T.M. http://www.wcublog.com/ T.M.'s Weblog en tm@wcublog.com Copyright 2007 2007-10-21T06:53:01-06:00 Back to the Pentagon http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/back-to-the-pentagon/ After working at BSNmedical for the past two months as a temp accountant, I got a job offer from my old office at the Pentagon.  I will be starting my new job next week working for Washington Headquarters Services under the Department of Defense.  It was a great opportunity that stemmed directly from my internship last summer.  I am extremely excited to return to DC even though it will be sad to leave NC and my friends and family (again!).  But this move is as good as it gets.  I know everyone in my office and they are all wonderful people.  Plus, my roommate from last summer has also returned to DC to do her graduate study at Georgetown, which means I won’t be alone in the city.  I know what to expect living, working, and studying there and feel that it can’t get any better.  My employment also finances tuition for grad school, so I will also be looking into getting my MBA.  Who knows what this may lead to, but I am sure it will be good!

]]> 2007-10-21T05:53:01-06:00 Post-Graduation Update http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/post-graduation-update/ Yes, it has been quite some time since my August 3rd WCU graduation, but I have been extremely busy!  Just when you thought you couldn’t get any busier after you’ve had 24-credit-hour semesters, along comes a full time job.

I did start working shortly after graduating with my International Business (& Spanish) degree.  When I came back from the Netherlands I was (and still am) a bit confused on which country I wanted to live in permanently.  So I opted for a temporary position instead of taking a permanent one.

I now am an Accounting Clerk at an international manufacturing company close to home.  Yes, quite a 360 considering I haven’t had accounting in over two years and only took two courses! But I have been doing very well and have been learning A LOT (this seems to be a never-ending process)!  The company has just transitioned from one software program to another (I had to learn both) and plans to go to SAP (a third system) in January 2008. Who says you shouldn’t keep your old text books?  I have had to dust off my ‘unsellable’ accounting books and crack a couple binders. And by the way - Excel is used in the real world and you have NO idea what all it really can do.

I also have many other job possibilities outside the area (and the country) which I will be looking into.  But for now, I have been set back on a regular 8 to 5 schedule and am enjoying my current job.  This weekend I plan on showing my car in Atlanta at the Nopi Nationals and just relaxing. I have learned to cherish my weekends like gold since they are all I get. But I hope everyone is off to yet another great school year and I will upload my graduation photos next time.

]]> 2007-09-12T01:14:00-06:00 The End is Near… http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/the-end-is-near/ I am excited because next Friday is my WCU graduation!! I have been relaxing now that my car and taxes and such are taken care of. I have started to apply for jobs in Europe. I want to go back, but I have set a deadline to obtain a job there. If I don’t have any luck, then I will focus back here in the States.

I met a WCU graduate in my hometown and she gave me some great advice… I will keep that in mind, thanks!! I do plan on going to graduate school, but where and for what specialization, I still have yet to decide. I will save that for after I get my job and I start to figure out what I want to be when I grow up…

I promised photos of my Avans graduation and here are some quick ones! Enjoy!

My teachers from left to right: Mr. Frencken (Economics), Mr. Smit (Marketing and IC), Mr. Loots (Finance), me, and my mom:
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Drs. Vermeeren (Finance) and me:
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Ms. Loonen (Dutch) and me:
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Tong, Michiel, me, and Shen:
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Yassine and me:
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My mom and me:
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I can’t wait to post the WCU graduation pictures!

]]> 2007-07-27T17:25:00-06:00 Hard Work Does Pay Off http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/hard-work-does-pay-off/ Yes, I have passed all of my final exams here at Avans International Business School in the Netherlands! I will be graduating from Avans next Friday!!! I have worked extremely hard to pull this off, and I am proud to say that not only will I be graduating from Avans with my H.B.O., but in August I will be able to graduate from Western!!! I am so happy right now! I can’t really believe that my undergrad school is finally over with, but it sure does feel good!! Now I can start to look for actual jobs in a serious fashion! Thanks for everyone’s continued support, I couldn’t have done it without you all!!

]]> 2007-06-29T15:09:01-06:00 My Last Exam Week! http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/my-last-exam-week/ Yes! So this week is my last week of exams. I had EBS (European Business Studies) today, Dutch 4 tomorrow, and IFM (International Financial Management) on Wednesday!! I have been really stressed and under lots of pressure with these last exams. They are extremely difficult and my graduation rides on them… so basically, that is the status of these last two weeks: Studying! I can’t wait to see the results, but my fingers are definitely crossed!!!

]]> 2007-06-25T15:58:00-06:00 Exam Weeks! http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/exam-weeks/ I have been super busy studying and taking my final exams!! I had IFM yesterday, Intercultural Communications 4 this afternoon, my Dutch 4 is tomorrow morning, and my EBS is on Monday! So many exams!! I have been under pressure from the project weeks. Now I am almost done with school and my undergraduate degree! I can’t hardly wait!! Now, back to studying Dutch!

]]> 2007-06-19T17:27:02-06:00 IFM Presentation Week http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/presentation-week/ Our projects are coming to a close this week, and on Friday we will be presenting our reports. This is the last week of actual classes. The next two weeks are exam weeks, and then I will be done with Avans and Western!  I still have a lot of work to do in the meantime, though, and the beautiful weather isn’t very motivating! It finally gets dark here at 11:40 p.m. and I am not really used to it. I still can’t believe how this year has just flown by. I still have a month here, but the other Americans are leaving immediately after exams. Avans’ farewell party is July 4th and the graduation is July 6th. There are going to be a lot of teary-eyed students attending!

]]> 2007-06-10T19:38:00-06:00 Busy Busy Busy http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/busy-busy-busy/ I have been extremely busy as this year abroad comes to an end. School is getting pretty intense, and the project is getting harder. But I have been able to set aside time to horseback ride and, this weekend, visit a WCU student, Megan, who is studying in Granada. I will be flying to Madrid and driving to the beaches on the southern coast. It is sort of my last weekend to relax before the presentations and the final exams. Plus it will be great to see Megan again, especially since we decided to meet in Europe last year!

]]> 2007-06-06T09:03:01-06:00 Sick… again. http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/sick-again/ I have been fighting off a sickness since Wednesday.. and yesterday was the worst day. A lot of people are sick right now, something must be going around. But I had a great week. I passed our IFM progress test on Friday, was the chairperson for tutor group afterwards, went to the EBS review session for our test in June, and went horseback riding at a new riding facility with my two Hungarian friends, Tirza and Reni, and Tirza’s French boyfriend who was visiting from Geneva. We had a wonderful time and have decided that this is the place to stay. The instructor spoke English extremely well and the facilities were excellent - they even had a bar overlooking the riding arenas!

Today, there is a free concert - Dancetour Breda, where Ferry Corsten will be the closing DJ. I have already seen him at Trance Energy but I still want to check it out. It’s a 9-hour concert, but I only plan on staying for a short time, just to see what it’s like since I am not 100% better yet. I still have until Wednesday to recover though because I don’t have classes on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Time is really flying by and there’s only two more months before I return home. I can’t believe what I have done here during the year and the fact that I will finally graduate when I get back! It’s definitely exciting!

]]> 2007-05-27T12:08:01-06:00 Finland http://www.wcublog.com/tm/comments/finland/ After a long weekend in Finland I am back home once again. I had a great time visiting my friend from last semester. She showed me her hometown - Viiala, Hämeenlinna, Tampere and Helsinki. I learned so much about the country and the people in a short amount of time. They say that Finland is the most ‘American’ country in the EU and I believe it! It felt like I was back in NC. It made me a little bit homesick, but I know it’s not too much longer until I will be flying back to Charlotte. Besides, I have so much work to do in school. There’s plenty to keep me busy until July!

Tampere:

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Helsinki:

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