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| Fitness center used by the students at ILEA! |
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| ILEA also has a research laboratory where students are taught by highly trained professionals from all different areas in the profession so they can learn different skills. With hands on experience, they learn how to sample and use all the different instruments. |
Each classroom is equipped with interpreters to help translate all the ideas because there are 16 languages used at ILEA. However, english is the "relay" language. What I thought was really cool about that was Thomas Stocking told us that the interpreters working for ILEA prefer the term interpretation because it means getting the essence of the meaning across as opposed to translation which they say is purely the literal word for word meaning. I thought this was really cool because as Stocking said, I also used those terms interchangeably. It was also interesting to learn about all the diversity of the students coming there, and their languages and the culture all merged into one academy. You can visit this link here from the ILEA website and see all the member countries that are part of ILEA. http://www.ilea.hu/en/1_member_countries.php
At ILEA, its all about building relationships not only between the fellow police officers from one country but between the other countries as well. This can be a challenge because a lot of these member countries are really focused on national identity but at ILEA they learn to be accepting of other countries cultural identities no matter how different they might be. I also loved how Stocking had a great appreciation for the "locally engaged staff" and how they had been so helpful and welcoming to him and how Hanji and TB both loved their jobs and had a great time with each other. I thought it was a wonderful thing to see people from all different background working together to make a great thing happen.
For me though, an aspiring FBI agent, I could NOT sit still in my chair. I had a grin on my face from ear to ear from beginning to end. And when I found out the Director at ILEA is a FBI Agent of 17 years I basically fell out of my chair. We got to ask him all sorts of questions and he was a GREAT presenter. Plus he was Greek. He answered all my questions and gave lots of helpful insight about pursuing a future career path into the FBI. But he also shared some advice that I thought was really important for us to hear. He told us to be careful with thinking we already have a set path because then we will be closed off to all other options that might be better. He said there is no way to know exactly what you want to do, and now is the time to be open to anything so you can find out what your path really is. "Do well but don't get in trouble" was another idea from him. I was also interested to hear him talk about what it is like to have a family while you're involved in a job as a special agent because that is one big concern for me is one day when I have a family- is being an agent really an ideal job for that? And I also really got thinking when he said not one specific thing sets you apart, you just have to do what you love and go for it. So I was happy to hear that. I was terrified to hear about the interview process but I suppose if you survive that you can consider yourself golden. I was just SO happy to have the opportunity to talk to John and learn all these things. AND... I got his email address and he said he'd be more than happy to help me out with my future agent path. IT WAS AWESOME!
All in all, I thought this was a great field study trip. And I was happy to hear some of my JSBPers saying that even if we visit places that they think are career paths they wouldn't be interested in, they always come out of the trip really intrigued and having a whole different idea about their future. I think it is really cool that every time we visit a new place and learn about a new career it becomes more real to us that this might be something we want to do. Who knows where I'll end up or where any of us will end up, but to have these opportunities is something I am very grateful for because every time we explore a different path, we are one step closer to finding ours.
In case any of you are as crazy as me and want to explore the website like I do... all the time and pretend you're ready to apply.... here it is. http://www.fbijobs.gov/ oh and looking at FBI's most wanted and breaking news is pretty great too......
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| PRETENDING I would get an ak47 in the FBI... and obviously it would be pink, just like my handgun will be. |
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| Bulletproof vest... REPRESENT. |
Nellie,
ReplyDeleteAs usual this is an excellent blog, written by a true poet don't ya know it. I could sense your excitement the entire time we were at ILEA, and I also felt it through your description of the tour in your blog.
I can see a future Nellie working at the ILEA facility, teaching various Greek and Polish law enforcement officers how to bust down a door, or take out an international criminal in the tactical house.
I could also tell that you and special agent John Terpinas had a real chemistry during the question and answer session at the end of our ILEA visit. I think that he sensed the future FBI prowess that sat before him, and was ready to hand his reins over to a new special agent. The only question that you forgot to ask was if they make any cheetah print uniforms, and if they don't they better get to it.