It's 2 am and I ruined what promised to be my one decent night's sleep this week by falling asleep earlier over a marketing case.
So what else does one do at 2 am if not look up grammar rules?
My MBA study/work team got a case analysis back today and the professor noted our incorrect use of capitalization after a colon. Now, as an English major, I take great pride in my knowledge of grammar. I'd always thought that independent clauses that follow a colon should be capitalized. Here's an example from our paper:
"To keep costs low, SWA [Southwest Airlines] focuses primarily on minimizing aircraft turnaround times: Every minute on the ground is a minute the company is not making money."
The prof noted that it should be "every".
Although our grade wasn't affected, I was still curious as to who was right, so I did some research (i.e., I googled it). I conclude that it's more of a style issue: O(o)ne could argue that we were right! The following is taken from here.
"There is some disagreement among writing reference manuals about when you should capitalize an independent clause following a colon. Most of the manuals advise that when you have more than one sentence in your explanation or when your sentence(s) is a formal quotation, a capital is a good idea. The NYPL Writer's Guide urges consistency within a document; the Chicago Manual of Style says you may begin an independent clause with a lowercase letter unless it's one of those two things (a quotation or more than one sentence). The APA Publication Manual is the most extreme: it advises us to always capitalize an independent clause following a colon. The advice given above is consistent with the Gregg Reference Manual."
(Emphasis added - and obviously the writer of that paragraph doesn't follow APA.)
Anyway, the ramblings of a grammar snob at 2 am!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Chinese Class
Those of you who followed me over here from "Amy's China Adventure" know that I spent 5 months in China last year. I'm not exaggerating when I say I had a life-changing experience. It's funny - before I went there, the word "China" didn't mean much to me. I pictured the stereotypes: People (a lot), pandas, pollution....you get the picture. Now when I hear "China", I think of all the friends I made, the places I saw and the fascinating culture I experienced. I'm eager to go back. At GW, I'm focusing on international business. I'm also involved with the International Business Club and I work for CIBER - the Center for International Business Education and Research. I think it's clear I don't want to work for a domestic business! Ideally, I'd combine my MBA with my experience/interest in China and do something that relates to China when I graduate. Perhaps work for a North American company that's looking to expand into China or one that already has a Chinese operation.
To that end, I'm still working on learning Chinese. I wish I had more time for it. Ironically, my course work is getting in the way of a lot of interesting stuff! (More on the insane work load in another entry.) However, I have started a Mandarin course at the International Language Institute only a few blocks from my apartment. It's every Wednesday evening from 6:15 to 8:45 pm. We have 10 weeks of classes and tonight I had my third class.
It's going well, though - again - I wish I had the time to reinforce the learning during the week. Alas, getting 5 to 6 hours sleep per night is not conducive to learning. I didn't have time to do my homework for this week's class, which was to practice writing 10 Chinese characters. That said, learning how to write characters is not my top priority. My learning objectives, in order of importance, are: (1) learning to speak and understand Chinese; (2) learning to read Chinese; (3) learning to use my pinyin computer program to derive characters (i.e., back to the reading/recognition objective); and (4) learning to write Chinese. I figure the chances of me sitting down and writing something in Chinese are slim - I'm much more likely to want to send an email in Chinese. Character writing would be an incredibly impressive skill to have, but it isn't a priority. It might take me an hour to learn to write a couple characters. In that hour, I could have learned to say 20 or so words. With virtually no free time, I have to economize on my learning. One more complaint about the writing component of the class - the teacher wants us to learning the traditional characters (of Taiwan), rather than simplified (of the mainland). "Simplified" - and there's nothing "simple" about them - are quite enough and they prevail in the PRC.
I like our teacher. She's a fairly young woman from Taiwan (which probably explains the characters). It's hard to tell her age, but then it often is with Chinese women. They often look younger than they are. She could be 25; she could be 35. It's hard to say. She focuses on oral Chinese in the first half, asking us questions and getting us to ask each other questions. There are only four people in our class, so there's a lot of personal attention. On the downside, I don't like that she corrects homework during class time. We just sit there while she corrects the homework. For me, that's a waste of time - time I paid for. She could correct the homework at home and return it the next class. I don't know..... maybe she's not getting paid for anything she does outside class time.
I think it's safe to say I'm the youngest in the class.... nice to be the youngest again, given that I'm on the "old" side in our MBA program. The other three students all have full-time jobs. They're all super nice people, which helps make the environment comfortable. Only one student hasn't been to China. One guy is actually Chinese, but grew up speaking Cantonese - he doesn't know Mandarin. He works for a tour company and he's led a number of tours to China. His pronunciation is the best; I'm sure it helps to know a related language.
Anyway, part of me wishes I had the whole summer to immerse myself in Chinese - but we're supposed to be doing an internship over the summer. One student in our MBA program has secured an internship in China.... I suppose that's a possibility. He's working for the Department of Energy, which isn't an option for me (not being a U.S. citizen and all - something I'm realizing is a huge disadvantage, particularly in these tough economic times). It was wonderful to have time over Christmas to do a bunch of ChinesePod lessons. Since returning to DC, I've done zero. This class is better than nothing, but fluency will require a much bigger commitment.
To that end, I'm still working on learning Chinese. I wish I had more time for it. Ironically, my course work is getting in the way of a lot of interesting stuff! (More on the insane work load in another entry.) However, I have started a Mandarin course at the International Language Institute only a few blocks from my apartment. It's every Wednesday evening from 6:15 to 8:45 pm. We have 10 weeks of classes and tonight I had my third class.
It's going well, though - again - I wish I had the time to reinforce the learning during the week. Alas, getting 5 to 6 hours sleep per night is not conducive to learning. I didn't have time to do my homework for this week's class, which was to practice writing 10 Chinese characters. That said, learning how to write characters is not my top priority. My learning objectives, in order of importance, are: (1) learning to speak and understand Chinese; (2) learning to read Chinese; (3) learning to use my pinyin computer program to derive characters (i.e., back to the reading/recognition objective); and (4) learning to write Chinese. I figure the chances of me sitting down and writing something in Chinese are slim - I'm much more likely to want to send an email in Chinese. Character writing would be an incredibly impressive skill to have, but it isn't a priority. It might take me an hour to learn to write a couple characters. In that hour, I could have learned to say 20 or so words. With virtually no free time, I have to economize on my learning. One more complaint about the writing component of the class - the teacher wants us to learning the traditional characters (of Taiwan), rather than simplified (of the mainland). "Simplified" - and there's nothing "simple" about them - are quite enough and they prevail in the PRC.
I like our teacher. She's a fairly young woman from Taiwan (which probably explains the characters). It's hard to tell her age, but then it often is with Chinese women. They often look younger than they are. She could be 25; she could be 35. It's hard to say. She focuses on oral Chinese in the first half, asking us questions and getting us to ask each other questions. There are only four people in our class, so there's a lot of personal attention. On the downside, I don't like that she corrects homework during class time. We just sit there while she corrects the homework. For me, that's a waste of time - time I paid for. She could correct the homework at home and return it the next class. I don't know..... maybe she's not getting paid for anything she does outside class time.
I think it's safe to say I'm the youngest in the class.... nice to be the youngest again, given that I'm on the "old" side in our MBA program. The other three students all have full-time jobs. They're all super nice people, which helps make the environment comfortable. Only one student hasn't been to China. One guy is actually Chinese, but grew up speaking Cantonese - he doesn't know Mandarin. He works for a tour company and he's led a number of tours to China. His pronunciation is the best; I'm sure it helps to know a related language.
Anyway, part of me wishes I had the whole summer to immerse myself in Chinese - but we're supposed to be doing an internship over the summer. One student in our MBA program has secured an internship in China.... I suppose that's a possibility. He's working for the Department of Energy, which isn't an option for me (not being a U.S. citizen and all - something I'm realizing is a huge disadvantage, particularly in these tough economic times). It was wonderful to have time over Christmas to do a bunch of ChinesePod lessons. Since returning to DC, I've done zero. This class is better than nothing, but fluency will require a much bigger commitment.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Sound of Sirens
One thing I certainly didn't miss during my three weeks at home was the constant sound of sirens. There's no escaping it here. I'm a light sleeper, yet even I have become completely immune to sirens in the middle of the night. I think it has a lot to do with the large number of hospitals, particularly in the Foggy Bottom area. I hope it doesn't have much to do with DC's crime rate - after all, I live in the safest part of the city.
Of course, there are also the sirens of motorcades. I was at the corner of Pennsylvania and 22nd one day, and a particularly long motorcade went by. Someone later told me the exact number of cars in the presidential motorcade. I didn't count the cars in the one I saw, but it was long. It's possible I saw the president go by and didn't even realize it. One of the cool things about living in DC!
Added to the sirens are the airplanes and helicopters. I've never seen airplanes fly so low before - I guess this has to do with the close proximity of National Airport (and the Pentagon?). There were two choppers in the sky tonight as I walked to my Chinese class at the International Language Institute. It's amazing how quickly all this background noise becomes just another part of everyday life.
Of course, there are also the sirens of motorcades. I was at the corner of Pennsylvania and 22nd one day, and a particularly long motorcade went by. Someone later told me the exact number of cars in the presidential motorcade. I didn't count the cars in the one I saw, but it was long. It's possible I saw the president go by and didn't even realize it. One of the cool things about living in DC!
Added to the sirens are the airplanes and helicopters. I've never seen airplanes fly so low before - I guess this has to do with the close proximity of National Airport (and the Pentagon?). There were two choppers in the sky tonight as I walked to my Chinese class at the International Language Institute. It's amazing how quickly all this background noise becomes just another part of everyday life.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
New Year's Resolution
I'm sitting in the Air Canada lounge in Toronto waiting for my flight back to DC (with thanks to my Dad for the lounge pass). Christmas holidays are over. It was a wonderful 3-week break. I'm headed back to DC to face Module 3 of the second semester.
I'm happy to be returning to life in DC, though I confess I'm less-than-enthusiastic about going back to school. The first semester was a lot more stressful than I anticipated. I don't know.... maybe I thought grad school would somehow be more laid back than undergrad. Not at all. And the module system doesn't help - I'm convinced some profs have just taken a 14-week course and compressed it into 7 weeks. I'm not the only one finding it very intense.
Academically, I did very well the first semester. Probably better than I have to do in an MBA program. Few firms hire strictly on GPA - it wouldn't make sense for something so practical as business. Of course, you can't fail out, but a perfect GPA plus no social life is not a recipe for success in business. I want to do well, but I could afford to slack off a little more. I did have a social life in the first semester, but not nearly as much as I expected. At times it was easy to forget that I live in DC.
For that reason, my New Year's resolution is to get outside Duques more often and experience all that DC has to offer (Duques is the name of the business building). While I hope to stay in DC (or at least the U.S.) after graduation, there's always the chance I won't be able to find work there - especially if the current "buy American, hire American" mentality remains. (Please, please economy, get well soon!) I'd hate to leave DC without having truly experienced life in the U.S. capital.
That's it for now.... back below the 49th parallel in a few hours!
I'm happy to be returning to life in DC, though I confess I'm less-than-enthusiastic about going back to school. The first semester was a lot more stressful than I anticipated. I don't know.... maybe I thought grad school would somehow be more laid back than undergrad. Not at all. And the module system doesn't help - I'm convinced some profs have just taken a 14-week course and compressed it into 7 weeks. I'm not the only one finding it very intense.
Academically, I did very well the first semester. Probably better than I have to do in an MBA program. Few firms hire strictly on GPA - it wouldn't make sense for something so practical as business. Of course, you can't fail out, but a perfect GPA plus no social life is not a recipe for success in business. I want to do well, but I could afford to slack off a little more. I did have a social life in the first semester, but not nearly as much as I expected. At times it was easy to forget that I live in DC.
For that reason, my New Year's resolution is to get outside Duques more often and experience all that DC has to offer (Duques is the name of the business building). While I hope to stay in DC (or at least the U.S.) after graduation, there's always the chance I won't be able to find work there - especially if the current "buy American, hire American" mentality remains. (Please, please economy, get well soon!) I'd hate to leave DC without having truly experienced life in the U.S. capital.
That's it for now.... back below the 49th parallel in a few hours!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thoughts on being the Sole Canuck
It's appropriate that I'm writing this on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. - or as President Obama called it, the most "quintessential" of American holidays.
Umm, ok.... Canada celebrates Thanksgiving too. Only it falls on the second Monday of October, not the last Thursday of November. And granted, it's not nearly as big a deal in Canada as it is here. I've had some classmates ask me why Canada has a different Thanksgiving and I tell them that I'm not certain, but I believe it has to do with the earlier harvest. After all, late November is practically winter in Canada. Hopefully I'm not perpetuating a myth!
Anyway, I'm the "go-to" person for questions on Canada namely because, well, I'm the only Canadian in the first-year class. Given Canada's proximity to the U.S., this at first seemed odd. There are about 10 Indian students here and 6 or 7 Chinese/Taiwanese. Now, we have a small class size (about 120), so perhaps there are more Canadians in the larger programs, though proportionally they still might be insignificant.
I have a few theories for why this is the case: (1) Canada has some excellent MBA programs; and (2) those programs cost much less than they do in the U.S. Canada's most expensive program is probably about half the cost of a comparable program in the U.S. - which is not to say that the quality of the programs in Canada is lower. The U.S., of course, has the public-private divide between universities. A state school is much less expensive than a private institution, but is often (but not always) seen as second tier. GW, a private school, is actually one of the most expensive schools in the U.S. for undergraduates.
Being the sole representative of the Great White North is an interesting experience. You really become shorthand for the country as a whole. Whenever Canada is mentioned in class, people tend to look at me to see my reaction or to see if I have anything to say. Though I'm not much better! When a prof mentions Mexico, I immediately wonder what Harry (the sole Mexican with the decidedly "un-Mexican" name) thinks about that. Of course, I field a lot of comments/questions on stereotypes. One of my favourites is: "You don't sound like a Canadian!" By this, they generally mean I don't say "a-boot" for "about", nor stick "eh" at the end of my questions. I haven't spent enough time on the mainland to know whether mainland Canadians do this a lot, so I generally just say that I'm from Newfoundland, where people have a different accent. Few Americans are familiar with Newfoundland, so they don't really appreciate just how different the NF accent is - or that I don't have a Newfoundland accent either!
On the subject of Americans not knowing Newfoundland: I occasionally meet one who does and that's usually when I get the "Newfie" label attached to me. For instance, this past weekend I went to a club with a friend. We got IDed (as apparently anyone under 40 does here) and I showed my NL driver's license, as usual. The bouncer made a comment about not having seen a "Newfie" in a while. He used it very innocently, I'm sure, not knowing the mixed feelings Newfoundlanders have about the term. For too long, "stupid" has preceded "Newfie". I generally don't like it, and I don't refer to myself as a "Newfie", but my feeling is that if you do use it, you should at least be a Newfoundlander. It's like how a woman can call refer to herself as a "b*?@*" but God help the man who calls her that. The same applies to pejorative names that have been "re-claimed" by minority groups - there's a certain empowerment in taking back a term that was once used to oppress.
Back to me being the only Canadian in my class.... it's not even just my class. I can count on one hand the number of Canadians I've met since moving to the U.S. Again, surprising, given the proximity of the countries. In fact, I think I've met no more Canadians here than I did in China. I joined an expat meet-up group, but haven't had the time to attend any of their events. Life here is very similar to life at home, so I never felt any culture shock - but still, it would be nice to meet others who know what "loonies and toonies" are and miss Tim Horton's.
Now, It's possible I've met Canadians and not known they're Canadian. This is the difference with China. Foreigners are so rare in China, that when you meet them, of course you talk about where you're from. That's the cool thing about being here: We are the only nationality who can pull off being American. Joel, the only Brit in our class, opens his mouth and everyone knows where he comes from. I go to the Career Center to ask for paperwork for my part-time job, and the receptionist immediately hands me the domestic student package. When I tell her I need the international package, I get the double-take. Yes, I'm international!
A writing sample is the only thing that would give me away. As the title of my last post reveals, I haven't given up my "u"s. After more than 20 years of spelling a certain way, it's hard to give them up! I love "colour" and "favourite". And in Statistics, I learned how to do a "zed-statistic" - not a "zee-statistic". It will always be "centre", not "center"! I Americanize my spelling for papers and exams because I figure there are benefits to downplaying differences with profs when it comes to your mark (oops, I mean "grade"). Plus, I am in the States, so I figure I should conform to their spelling rules for anything official.
That's it from here on this Thanksgiving Day. In less than three weeks, I'll be one of many Canadians when I cross the border and see those six beautiful English/French words: Welcome to Canada / Bievenue au Canada.
Umm, ok.... Canada celebrates Thanksgiving too. Only it falls on the second Monday of October, not the last Thursday of November. And granted, it's not nearly as big a deal in Canada as it is here. I've had some classmates ask me why Canada has a different Thanksgiving and I tell them that I'm not certain, but I believe it has to do with the earlier harvest. After all, late November is practically winter in Canada. Hopefully I'm not perpetuating a myth!
Anyway, I'm the "go-to" person for questions on Canada namely because, well, I'm the only Canadian in the first-year class. Given Canada's proximity to the U.S., this at first seemed odd. There are about 10 Indian students here and 6 or 7 Chinese/Taiwanese. Now, we have a small class size (about 120), so perhaps there are more Canadians in the larger programs, though proportionally they still might be insignificant.
I have a few theories for why this is the case: (1) Canada has some excellent MBA programs; and (2) those programs cost much less than they do in the U.S. Canada's most expensive program is probably about half the cost of a comparable program in the U.S. - which is not to say that the quality of the programs in Canada is lower. The U.S., of course, has the public-private divide between universities. A state school is much less expensive than a private institution, but is often (but not always) seen as second tier. GW, a private school, is actually one of the most expensive schools in the U.S. for undergraduates.
Being the sole representative of the Great White North is an interesting experience. You really become shorthand for the country as a whole. Whenever Canada is mentioned in class, people tend to look at me to see my reaction or to see if I have anything to say. Though I'm not much better! When a prof mentions Mexico, I immediately wonder what Harry (the sole Mexican with the decidedly "un-Mexican" name) thinks about that. Of course, I field a lot of comments/questions on stereotypes. One of my favourites is: "You don't sound like a Canadian!" By this, they generally mean I don't say "a-boot" for "about", nor stick "eh" at the end of my questions. I haven't spent enough time on the mainland to know whether mainland Canadians do this a lot, so I generally just say that I'm from Newfoundland, where people have a different accent. Few Americans are familiar with Newfoundland, so they don't really appreciate just how different the NF accent is - or that I don't have a Newfoundland accent either!
On the subject of Americans not knowing Newfoundland: I occasionally meet one who does and that's usually when I get the "Newfie" label attached to me. For instance, this past weekend I went to a club with a friend. We got IDed (as apparently anyone under 40 does here) and I showed my NL driver's license, as usual. The bouncer made a comment about not having seen a "Newfie" in a while. He used it very innocently, I'm sure, not knowing the mixed feelings Newfoundlanders have about the term. For too long, "stupid" has preceded "Newfie". I generally don't like it, and I don't refer to myself as a "Newfie", but my feeling is that if you do use it, you should at least be a Newfoundlander. It's like how a woman can call refer to herself as a "b*?@*" but God help the man who calls her that. The same applies to pejorative names that have been "re-claimed" by minority groups - there's a certain empowerment in taking back a term that was once used to oppress.
Back to me being the only Canadian in my class.... it's not even just my class. I can count on one hand the number of Canadians I've met since moving to the U.S. Again, surprising, given the proximity of the countries. In fact, I think I've met no more Canadians here than I did in China. I joined an expat meet-up group, but haven't had the time to attend any of their events. Life here is very similar to life at home, so I never felt any culture shock - but still, it would be nice to meet others who know what "loonies and toonies" are and miss Tim Horton's.
Now, It's possible I've met Canadians and not known they're Canadian. This is the difference with China. Foreigners are so rare in China, that when you meet them, of course you talk about where you're from. That's the cool thing about being here: We are the only nationality who can pull off being American. Joel, the only Brit in our class, opens his mouth and everyone knows where he comes from. I go to the Career Center to ask for paperwork for my part-time job, and the receptionist immediately hands me the domestic student package. When I tell her I need the international package, I get the double-take. Yes, I'm international!
A writing sample is the only thing that would give me away. As the title of my last post reveals, I haven't given up my "u"s. After more than 20 years of spelling a certain way, it's hard to give them up! I love "colour" and "favourite". And in Statistics, I learned how to do a "zed-statistic" - not a "zee-statistic". It will always be "centre", not "center"! I Americanize my spelling for papers and exams because I figure there are benefits to downplaying differences with profs when it comes to your mark (oops, I mean "grade"). Plus, I am in the States, so I figure I should conform to their spelling rules for anything official.
That's it from here on this Thanksgiving Day. In less than three weeks, I'll be one of many Canadians when I cross the border and see those six beautiful English/French words: Welcome to Canada / Bievenue au Canada.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
The weather here has been bizarre - maybe it's not just Newfoundland that has wacky weather. It was cold all last week. On Friday night, it even dipped just below the freezing mark. Today, Sunday, it's more than 20 degrees C. It was a beautiful day. At least I managed to get out and enjoy some of it. I met a friend who had invited me to have brunch with a group of her girlfriends. It was a nice afternoon. I'm starting to see the importance of developing a social network outside the MBA program. The people in my class are fantastic, but I want to get to know people outside b-school as well. Sometimes you don't want to "talk shop"!
When I came back, I settled back down to Accounting. It might be boring, but at least this is the view that I have from my desk:
It might not look like much from the photo, but there are beautiful old townhouses across the street. It's a beautiful neighbourhood and the fall colours make it even more so. We're even on a tour bus route. Today from my window I could see tourists taking photos. I have to say, it's wonderful to live in a neighbourhood that people want to capture in photos.
When I came back, I settled back down to Accounting. It might be boring, but at least this is the view that I have from my desk:
It might not look like much from the photo, but there are beautiful old townhouses across the street. It's a beautiful neighbourhood and the fall colours make it even more so. We're even on a tour bus route. Today from my window I could see tourists taking photos. I have to say, it's wonderful to live in a neighbourhood that people want to capture in photos.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Part-Time Job
I'm wondering if I'm crazy for having taken on a part-time job - like I'm not busy enough! A few weeks ago I saw a posting on MBA WebZone for a research assistant for a professor in the International Business department. It's 10 hours a week scheduled at my convenience and - here's the key part - it pays! It will help defray some of my huge living expenses. Most importantly, it'll help me build a relationship with the international business department. I got in touch with the professor and met her today. It was all very informal and I don't think anyone else expressed interest (maybe I'm the only glutton for punishment??). She said it's mine if I wanted it. I took it.
This type of campus job is familiar territory for me - in fact, it takes me back to being an undergrad, when I worked for a number of professors at MUN. I'll be helping her with some emerging markets research, but I'll also help with planning international business events. This would probably involve outreach to speakers from the corporate/international development world, which is certainly a plus on the networking side.
Me being all academic brings me to another point... now that I'm actually doing my MBA, part of me is thinking, "Hey, after this, what's to stop me from doing my PhD?" I'd be just one degree away! When I was small, I used to say that I was going to get my doctorate. But things changed in b-school when I opted for the corporate route. But obviously business professors have PhDs.... and they are sometimes "real-world" practitioners as well. Anyway... something else to think about!
This type of campus job is familiar territory for me - in fact, it takes me back to being an undergrad, when I worked for a number of professors at MUN. I'll be helping her with some emerging markets research, but I'll also help with planning international business events. This would probably involve outreach to speakers from the corporate/international development world, which is certainly a plus on the networking side.
Me being all academic brings me to another point... now that I'm actually doing my MBA, part of me is thinking, "Hey, after this, what's to stop me from doing my PhD?" I'd be just one degree away! When I was small, I used to say that I was going to get my doctorate. But things changed in b-school when I opted for the corporate route. But obviously business professors have PhDs.... and they are sometimes "real-world" practitioners as well. Anyway... something else to think about!
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