Author: Maria Osorio

I wake up every morning with my mind already running through the things I have to get done that day.  It’s a huge list, but I wouldn’t have it any other way; I feel lost when I don’t have a full plate.

Most days I have a few classes; my favorite is Dr. Bale’s class on the American Radical Right.  We talk about a diverse bunch of extremist groups that sometimes share ideology and resources.  All my classes on extremist ideology really interest me because I studied sociology and psychology in my undergrad.

After class I head to work at The WIP, an on-campus news publication.  The WIP is one of my favorite parts of MIIS because it’s about really doing something.  WIP stands for Women’s International Perspective, and it focuses on trying to give a platform to the voices of people who have expertise on a given subject but would otherwise go unheard.  The WIP truly is an instrument for social change.  I never know exactly what I’ll be working on when I go into the office; sometimes it will be writing an article on something happening in my field (Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies) or in my community.  Sometimes I edit submissions, which come in from all over the world every day.  Other days my job is just to work on becoming more knowledgeable about the news and events of the world; we think it’s important to understand the historical and cultural context of events.

When I finish up work, I head home and work on homework and reading until I go to bed, only to start it again the next morning, but the weekends offer a welcome reprieve.  Usually on Friday or Saturday nights I meet up with my friends Burton, Tara, or Stephanie and we unload about our weeks, grab a few drinks, and just enjoy each other’s company.  Sundays are the only day my boyfriend and I both have off, so we try to do something new every week.  So far my favorite is to go hiking at Point Lobos, just south of town on Highway 1.

Today I heard the word “policy” 728 times in 7 different languages

A couple weeks ago some friends and classmates of mine at MIIS came up with a competition – who would hear the word “policy” the most times by the end of the term? Being in Policy Analysis, I am obviously winning. However, what seemed like a silly game has turned out to be much more.

As a first semester student of International Policy Studies, the word “policy” has already been said, written and heard so many times it has almost lost all meaning. A framework through which we construct our studies has become a lens through which we see the world. The word carries beyond the classroom and beyond campus. It is present in every news article I read, on every sidewalk I walk, and in every isle of the grocery store I peruse. The War on Drugs is a failed policy; or is it the drug war I should be more concerned about? Do regressive sales taxes paid at hoity toity Trader Joes pay for those little blue plaques – No Dumping – above sewer drains on every block? That reminds me; I shouldn’t litter my Cliff bar wrapper in fear of further endangering those damn sea lions that keep me up all night.

Viewing the world through the lens of policy adds this other layer to everyday activities. Each day I learn more about policy and apply those studies to these everyday activities. Each time I hear the word, I change – even just a little bit – what I want to do when I grow up. Yesterday I woke up excited to get my PhD in development economics and demolish inequality in the world. Today I woke up wanting to tie myself to the sand to protect our coasts for those damn sea lions.

The culture and atmosphere at MIIS, I believe, encourages this type of fluidity. Each and every student brings something new to the meaning of policy. Whether it be his or her Peace Corps experience in Costa Rica, anti-money laundering conferences in New York, interpretation of Hugo Chavez at the U.N. or his or her hope to one day be a librarian; every student at MIIS is discovering what policy means to them and how it affects and contributes to their passions.

I have yet to come up with a concrete definition of “policy” for myself. But every time I hear the word, I begin to appreciate the word (and the world) a little differently based on who says it and what it means to them. I still have three and a quarter semesters left at MIIS and, at this rate, am likely to continue hearing the word “policy” 728 times a day for the remainder of my time here. That is 529,984 “policy”s. And all of those “policy”s should provide me with enough understanding and passion to squash inequality, find a way to protect the sea lions and put an end to the drug war. Perhaps, I should just choose one. I wonder what I’ll want to do tomorrow after policy analysis today.

My alarm really needs to get a job! It always goes off as scheduled but that is often about 30 minutes later than when my body decides it’s time to wake up. What is it with my biological clock being so fine-tuned? My intentions are to wake up at 7:00 am and get up 10 or 15 minutes later, after having hit the snooze button a couple of times. Instead, I wake up at around 6:30 and look at my clock, turn and toss for a while, getting up at 7:15 is as intended but having lost 45 minutes of much needed sleep.

After a quick shower and getting dressed, I consume a bowl of cereal and begin to gather my things for the day. My laptop is still on top of my desk open to a paper that I was working on until 1:30 or 2 in the morning. I wonder if I saved it before going to bed and decide that I must save again, close the laptop and rush out the door. As I get in my car I realize I have just 15 minutes to get to Marina Vista Elementary school where I read with 8 beautiful lively first graders.

As I arrive at the school the principal is on the school PA system thanking the children for many good things and giving them some pearls of wisdom for the day. I quickly gather my children’s folders and head to room 11 where, as I enter, some of the children turn and smile and wave while others point to themselves indicating that they want to be first. My reading group is limited to these 8 who have shown that they need just a little more help than the others to get them caught up on their reading skills.

Anthony loves to read and always has a lot of energy. He always wants to be first! Jasmine is a little quieter but loves to sidetrack from the book to tell stories about her family activities during the weekend. I let her do so for a while because she is so enthusiastic, but we must return to the story in the book so she can sharpen her reading skills. Andrew, who hails from Samoa, is always bright eyed and has a great smile that will surely make the girls’ hearts melt later on in life. He has come a long way since we started reading together in room 11. He is very sharp and has a process for figuring out words that are a bit challenging. He first looks at the picture on the page and tries to determine what the writer may be saying here. He often gets it right but sometimes he can’t and the next step is to look up at me. He does not say a word, he just looks at me with his big bright eyes and I know that I must quickly tell him what the word is so we can move on. As I finish with my last reader I get up and look around the room to collect one last smile to take with me and carry me the rest of the day; this is the highlight of my day.

I rush to the META Lab where I work with some really smart dudes on really interesting stuff. Seriously, you want to learn about what tools are available to really put together some great analyses? These are the go-to people.  I can’t tell you more or I would have to…I really can’t tell you more.

There is often a great lecture at CNS or at Irvine that I must go to at noon! Toastmasters is always happening on Tuesdays and unless there is something more appealing (has to be really appealing) I head to Morse A101 for some great public speaking by fellow students and community members. As the treasurer, I have some Toastmasters club business to attend to so this is a great opportunity to visit with the awesome people at Student Services. Shout out to Maria and Megan who, I don’t know how they do it, but they get things done for us that I could not get done myself!

It’s two o’clock and we must prepare for the Global Politics Security Summit simulation. This is where future policy makers get chiseled into true professionals.

After class concludes at 1800 I call Charles, my son who is at DLI, to let him know that I am on my way. He recently joined the Air force and is trying to carve his path ahead. First however, we must carve away a few pounds off his body; gym time!

As I conclude my workout I look at my phone and realize that I have missed some really important stuff! I have over 20 new messages in WhatsApp. They are all from my Colombia Jterm team who have become like family to me. We have become a very tight knit group and they are right up there with the school children as the best part of any day. The girls, Cristina, Arianne, Whitney, and Teryn have put together a plan for the weekend I see and I may be driving, or dancing, or dining, whatever; regardless, I know it’s going to be a good time. Amy flew in from Colorado and Lisha will be joining us too? Perfect! Is Kevin coming? Oh what, he left already? Darn!

As I sit back at my desk at home at around midnight, I look at my bed and wish I could jump right in but I need to work on that paper from last night; Did I save it?

Life now revolves around the search for a practicum, the working-in-the-field capstone to the IEM degree.  As soon as my alarm goes off, I check my phone to see whether I may have magically received a job offer in the middle of the night.

Concentrating on class is a struggle despite my excitement for the topics I’m studying, which include intercultural competence, student services, study abroad, program design/assessment, and service learning.  My mind wanders and attempts to imagine a life less than two months from now.  Huge questions loom over me.  Do I care more about location or institution or job duties?  How married am I to a specific area of the field?  How great does the opportunity need to be to convince me to go unpaid?  Do I prefer the flexibility of an internship or the security of a permanent position?  How long should I hold out before choosing something less than my ideal?  And how will I survive when the amazing people I met here, who supported me through the ups and downs of the grad school experience, scatter to chase their own questions?

It has already begun.  Almost every day another classmate announces a solidified practicum plan.  In between classes I comb through the job boards.  Am I qualified?  Will my transferable experience be enough?  I fill out applications, pausing each time to complain to anyone around about needing to electronically input my resume, with the required but completely erroneous detail of my previous employers’ physical addresses.  Then I upload the actual resume.  Search for the mission statement; modify the cover letter.  Send.  And wait.

Walking home the long way along the ocean, I breathe in the salt air and listen to the sea lions, and wish I had more time to spend here in beautiful Monterey.  I make a mental note to look for more local jobs when I get home.

I’m definitely not a morning person. Mondays are especially difficult because, well… they just are. Luckily, Mondays in my final semester are a slow start. My day begins with a mug of strong, piping hot coffee and a substantial breakfast. “Hanger” is a real thing, and breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after all.

My next move is work at the ITS Help Desk, where we ensure functional MIIS wifi and email. Between answering questions or updating IT Knowledge Base blog, I typically catch up on emails, most of which are related to soccer. As captain of both MIIS FC and the Feminine MIIStique, I’m still amazed at the amount of emails that result from coordinating both teams’ practice, games, fundraisers, and buying team equipment.

At 2pm it’s off to translation class, which is challenging, humbling, and eye-opening, all at the same time. Whether we’re discussing Enrique Peña Nieto’s inaugural address or Honduran e-voting systems, the translation program is hard (I’m just gonna say it ‘cause T, T&I, and CI students get a lot less recognition than they deserve!). I spend hours researching terms and acronyms, revising my renditions of complex concepts, and rewriting awkward sentences, but let’s just say I’ve discovered my strengths lie elsewhere in the realm of the Localization! The TLM program has opened many doors for my career, many of which I had no idea existed before coming to MIIS.

After class, it’s time for soccer lessons with aspiring Barça right midfielder Srivats Ramaswamy. Not only are these individual training sessions fun for both of us, they have also helped me learn how to be a better coach. His enthusiasm and endless energy remind me how much I love soccer and motivate me to stay involved in many ways.

Next, it’s home for dinner with my main squeeze and then on to homework, most likely Localization project portfolio. This semester, we get to choose our projects, and it’s been fun: we’ve seen localized iPhone apps, websites, and user manuals, but also children’s books, ad campaigns, and subtitled/dubbed TV shows. I’m currently working on a localization and web consulting project for a local business, which some of you might recognize from MIIStique bake sales…

Needless to say, I’m learning a lot here at MIIS, both inside and outside of class. We’re 7 weeks away from graduation and I’m busier than ever, but it’s all worth it. I’m on my way to getting my first real experience in the localization world, and I’m excited for what the future holds!

A Day in the Life of Rohan John

*Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena
Que tu cuerpo es pa darle alegria y cosa buena
Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena
HEYYYY MACARENA!!*

No, I do not wake up in a Latin American nightclub every morning—it just happens to be the only thing barring being dunked a tub of ice that gets me out of bed. Once I finish the chorus dance portion, I am off to make the elixir that allows me to get though the day: my cup of coffee. I live quite the ways from campus, so this cup of coffee and my breakfast is an equation so that I can make the 30-minute trek to school. Now, don’t get me wrong, this journey is the most calming portion of my day, but gosh do I despise it! The walk is a very good way to capture all my thoughts for the day and get my checklists out of the way. A very good bit of advice: live close to campus, for sanity’s sake and for the more appropriate use of time.

Classes at the Monterey Institute are still surprisingly exciting to me, even one semester in. I am a Nonproliferation and Terrorism major at the school and the awe of the subject matter, my peers and most of all our professors never seems to subside. At the end of the day I meet up with my friend Daniel, and we grab dinner together and out of the kindness of his heart he drops me back to the Kingdom of the Far Away Land (a.k.a. my abode). The one plus of living so very close to the woods and so far away from civilization is that we have at my home an incredible, serene deck with a tiki bar and a view into the jungle ravine nearby.  I usually have a couple of friends over once a week on the deck to just unwind and grab a couple of beers. The discussion obviously starts in our subject matter at school, but then into a diverse plethora of many important issues. This is why the Monterey Institute of International Studies has surprised me the most–the ability of the students to care about more than just what they are taught is something I was dealing with for the first time.

Weekends are much simpler, Saturdays are just about football, the MIIS Varsity AAA Football Team is a club formed for all you NFL aficionados, and we get quite the turn out to play flag football. The Monterey Institute of International Studies has taught me a lot in this short span but the one thing I will take away is the beauty that is California. I am not a big hiker, but when forced to go to Big Sur, one never says no. The lesson being, always be ready to try something new and I think that, in essence, is my life at the Monterey Institute and I hope that that never fades.

One of two things wakes me up every morning: either the sun streaming through my window or my alarm going off. Today it is the latter, with a jarring noise at 6:43am, 43 because if it is an even or “normal” number, my brain assumes that I have plenty of time to roll over and catch a few more minutes of sleep. Today, as I reach over to turn off the alarm on my phone, I groan because the night before we had gone pretty hard at the climbing gym. I groan again when I look at the screen and read that it is Saturday.

Fortunately, today is a special Saturday; I have a very busy schedule. This was the second day of my Counter Threat Financing workshop, the second of four weekend workshops dealing with money laundering and financial crimes. I have a jam-packed 9-5 day of learning about how to stop the financing of threats to national security. And I am up this early because I need to study for my 9am test, because I spent the night before at the climbing gym instead of studying…

As I roll out of bed, I put on some music. Today starts with the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, because life is going pretty well right now, then it is time to switch to my “Summer Hits of the 90s” Pandora station, which is my usual go-to. I spend the next twenty or so minutes getting ready and then I make coffee, grab a banana and my notes and head to the back porch to study for a little while I enjoy the amazing Monterey weather, very little is more enjoyable, for an Iowa boy at least, than sitting outside in February, without needing a jacket. After a bit of studying, I head to school.

I get to class earlier than most people so I can run through a quick study session with the other students who got to class early. Class gets started and we settle in for one of my favorite classes offered at our school. The morning passes pretty quickly, and when class is dismissed at 12:30 I head out to meet up with my friends to go to the local Indian buffet. This is a poor life choice (what’s worse is that we all know that it is a bad choice). The food is delicious, the company is almost impossible to beat, but the food coma that comes with eating this massive amount of food is going to make our afternoon very difficult.

I have been pretty lucky/blessed (depending on your point of view) to form a very tight-knit group of friends. I have been friends with some of them since the econ-boot camps in August. While others I barely knew two months ago. This particular group, Nate, Jamie, Ali, Aileen, Emily, Diana and I make up one of the best examples of what I love about MIIS. Jamie, Ali and Emily are all International Education Management (IEM) students who come from various backgrounds and will be graduating with their IEM Masters Degrees which allow them access to a truly staggering array of jobs. Nate is IEM and Masters of Policy Administration, Diana is Non-Proliferation Terrorism Studies, Aileen is International Policy Studies dealing with Trade while I focus primarily on Human Security and Development. We all get to talk about what is going on in the world and share our view of it from each of our unique lenses rather than remaining siloed in our own way of thinking. This group doesn’t even scratch the surface of the ways we all interact between the master’s programs or language study groups (five different languages studied in this group alone) though.

Before I know it, or would like for it to be, lunch is over and we all start heading our separate ways. For me, it is back to class to listen to experts explain how they helped bust or find money laundering or criminal networks. While the lecture is riveting and very educational, at our first break, I have to run to Plumes to grab a couple cups of coffee to balance out the food coma. Back in class, I get a text message telling me that the practice field we usually use for our newly created flag football team is being used for something else this week and that they will have to move to a new location, in case anyone reaches out to me. The time in class flies and before I know it we are being dismissed for the day.

I have one hour to get to the store, make dessert, grab my suit and get to the “classy dinner” that my friends Nate and Jamie have made for Ali, Mallory, Jeramie, and me. The various friends making dinner for each other is a great tradition that we have started recently, it lets those of us who aren’t in a weekend seminar help out those that are, and I get to showcase my culinary abilities to boot. Nate and Jamie made a Thai influenced chicken curry, in part because of Jamie’s time living in Thailand, which is fantastic. Then we had a cheese course (because this is what we think is required of a fancy dinner before the symphony), and lastly was my dessert of homemade chocolate covered strawberries.

At this point it is time to head to the symphony. We pile into the car and head to Carmel’s Sunset Center for our $10 tickets that we bought through MIIS and, after meeting up with a number of other MIIS students, enjoy an amazing concert, which concludes with Dvorak’s 8^th. After the symphony, everyone heads their own way, but since we are dressed up, Nate, Jamie, Ali, and I go to grab a martini on Alvarado Street and then, after much begging and pleading, and my friends finally relenting, head to the beach.

When we get there it is chilly, the sand is no longer warm from the sun, but you can hear and see the waves crashing against the beach in the night, see a million stars in the sky, and you smell the salt in the air. We all take our shoes off and start to walk down the beach talking about the party where we really got to know each other, how our friendship grew, and how we all ended up at MIIS. The walk is full of inside jokes, most of which weren’t even jokes to us two months ago. Which is where my day ended: walking along the bay, in a suit, feet in the sand, surrounded by three great friends as I suggested that we roll our pants up and wade in the bay. When the others protest and say it isn’t a good idea, I smile and say, “Maybe, but who’s stopping us?”

A day in my life

Condensed into some haikus

Snuffleupagus

========================

Dog lick to the face

Commence everyday at 6

Oatmeal/egg breakfast

Morning class and Times

Yes, I read the newspaper

Laugh 10x by noon

Mark Twain is to books

As I am to Photoshop

I <3 DTP

Take Otto for walk

Multitasking is an art

Duolingo time

Quick lunch on the go

Pick things up and put them down

Decontaminate

Internship part-time

Learning stuff while makin’ billz

TJs on way home

Free time in schedule?

Usually two options:

Go hike or go surf

Dog waiting at door

Dinner.. homework.. PS4

ZzZzZ*

*pron. “zee-zee-zee-zee-zee” or “zet-zet-zet-zet-zet” (Brit.)

… of RPCV Liz Martinis!

Most days start off with my wish for thicker insulation.  I never turn on the heat because it would just be a waste of those precious work-study dollars.  As well, I contemplate how I can procrastinate instead of hitting the gym before heading into work or school, depending on what day it is.  Sometimes, as I lie there, I talk myself into having too much on my to-do list for that day, but sometimes the gym wins.  After this, the typical day is never very typical.

I am either at work or in class by 10 am.  Today, I started my day off in the Holland Courtyard writing press releases and catching up on long overdue projects for my work at a local non-profit.  As I work mostly remotely, I can do this wherever I choose, but working on campus always gives me good motivation.  Plus, trying to find a better location than the Holland Courtyard to work would be a tricky thing.  Next up, class at 10 am.  Introduction to Human Security and Development is full of debates about the Human Development Index and whether or not male circumcision is male genital mutilation.  That class is always full of interesting and random topics.

The hours between 12 and 2 are usually called “dead hours”, when no classes are supposed to be scheduled, but they are hardly dead.  This is when many campus events are held and daytime socializing is at its peak.  Today, I happen to be co-running one of these events, and as for any event there is planning, scheduling, and worrying to do.  Will people show up?  Will the pizza arrive on time? Did the presenters all confirm?  Will we get reimbursed for said pizza?

Next up, Spanish class, where I am giving the first of three 30 minute presentations this semester. Thankfully, we are doing this in pairs, so a little bit of the pressure is off. Then, on to Development Economics.  Although it is by far the largest class I have had thus far at MIIS, our professor makes efficient use of our time and encourages student-led participation, so we are not only responsible to ourselves for the work, but also to our fellow students.

At 6 pm, I am finally done with school.  I will go to the ice box, otherwise known as home and curl up to read, do homework, look over emails, or work on a volunteer project for an international non-profit.  I love to cook, but usually only do it about three times a week so I can bring my lunch to school with me.  Tonight is not one of those nights.  I end the day with a couple of Skype calls to Costa Rica where I was a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2010 to 2013.  If I call one person, I have to call at least three because I will be in big trouble if one of the neighbors finds out I called one and not the other one.  By 10 pm, I am done for the night. As I turn off the light, I am looking at my to-do list for tomorrow and beginning the debate already.