Weekend Update

First, I know that people who read this blog, especially Foreign Service folks, will want to know where we are going for our first assignment. I am sorry to leave you hanging for so long. After much debate, I have decided that I am not going to post that here.

I have thought long and hard about the security issues attendant to blogging, and about how transparent I want to be in general. I read a lot of blogs while I was trying to decide if the Foreign Service was the right fit for me and my family, I read a lot of blogs while I was going through the seemingly endless hiring process, and I continue to read a lot of blogs today. I admit, I always want to know where people are going. I blog because I like being part of a community, I like having a place to vent about FS life where people actually understand what I am talking about, and I also like the idea of giving back to a community that has given me so much. Digger long ago convinced me that there is value to FS hopefuls in blogging, and I have learned so much from the many bloggers that I have read in recent years. I feel like in some small way I am paying that kindness forward by blogging. But after sitting through security seminars and thinking about the issues, I am also convinced of the value of maintaining a certain level of opacity. I harbor no illusions that I am actually anonymous--I know that I have shared enough details that any really motivated person could figure out who I am. But I think that by being a bit vague, I am striking the appropriate balance for myself in general. So I am sorry. . .the location of my first post will remain a mystery. At least for now. It may be a bit tricky to maintain that while also recounting our adventures abroad, and I may revisit that decision in the future.

So, with that. . .as I have mentioned, I am PD-coned. There were a surprising number of PD posts on our bid list. When you bid your first tour, you are required to have a stated bidding strategy, and you are supposed to bid in accordance with that strategy. My bidding strategy was to go for PD jobs. Historically, the bid lists have apparently been devoid of entry-level PD jobs, so the PD folks were encouraged to go for PD positions while they were available.

The wrinkle was that the vast majority of the PD posts were not language designated, meaning that we would not receive training in a foreign language. Before getting the bid list, I had expected to do a consular tour first, and was also hoping to get language training so that I could get off language probation (all FS officers must gain true proficiency in a language within the first few years of being hired; you cannot get tenure without establishing language proficiency). It was therefore a bit of a gamble to go for the PD jobs, as it meant that I would potentially get neither language training nor satisfy my consular requirement. This meant that on my next tour, I would need to bid only on posts that allow me to get both. And, that is exactly how things worked out. I am going to a PD job, I will not be receiving any language training, and there is no consular component to my position. The position sounds interesting, though, and it's in a location we are really excited about, so I think the tradeoffs are worth it.

It also means that we are out of here relatively quickly. I took a few training courses this past week, and have more training over the next month or so, but it looks like we will be leaving for post in about a month and a half (I don't have a firm date yet, or even a mushy one, thanks to a bit of bureaucracy that I am trying to work around). A good sized portion of my A-100 class will actually be leaving for post over the next couple of months. First, a lot of people had language skills and went to posts with immediate openings. Second, there were a lot of non-language designated posts. Some folks are even leaving in August! It's weird to think that the 94 of us won't be together any more, after spending the last month and a half bonding. Soon, we'll be scattered around the entire world.

Prior to bidding, I had thought that we would be here for language training, so the idea of leaving so quickly has taken some getting used to. We are of course thrilled to be going to one of our top choices. But, we have also been enjoying DC, and it is a bit disappointing to be leaving so soon. There are so many things we had hoped to do, and now we are having to re-prioritize. The good thing about the Foreign Service, though, is that we know we will be back in two years, because I will definitely need language training then. We'll save the to-do list.

In the meantime, we are making good use of our time in the city. Yesterday, the weather was finally just perfect for being outside. We wrangled for hours with pre-departure-for-post bureaucracy (FSO-In-Training: 0; State Bureaucracy: 1), then spent a magnificent afternoon enjoying the city: long meandering stroll, leisurely impromptu dinner, delicious dessert picnic, and sunset on the mall. Beautiful!

Flag Day!!!

We got one of our high bids. We are totally ecstatic. Most of the class seems pretty happy with their countries as well. It's a good day.

The Offsite Retreat, and Everything Else

A-100 has continued to be very busy. There is always a softball game, a happy hour, a party, tennis, or some other fun event when we are not in class. The classes themselves have been jammed packed with information. We've had some really excellent and interesting speakers. I think we've learned a lot in the last four weeks. It has FLOWN by.

Every A-100 class involves an overnight offsite retreat. Ours was last week. In the days leading up to it, they were somewhat mysterious about would be doing while we were gone. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it ended up being really fun. It was very well done, and unlike any other leadership/team-building exercises I've ever done before. The exercises were very creative.

So, now we are here. Flag Day, THE DAY, is TOMORROW! It is sort of surreal. You spend so long working your way through the hiring process that somehow, Flag Day always seems like some mythical, theoretical point that you will never get to. It is always somewhere out there in the future. But, mine is tomorrow. Every time someone would say today "oh, your Flag Day is tomorrow," it seemed a little shocking. I feel good about it. I feel like we will rise to the occasion, no matter where they send us. That's not to say that I don't have my favorite posts, and a list of places I am hoping will be enjoyed by my colleagues, rather than ourselves. But, I know that we will be fine, no matter what, and that's a pretty good place to be in.*

*Of course, check in with me this weekend. Let's hope my positive vibe stays put once I hear my name tomorrow!

A-100

It's hard to believe but A-100 is half over, and I haven't even blogged about it. Between classes, social engagements, house guests, unpacking, and attending to miscellaneous other responsibilities, I haven't managed to find the time. I fall into bed exhausted every night, thinking "I really should blog about this. . ."

So, how is it? I think it's everything you imagine it will be, and more. It totally rocks. My classmates are smart, charismatic and engaging. The classes themselves are generally interesting and well presented, although the pace is a bit frenetic. Most days fly by. The topics are all over the map. Some days there are light assignments to prepare for the next day, but there is not a ton of homework. For those of you wondering (and worried) about the tigers, I have waited for the inevitable warnings about blogging, but they have not yet come. No one has actively discouraged us from blogging, although I was ready for that.

The bid lists have come out for our first assignment, and bids have already been submitted. It was really a fantastic list. We had an amazing array of places to consider. I think most people were pleased when they saw the possibilities. Our Flag Day, the day we learn our assignment, is next week. This is a day that we've been anticipating for so long; it's almost surreal to think we will actually live it soon. It's terribly exciting. And terribly frightening, but mostly exciting.

DC itself is also just phenomenal. There is always something to do here, no matter what your interests. It has been really fun to be able to just hop on the Metro and explore. There are great restaurants, great music, fabulous museums, all of the tourist stuff. I could live here for years and never get bored.

All in all, this has been a really good experience, and we're really glad to be here.

DC At Last (And A Few Thoughts on Packing, and Oakwood)

We made it! It feels so good to finally be here. When I caught sight of the Capitol dome driving into the city, it brought tears to my eyes. What a journey this has been, from the FSWE to this moment. In just a few short days, I will have the Bid List in my hands!

Before I get busy with other things, a few notes on packing: I have read of people with spreadsheets and lists and evil master plans to take over the universe with their packouts. I was not one of those people. I made the mistake of a) waiting until I got The Call to start cleaning out my house, and b) taking only a week off between my last day of my old job and packout. The latter was a HUGE mistake, and did not leave me enough time to pack properly (I'd lived in my house almost 10 years and have a child.). Consequently, I scurried around and made giant piles for UAB, HHE, and to drive here in the car with us. I have little idea what I have with me, but I know I erred on the side of being in DC for lengthy training, and brought a little of everything. The car was so full that we looked like Ma and Pa Clampett pulling into town. It didn't help that I decided to pack in trash bags to save time and space! With my luck, I will probably get sent abroad as soon as A-100 ends. Anyway, I can now see the benefit of maybe taking a little more time and creating a few more lists of what I am packing, and what went where.

We are pleasantly suprised by our Oakwood accomodations. We are pretty picky about housing, but agreed that with everything else we had going on, there was no way we were going to try to find our own housing, when we could just do Oakwood. From all of the criticism we'd read on the Yahoo group boards, we were expecting dumpy on-campus college apartment living. Our kitchen has junky particle board cabinets and early 80's almond colored appliances (I can barely hear myself think, the dishwasher is so loud right now). The bathrooms are similarly outdated. However, the carpet is new, much (although not all) of the apartment has been freshly repainted, and many of the furnishings appear new, and are relatively stylish. The linens are nice, and there are six place settings of dishes (although, only four chairs for the table!). The layout of the apartment is nice, and it's more spacious than I expected. All in all, we are pleasantly surprised by it. I'm glad we chose it, as it certainly was easy to simply show up and check in like you would at a hotel.

And now, more unpacking! Maybe I'll find something interesting...

Moving Forward

Somehow, it all worked out. For logistical reasons, it made more sense for me to take the baby and go to my in-laws last night. My spouse stayed here with the movers and continued to work on things. The movers showed a little after 4, and were done around 8. I had a nice dinner, the in-laws and the godparents got to see the baby (who is currently teething and screamed the whole time, but that's another story), and there was even strawberry-rhubarb pie. And, I got a good night's sleep to boot.

The house is almost empty. I have to pack the car and clean the dregs out from a few more rooms, clean a bit, and then...dare I say it? Then, we'll be done!

Movewatch 2010: The Update

So. The moving company just called. It turns out that the load on the movers' truck that "had" to be unloaded at 7am today at a location 87 miles from our house is...still at that location, and still loaded. Yes, that's right, they've been sitting there all day, and are...still 87 miles from my house. The company representative called to give me a "helpful" update: they will (allegedly) be at my house at around 4pm. Today, supposedly. He has apparently "ordered" the truck to leave for my place without dropping off the existing load.

Frankly, although it's a bit of a pain that they keep moving the date and time of the move around on me, I really don't care. I mean, I'm here at my house doing all of the last-minute things I would otherwise be doing. I'm beyond sick of cleaning and organizing, and would be going crazy even without playing the movers' version of musical chairs with my move date. I can roll with just about anything.

However.

I did get a little annoyed when the moving company rep apologized to me that they "weren't able to accomocate" me yesterday, as though all of this was occasioned by their attempts to help ME out by moving on a Sunday. I pointed out to him that the move yesterday was for THEIR convenience, not mine. He said something else that made clear that he didn't know how many times they had called and changed my the date/time, so I walked him through the timeline. All he could say was "um, it's not usually like this."

We were supposed to spend tonight with the in-laws, who live 90 minutes from us. We were supposed to be having a turkey dinner. Given the movers' current ETA, that's obviously not going to work, and I feel horribly guilty, even though it's not my fault. I'm sure the in-laws were looking forward to seeing us all one last time, and my spouse's godparents are in from out of town to meet our child for the first (and perhaps only) time.

Where's Waldo?

There used to be a PSA that came on one of the local cables channels. I can't remember what time it used to air. I want to say 10pm, but that seems kind of late for this particular PSA. Anyway, my memory is that it just had a graphic of a clock, and a solemn voice would say, "It's 10pm. Do you know where your children are?"

I am reminded of that PSA today. The voice echoes in my head, albeit slightly modified: "It's noon. Do you know where your movers are?"

Nope, no idea, because I still haven't heard from them today. They had a drop off at 7am 87 miles from here, and were going to call when they were done there.

The Initiation Rite of Packout

I think we are being hazed. Our packout has long been schedule for Monday. On Thursday, they called to see if we could move it to Wednesday. I pushed back on that, because we are leaving on Wednesday. On Friday, they called and said they were coming first thing Sunday. Yesterday, they called and said that the truck broke down, and they would be here between 10 am and noon. This morning, they called and said they could be here by 4:30. I explained that they were welcome to come, but we are having a huge party tonight. They decided to come at 7am tomorrow, instead. Then, they called one more time, to see how tight our timeline is, because they are supposed to be somewhere else at 7am tomorrow. Current ETA: early afternoon tomorrow. Want to take bets on whether they actually show then?

More Chaos!

The movers called yesterday to say they are coming a day early. As in TOMORROW!!! I am never going to finish…

Chaos

Our packout was scheduled for Monday, but the mover just called, and they are coming TOMORROW for our UAB. There are two different comapnies moving us-one for our UAB and one for our HHE. It's not a huge deal the UAB is being packed early, because I have (mostly) sorted out the UAB already, but still...yikes! They called and wanted to reschedule the HHE packout by a few days, too, but that we just couldn't do. They were nice, and gave us a choice, though.

We were planning on renting our house to a particular tenant, but that arrangement appears to be falling through, and I'm not fond of our backup choices. We may have to hire a property management company, but I'm not fond of any of those around here, either.

I still have boxes in the basement and a few closets to sort out. We're having a new stove delivered tomorrow, as the one we have now needed replacement before we have tenants. We're having a giant yard sale all weekend.

I still have insurance issues to deal with...new tires need to go on my car before we head to DC...the windshield just got a crack in it, and the oil needs changing...there is a graduation party we must attend this weekend (briefly), and we are having a going away party, too. We are clearly going to run out of time before things to do! One thing is sure--I can't wait to be in the car driving to DC.

Progress?!

I'm sure that we ARE making progress...but it sure doesn't feel like it. Simply put, we have too much stuff. Waaaaay too much stuff! I've pretty much emptied the basement, save a few last boxes. The house is mostly done, but for one cupboard and one closet. Oh, but the garage! We've barely begun to scratch the surface out there! It's a bit scary, really.

We've gone back and forth about what to bring with us. Some pieces of furniture are no-brainers, like our bed. Some pieces, though, are fragile or have sentimental value, and we are reluctantly leaving those behind. I hate the idea of living without our things, but I don't want the headaches or heartache of moving/losing certain pieces. I think we've struck a good balance, though, of taking enough so it will feel like home, but keeping enough safe so that we can deal with any damage/loss.

We're leaving all of our books (except the unread ones, of which there are many). The decorative stuff-the art and odd doo-dads we have collected throughout our life together, we are also inclined to leave behind, if for no other reason than we are kind of sick of them. There are a few items I want to take, but mostly we are ready to reinvent our decorative style, and here is the perfect opportunity. Plus, it will give my significant other something to do when we finally do get to post, and when we someday return, we will have boxes filled with history to unpack and our old things to fall back in love with. Hopefully, we will be posted somewhere with interesting odds and ends, because otherwise, our house may be a bit bland!

We did pick up a new set of dishes. Ours were looking a bit ragged. We have a wonderful collection of funky wine glasses, but we've agreed that they won't be making the trip. (I might rethink that, as they can be repurposed as water goblets, and they do have a certain amount of style-I'm not so attached to them that I'd be sad if they were broken.). We still need a new set of decent wine glasses, but we're going to wait and pick some up in DC. We're taking a variety of linens, and a wide array of clothing; our camping gear; and loads of Christmas decorations and wrapping paper.

It's so hard to figure out what 600 pounds looks like. We're driving to DC, so we'll be taking some stuff in the car (mostly, clothes, toiletries, and certain kitchen items). Our UAB (air shipment) to DC will contain more clothes for all of us, and possibly the Christmas decorations, if we can fit them. It's hard to know how long we'll be in DC, so it's hard to figure out what to take, and then because of the weight limits, we'll have to prioritize. So, clothes obviously have a priority, but I'd like to make sure we have a proper Christmas, too, if we are in DC.

It was starting to get hard to keep saying goodbye, but all of this packing-sorting-purging has made me wish this next week would hurry up and go by. I can't wait to be done with this part, and it's making it a lot easier to be ready to be out of here, if that makes any sense!

Gah

If you are on the Register, but have not yet received The Call, or even if you are still awaiting your clearances, stop what you are doing IMMEDIATELY. There is something important you must do right now: start cleaning out your basement...your garage...your closets. No really, START RIGHT NOW!

The last few weeks have been a crazy mix of family things and sorting out and finishing work amd trying to sort out onsurance issues and trying to find good tenants and trying to say goodbye to people, and, and, and...it's been CRAZY. I really wish I hadn't procrastinated and waited to start doing all of this until after I got The Call. I had the best of intentions, and planned to startpacking/sorting/weeding out months ago, but didn't. We've lived in our house for almost a decade, and let's just say we have acquired a few things "just in case"...I am a "saver" by nature, and now I'm really regretting it! I'm not sure I am going to get everything done. The movers come in about a week. Time is MELTING!

It's hard to believe that I start A-100 in a few short weeks. This has been a highly theoretical endeavor for so long, it is almost surreal that we are about to leave for DC. I cannot wait to pull out of the driveway. That will mean everything is done, and that will be a HUGE relief!

After "The Call"

Many people have been asking me exactly what I'll be doing in the Foreign Service. That's a hard question to answer, since job functions can change with every post, and every day seems like it brings new and different challenges, depending on what is going on in the country in which you are serving. Additionally, every FS officer is required to be a "generalist," meaning that you can serve in any position. There are five job tracks in the FS, and you are required to select one during the hiring process. The tracks are known as consular, economic, management, polical, and public diplomacy (PD). It is almost impossible to change tracks after you are hired, but you can serve in positions outside your job track. So, although I'm a PD officer, I can serve as an economic officer or a consular officer, etc. for a tour or a part of a tour.

Here is the State Department's brief explanation of each job track, or "cone" as they are frequently known as:

Consular: Consular Officers protect Americans abroad and strengthen U.S. border security.
Economic: Economic Officers work on economic partnerships and development, support U.S. businesses abroad, and cover environmental, science, technology, and health issues.
Management: Management Officers run our embassies and make American diplomacy work.
Political: Political Officers analyze political events.
Public Diplomacy: Public Diplomacy Officers explain American values and policies.

People seem a bit perplexed when I tell them I have no idea where I'll be serving first. But, that's the way it works. I've committed to being "worldwide available," as they put it. During our first week of training, I'll get what is known as the "bid list." It is a listing of all of the positions that are available for the people in my training class. I expect there will be about 100 posts, based on what I know has happened with training classes in the recent past. I will have to rate my interest in the posts high, medium, or low. They do try to put us each someplace that we want to be, although there are obviously no guarantees. I'll then learn during my fifth week of training exactly where I am going. I could literally be assigned anywhere. I am somewhere beyond excited about it, and although I probably should be a bit worried about being sent somewhere that I won't like, I'm not. Experiences over the last few years have taught me that I can do anything for a couple of years, and I'll survive. I may not necessarily like it, but I can deal with it.

One of the great benefits to FS life is the ability to travel. The other side of that coin is obviously the need for frequent moves, which necessitates paring down one's possessions to a manageable level. This was a task that I was not relishing, as I tend to be a bit of packrat. Hey, you never know when you might need. . .all of the items cluttering my basement and garage. Since getting my invitation to A-100 training, I've been dreading the big cleanout. However, I started in earnest yesterday, and it was surprisingly easy to declutter. My "keep" pile is tiny compared to my "trash" and "yard sale" piles. One of the best finds of the day was a notepad with some notes on it regarding a job search that I did during the summer of 1996 (yes, 1996). The list had a few notations regarding specific positions I was applying for, and then 3-4 general ideas of things that I wanted to pursue. It was a thrill to see "Foreign Service" as a possibility I was looking into even back then. For the last 4-5 years, I have been sure that this was what I wanted to do when I finished with my current career, but I had forgotten that I had been considering it for quite that long. And here I am, 14 years later, about to embark on this new life.

June A-100 It Is!

I received my invitation to the June A-100 yesterday. It would be an understatement to say that we are very excited. And also, very freaked out. We have SO much to do in the meantime, both professionally and personally, but we are so very glad to be in this position. But oh, the thought of weeding out the boxes in the basement and garage has me sweating already.

And So The Waiting Goes On

Once you hit the hiring register for the Foreign Service, you are ranked in accordance with a score that you acheived during the all-day oral assessment. The hiring is then done from this list, from the top down, with high scores receiving the first invitations to what is colloquially known as "A-100" (a nickname earned by the room number the training course was formerly held in). There are separate hiring lists for each of the five career tracks the Foreign Service utilizes (political, economic, management, consular, and public diplomacy). Each list operates independently. Training courses begin like clockwork every six weeks right now.

We are on the cusp of offers going out for the training course which begins June 21, 2010. I belong to a message board of fellow aspiring FS officers, and the offers have already started going out for consular and management candidates. During my morning commute today, I initially felt a bit anxious, knowing that public diplomacy offers could go out today. After all, I have a very good life here. My home, freshly renovated after two plus years of hard work, has never felt cozier. The wild lupine that I've been cultivating in our field over the last few years looks like it has finally taken hold, but the orchard I put in is in need of work after a hard winter--work which should commence forthwith, but work which I will have no time for if I get an offer for the June class. The lilacs are coming along nicely after several years of hard pruning to refresh them. Spring is in the air, and the world here seems fresh and bright. We have a number of enjoyable lakefront places to escape to on the weekends now, when summer is fully upon us. We live near endless amenitites that we regularly take full advantage of. Are we really going to give all of this up for a life inherently fraught with upheaval and as-yet unknowable hardships? It seems a bit crazy, and the thought of it makes me a bit nervous.

On the other hand, this crazy FS plan of ours truly is a well thought out plan, and it is beyond exciting that we are at this point. The exciting moments far outnumber the anxious ones.

Consultation with my message board this morning revealed that I need not feel overly anxious today, because it appears there is merely more waiting in store for me. According to my friends on the message board, it appears that public diplomacy offers won't go out until at least next Wednesday. If there is one thing this process teaches you, it is most certainly the fine art of patience.

And So It Begins. . .

After more than a year of jumping through hoops, then waiting, then more hoops, then more waiting, it has finally arrived in my mailbox. . .the letter proclaiming the following:

"On behalf of the Board of Examiners for theForeign Service, I am pleased to inform you that your name has been added to the register of those awaiting appointment to the Foreign Service as an Entry Level Officer in the Public Diplomacy career track."

I have wanted to join the foreign service for at least seven years, but wasn't quite at the point in my present career where I was ready to move on until about a year ago. The U.S. State Department uses a complex hiring process, and over the last fourteen months I have made it through the written exam, the three part oral exam, the medical clearance, the security clearance, and the final suitability panel. I am now on the list of folks waiting to be hired. I am beyond thrilled. There is so much to do to prepare now--seven plus years of accumulated stuff to weed through in the basement and garage and closets, in preparation for our big move to DC and beyond. It is both exciting and terrifying!