Taking the GRE during Peace Corps

Preparing for the GRE in a Greek cafe

Surrounded by boutiques with their signs written in Chinese figures, I thought to myself, “this is an interesting place to host the GRE.”  It was obvious that this was Thessaloniki’s version of a China town, with cheaply-made goods being sold at low prices along a sketchy street not too far from the port.    I continued along my way, trusting the Google Map’s line on my outdated iPod touch, realizing that I will be thirty minutes early for the test, just as the email suggested. 

As soon as I approached the point indicated by the digital pin on my iPod, my suspicions that something was not right was augmented.  There was no building where a standardized test would likely be proctored, only run-down apartments and dirty lots.  I circled the block a few times as the panic sunk in.  Bemused, I knocked on the door of a store, which was locked for probably founded reasons, and asked a guy where the place I was looking for was located.  His response was exactly what I did not want to hear, “Oh, you are very far.”

Taking the GRE was the first step in figuring out my plans for when I return from the Peace Corps.  I mentioned many times through this blog that a role in foreign service or international development is something that interests me very much, and applying to graduate school seemed like the most appropriate step, since a short survey that I conducted browsing through LinkedIn resulted in the discovery that all of those listed as working at the State Department had a graduate degree of some sort.  So, since most of the programs to which I will be applying require a GRE score, I registered.  But not without delay.  It has been 10 years since I last took a standardized test, so obviously the stress of electing into such a rigorous process was off-setting.  Additionally, the electronic GRE is not offered in Macedonia, but rather in Thessaloniki, Prishtina, or Sofia.  Sofia is the farthest and most expensive of the options, while Thessaloniki was a kombi ride away from me.  However, the political crisis in Greece at the beginning of August further prompted me to delay my registration, but finally setting a date for September 10 gave me a deadline to which I must strive.

Following weeks of re-learning basic geometry, how to compute “basic” combination and permutation problems, and memorizing frivolous vocabulary words (expect to see a few scattered about in upcoming posts), I was ready as I could be and on my way to Thessaloniki.  After arriving at the hostel, I indulged in an American-style cheeseburger and buckled down to study.  However, after two hours of answering questions on the GRE simulation, I recognized that the practice was not helping and that I was only stressing myself out.  Personally, I perform best on standardized tests when I am relaxed and have stamina, so I decided to quit studying, walk around the upper parts of town, and hang out with the other guests at the hostel.

Well, my stress levels definitely spiked again only minutes prior to the beginning of the test.  Lost and supposedly “far away” from where I was supposed to take the test, I clearly was in grave danger of missing the GRE.  Staring at the map, I discovered where the actual location for the test center was, so I raced down the main road in the right direction.  Basically, I needed to backtrack the whole lateral distance to which I traveled to the “supposed” location, so walking, even at my fastest pace, would make me late by about 10 minutes.  Finally, I wasn't even sure where the actual building was, just the number and the street name, so finding the actual building would be the other half of the battle. 

Therefore, I needed to make a quick decision- find a taxi and take it, or continue walking.  I kept my eyes open for a free taxi along the main street, and as soon as I found one, I raced toward it and asked if it were free and if it could take me to my destination.  I only had 10 Euros in my pocket, so I asked him how much it would cost as well, and he assured me that the trip would be less than 5 Euros .  Score.  I sat in the front seat, dripping in sweat, but slightly refreshed by the blast of the air conditioning.  The taxi driver did not speak any English, so when he confirmed the address with me in Greek by holding up four fingers, I responded with a rapid succession of Yes’es, first in Macedonian, then in Albanian, only to quickly concede that I did not know how to say “Yes” in Greek, so instead just lowered my head silently in defeat.

It soon became clear that taking a taxi was not the simplest of solutions.  Even though it was only 2 in the afternoon, the streets were clogged with traffic.  We crawled along the main street, as I looked at my watch to see time etch away.  15 minutes left until I am late.  10.  8.  The radio was playing traditional Greek guitar music, rapid and staccato, which matched my hope of racing through streets in this taxi, but belied the reality of sitting in Greek traffic (something like the first minute of this).  We slithered through side streets, only to get caught in new traffic.  At one point, the car in front of us decided to turn left at an intersection.  Cut off behind it, my driver shouted obscenities (I can only assume), and I felt comforted that he was able to yell what I was feeling inside. 

At one point, I sat in the seat of the car realizing, “This is it.  I am late.  I wasted money and time to come all the way to Greece to take a test, and I missed it”.  Suddenly, the driver pointed to our left and said, “Venizelou 4, there!”.  I repeated and pointed numerous times before I said, “Ok!  Pay now”.  I took out my money, tipped him for understanding my rush and emotional anguish, and raced through the parking lot, up three flights of stairs to the testing center.  I was two minutes early, and luckily they admitted me to the test. 

Sweating and hands shaking, I signed their documents and was assigned to a computer in the room.  I was about to start the GRE, and my stress levels were almost at the point of shock.  I took a deep breath and began the test.  Overall, the rest of the test went smoothly, but the adventure was not over yet.  Early on through the test, I heard squeaking in the wall in front of me, only to realize that there must be a family of mice living in whatever duct or space was behind it.  At the latter part of the test, the proctor decided to turn the air conditioning on blast, and I felt like my fingers were going numb from cold toward the end of the test.

But all that starts in mayhem ends well, I guess.  Upon completing the test, my scores were reported, and I was surprised to see the scores on both sections of the test.  In the end, I achieved scores higher than the 50% range of the programs to which I was applying to, which are satisfactory for me.  Rewarding myself for completing the test, obtaining the scores I wanted, and dealing with such a chaotic day, I purchased a bottle of IPA, ate at a nice Greek tavern, and relaxed with one of the guests before putting a kibosh on the day.

Finishing the GRE and obtaining the scores I wanted relieves me of a lot of stress at an important time.  There is still a lot I need to accomplish in order to begin the recruitment for AIESEC Tetovo and to finalize parts of the training for this new group.  Plus, I have put aside my studies of Albanian in order to better memorize superfluous English vocabulary words.  As my schedule fills for the coming weeks, I can already feel bit of stress of organizing and managing all of my duties.  But if I learned one thing from this chaotic experience in Thessaloniki, if I keep my cool, I just may be able to come out on top.  Opa!