Studying

This winter has been a busy one. I am much more active now than in previous months with snowboarding every weekend and sometimes on weeknights, getting better about going to karate practice regularly, watching 24, writing, teaching an adult conversation class, and occasionally going to cooking classes and appearing on my friend's radio show. To top it off, I'm studying for this, the U.S. Foreign Service Written Exam, the mother of all standardized tests. It is comprised of an essay and three multiple choice sections, the most difficult being the dreaded "General Knowledge" section. When it says "general" it means "general," and includes questions on American history, world history, geography, economics, goverment, management, American and foreign culture, foreign policy, computers, and probably more topics I can't think of. It's a hard test to study for, but nevertheless, I will look like this guy until April 8.



Now, why am I taking the test? I am considering working for the ol' U.S. State Department in an embassy or consulate in another country. That's right folks, there is a chance I'll be shipping off from America once again in my future. But, it's too early to tell. I might not pass the written test (or the oral evaluation afterward), or I might decide to do something else. It's all a long way off.