100!

I've hit the 100 mark for job applications sent. And I feel like I've become a professional job applier. Beyond that, you've got me. I haven't heard anything back but a few rejections, but I'll keep on. There's got to be one out there somewhere. It almost feels like a game now!

Today, I volunteered with a local organization that helps resettle refugees to the Kansas City area. We were setting up an apartment for a family of three from Burma. The family was not present, but there were four of us working on it, moving furniture in and everything else a family would need to get settled in a completely new environment. Coming from a refugee camp, most people have little more than the clothes they are wearing. Nearly all of the things we moved in were donations, everything from a kitchen table and chairs, down to a jar of maraschino cherries that apparently comes with every truckload. It's all stored in a warehouse and sorted into sets for each move. There were plenty of toys for the daughter, pictures for the wall, and bath products as well.

The other volunteer and I had a bit of a laugh while setting the table, something the organization does for each home. We had a green vinyl tablecloth, some Christmas poinsettia placemats, floral & ruffle napkins, and blue striped plates. It was quite the mis-match, as was the rest of the apartment, but it still managed to look homey. I can only imagine it will be much more comfortable than what they are coming from.

While we worked, were discussing our jobs, how I hadn't heard back from any I had applied to, and I was glad to find I was not the only one with so much trouble. One other guy told me about his two master's degrees in the economics field, then got a disgruntled look on his face and said, "and now I'm moving furniture!" There may be less unemployment these days, but there seems to be a lot more underemployment. Even a recent blog post by the Center for the Future of Museums was titled "No Future", after the Field Museum cut $5 million dollars from its budget this year, most of it from its science department. For such a powerful and successful museum, that's like seeing a grown up cry for the first time, and you know something's really wrong. But, eventually, things will get better.