How Not to Go Broke Over Your Filipiniana

This is a special post for the ladies, especially to those of you who will make it all the way to the Oral Exams.  I really hate to break it to you, girls, but taking the Foreign Service Officers Exam isn't just about investing your time into something that could possibly change your life forever.  Honestly, taking the FSOE also means investing your hard-earned cash into the uncertain.  Allow me to highlight this if you're not from Manila because apart from the Qualifying Exams, you need to psyche yourself for the inevitable truth that the rest of the other stages will take place in (*drum roll*)--yes, the capital city.  The only exception might be if there is a substantial number of examinees from any of the next wave cities in the Philippines like Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, or Davao.

I'm not just talking about spending for plane tickets, though--which is already a given.  And mind you, the flights don't come cheap since the changes in test schedules can be both abrupt and unexpected.  I've had batch mates working abroad who needed to rebook flights just to accommodate the exam schedules and everyone knows that those elusive promo fares pop up months before your desired travel date.

It wasn't until the Orals when I realized that the other item that requires you to dig deep into your pockets is your outfit for the Formal Dinner.  The Formal Dinner is the finale of the entire FSOE.  This happens on the third day of the Orals and is coupled with the Public Speaking Exam.  I swear I've never felt more nervous in my entire life.  I was so nervous my knees were shaking involuntarily and I could feel a cough trying to crawl up my throat.

Anyway, the Formal Dinner has a particular dress code.  The gents are required to wear either a coat and tie or the classic barong tagalog.  The women, on the other hand, can either choose between an evening gown or a Filipiniana.

Almost all of the ladies in our batch donned resplendent Filipinianas.  I chose an evening gown though for the reason that I was pressed for time and I was seriously scrimping.  In fact, I opted to take care of my own make-up, and I opted for a hairdresser who can help me whip up a classic chignon for only Php 300--quite a steal, considering I was staying in Makati at that time.

This post is for the ladies who have all plans of scrimping their budget for the Formal Dinner getup without having to sacrifice quality.  A few designers here and there might get iffy about this little cheat sheet but what the hey?  Every girl needs to know how to dress to impress without busting her bank account--especially if it's only a one time event.

If you're the type who wants to wear a classic Filipiniana without borrowing one from a friend or spending more than Php 5000 to buy a new one, the secret is no secret at all.  I realized this little cheat when I was placed in a situation that required me to come in a Filipiniana for an event that was about to take place roughly a week after I had received the invite.

What I basically did was to pick out one of my read-made long gowns (something I purchased on a discount at a mall in Cebu) and had my designer friend, Josip, transform it into a Filipiniana by simply adding Filipiniana sleeves that perfectly matched the original evening gown.  This only cost me less than a thousand pesos for everything from the materials to the labor.  The great thing about this was that I wasn't only able to save big bucks from having a brand new Filipiniana sewn for a one-time event, I was also able to recycle a gown I had only really worn twice since the day I bought it.

So if you really want to don a Filipiniana for the Formal Dinner without breaking the piggy bank, you can simply grab a nice RTW gown (make sure it looks decent and respectable enough) from your favorite boutique or department store and simply have the classic Filipiniana sleeves sewn on them.  The best type of gown for this transformation are the spaghetti-strapped or the strapless gowns.  This gives your designer or seamstress enough room to give your gown a new lease on life.  There are several gowns that cost less than Php 3000.  I even tried picking up a very elegant one for only Php 800.  Sleeves can cost you anywhere between Php 300-600.  Just make sure you pick someone who knows how to make and attach those beautiful sleeves.

The moral of the story is that a little creativity can go a long way.

A Little Tip on World History

Just moments before our pens touched the paper for the World History test during the Foreign Service Officers Exam, one of our proctors cleared his throat and said, "Our batch back then used to fear the World History test because it is the most difficult subject among all other subjects of the Written test."  Nothing like a nice, reassuring note, really.  I gripped my pen tightly when I heard those worlds and I could feel my stomach make a slight somersault.

There is a grain of truth when past batches would say that the World History test is one of the hardest--if not the hardest--and that is because the test can, at times, get a little bit too objective for anyone's taste.  Yes, there is a chance that you might be asked about people whose small actions made a big difference in the pages of history and it doesn't stop there.  You might be asked to enumerate their contributions, the explain the significance of a tiny event, maybe even at some point to discuss how the dawn of farming gave birth to the wars of the 21st century.

The bigger challenge here is that not all history books will have you at the edge of your seat.  Believe me, I've come across so many history books that can pass off as willing substitutes to sleeping pills.

Like all other subjects covered in the FSOE, the trick to preparing isn't just about working hard.  It's also about working smart--of covering as much ground as you can given the limited number of months you have to prepare for a test with a high level of uncertainty in tow.

As far as World History is concerned, I ditched nearly 80% of the books I hoarded at the beginning and instead resorted to what was then my new found best friend--History Channel.

History Channel is a treasure trove of documentaries on countless milestones in World History.  The beauty about the History Channel documentaries is that they don't just give you a presentation of what happened.  Each documentary is carefully crafted to explain how slight ripples of actions were more than enough to create waves in the story of humankind.  I like how History Channel's documentaries are able to humanize the stories that we have heard time and time again in our History classes.  These documentaries are able to give depth to issues and to people we have long ago passed our judgment on.  Sometimes, I find it quite fascinating that in certain events, the villain and the hero are one and the same person.

Here are five documentary series I highly recommend any reviewing examinee to watch.  These stories will not only help you gear up for the exam.  It will change the way you look at the story of all of us.

Mankind: The Story of All of Us

Mankind is my all-time favorite documentary on World History simply because the storytelling is unbeatable.  If schools used this documentary series to teach kids about World History, I'm pretty certain no one will doze off.  Mankind is a 12-part documentary series that manages to capture the most important milestones of World History in a nutshell.  I'm tempted to spill the spoilers but I guess I'll have to zip my mouth or I'll run the risk of ruining your entire viewing experience.  Mankind's strength is its ability to bring to the forefront profound lessons from real experiences not just of history's greatest leaders but even lessons drawn from the experiences of people, places, and events many of us have overlooked.  This documentary will serve as a great supplement to any history book you are currently reading.

Declassified

Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, and Fidel Castro are among the few people deemed as some of the world's greatest 'villains'.  At least that is how some people would like us to think.  But as they say, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.  At the end of the day, it may be just a game of perception.  It may depend on who the storyteller is and from whose eyes one is viewing history.  Declassified is a documentary series that tackles the rise and fall of many of history's most striking dictators and 'terrorists'.  It also sheds light on some of the greatest conspiracy theories of all time so that everyone may get a glimpse of who the puppet master and the puppets truly are.  I find this documentary essential to watch because it will help you understand the roots of some of history's greatest conflicts and why some men resort to the dark side to realize what they believe are noble intentions.

Engineering an Empire

Empires are yesterday's superpowers.  These are the powerful civilizations, on the shoulders of which today's superpowers are standing on.  This documentary tells the story of World History from the paradigm of technological development.  It's a tour through Egypt, Rome, Russia, and China to name a few in an attempt to show us that no civilization, no empire has the monopoly of all knowledge and technology.  The main point of this series is that technology is the heritage of all mankind.  The development of technology is a constant flow of one idea being built on top of another in an attempt to foster continuous development for the benefit of humanity.

America: The Story of Us

One's study of World History will never be complete without digging deep in the history of today's most prominent and most influential superpower--The United States of America.  Created in the amazing storytelling tradition of Mankind , America relives the story of how the United States, a former colony of Great Britain, came to rise and surpass the glory of its mother nation.  It's the classic story of zero to hero--a common theme one finds in many American stories.  This documentary takes you through the American psyche.  After watching this series, you will come to understand why the North Americans are some of world's greatest risk takers and innovators.

Innovators: The Men Who Built America

How exactly did America reach superpower status and when did it all begin?  Not a lot of people realize that the USA's status as one of the most technologically-advanced, and one of the most influential nations in the world started from the dreams of five men who pushed the boundaries and the limitations of technology and commerce during their day.  From the creation of massive railways (Vanderbilt) to the development of automobiles (Ford), business, industry, commerce, and innovation form the foundation of America's success.  The best part is that these five men don't even realize the impact their competition would have not only on the USA but on the entire world as well.

On a final note, when you study for World History, don't just stop at the usual overview.  Go full-circle by studying the history of today's most influential nations and international organizations.  Include the history of the USA, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the ASEAN in your study list and try to find how each of their histories overlap.  The secret to World History is about finding the threads that tie all of mankind together.

Serendipity and The Great Migration: How Social Psychology Saved My Soul in the FSOE

When people prepare for the Foreign Service Officers Exam, they either turn to a degree in law in order to prepare for the International Law subject in the test, or they opt to pursue a Master's degree in International Relations.  

Personally, it was a different path for me and the best part was that it was never intentional.

It was 2011 and the FSOE was the last thing I could think of.  I was in the midst of the flurry of my job in a multinational company busy trying to hit each month's targets (which kept getting higher every month!) while balancing it with my part time job as a travel and lifestyle correspondent for one of Cebu's major dailies.  In between all that, I'd usually hang out at the mall until it hit me:  there's a better way for me to use whatever remained of my spare time instead of simply spending it to go window shopping every day.

That's when I decided to pursue a Master's degree.  I did not have any particular course in mind at that time because honestly, I just really wanted to do something more productive after work.  I browsed through the website of the University of San Carlos and the first thing that caught my eye was the Master's degree in Psychology.  After giving it a good, hard though for the next ten minutes, I made my decision.  I am going to take up the program that people would least expect me to take.

The first choice was Industrial/Organizational Psychology but halfway through the first semester, I had made good friends with the Social Psychology people that I opted to make a great migration to Social Psychology instead.  That's where the real fun started.

It wasn't until October 2012 when I decided to take my chances in the FSOE that I realized what a huge blessing that was.  

Social Psychology doesn't exactly ring a bell to most people which is ironic because everything that happens in our world from the way we choose the products that we want in the supermarket to how we think about an issue to how we make our close relationships work is the concern of this field in psychology.

What is great about social psychology is that it provides you with a meta theory which deepens your level of analyses just when you thought that it was enough to talk about the territorial disputes from a political or economic paradigm.  Through evolutionary psychology, social relations, cultural psychology and other sub-fields, you get to dig deeper into the issue where you get to start talking about motivations and tipping points in human emotion.  That's only a start as far as social psychology is concerned.

One of our required readings in class

 This book is a treasure trove of ideas.  Pick out the topics that are of great

interest to you if you don't have time to read everything.

I'd like to give credit to two of my professors from the University of San Carlos who have crucial in preparing me for the Written Exams--without them realizing it.

It was Sir Glenn Glarino who introduced me into the world of Social Relations, a subject that's very useful when one studies International Relations.  Broadly, Social Relations talks about how a person constructs his identity in relation to his or her various interactions and ties with other people and groups.  One of the theories that we talked about was Relative Deprivation. Loosely, relative deprivation is when a person feels that he or she is unable to get something or experiencing something that he or she believes he or she is entitled to.  This theory is able to explain why groups like al Qaeda are able to attract an ever increasing number of followers and this theory basically forms the framework of the NPA's strategy as far as wining the sentiments of the rural poor go.

This is Sir Glenn.  I love his class to bits!

More than this, Sir Glenn emphasized almost every meeting that it wasn't just important for social psychologists like us to be aware of what's happening in the social and political scene in our country and in the world.  Our role goes beyond that because our responsibility lies in making sense out of these events.  Like journalists, social psychologists need to help people understand why these events are taking place, why certain people resort to terrorism, or why some world leaders opt to take what would seem like the irrational route.  

One practice that I will forever be grateful for was when Sir Glenn would ask us to explain and process certain issues highlighted by the national and international media using particular theories in Social Relations and Social Psychology in general.  I can't thank him enough for this particular discipline especially when I look back to the International Relations part of the exam where we were asked to explain the implications of certain issues.

Another teacher I'm grateful to is Ma'am Delia Belleza.  Ma'am Dels, as we fondly call her, was my professor in Social Cognition, Applied Social Psychology, Filipino Psychology, and Cultural Psychology.  These four subjects were far more important than studying the theories of international relations because the moment I shifted my attention to international relations and economics, I realized that the analyses offered by both subjects were a little bit wanting.  In economics, for example, one can never simply disregard human motivations as mere animal spirits because as far as making decisions go, it all takes root from deep-seated emotions that fuel these motivations.

This is Ma'am Dels and Mallows.  I love the way she handles

her classes.

Social Cognition is basically the love child of psychology and cognitive neuroscience and it explains how people make sense of the world around them.  This was very useful when I took a second look at China's alleged Middle Kingdom mentality.  Applied Social Psychology explained the psychology behind International Relations and International Law--from the study of dictators and terrorists to the conflict between Isreal and Palestine to territorial disputes and even as far as how the justices in international tribunals reach particular decisions.  Filipino Psychology was very important in the Filipino culture part of the exam because the subject specifically tackled the roots of utang na loob, hiya, nepotism, political dynasties, and patronage politics--topics that definitely came out during the exam.  Finally, cultural psychology was the last piece that helped me understand prejudice, stereotyping, and the role of culture in negotiation and the like.  Being a diplomat is playing the game of perception and playing that game well which is why one must never underestimate the role of being able to create strategy from a cultural dimension since diplomats are expected to interact in a very multicultural playing field.

I'd say that if you don't have a lot of time to review, run to Social Psychology as you read up the news.   Don't ever forget that states, nations, and international organizations may be super organisms but these groups are still made up of people.  You'll realize that when you strip down the issues in our world to their bare essentials, almost all issues boil down to very basic, very common psychological issues and motivations.

If I were given a chance to choose a Master's program again before taking the FSOE, you can bet your bottom I'm going to make the same decision.

Dress to Impress

The Oral Exams is the make or break stage of the entire FSOE process.  Here, you don't just need to sound like a diplomat but you need to look the part, too.

Believe me, dressing for the part will do a lot for your self-esteem just as much as matter-loading will.  Here is a quick visual illustration of what to wear during the crucial parts of the exam.  For a start, you don't need to bust your bank account for this.  You just need to be resourceful enough.  Invest in good suits and formal outfits only when you've already gotten in.

Personally, dressing up was my favorite part of the exam :)

*ALL PHOTOS ARE FROM THE WIRE

Oral Exam

If you loved the flow of the Preliminary Interview, the Oral Exams will be a tad different.  The Oral Exams is a more challenging version of the Preliminary Interview because it won't only test how much you know, it'll test how fast you can think and how well you can say it.

The Orals is divided into three parts spread out across three days.

The first part is the panel interview where you will be grilled by career diplomats, ambassadors, heads of departments, experts, professors, academics, and even artists.  You will not only be asked about the things you wrote in the CV you were asked to submit (this is a different CV from the one you were asked to submit during the PI).  You will be asked about anything and everything your panelists can and will think of.  This could range from explaining your take on what the Philippines is doing about China to how you can make tangible improvements in say, Tourism.

Once you enter the room, greet your panelists and shake their hands.  Sit down only when you are asked to.  Answer all their questions in English.  Do not stutter.

The second part of the exam is the debate.  The format is reminiscent of the British Parliamentary format but it could also pass for an All Asians format.  Your panelists are your adjudicators.  They will choose your side and your topic.  If in the morning you were given the Government side, you take the Opposition side in the afternoon.  Whatever you do, do not speak for less than a minute.  Develop your arguments well.  It's best to explain at most two arguments so that you will be able to talk about them at length.

If you do not have any debating background, contact your school's debate society and take your chances on a crash course.  You might also want to check out videos of debating championships in Youtube to get the feel of what a debate is really like.

The last and final round if the Pubic Speaking round which also doubles as the social graces exam.  Brush up on your fine dining etiquette and dine with utmost class.  You will be judged by how well you know your social graces and how natural it will seem to you.  You will be judged by your choice of clothes and how you are able to easily chat up the persons right next to you.  This will require a lot of practice so get some while there is time.

The Public Speaking round is a bit more challenging.  You will be asked to pick a roll of paper from a fish bowl which will contain the question or situation you need to answer.  You will be given a minute to prepare and three minutes to speak in front of everyone.  The catch here is that you won't exactly know when it's your turn to speak until the time someone taps your shoulder and tells you that you are up next.

Questions will mostly revolve around Philippine Foreign Policy and current events.  The trick here really is to sound confident without being too overbearing.  Personally, the first time I read my question, my mind just went blank.  Figure out a work around if you get a bad case of stage fright.  Otherwise, just think that there is no wrong or right answer.  You just need to talk with a lot of sense.

It'll take quite a while before the results of the orals will come out.  Until then, take a break or a nice vacation because after you've gone through the last part of the test, you just really have to clink champagne flutes with some pals simply at the thought that you survived one of the most challenging tests there is.

The Written Test

Ah, the Written Test (WT).  It's the great beluga of all the stages in the FSOE.  It's the Dark One.  The Darth Vader.  Everyone, well, almost everyone, quivers at the sight of those two words simply because apart from the Qualifying Test, the WT will cull more examinees from the total bunch than any other stage of the FSOE.

When you hear people talking about preparing their whole lives for the FSOE, they are actually preparing for the Written Test.  I mean, how can you not prepare for this exam when you are asked questions that have something to do with people like Otto von Bismarck and Camilo di Cavore?!

Let's take this stage piece by piece, shall we?

English (20%)

The English Test is made up of two parts: Grammar and Essay.  The Grammar part will be similar to the one you took during the Qualifying Exam.  This time, it's a bit shorter.  The Essay part is the meat of this test so finish up the Grammar part quickly then make sure 70% of your time for the English exam is allocated to the Essay part.  You will be given a list of more than 20 questions, of which you need to pick out around 10.  Choose wisely but don't waste your time choosing the question.

Questions usually cover anything and everything so it's plus points if you're a wild reader--er, wide reader, I mean.

Filipino (5%)

Yes, it's the revenge of your Filipino teacher if you did not pay attention in his or her class before.  Remember that infamous talasalitaan list with words like 'piging'?  Well, you'll meet a lot of those words along the way, that I'm sure of!  Like the English test, the Filipino test comes in two parts: Grammar and Essay.  You will also be asked to explain why some grammar rules are so, so for the love of God, go out there and borrow your teen-age brother's Filipino textbook and start reviewing it from cover to cover.  Bring back words like 'sapagkat', 'nang', 'panay' into your system or you will seriously regret it.

People fall in the essay part when they try too hard to use complicated words.  Keep your sentences simple if Filipino isn't your cup of tea.  Memorize some nice, vocabulary words and to use them intermittently to give your composition some flair.

Philippine Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Conditions - Philippine   history, culture, foreign policy, geography, government, development issues and goals (30%)

Do you know why so much weight is placed in this part of the exam?  It's simple.  Every diplomat has to be well-versed of the country that he or she is representing.  This is where the real part begins.  You will be given a list of 20-30 questions and you're asked to choose around 15 questions from the list.  It's entirely in essay form but the questions can get really specific so you can bet your bottom that you will be judged not just by manner but more importantly by matter.

The website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and our government's website will come in very handy.  Review the Philippine Constitution and know it by heart.  Revisit books on Philippine History and try to drill yourself using an objective type of exam just to make sure you are well-versed when you are required to drop dates, names, and places.  The DFA website has everything you need to know about our foreign policy but supplement it by reading up columns and essays in other sources, especially those that will show conflicting opinions.  Study the NCCA website to brush up on Philippine Culture.

Read the paper every day and try to give your two cents on the day's most pressing issue.  Talk about it with a study buddy or a friend who is also interested in current events.  Talk to experts, teachers, ask to sit in on classes.  Create your own reviewer.  Personally, I put together a simple reviewer on the different departments and offices of our government and outlined at least 3 important achievements and programs of each office just to make sure I'm in the know.

International Affairs (30%)

If you have no background in International Relations, start with the basics.  There are a lot of introductory books on International Relations.  Get to know the different theories and schools of thought.  Go beyond realism and liberalism and study critical theory and the English school of thought as well.  The more angles you study the subject from, the better your chances of explaining your answers will be.

Read the opinion page of CNN.com.  This is my go-to source apart from magazines like Foreign Affairs, Time, and the Economist.

Find a study buddy to talk about current events on the international scene.  Personally, my boyfriend and I would talk about these things 50% of the time we were on skypedates.  It also pays to have a relationship with someone who loves international relations and economics.

Study both macro and microeconomics to fully understand the world economy and how it ticks.

Finally, as far as International Law goes, if you're not a lawyer, read the basics first and then study each item of international law thoroughly by allotting some time to make case digests.  You can do this on weekends or before going to bed.

World History (10%)

A lot of people fear World History because this part of the exam can get really objective.  You will be asked to enumerate stuff and you will be asked the significance of a particular date.  Studying for World History should be fun so apart from hitting the books, watch documentaries.  There's something about the visual impact of documentaries and how the data is processed that will give you that eureka moment as you review.  That yes, all events do make sense.

It's not the sequence of what happened that makes World History matter.  It's how these events become important tipping points to the next big one.

Take note of the lessons from wars, dictators, and the rise of civilizations.  Know the turning points of history.  Link those events to today.

History Channel and BBC Documentaries will be your best friends here.

Foreign Language (5%)

You will be asked to choose a foreign language but the choices are not infinite.  So if you're fluent in Urdu, don't expect it to come out because your choices will only revolve around Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Japanese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Chinese.

All the instructions will be stated in your foreign language of choice and all your answers should be written in your foreign language of choice.

The test comes in two parts: Grammar/Basic Sentence Construction and Essay.

I chose Spanish because it was a college major so what I did was to listen to news in Spanish every day.  On weekends, I'd review for grammar and composition.  I did a little bit of translation by translating fairy tales into Spanish.  It's really up to you on how you plan to review for the Foreign Language part of the test.

You will never really know what's going to come out so it's best to cover as much ground as you can while you have the time.  Cramming will never help you out in the Written Exam.  In fact, cramming will only make you freak out more.

Two to three days before the exam, chill out, go to the beach, watch a movie, relax.  Give yourself a break.  On the day of the exam, leave the reviewers at home.  They will not help you anymore.  Pray hard, trust God harder.  

The Written Test will be anyone's ballgame.