Good News/Bad News

I've recently had the rather upsetting experience of getting VERY happy (for a few hours), then getting VERY disappointed. Here's what happened.

A few months ago, I emailed Fulbright-US to ask if I could apply for Academic Training after I graduate. This is the official term for getting a job in the US after graduation when you're on a J-1 visa (those issued to what they call exchange visitors/scholars). My friend Alejandra, a Fulbrighter from Costa Rica, had been allowed to stay to work for up to 18 months after graduating. Your academic training has to be a job that is related to your field. (That means a graduate of the J-School can't apply to be a manager at McDonald's.) So, I emailed Fulbright to find out if I could do the same as Ale did.

I hadn't received any reply, but I applied to some media companies anyway. I thought that if they allowed Ale (and Felicity too) to apply for Academic Training, there was no reason I wouldn't be. Anyway, last week while I was in school, my cell phone rang, and the area code of the number being shown was that of New York. I normally don't answer the phone if I don't know the caller, but the area code got me excited. It turns out that it was InStyle magazine calling to tell me they wanted me to join their editorial team. As you could imagine, I jumped up and down for joy when I got the news. The woman who called me said the details of the offer were in an email that they had sent me. So, I rushed home, then excitedly logged on to read about the offer. Aside from a salary, they were going to provide housing, which was a big thing for me considering the job was in very expensive New York. That night, I couldn't sleep from excitement. I was already planning what to do when I got to the Big Apple.

The very next morning, I finally got a response from Fulbright-US. The email said that Fulbright-Philippines does NOT allow their scholars to take Academic Training. I was crushed. I emailed Fulbright-Philippines immediately, but their response just confirmed what had been said earlier. They don't allow it as a rule, and only TWO people had been allowed to take Academic Training since 1948. I was informed of the appeal process, but I didn't try it anymore. InStyle needed an answer in a few days, and it was unrealistic to think that my case would be decided in that span of time.

I had also applied for another New York job at "Wide Angle", an international investigative program aired on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). And though they also expressed their interest in hiring me, I could no longer be excited since I knew I couldn't work there anyway.

Talk about good news and bad news. The good news got me all excited, but this happiness made the bad news even more of a downer. I have come to terms with my frustration, though. I've adjusted to the idea that I will come home in June. I guess I should take comfort in the thought that I could be hired by other US media companies in the future.