Thanksgiving has come and passed; there was a Thanksgiving lunch buffet at school (only $5!) and dinner at one of the homes of my Filipino friends living here. Aside from turkey, there was a lot of ham, which I like so much better! Maybe because it's my comfort food at home. Thanksgiving saw us having nearly a week off from school and searching for bargains during the Black Friday sale, but a particularly difficult midterm exam was waiting for us on Cyber Monday. Haaay.
Anyway, on the theme of Thanksgiving, here's a short list of what I'm thankful for thus far:
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| Image from thankyoupictures.com. |
1. My part-time job
I'm really grateful for my part-time job at the library, which gives me much-needed income while I'm here. It pays higher than minimum wage (but not much more) and gives me opportunities to earn more than my current shift allows every now and then. I can study when my shift turns out pretty quiet, and the librarians are always ready to help. I also meet different people who aren't in the MBA program, and the work gives me practice in interacting with Americans. So far, I only work 6 hours a week, but I'm planning to increase my hours for next semester.Without this job, I wouldn't have been able to get an SS number, which I need to get a credit card here, which I need to establish my credit history, which I absolutely need since it will make certain things easier (ie. renting an apartment, getting car insurance) for me in the future.
2. My benefactor
I've finally discovered who my benefactor is, and I've written him a thank-you letter. Without his very generous grant, I never would have set foot here in the first place.
3. My learning group
I got pretty lucky in the learning group raffle, and I'm so thankful for it! We work together so well -- and the same can't be said for the other groups in our class. In fact, one of the international students already left her group because she got treated badly by the guys (ie. her opinions didn't seem to count, she got shouted at, etc). Some groups also stay past midnight doing case work; the latest time my teammates and I worked together was until about 8 in the evening. We're pretty efficient, and have gotten to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. We help each other with acads and I've always found them a source of support whenever I've had problems to deal with.
4. Viber, Skype and all that jazz
My former colleagues called me on Viber one night while I had a quiet shift at the library, and I was so happy that I disregarded protocol and jabbered away in Tagalog for more than an hour! Thank goodness no one had problems with their research or computers that time. There's no other better panacea to homesickness than hearing the voices of your friends and loved ones back home (or seeing them on your laptop). Talking to my colleagues made me feel as if I was back home again, just doing work in a different building. How hard it would be for us abroad if we only had snail mail to rely on! When my mom worked abroad in the 80's, she would send home cassette tapes (yes, cassettes) on which she would record her messages so that we could hear her voice.
5. The steady stream of learning
There are times when the load is so intense that MBA students ask themselves: Why am I taking this MBA again??? There are times when I feel that work was so much easier, and ask myself whether going here was worth giving up the comforts of home and the security of income. Well, time and time again, I always arrive at the conclusion that it's worth it. It's worth every penny I've put into it so far. I'm learning so much from the classes, the professors, my classmates, the career coaches and companies who come here to give us cases. You get those aha! moments when something discussed in class suddenly makes you realize why it was that way at work. That said, work experience is really valuable coming into the program.Not only do you get to share more, but you can more easily relate to the course material too.
Obviously, there are loads of things I'm thankful for -- bargains and sales that allow me to survive on a very stretched budget among them. I've gone a bit over my budget with my laptop purchase, the conferences I've traveled to, and sundry things I believe I need, but hopefully there wouldn't be any big-ticket items for next semester. In less than 3 hours, I'll be meeting my learning group for a case discussion then, in the afternoon, I'm off to listen to Christmas carols in the performing arts center. I can't believe it's nearly Christmas! Time flies by so fast!
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