The Borin' Boren

Ugh, thank God I'm done with my Boren application!

I've just submitted a proposal for funding from Uncle Sam to do an intenstive language program of my choice (I proposed to study Thai in Northern Thailand) combined with research on an issue of importance to "national security" (I proposed interviewing the Burmese women refugees in this border region and getting a sense of how their home country's bastard military regime is...well, bastardly, especially for women). In typical Tanya style, I could not go without a last minute mini-crisis. Two of my letters of recommendation didn't come on time (Doh!) because I gave my MSU professors the wrong address (double Doh!). I called the government people with my sob story and they were shockingly sympathetic to my self-imposed plight. Emily at the Boren office said I could include an explanatory letter and send the recommendations separately. Phew.

I almost didn't mail in my application because I felt so silly about the whole letter thing (come on, an "IOU note" to the Federal Goverment?), and because I really think my proposal was a steaming pile of livestock excrement. Wow, I sure hope no one on the Boren review committee is reading my blog right now. If they are, I'd just like to take a moment to say that I am ecstatic about the post-fellowship year of mandatory goverment service in either the Dept. of Defense, Homeland Security, or CIA!!! Indeed, one of my life goals has always been to "smoke out" them terrerists...

My ethical hands are tied...it's dinero!

Must run and finish the Mt. Kilamanjaro-sized pile of reading for qualitative research methods class tomorrow. Sigh.

TKP, Cookie Monster. Procrastinator. Future CIA Operative.