Re: Hestia's Log (FR, JP)
Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:29 am
Bonsoir mes amis. Lately I'm making a career change that seems to solidify my plan to move overseas. I lost my job at the major Boston hospital (with a difficult discussion and conclusion that I wasn't a good fit), but rather than applying to other hospital jobs, I have been applying to research assistant positions (as I have two bachelor's in medical laboratory science and microbiology). Why moving back to a research position? Isn't that less pay? True...But I enjoy research. As people recommended in the thread about immigration, the easiest way to integrate into a country is by going to school there, and then I'll be able to move into a job. I had thought of going to school overseas in a PhD program, and I'm considering the opportunity that some of these programs pay you stipend. So rather than working as an MLS for years in the U.S. to pay off loans and save lots of money to go an advanced program in Europe, I could work here while getting research experience, pay of my loans and earn my PhD overseas.
Another consideration is medical school. I confess, the desire to be a surgeon hasn't left my heart. After talking to our forum resident medical student, I looked at opportunities for foreigners to go to medical schools overseas. The best opportunity I found were new English programs in Italy, where you only had to take an entrance exam (note my slight sarcasm). It gets better: at the University of Turin, they will have a research/medical doctor program, where there is a stipend. And considering the location, the primary language is?...French.
Either route, if further reading proves my statements to be true, requires me to have research experience. I'm pleased to saw I've had two good interviews, and I'll have one on Monday.
For language-specific news, I met with a tutor from Quebec tonight. I had her coach my pronunciation: she thought my nasal vowels were quite good, I just needed to work on my R's and U's, which improved as the session went. The best I can figure, the French R is less in the back of the throat and more towards the inside of the mouth.
And just as I was ready to focus fervently into my French studies--perhaps because I visited the Kinokuniya store in NYC, perhaps not--the desire to pick up Japanese hit me hard. Even with my intent to focus on European languages, I felt as if a part of me would die if I did not continue Japanese. I suddenly remembered all of the things I loved about Japan when I visited there: ranging from things most people could appreciate (like food) to quirky things (the tight, tiny streets). I had this conversation in my head:
Voice: Does studying Japanese make your heart sing?
Me: (abashed) Yes
Voice: Then study Japanese.
So I'm picking up Japanese again. Even though I'm currently unemployed, and have as much time as I want, I still find the task to juggling these two languages challenging. It's like my mind finds it tiring to do too many things in one day (a symptom of my mental status? Probably). So what I've decided is this: I study one language one day, and switch the next day. This way I'm tiring myself out trying to figure out what to do next, and it's not long enough of a break to disrupt my language language.
Two days ago too, I realized, I need to return to the concept of digital minimalism--I need to cut down my Internet time. I find that having too many tabs on too many websites just reminds me of all of the things I want/need to get done, and it stresses me out. If I keep the minimal amount of tabs open, say related to making Anki cards, then I'm less likely to be distracted, and less likely to be stressed out. It also keeps me focused (ah ha!).
For Japanese, I picked up my bushu/ kanji radicals book, and I have a $1 trial period with Japanese101. The reason for this is because they have podcasts and transcripts: just what I need to make my own Anki cards with sentences and audio. Because it's only a month trial (at only $1), I spend an hour or so on most days downloading all of the interesting content: I'm almost done. I've used this blog as my guide as to what to download: http://www.nihongonobaka.com/japanesepod101-com-individual-season-reviews/ I've found the newbie series to be unbearable, as the speakers talkso slowly, and since I took a year of college Japanese, I'm skipping this part. Also reviewing my Genki books from said class.
So yeah...
Another consideration is medical school. I confess, the desire to be a surgeon hasn't left my heart. After talking to our forum resident medical student, I looked at opportunities for foreigners to go to medical schools overseas. The best opportunity I found were new English programs in Italy, where you only had to take an entrance exam (note my slight sarcasm). It gets better: at the University of Turin, they will have a research/medical doctor program, where there is a stipend. And considering the location, the primary language is?...French.
Either route, if further reading proves my statements to be true, requires me to have research experience. I'm pleased to saw I've had two good interviews, and I'll have one on Monday.
For language-specific news, I met with a tutor from Quebec tonight. I had her coach my pronunciation: she thought my nasal vowels were quite good, I just needed to work on my R's and U's, which improved as the session went. The best I can figure, the French R is less in the back of the throat and more towards the inside of the mouth.
And just as I was ready to focus fervently into my French studies--perhaps because I visited the Kinokuniya store in NYC, perhaps not--the desire to pick up Japanese hit me hard. Even with my intent to focus on European languages, I felt as if a part of me would die if I did not continue Japanese. I suddenly remembered all of the things I loved about Japan when I visited there: ranging from things most people could appreciate (like food) to quirky things (the tight, tiny streets). I had this conversation in my head:
Voice: Does studying Japanese make your heart sing?
Me: (abashed) Yes
Voice: Then study Japanese.
So I'm picking up Japanese again. Even though I'm currently unemployed, and have as much time as I want, I still find the task to juggling these two languages challenging. It's like my mind finds it tiring to do too many things in one day (a symptom of my mental status? Probably). So what I've decided is this: I study one language one day, and switch the next day. This way I'm tiring myself out trying to figure out what to do next, and it's not long enough of a break to disrupt my language language.
Two days ago too, I realized, I need to return to the concept of digital minimalism--I need to cut down my Internet time. I find that having too many tabs on too many websites just reminds me of all of the things I want/need to get done, and it stresses me out. If I keep the minimal amount of tabs open, say related to making Anki cards, then I'm less likely to be distracted, and less likely to be stressed out. It also keeps me focused (ah ha!).
For Japanese, I picked up my bushu/ kanji radicals book, and I have a $1 trial period with Japanese101. The reason for this is because they have podcasts and transcripts: just what I need to make my own Anki cards with sentences and audio. Because it's only a month trial (at only $1), I spend an hour or so on most days downloading all of the interesting content: I'm almost done. I've used this blog as my guide as to what to download: http://www.nihongonobaka.com/japanesepod101-com-individual-season-reviews/ I've found the newbie series to be unbearable, as the speakers talkso slowly, and since I took a year of college Japanese, I'm skipping this part. Also reviewing my Genki books from said class.
So yeah...