Tuesday, March 29, 2011

tick....tock...



This pretty much sums up how I feel right now.  I've made it nearly to the end of March but when April arrives then the waiting becomes much more painful.  I put my application on the back burner throughout January and February but now, now I the agony of the wait has sunken in, and my patience is truly being test.

I can't seem to focus or concentrate very well.  The rest of this year will be determined by the contents of the email from TAPIF.  For goodness sake, this is a year in France we're talking about! (and yet, Maman très chère is stillclueless about my plans...)

The more I think about how close I am to getting my response letter, the more I really want to do this program.  I need a break from life, the pursuit of life in medicine and well, a break for the good ol US of A.  I've been thinking about what my reaction would be to either response. I mean I honestly don't see myself crying if I didn't get it, becasue hey c'est la vie, things happen for a reason and maybe it wasn't my time (even if I wanted it to be). 

But just it case:

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Drumroll please....

Well, les résultats sont là!!! 

BOTH jobs were a no-go....so I'm still in the running to go to France!!!

hehehe, I feel like a contestant on America's Next Top Model and Tyra Banks has just given me a big hug! To be honest, not getting either jobs (even the one where the Doc "liked me") is kinda a blessing in disguise.  After the interviews I was puzzled how I was supposed to maintain a full-time job and still finish the rest of the semester AND get an A in both of my extremely hard and exhausting classes.  Oh well, guess I don't have to answer that question!

Now, I sill have to wait to hear from TAPIF.  And my goodness the wait is becoming less and less easy to bear! I just wanna know, am I in or out? (lol, shout-out to Project Runway!) and am I in Toulouse or not?

.....Grrrrrr, I'm getting antsy!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Le carrefour.....

So, I know its been a while since my last post but things have been incredibly hectic these last couple of weeks because of school.  I've had tests, quizzes assignments, everything you can image, due for my 2 (yes only 2) classes.  Within the midst of the hell that is school, I have been patiently waiting for the notification of the TAPIF Program  But over the last 2 weeks a strange thing, some would call a blessing, occured:

So during my lunch break 2 weeks ago, I decided to visit craigslist.org and see what types of clinical jobs were available for students.  Out of all the listings, I narrowed down 2 separate dermatology clinics looking for Medical Assistants.  On a whim, I decided to apply to both.  I sent them my cover letter and resume without giving a second thought.  I didn't think anything of it because I've been actively applying for health jobs since I graduated in May and to no avail, the only thing I could get was a volunteer position in a hospital.  All the others were either no responses or rejected interviews.  So becasue of my new-found discouragement, I pretty much rejected myself and didn't think they would reply.

3 days later....I received a phone call from one of the dermatology clinics and get this, they actually liked my resume and called it "very competitive".  I was shocked! For a while I thought my resume was useless because I had been receiving so many rejections, but I guess it wasn't so bad.  The women asked me to come in for an all-day interview to shadow the doctor and to see if I was a good fit for the office.  You really should have seen how giddy I was during that conversation, all those applications I sent out and finally someone liked me, God is good!  And to add a cherry on this already delicious cake of good news, the 2nd clinic I applied to emailed me requesting for an interview! Two interviews, somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming!

Long story short, I went to the first interview, which ending up being a 9-hour day shadowing the doctor as he saw patients, taking notes, learning techniques and meeting the staff.  It was a truly exhausting day, because I basically had to put my best face forward for 9 hours straight, which ain't easy!  By the end of the day the Doc said he really liked me (yes he liked me, he really liked me!) but I'm supposed to get the final word sometime this week.  The other interview was a no-go.  I made it to the 1st round, but by the next day, they emailed me and told me I didn't make it to the 2nd round, oh well, c'est la vie!

...but the prospects of having a full-time job, and not just that the Dream job I've been looking for to boost my resume for med school and give me more clinical experience, puts me at a cross-roads.  On the one hand, this is the job I have been wanting for a while and I know that I will help me get into med school.  But on the other hand, if I get this job its au revoir to going to France this fall and next year.  Its like I'm so happy and kinda bummed all at the same time.  I know that neither are guaranteed (I mean there's still the prospect that I either don't get into the program or they place in a tiny town- both would suck equally) but I'm going to be optimistic about my future.  But, this is honestly the 1st time in my life that I'm face with a potiential crossroad...