Monday, May 16, 2011

Big News

So my thesis is finished and turned in. (I will try to write about it more in a different post.)

My written exams are completed, with just some less stressful oral exams to take at the end of this week.

I am set to graduate college on Sunday, May 29, in less than two weeks. (And I will definitely be dedicating a post to my school in the near future.)

In short, I am on the brink of being a college graduate and entering the real world. And it really will be a huge transition, because Swarthmore is nothing like the real world. It's its little bubble of intellectualism, tolerance, liberalism, and idealistic determination. There will be no place like it elsewhere, but here's to hoping that wherever I go, with whomever I meet, I will try to find a little bit of Swat with them.

We all know that today is tough times for finding jobs, and so I've been lucky enough to be set on that front. Starting in July, I will be in Shanghai, China, working as an Educational Consultant at the company Taurus Education. We help top Chinese high school students research, apply to, and adjust to American universities, helping bridge the gap between Eastern and Western education.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you know me halfway well, you will know that this is quite possibly the perfect job for me. It's a combination of education, literacy, teaching, college counseling, and marketing. I have long been interested in working in college admissions, because--let's face it--that transitional period of people's lives is hard. I always wondered if it would be possible to help students go through that process... and now there is this wonderful opportunity for me to do so.

tripadvisor.com
Of course, graduating college and moving to a totally different country are huge changes, not the least of which is that it will affect my blogging. It will make blogging more difficult, because not only is it probably harder to acquire new YA releases in Shanghai, Blogger is also technically blocked by China's policy of Internet censorship. (Apparently this is easy to overcome with a simple and affordable VPN, so I wasn't too worried. I was so relieved when I found that out!)

So, by necessity, the nature of my blog will have to change. I will still try to keep up as best as I can with the latest in YA. I will do my best to acclimate myself to reading eBooks, since it will be MUCH more difficult for me to receive physical ARCs abroad. (Unless you are, like, really, really nice and are willing to pay the shipping? *hopeful look*) My reviews will probably feature older books in my collection--basically whatever I can get my hands on in Shanghai. Against my public journaling nature, I will try to write periodic updates on life in Shanghai--to tempt you into coming to visit, of course. :)

Therefore, for the month of June I will scramble to read as many books as I can before I leave. I need to give away an extraordinary amount of books, so look out for many giveaways and/or sales in the future. Review copies that I am not able to get to will find a happy home with another blogger, I promise. All of this is made more challenging by the fact that I also want to try to spend time with friends, and I am quite suddenly addicted to the TV show Castle and seem to be blasting through the DVD sets quite rapidly, which, naturally, takes time away from my reading.

But all will be well! I am truly excited at this next chapter in my life; if I weren't I wouldn't go to Shanghai. Things will change, but I feel certain that this change will not be for the worse. I want to thank you all for being so supportive of me and my blog, for being the crazy and lovable and wonderful YA readers that you all are. I hope you will continue to stick around my blog as I figure out what new and exciting direction it--and I--will take.

Love always,

Steph

57 comments:

  1. Congratulations on all fronts! That sounds like a wonderful opportunity and I look forward to reading about your adventures! Best of luck!

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  2. Congrats! We loved Shanghai when we visited last year. Still miss the xiao long bao, but we did find a passable example here in London's Chinatown yesterday :)

    BTW, it isn't just Blogger that's blocked...it's also Facebook and Twitter and all kinds of other things. Be careful which VPN you go for -- many get found and shut down pretty frequently. It's a challenge.

    And also congrats on graduating soon!

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  3. awww Good luck! I am sure you will do a great job.

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  4. Oh wow, congratulations!! That's such a huge step, but an exciting one at that. I hope you have a safe trip and your job turns out to be everything you hoped it would, and more!

    My economics professor teaches half the year in Shanghai. She never shuts up about China in our class (lol!), but she's also told us how difficult it can be around there, so make sure you're safe above all else :)

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  5. Steph, that is wonderful news. What an exciting adventure you have ahead. Can't wait to hear all about it. Congratulations!

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  6. Super congratulations, Steph! This is great news!! I am even more bummed that I won't get to see you one more time before you cross the globe. I will live happily with our one meeting last May.

    I am so excited for you and so proud! I am sure you will thrive in this position and I hope you enjoy the time abroad!

    *huggles*

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  7. Congratulations on graduating and the job. Good luck in this new chapter in your life.

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  8. such an exciting time! congrats on finishing up and graduating and this fantastic sounding job awaiting you in a marvelous location!!!

    I hope the transitions will be smooth, and that you will achieve all the success you desire.

    ~L (omphaloskepsis)

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  9. Congratulations! That's fantastic news. I'm thrilled that you found a job so perfect for you.

    Hopefully the growing popularity of e-ARCs will make it a bit more feasible for you to keep up with the reviews. Good luck with all the changes these upcoming months!

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  10. It's a terrific news!
    Happy graduation, first. I'm sure you're at least a bit nervous about starting a whole new chapter of your life... so I wish you good luck for everything. Stay healthy and have fun!

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  11. Congratulations, it sounds like you have a very exciting future in front of you!

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  12. Congratulations! There is nothing like the feeling you get on commencement day. I'm still smiling just thinking about mine a few weeks ago. The job you have lined up sounds fantastic and very exciting! Castle is a great show, I need to catch up on it since I've only watched the first season. Wishing you the best on your new chapter in life.

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  13. Congrats on graduating and good luck with the new job!

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  14. that's awesome steph! congrats with graduating, good luck in the future and the new job.

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  15. Congratulations! I'm sure the blog will continue to be fabulous. All the best in this new chapter!!!

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  16. Congratulations! What an exciting time. Looking forward to reading about all your new adventures.

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  17. Congratulations! Honestly, you are so lucky! I am going into my 2nd year of university and I honestly have no idea what I wanna do in life. Except for travelling. Ohh, I hope there will be some travelling in my future. >w<

    I wish you all the best!

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  18. Congratulations on your graduation and your new job! It's so exciting! Best of luck.

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  19. Super-congrats on these big, exciting changes. And, btw, I'm addicted to Castle, too. Nathan Fillion = hot :)

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  20. This is fantastic news! Congrats on graduating and your new job. :) So exciting and well deserved!

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  21. That's really nice. Like a book turning to the next chapter. Here is one advice I want to tell, don't cram up. Don't worry about us. We will still read your blog even the books are old. Remember we blog to express our feelings and not to impress others. Enjoy your life!
    Ivan Bookworm

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  22. Congratulations on all the exciting news, Steph! What an exciting step to be taking, you will have such incredible adventures! I'm sorry that this means you won't be on the blogosphere as much, and even sorrier that I just met you and now you're leaving the US (was it something I said? LOL), but you absolutely cannot pass up this opportunity!

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  23. Congratulations on the wonderful new Steph! Enjoy your time in Shanghai... I'll be looking forward to hearing about your time there! :)

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  24. Congratulations on your graduation and on the new job! Being a recent college grad myself (as of 2 days ago :)), I can understand how having a job post-graduation is such a relief -- and that sounds like the most amazing job ever!

    There were a lot of Chinese and Korean international students at my university, and I always wondered how they managed to adjust so well to American universities, given the culture shock I myself experienced moving here as a teen. And a job that allows you to help those hard-working students is such a fabulous one.

    Good luck with the transition!

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  25. Congratulations on your successful completion of your degree and especially on your new job! Wow! Consider yourself blessed to have found such a perfect fit for an occupation in this challenging economy, you must be doing something right! Keep up the great work.!

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  26. Congrats on everything!! How wonderful! Best wishes with everything!! :)

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  27. Wow, what an amazing opportunity, congratulations, and I wish you all the best with it all! :D

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  28. Wooooot!!! Congratulations - this is so exciting!

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  29. Oh my goodness what huge, awesome adventures await you. People say starting college is the biggest transition of your life -- but I disagree with that. I feel that ending college & placing your foot in "the real world" is much more terrifying/exciting! Embrace it Steph!! And congratulations on your college degree :-) something to be very, very proud of.

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  30. WOW, this is amazing, congrats!! I LOVE Shanghai (my favorite city next to Hangzhou) and I hope you find the time to do some shopping and sightseeing, if you so choose. Have fun, and I look forward to hearing about your adventures! :D

    For the record, I've used both Blogger and Facebook in China, though do be careful...

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  31. Best of luck on your new adventure!

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  32. In my experience, if you can maintain such an awesome blog while attending swat, writing a thesis, swimming, and having some sort of social life, you'll EASILY be able to blog while you start your post-grad adventures. In my 4 years since graduating, I have never even approached the level of busy-ness that I experienced at swat. If anything, you'll have much more blog time! I can see all those other barriers - blogger blocked, etc. - being a challenge, though.

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  33. Wow, Congratulations, seriously. I'm so happy for you, it does seem just perfect :) I'm wishing you the best in the big move, and well, it's gonna be exciting! Such a fantastic opportunity, Shanghai is a great city (though soak up the sunshine here before you leave! :P)

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  34. Whoa Steph, that is insanely awesome! Congratulations on graduating and soon to be moving to another country!! Wishing you tons and tons of luck!

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  35. Enjoy your giant adventure. I love Shanghai. My son is working in Chengdu right now after working in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.

    Here are some places to look for books in English. It is much easier than when my son went there.

    http://gochina.about.com/od/wheretostay/a/ForeignBookSH.htm

    Be sure to tell us if you needany help. China is definitely where th jobs are.

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

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  36. Wow! Crazy big news! That sound so exciting, but scary. You are braver than I was. Go for it! I wish you well, and can't wit to hear about your adventures.

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  37. Congrats Steph! Wish you safe travels and lots of exciting adventures!

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  38. Such great news, Steph! Congrats and good luck on your grand adventure!

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  39. Congratulations! What an interesting job, too. I'm curious to hear more about your adventures in Shanghai. Best of luck with the move and settling in. The nice thing about blogs is they do allow us to stay in touch (if you can get past the censoring.)

    I was sent a digital galley in PDF form that was a formatting mess on my Kindle. Kindles do better with doc's than pdfs, I learned after calling Kindle tech support. When requesting a digital galley, I'd advise mentioning what type of ereader you have.

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  40. That is incredible, Steph! Congratulations! Though I must, say, I'll be seriously bummed without the constant flow of brilliant reviews. But... INCREDIBLE!

    And heck yes, Castle addiction! Enjoy!

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  41. Hooray, Steph! So incredibly proud of you! The transition from college to Real World is definitely interesting. ;) So excited for you that you'll be living in China, too. Yay foreign lands! Best of luck and well wishes to you in your new chapter of life. You'll be wonderful at your brand spankin new job. I'll be looking forward to lots of stories and pictures from you in the future. =)

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  42. Congratulations, Steph! What a great opportunity for you. :) And also, welcome to our timezone. :)

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  43. Congratulations, and best of luck! I'm sure you will have many wonderful experiences. Be sure to tell us all about them!

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  44. Congratulations, and best wishes for everything, Steph! I'm hoping you do find a way to blog, I can't imagine the blogosphere without you! :)

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  45. Congrats, That sounds so exciting. There are a lot of book bloggers that are graduating this year. Congrats on finishing your thesis, those things are pain in the behind. Have fun in Shanghai!

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  46. wahoo! congrats on everything. finishing your thesis is a HUGE accomplishment and also MOVING TO CHINA! Wahoo! sounds completely brilliant and awesome

    thanks for sharing your good news :)

    (and i hope you do get some good books still sent to you in china :D

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  47. Congratulations! Wow, such exciting news. Graduating is so much fun, I can still remember my college grad from a few years ago. And you're moving to China! I've never been to China but I've always been interested in going. I have a few friends who've been to Shanghai and they say it's a wonderful place. Good luck with everything. :)

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  48. A huge YAY and congrats to you, Steph! What a fabulous opportunity, and I commend you for being brave enough to take it. I know you'll do exceptionally well wherever you go and can't wait to vicariously make the journey with you.

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  49. Congrats to you!!!! And I've been to Shanghai. What a great city!!!

    I wish I could say the same--that I've finished my thesis. I have yet to complete it!

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  50. Do you have an ereader yet? Nook or Kindle, you'll have to sideload your books from the site and use a US-based credit card/address to purchase those books. I wish e-readers were more readily available when I lived in Japan. I missed my English-language books *so much.* I love the e-ARCs through netGalley and GalleyGrab; they will be lifelines for you. I think they don't all work on Kindle, but don't quote me on that.

    I'm sad you're leaving just when I met you! Good luck and have fun!

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  51. Holy cats, that's amazing!!! Congrats, Steph!! That's a big change, but so exciting! YOU ROCK!

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  52. Stephanie Su, this is WONDERFUL! Congratulations! How exciting for you <3

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  53. Congratulations Steph. I'm really pleased for you. And very proud of you!

    - jen :)

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  54. Wow, talk about life-altering. But all of this sounds fantastic! Congratulations on getting the job! I wish you a safe trip and the best of luck once you get there! :)

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  55. Congrats Steph and best of luck! I do hope that you blog because I would miss reading all of your reviews and meaningful posts!

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  56. What fantastic news! Congrats!

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