Just a few quick pictures from a recent visit to the Queen Mary for some afternoon tea to remind me of England. I should note that it's not the best afternoon tea, but it'll do since I cannot go to Moat Tea Room way over in Canterbury.

Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,

​Dacy

Post-graduation life is a lot of working and fretting about what to do next. Applying to jobs, researching grad schools, and most recently putting my ass in gear to apply for a particular scholarship. I was already a tad late in getting started on the application, but I worked at it. I got my recommendations, I wrote my Statement of Purpose and Personal Statement. I compiled my portfolio of creative work. I filled out the application and even submitted it in advance in order to be interviewed by CSULB (and endorsed by them). My interview went swimmingly. 

But this is where the application goes awry. A small typo in my statement led to a request to un-submit my application. The very same day, I made the changes, re-uploaded, and re-submitted. Seconds later, a confirmation page and a confirmation email. Submitted, to all appearances. Come the deadline date a week later, my application had not been submitted due to some glitch in the online system. 

After emails, phone calls, and complaints the scholarship foundation has made it clear that despite an error in their system, they will not accept my application. It is disappointing, to say the least. But also appalling that the foundation acknowledges errors may occur, acknowledges I received a confirmation, but still refuses to take my application. The email confirmation, as I was told, is sent BEFORE the application is fully submitted and that after the confirmation was sent my application must have had a communication interruption. How that makes any sense is beyond me. I'm about 99.9% positive that technology today can provide an email confirmation AFTER something has been submitted rather than before. For a foundation that wants to promote international relations and humanizing people from other cultures, they don't seem to care very much for people from their own country. It's a shame.

It was a blow to my momentum, but I'm getting over it. It's one drawback. It's entirely possible I would not have been chosen as a scholarship recipient (though it would have been nice to at least be a candidate). But, as it is, I can only keep on keepin' on. Keep researching, applying, and moving on. Get over it and whatnot.

Enough yapping, my next post will include some pictures.

Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,

​Dacy

One of the best parts of Long Beach is the architecture. There's a great mix of Art Deco and modern design. I love that the neighborhoods vary so much. One minute it's grimy streets and apartments jammed together, the next it's spacious craftsman style homes. Every bit of Long Beach has its charm and is not so scary as people sometimes perceive it as.

As always, I have more pictures that need more posting. Till next time....

Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,

​Dacy

So begins my photo adventures from the good old LBC. Transitioning back has been both easier and harder than I expected. There are things like the food, the friends, and the family that are so easy to get used to again. And there are things like catcalling and heckling in Long Beach that are just hard to adjust to after 6 months of pretty much nothing of the sort in Canterbury. 

I've also graduated since my return home. Scary, exciting, and long overdue! Now I begin the equally scary and exciting journey of grad school applications. I'll update on that later. For now, some random photos taken since my grand return home.

More to come, as always. 

Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,

Dacy