Monday, June 25, 2012

Prepaing for my fellowship

As I prepare for my fellowship at the Character Education Partnership, I've found that looking for my first apartment is certainly stressful. However, preparing for the first real phase of my adult life, as well as my first job brings a unique and rather joyful set of stressors as well. I'm visiting DC this weekend to start the housing search in earnest and also to gain some sense of what DC is--clearly it is difficult to truly know a city over the course of two days but I've found that it is enough to give you a distinct sense of atmosphere. Unlike some fellows, who have lived or worked in their cities before, I've visited DC only once, as a tourist. I'm familiar with the Smithsonian and the Washington Monument but am extremely excited to figure out those parts of the city that a tourist visit doesn't allow you to access.

To prepare for this important year, I've made a list of priorities, both professional and personal. Above all, I hope to make a meaningful contribution to CEP's work and to use my fellowship to clarify what my aptitudes are in a professional environment (Princeton can teach you how to write and think but I suspect that the valuable lessons I've learned there will be less applicable to my future than those I learn this coming year) and how I can use them to help both myself and others. CEP's work is generally somewhat hands-off, rather than engaged in direct service. I currently believe that this is more in line with my abilities than more direct work but I am eager to find out whether this is true, both by throwing myself into my position and by volunteering independently in direct service organizations.

I am very eager to document my experience of my fellowship here and hopefully, to provide some useful insights for future fellows.

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