From the Mid-West to the Mid-East

Stressing

My work has taken a decided turn for the worst. I'm well into my second week of 9-6 pm shifts and I have one more to go, and I just don't think I'll make it. My job is now almost entirely answering the phone, when it rings, and trying to decipher from the Arabic (and one time Spanish) spoken on the other end who I should connect the caller to (I usually just send it to Reem). When I'm not answering the phones, I'm placing calls to Seed campers to remind them to come to meetings and bring their paperwork. What's sad is that even at this incredibly easy job, I'm awful. I have no training or skills in transferring calls, my American politeness is wasted, and often I find myself talking loudly and slowly to people who keep screaming at me and finally stop picking up their phones after they've hung up on me 4 times. I will give you a few examples of the calls I deal with:

ring
Me: Hello, Seeds of Peace
Arab Male Caller: Marhaba
Me: Hello
AMC: .... Marhaba
Me: Hi
AMC: Marhaba
Me: Um, mar-ha-ba
AMC: Ahhhhh, marhaba! Marhaba is international word, no? I'm sure they use it in Turkey
Me: I'm not sure, I've never been to Turkey
AMC: hahahaha.... Please may I speak with Sami?

Me calling a Seeds camper
Male voice: Haaallo?
Me: Hello, my name is Kinneret and I am calling from Seeds of Peace, is Mohammad there?
Male voice: who?
Me: Mo-hammad
MV: eh?
Me: Mu-ha-mad
MV: Ayawah, Mohammad, he is here
Me: ... May I speak with him
MV: Yes
one minute passes
Me: are you Mohammad?
MV: Yes

And so it goes. Reem sent me on a mission yesterday to ask Issa, the office manager, for a box of pens. I found myself acting out an elaborate mime-dance when one of my co-workers said, "Can't you just ask him in Hebrew?" I completely forgot I knew Hebrew!

Still I'm gaining incredible insight through this internship. I know now, without a doubt, that I do not want to work in an office, ever. Whatever career I am working towards it will not include me sitting at a desk, the numbers 9 or 5 (or 6 for that matter), and I hope to one day return to the bliss that was not knowing how to operate a copier (though I think my coworkers would argue I still don't).

Speaking of careers I AM FREAKING OUT.
GRAD SCHOOL! DECISIONS! MAY 1ST! I CAN'T GO ON! I have decided to go back to America and grad school next year. Don't be too impressed with my seeming pro-activeness, I just didn't get the fellowship that would have paid me to stay in Israel and I can't quite see spending another year volunteering for free, or paying for a program. Even if not motivated, I feel ready at least to step-up to something new. Plus, 22 has me feeling really old, and if I'm going to be in grad school for the next 3 years I want it to be over with and heading to the next part of my life at 25, to be discussed only with my mother.

I repeat this from last time, I have narrowed down my options to either:
* Columbia University's Teachers College- I would be entering to get an MA, but would probably switch to Masters of Education, in Comparative and International Education focus on Peace Education. Their programs focus might be too focused on race and minority issues within America for me. Plus I'm scared of NY, and spending all day at work reading OverheardinNY.com doesn't give me the best feeling about the city and it's inhabitants, which seem to include a lot of outspoken hobos.
* American University's School of International Service (SIS)- Dual MA in Education and International Peace and Conflict Resolution, which very nicely brings together everything I want to do. Located in hyper-political DC, I'm not sure I could handle the shmoozing. Would definitely get the Middle East aspect I want, though I'm not sure how their education program is, certainly nothing like Columbia's.

Please God, send me a sign!

posted by A Mus-Ed Blogger @ 1:07 AM