Wanted: A Job

Recent weather: As low as 0 degrees at night, lots of snow.
Recent reads: "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed

I've been in Wisconsin for about 4 weeks now. It's been very cold, with record-breaking lows and snow earlier than previous years. I don't leave the house without being bundled up in my hat, scarf and gloves but I will say that the snow looks beautiful while I am indoors. Pretty much every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday I go to the local coffee shop (there's only one in this small town) to search and apply for jobs. Applying for jobs is a job in and of itself, after all.
First I contacted previous employers to get something going. Then, I tweaked my resume and worked on cover letters. I started applying to a few of the big hospitals in the area, companies that are well-respected and would have growth opportunities available. Then, I searched job openings with companies based in San Diego. Then, I started scouring craigslist.
I was hoping to land a medical administrative position but it seems like my resume is lacking some of the minor but apparently critical work experiences. For example, almost all admin job descriptions require "demonstrated prior work experience with Powerpoint." While I used Powerpoint regularly in college and occasionally since and know I'm capable of using it effectively, I don't have a specific work-related Powerpoint project to cite while other candidates do. I have expanded my job search to now include entry-level, patient care coordinator or receptionist positions that can lead to admin roles.
At this point I have applied for 65+ jobs. Of that, I have had four phone interviews, two additional calls to set up interviews (but I was in Wisconsin and they wanted to fill the positions ASAP). Of the four phone interviews I've taken, I have two second, in-person interviews for next week when I am in San Diego.
All this makes me wonder what the trick is. I have applied to 10+ jobs within a hospital network. There are tons of jobs postings on their website daily and I am qualified for all the positions I applied for but I have yet to hear anything. Is applying to several positions within one company a detriment to my chances? The first company that called me for a phone interview didn't even have an option to attach a cover letter on their website. How crucial is a cover letter anyways? And then there are postings for the most specific job ever with a laundry list of random qualifications and a paragraph of needed info for the application and then the job pays $10/hr! I've seen resumes and a person who pays enough attention to detail to follow this list of application directions alone deserves at least $11/hr. And by $11, I actually mean $20. Such is life.
Job search aside, I've gotten to spend time with my parents, making our favorite meals, doing local activities and marathon movie watching. I do miss the excitement of traveling, always a new city to see but it's been a good transition here from backpacker life to real life.
One of the highlights was going flying with my dad a couple of weeks ago. Since his plane isn't quite done, he rented a plane and we landed several times and airports in the area so he could practice his take-offs and landings. We stopped at the airport in exotic Iola, Wisconsin for their Friday lunch extravaganza. An early Thanksgiving feast, it was a Wisconsin cultural experience at its best. The infamous Paul Johns was in attendance. Paul, inducted into the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame in 2009, is now 101 but was a pioneer pilot for Pan Am, flying from the US to South America countless times. It was a beautiful day for flying and I was actually warm and cozy inside the plane!

Getting to see family and friends has been great fun so returning to San Diego on December 10th will be bittersweet. But life must go on!

To Bogota and Beyond

Recent weather: 60s and sunny in Bogota, 30s in Wisconsin
Recent reads: "Yes Man" by Danny Wallace

The last stop on my South America itinerary was Bogota, Colombia. Many people skipped Bogota but I am glad I didn't. The fact that my flight back home was out of Bogota also played a significant factor.
Bogota is a huge city with a population of more than 8 million. While it's comparable in size and population to Lima, Peru, Bogota seemed far less chaotic than Lima. That being said, Bogota traffic is still pretty crazy.
I hit Bogota running--or rather biking-- by doing a biking tour of the city right away the morning I arrived. The highlight of the bike tour was definitely the fruit market. Colombia is home to tons of delectable fruits and we taste-tested quite a few exotic ones. A close second was our ride through the red-light district. Even though it was barely noon, the red-light district was in full swing and it was very clear when we were suddenly in the red-light district.

That afternoon  after the bike tour, we took a cable car up to Monserrate, a church on top of a mountain that overlooks all of Bogota. It was insanely cloudy but still worth the trip.

The next day I went on a walking graffiti tour. Bogota is known for its amazing graffiti works all over the city. Btu these aren't the random vulgar tags done by gangs and juvenile delinquents that you'd normally think of. Many of these works are huge murals covering the entire walls of buildings or homes done with a variety of mediums and styles. The guide told us about many of the most famous graffiti artists in the city some of whom are college professors, respected architects, well-known clothing designers, etc. Many home owners welcome graffiti works on their houses because a beautiful large-scale murals deter others from vandalizing the facade with random tags. Since homeowners grant permission and businesses often recruit artists to do works on their buildings, graffiti in the Bogota has been largely de-criminalized and you will often see artists doing their works in plain daylight. These graffiti works are part of a full scale cultural renaissance currently going on in Bogota as it develops into a art and musical center.

That evening I went to a futbol match between the Millionarios of Bogota and Uniautonoma from Barranquilla. Both teams are in the bottom half of the league rankings and the game ended in a tie but I honestly say it was the most fun futbol game I have attended in Colombia. And also the only one.

Before I knew it, Tuesday rolled around and it was time to start my pilgrimage home. I flew from Bogota to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I spent the night in the airport before taking a morning flight to Detroit and then Green Bay. I cannot describe how excited I was to officially be on US soil again! I had told pretty much everyone that I was going to be home November 12th when it was really November 5th so that I could surprise my mom. If you were surprised that I was home early, you're not the only one. This woman is the most intuitive person I know, impossible to keep a secret from so if I could pull a fast one on her, it would be legendary. And legendary it was! My dad and I were at home when she came home and I can safely say that my mama was so shocked! Success!
Back in Wisconsin, I am keeping busy spending time with the parentals, meeting up with friends and applying for jobs in San Diego.
Although snow has arrived, I am still happy to home in the good ole U S of A!