peterskim blog

I was at John’s Harvard Brewpub last night when a trendy urban hipster girl sitting next to me leaned over and asked me if I knew Mandarin. I think I was a little bit shocked by the question at first, then I calmly replied “No, sorry.” The people I were with asked me what she had asked me; after I told them, the white girl in our group was probably the most upset for me.

You would think trendy hipster urbanites would be those least likely to make ignorant comments like that. You might expect old people who spent their whole lives in the boonies or anyone from the South to say stuff like that. But trendy looking 20 somethings from Cambridge, Massachusetts? From the so-called “People’s Republic of Cambridge”?

“We are here to create, not merely survive.”

…was much shorter than our previous trips. We got there early Sunday afternoon and left Monday evening. On Sunday, we ate Korean food, then went to church at the North Brooklyn Vineyard. They meet at a bar in Williamsburg, so you have to be 21 and over to go in. I wonder if anyone has ever ordered a beer during service, because they actually have a bartender working during the service. Maybe I should test them next time I visit and see if I get any strange looks. :)

Monday, we finally had the famous Papaya Dog. Let me tell you—we are extremely disappointed. Anyone know where to get a good hot dog in New York? Man, the Costco hot dog is better than the Papaya Dog. And it’s cheaper!

I had a job interview which went okay. This would be my ideal job; if I get an offer, I’m not even going to interview anywhere else. In many ways, it’d be perfect for where I’m at right now. I actually told my boss today that I just started actively looking for a new job and will probably be gone within a month or two. My boss is great; he understands the frustrations of working here and it’s nice to be able to have frank conversations about work and career and what we want to do in the future without worrying about whether he’ll fire me because of it. But he was very appreciative of me letting him know so that he can start looking for a replacement (which is not easy to do in this hot job market).

My friend Todd has also inspired me to work on some side projects. I’m going to learn Ruby on Rails so I can implement my ideas faster than if I were to use Java. I’ve got an idea in mind that I’ll work on as my first project to learn Ruby on Rails. (yes, cesareborgia; i’ve returned to geek-mode. although the practical/business side of me is still cynical of a lot of startups and how they expect to make money.)

I feel like we’ve been going to NYC pretty often lately, maybe once a month? The wife has a job interview on Monday. I’ll be tagging along to keep her company.

I will try to make sure I get a hot dog this time.

So I probably won’t be attending business school this Fall. Three of the four schools I’ve applied to have turned me down. I’m waiting on one more to get back to me, but basically it’ll be a miracle if I get admitted there. This is a bit disappointing but at the same time, I knew there was a pretty good likelihood of it happening. I have two friends who also did not get admitted to the schools they applied to so at least I know I’m not the only one going through this.

I know it’s not the end of the world. I will probably reapply next year. Until then, it might be a good thing to work for another year, shore up our finances a bit and get more experience. I will also take the time to do more research on what I want to do with my career. Every business school asks you to write an essay on what your short-term and long-term career goals are. I thought I knew what I wanted to do, but during the past few months, I’ve had all sorts of ideas ranging from technology product management to investment banking to consulting. My intention is still to do something that utilizes all the ways God has gifted me in order to bless other people. The struggle is figuring out what the best balance is.

The disappointment I’m feeling is a little greater than what I might have felt two years ago because of my shift in ministry philosophy. I think most Christians believe that work is just work and church is ministry. I have come to strongly disagree with that and now believe that it should be the other way around: that *work* is ministry and church is just church (a.k.a. a place to have weekly congregational worship). Since I thought business school was a part of how God wanted me to grow in my ministry, it’s disappointing to have those plans sidetracked (at least for now). I still trust that God will continue to lead me in living a life of mission.

Our plans to move to New York City remain. In fact, they are probably expedited a bit since I’m no longer waiting until the Fall for school to begin.