose from and go to them. I chose International Employment: How to Make it Happen, and Getting a Job with the Federal Government. The first was a lot more informative. Tomoko, my advisor, gave it. She gave us the different ways you can get an international job, what you can do, tips about working internationally, and some cases of people she knows and where they ended up today and how they got there. The second, he started off by saying it was a 2 hour presentation that he was going to have to condense into 50 minutes, so he went so fast that I barely knew what he was talking about. Thankfully, I knew most of what he was talking about because my mom is a fed employee, so I knew about GS, and the side to apply, and what the application looks like. He did share tips on how to do your resume, though. That should come in handy.

My back is killing me, it's midnight, and I have to get up at 6:30am, so I'm signing off now. Sorry about the complete disorganization of this post. I'll do better next time, promise.