So signing up to have a mentor has certainly paid off. Not only did I get that free lunch and great blog post out of it but he also got me in touch with a friend of his who happens to be in charge of all the events for the Harvard Club! And it just happened that the upcoming event was a night at the Panama Embassy with the Ambassador! He told me to go ahead and sign up but when I looked more closely it was for members only and even then the members had to pay $40. :/ Woulda been nice.. Wait, except I have a mentor!! Not only did he get me into the event but got me in for FREEEEE!!! In exchange all I'd have to do was help Caren, the lady in charge of the event, pass out name tags at the beginning of the event which she later told me was just an excuse to let me in and in the end she wouldn't even let me help her, just told me to go talk to people haha. Cha-ching!!!
Umm but so instead of taking the metro I decided I had enough time that I could walk.. and then my google maps on my ipod wouldn't load while I was walking so I was stuck on what I remembered from the map.. In the end I ended up taking a wrong turn that lead me in the wrong direction.. I talked with a cop who came across as really self-important and I think was kinda upset that I had to ask him for directions.. twice hahaha. Umm mostly I think he wasn't too happy because he had no idea but since he was kinda supposed to be able to help and couldn't at all. Anyways, I FINALLY was able to hack someone's wifi long enough to load the stinking map, search for the address, and found out where I was and how lost I'd gotten myself. I decided that in order to not be totally and completely late I'd have to take a taxi.. ohh and plus I'd already walked probably close to 3miles by this point. So I started heading back in the direction of the embassy and along the way I'd try to wave a taxi down. Umm yah, didn't happen. Every taxi I tried to wave down already had a passenger and then the one taxi I missed of course was the empty one. And by the time I caught up to it at the light I was like a 5min walk from the place.. I weighed my opportunity costs and decided I'd keep my $10 and walk the 5min despite the fact I was 30min late..
Haha so I actually ended up walking past the place.. cuz see we were actually meeting at the Ambassador's residence and not the embassy and well the residence looked more like an embassy and I couldn't see the address or a sign but later on saw other Harvard-looking-people going inside so I joined them. Hahaha oh man it was great! Not only was the place immaculate and gorgeous but there were servants serving drinks and everyone had fancy glasses etc. Oh man I felt so weird!!! Hahaha. I was also a little worried about people's reaction to my not being affiliated with Harvard and yet being there and all.. Everyone I talked to was very friendly tho, I'm sure whatever they were drinking loosened them up a bit ;) I had ginger ale. Caren was nice enough to track some down for me. She was excited to hear in our previous conversation that I was a Mormon, knew Spanish, that my parents taught Spanish, dad had gone to Indiana University.. anyways basically we had a lot to talk about and she took good care of me. Hahaha but honestly I felt so weird walking around with the drink, looking like a Harvard person, that I gulped it down and got rid of it as fast as I could haha.
The first person I really talked with was Johnathan. He's from Panama, studied at Georgetown, American University, and University of Louisville, had done International Law, got bored and turned to Public Affairs.. and I didn't find out until near the end of our conversation that he was the Ambassador's Deputy!! He was like, 'oh excuse me I must call the Ambassador now, it's time for him to come meet people and deliver his speech, please excuse me..' hahaha oh if you've got to I guess!! So he calls the Ambassador and tells him it's time and a door above me opens and here comes the Ambassador walking down the stairs!! Hahaha boy did I feel like I had totally planned it all out but in reality was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.. haha I mean right place at the right time.. I was the first person to shake the Ambassador's hand!! Johnathan introduced me briefly and said I had perfect Spanish.. haha oh what a nice liar Latinos can be sometimes :)
The best word I can describe the Ambassador is jolly. He was just a happy happy guy!! haha didn't stop smiling and laughing the whole time!! Great guy!! I'd read up on Panama the night before so I'd be a little more prepared for conversation and to understand the speech etc. Paid off. Understood everything he was talking about what Panama has and is experiencing.
In short, I was able to talk to several people. Instead of going for quantity I went for quality. I hope it pays off.. Most of the people there could speak some Spanish and most had been to Panama before (or had houses there!!) so maybe I shoulda just gone around and tried to meet everyone and then come back around to those who would be the best contacts.. I don't know.. Anyways I talked to quite a few people. Got close to several of them and was able to exchange business cards with them and even gave some of them an envelope which contained my business card and my resume. I asked them to just look over it and maybe give me some suggestions or tips on how to improve it... (oh and if you have any friends who might want to hire me give it to them too hahaha ;) ). Everyone I talked to seemed very interested in me and was happy to help. Sneaking into the professional development series on resume/interview tips I wasn't signed up for that morning paid off.. good tips.. "people love being asked to help" thus my help-me-with-my-resume ploy, plus it gives a soft committment for them to get back in touch with me and if they don't approach me? well I've got their business card I can follow up with them :) I also committed one of the ladies I spoke with to get me in touch with her friend who is in the Foreign Service to ask her questions about her experience.. hahaha also a single female she added.. "always ask people for contacts". Check. Oh man.. taking over DC baby..
So just in case you think I'm boasting about myself just remember I got dreadfully lost earlier AND another few things that I gotta work on is knowing when your brains are getting sucked out of your head by a bug when talking with important people.. kinda embarrassing. I was talking with the Deputy when that one happened.. had a big ole red bug bite just in time to meet the Ambassador.. hahaha great.. AND when we were in line to get food one of the men I'd met earlier walked in and was going to get in the back of the line but I told him to hop in front of me.. He's Japanese and was very much impressed with my Japanese.. umm like all I said was 'are you japanese? oh it's so very nice to meet you! I lived in japan for 2 years as a missionary' and oh that was about it.. anyways he liked me :) So i let him hop in front since we're friends.. very Japanese-esque of me really. A guy a few people behind me tho was not happy about that hahaha. He didn't do anything but he did complain about it till he got to the food, not to my face but loud enough I could hear.. 'there was actually a line.. oh I guess he's more important than us..' things like that.. I felt bad at first but then he kept going on and I didn't feel bad anymore haha, what a disagreeable jerk face! I made him wait seriously an extra 15sec!! You're gonna get ur rich-people food in 45sec buddy!! Anways.. take home lesson for him is it pays to have contacts when waiting in line to get food.. had he walked in and had I known him I woulda let him in.. I can be a good contact too ;) But still.. bad form on my end..
But besides the blistered feet, swollen face, and ticking off the rich Harvard man, I'd given out 3 resumes and 4 business cards and received 4 cards in return and met maybe 8 others with whom I can easily get in touch with from Caren. Doubt I'll get a job from anything that happened that night but I've got more excellent contacts now from which I can gain great advice and even more contacts.. and let's not forget yet another single female Foreign Officer contact to add to the list ;)
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