Norming the New

Isn't it amazing how quickly the new becomes the norm? The idea of starting this blog was so I could share the new experiences D and I go through as we embark on our new adventure. And yet, here I am, posting only every couple weeks. Is that because nothing new is happening? Not at all. But apparently my little psyche is normalizing all that new stuff as fast as it can so I end up finding nothing particularly worth blogging about.

Two and a half months ago I was in Hawaii, living in a beautiful 2000 sq ft house a mile from the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by a loving husband and adoring pets. Now I live by myself in deepest suburban northern Virginia in a furnished corporate apartment. I have easy access to Tasty-Kakes but can't find poke in the Safeway.

Yummy fat patties!

Delicious source of mercury!

My work life has changed from a cubicle in a high-rise office I inhabited for 9 years, with my own phone and computer, a raft of decade-long colleagues, an interesting science- and policy-based portfolio of ocean pollution issues, and some pretty cool responsibilities. Now I'm an itinerant trainee. I pounce upon any open computer in a common area, hoping for one that's not so glacially slow that I'll have to quit before it connects, to check email. My only phone is my personal cellphone. I hide my lunches in refrigerators scattered throughout the corridors of the Foreign Service Institute, then try to remember which refrigerator I chose. I lug my bike's saddlebags around all day, since students have no place to call their own after they finish A-100 orientation (and then it's just a common room with a coat rack). It's not better or worse, but it is vastly different, yet it seems normal now, after just a few weeks.

In A-100, I met 92 people, plus our course coordinators. Since then the acquisition of new acquaintances has slowed, but I've still met a ton of new fellow language or area studies students and language instructors. In A-100, we gradually came to refine the snapshot impressions of our colleagues that were based on quick introductions, to get a feel for the multi-faceted individuals they are. In language studies, we lack the vocabulary and grammar to convey complex thoughts. As a result, I'm the dog-lover, then we have the engaged guy who doesn't call his parents, the barfly with a Russian grandmother, the expectant father who dances the tango, and the woman whose husband cares for their young son and who vows never to return to the African country of her last post. I know intellectually that there is more to these people than the few things we've managed to say and to which we return again and again, but I don't know what it is. If we stay in the same language class together, I hope we'll get to the point of talking about more than dogs, drinking, pregnancy, and the poor engaged fellow's lovesickness.

Giving Thanks

It's that time of year, when we look around and try to get a little perspective from amidst the details of a life that's zipping to the close of another year. So before tomorrow dawns with a tremendous focus on El Pavo (the turkey), I thought I'd give the gracias thing a whirl.

• For my loving and supportive husband, who has agreed to this new career and is being a total sport about all that's fallen on him.
• For the overall damn good health of my parents and the fact that they're such great people.
• For the funniest and funnest group of relatives and friends a gal could hope for.
• For this amazing opportunity with the State Department. I haven't even started giving back yet, but as I learn more about it, I'm increasingly happy to be of service to such a great country.
• For the best colleagues in the world: the 100-and-counting wonderful and accomplished individuals I've met so far and the others I know are out there.
• For the amazing education/orientation I'm in the midst of, and the fact that I am currently getting a paycheck to learn a language with some of the best instructors that exist. 
• For the good luck and health to be able to bike to and from work--something I'd never have dared in Hawaii. And for the urban beauty along the W&OD bike path.
• For being in a position to take so many things for granted that it doesn't even occur to me to be thankful for them.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Gladys, el Mosh, and Sunny Holidays

Three happy things since my last post:

(1) Since Saturday, when I walked to a "nearby" outdoor store along busy highways with meandering or nonexistent sidewalks and decided, by gum, I need a bike, I've been riding around on Gladys singing to myself, "Take a look at me, I'm on a bike!" She's a very staid brown commuter, befitting my newly minted, serious persona as diplomat-in-training. But she's not afraid to sport a chirpy pedestrian-alerting bell. It's been delightful to ride the 4-ish miles to and from work in the changing weather along bike paths that put the sidewalks to shame. (And you're welcome, economy.)

(2) Today in elementary Spanish class while learning to conjugate AR verbs, we had to talk about dances we know. Everybody was talking el tango, la vals, el swing, la samba... I said "Bailo el mosh y el pogo." Our charming instructor from Peru had to find out what el mosh is, so we watched a couple terrible youtube videos (is there a great moshing video in existence?). Then she asked what bands I'd moshed at. I volunteered "Bandera Negra" (Black Flag) and the Ramones. She said, are they Latin? Giggles all around when she googled them.

(3) After deciding I couldn't afford the miles to go to San Francisco for el Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving), I broke down and bought a ticket to Hawaii for Christmas!! Bring on the festivities!

El Espanol-o!

Today was both Halloween and the first "day" of language class. That latter is something of a misnomer, since we really just got oriented to language class. I'm so ready to start learning Spanish, I could scream. Or study.

All the language-class newbies gathered this morning to--wait for it--fill out forms! Then we broke into language groups. A few trickled out for Urdu and Vietnamese, more than you'd expect for German, a handful each for French and Arabic, not too many Mandarin Chinese, a goodly gaggle of Portuguese, then the half of the room that's starting Spanish left (about 75 of us, an FSI record!). We went to a mega-room to get assigned to small classes (max of 6 each) and went through some of the basics of texts, online and in-building resources, and class schedules. There are so many of us, they're hot-bunking the classrooms. That's a term you use on a ship when people share a bunk - when one person's standing a watch, another person's sleeping in their bunk. So one group has class in a given room from 8-10am, then we have it from 10:05 to 12:05. They come back at 12:10 to 2:10, and we get it again from 2:15 to 4:15. So a given student has four hours of instruction a day, four days a week, plus lots of time in the language lab, self-study, and area studies (Central America and Caribbean for me). Plus the odd Wednesday afternoon for doctor's appointments, banking, showings of Spanish-language movies, meetings with learning consultants (seriously, we get 'em!), and so on.

After the Spanish group session and lunch, we all got back together to undergo a battery of tests to determine our learning preferences. I felt like my answers were all schizo - yes, I want structure; no, I can't abide structure! I often can't separate daydreams from reality -- what?? We'll get the results in a few weeks. I can't imagine what it'll all mean or how the language instructors will use it. Maybe it was a trick, and anyone who said they think they'd be a great clairvoyant will be quietly shown the door...

I did a little homework tonight with a CD of MP3s that demonstrated the importance of stress and intonation. The difference between PApa (potato) and paPA (dad), for instance. Yea! The humble beginnings of my professional competency in Spanish, a language I never knew I wanted to speak until now. And I do!  Poor D. will have to learn mostly by distance learning. There were quite a few EFMs (you may know them as spouses; we know them as eligible family members) in our Spanish mega-group, enrolled in the full course. Pretty cool if you can make the time and don't have jobs or kids or dogs or unsold houses hanging around your neck.

Halloween itself was fun - went over to a colleague's apartment where we all pooled our candy, ensuring that there were tons of leftovers to replenish our depleted brain sugar reserves after language training for weeks to come. Bring on the estudio de idiomas!

Flag Day, at Last

Oh man, tomorrow is our swearing-in and I still haven't done the reveal from last Friday's Flag Day! Well, the best part was having D come to town, even though it was for far too short a stay. Still, it was nice to let him meet a few of my classmates and share, from several rows away, the thrills that were the ceremony. I'd filled out my "fantasy flag day" entry on the bus to and from our morning field trip. In addition, a few folks from our group put together bingo (actually, Oooooo-saka; sorry, inside joke) cards, which I tried to play while filling in the results for my fantasy flag day entry. 

But the big news is the process: all 93 of us sat in a group, with family and friends seated behind us. Our career development officers, A-100 course coordinators, class mentor, and dignitaries from the Foreign Service Institute were at the front of the room. Three banks of miniature flags were carried aloft to the front, and we were off. One by one, the image of a flag was projected on a screen, and someone (or many someones) called out the country. Then the post, job, and individual were announced. We'd been encouraged to make lots and lots of noise so the children in attendance wouldn't feel bad for being loud. We did not disappoint. It was mainly a blur, but I remember one classmate who was POSITIVE he'd go to a Mexico border post and was called for a post in Brazil. He practically danced to the front, although I suspect he'd have done the same for Mexico. One or two of the 17 posts we'd ranked high were called and claimed by others, then another high (and the one I'd ranked #1 in my head while reviewing our highs the day before) was called. I leaned to the classmate next to me and said "This will be me." 

And it was!! I was certainly in the top 5% of most visibly thrilled of the group. Looks like we're headed to Managua, Nicaragua, to do a little consular work and a little environment, science, and technology work. There are lakes, beaches, forests, and volcanoes. Crazy, huh? There's still about 9 months of training to go (Spanish from nothing to pretty darn fluent and lots of what they call trade craft), so there's plenty of time to get used to the new reality. So, about six weeks in. Verdict? Best decision (work-related) ever!!

Disclaimer: So many have described it better than I did, so I refer you http://www.travelorders.com/flag-day-stories/ for 50 very good stories about Flag Day.   

Flag Day Eve

I know you're all ALMOST as excited as we are to find out where we're heading, but you'll just have to wait about 18-20 hours. This whole week has seemingly been designed to distract us from thinking about it. We had a holiday on Monday and spent Friday and the rest of this week perfecting our mad skillz in public speaking and answering questions without necessarily answering questions.

Then this evening when I got back from work, the hubby had arrived, which is definitely distracting, in the best way imaginable! Bonus: free pint glasses at the Dogfish Head Ale House. And great beer to boot.

We'll keep you posted!

Two Things I Love About A-100

When is the last time you got thrown into a large group of people and were pretty much required to get to know them all and form a cohesive group? For me, it was my Peace Corps training group in the early '90s, and there wasn't nearly as much emphasis on creating a group, since we were headed to one-off two-year posts. I'm still in touch with a good number of them, but our careers have all diverged. This group will be colleagues until we quit or retire, and we'll benefit from the network of people scattered around the globe for information and job referrals. It finally feels like it's starting to gel; we've moved from learning one another's names and histories to developing stronger bonds (dare I say friendships?) with individuals and gathering in groups to analyze our larger group.

And the bonding continues apace. A chunk of folks went off the Outer Banks (North Carolina) for the long weekend. A huge number of the remaining went out for Korean barbecue on Friday night. And we had an American-style barbecue on Saturday night, where we met some of the members of the Foreign Service Specialists group, whose A-100 orientation overlaps ours. Met a diplomatic security agent candidate (their term of art, which I don't understand exactly, but it has to do with the requirement for lots of training before they start serving overseas) and an information technology specialist, who is also from Hawaii. 

The other thing that makes me grin on a regular basis is walking around the Foreign Service Institute and hearing conversations in so many languages, including many I can't identify. They don't discriminate against "boutique" languages, those spoken in just one or two countries. The instructors are all native speakers, so I've been delighted to hear West African-accented French. The woman who gave me my French test a few weeks ago was from Senegal. In fact, of all the crazy coincidences, she'd worked on the same project I did during my internship (although she was long gone by the time I was there).

OK, a third thing. I'm a learning junkie, and this job appears to be... trying to come up with a way to finish this sentence that doesn't completely glorify drug addiction and am failing. Anyway, I'll be learning on a steep curve for a long time. If I don't OD, I'll be flying high for a long time. 

Core Skills Rotations--Be Still, My Beating Heart!

This is when A-100 gets exciting. Well, it's actually been exciting all along, but this week is one of the best. First of all, because it starts with our first holiday. It's Columbus Day to feds who have the day off, aka Discoverer's Day to folks in Hawaii, but it's also Thanksgiving Day to our friends up north. For me it's an extra day to have procrastinated on preparing my "speech." That's the exciting part of this week's orientation. We have Core Skills Rotations. That's fancy talk for breaking into smaller groups, occupying different rooms than our home sweet home for the last 4 weeks, and not just sitting there like baby birds with our mouths open. The 4 days of core skills started on Friday with Composure Under Fire, a simulation with about 10 classmates of answering tough questions in tough situations. I was representing a newbie at the embassy in a South American city and had to field questions from a group that had been protesting U.S. policy outside the embassy just moments before. Whew!

Another highlight of the week is public speaking, in which each of us gives a 5-minute talk to an imagined audience at an embassy about something related to our job. I'm up tomorrow so drafting that talk is on today's agenda. They'll videotape our talks and give us pointers, playing back the best and "most-improvable" sections for us, in front of all our peers, of course. Can't wait!

There are a number of other, less intimidating sessions sprinkled throughout the week as well. The finale for the week is flag day. Finally. You'd think we'd all be sick of talking about our most desired posts, what the pet restrictions are in various countries, and how we prioritized our bid lists, but you'd be wrong. The first move away from D.C. feels like when the job really starts, even though many of us could be here close to a year for language and job training. Another reason many of us, including me, are thrilled is that our far-flung spouses are coming to town to share the delight or despair that day. D arrives Thursday; yea!!

This and That from Week 3

Two great happenings this last week:
1) My old work email got shut off on Friday! Moving 6000 miles, living in a corporate apartment, being away from family and pets--none of that made it sink in, but having the old email account go away really drove this change home. Yea!
2) I ran clear around a lake (just under 5 miles) on a trail, starting in the ankle-wrenching dark. All the other runners beat me back by at least 15 minutes, but I did it!

Other cool stuff since my last update? We spent two whole work days out in the country wearing regular clothes - no suits! It was leadership and team building and it defied your expectations of what that entails. Without violating non-disclosure agreements, perhaps I can tell you that there were mild explosives and the challenges reminded me a bit of my fave, Amazing Race.

Today I was dragged kicking and screaming out of my apartment (yesterday consisted solely of bad, recent movies on TV and catching up with Castle online) to attend the Turkish festival and hit some museums in DC. Warhol Headlines at National Gallery of Art, a quick peek at the photo I contributed to the Oceans Hall at the Natural History Museum, and a reprise of the Nam June Paik exhibit. Much better than more TV, although I'll never get caught up on Project Runway at this rate.

Week four starts tomorrow. Flag Day is at the end of week five, so it's just a matter of surviving until then. Lots of lectures about policy and interagency responsibilities. Should be absolutely fascinating...

For those of you considering a career in the Foreign Service, you need to be invited to a class by the time you're 59 (check the fine print on that yourself if you're close). The next FSOT (Foreign Service Officer Test) is administered October 1-8, so it may be too late if you haven't already registered. They offer it three times a year. Go read up: http://www.careers.state.gov/officer/

Bid List Delivered...

...and now the waiting begins. It's less than three weeks until Flag Day--not the holiday, but the day we get little replicas of the flag of the country we'll be serving in! Can't wait to find out and to have an excuse for D to visit. After much research on pet regulations in various posts and soul-searching on whether embassy A is a high, medium, or low preference, it's mailed in and unchangeable. Now there's nothing left to obsess about until Flag Day. Whew!

In other news, Murphy, the temp cat, is working out nicely. He's a declawed grey tabby. Downsides: litter box and his tendency to bite without warning. Upsides: he's a cat! Plus he's a pretty ideal combination of affectionate and aloof. He's mine, all mine until November 1.

Finally, went for a slog of a run outside. It's not that hot, but it's very muggy. Still, as sweaty and disgusting as the run was, it was not as disgusting as it felt to sit around all day every day. There are scads of biking/running trails around here, so I hope to explore while the weather stays snow-free.

Week Two? Survived.

Quick update on the week:
1) I did exactly how I thought I would on the French test; I need another 8 weeks to get to a 3/3 (those numbers mean nothing to you, but if I could find the dadgummed video of an English-as-a-second-language speaker speaking at a 3/3, you'd see that it's not great, but basically workable in a professional setting).
2) I got my UAB (unaccompanied air baggage), 250 pounds of the stuff I thought when I left home that I could not do without. Sadly, living beings were not allowed in UAB, so I found that I'd sent myself lots of "huh?" items, like facial masks from Korea, vintage 2008, and more pedicure products than I'll ever use. Still, I'm happy to be wearing my magenta fuzzy socks, knitted by Aunt Jessie, if memory serves.
3) I got a fierce cold from all those germ bags I call my colleagues. We're packed like sardines in a room designed for about half our numbers. And we all picked up the cream of the virus crop from our flights in from Azerbaijan, Brussels, and Honolulu to share with our new best friends.
4) D and I chatted with my career development officer (known as--you guessed it--my CDO), with little closure or inkling on what to expect on October 14, flag day. We need to get our bid list in by Tuesday morning
4) I met up with a bud and colleague from home for delicious Turkish cuisine at Agora. Actually, through the veil of phlegm, I could just get hints of the deliciousness, but I'm definitely going back when this all clears up.
5) I got a handful of emails from the old job that nailed home how glad I am to be taking on a whole new universe of challenges.
6) Took the Meyers-Brigg test for the first time - wondering if it'll agree with my billion iterations of the Keirsey temperament sorter, where I'm an ESTP. If you don't know what that means, consider yourself fortunate!

Bidding Preferences--Done!

Tomorrow morning at SOB (that's start of business, or 8am, for you acronymically challenged individuals), our bidding preferences are due to our CDOs (career development officers). My priorities are (1) traveling with pets, (2) using a language other than English (I'm hoping for French, Turkish, Swahili, or Arabic), and (3) not leaving DC before D's ready to leave Hawaii. Other people might prioritize having opportunities for their spouse to work, working in their field (mine is public diplomacy), going to a post with high pay differential (that's the hassle factor, which might reflect disease, crappy Internet, danger, and lack of access to great beer), or a custom-designed preference. About the only places that are really off the table are ones D couldn't accompany me on (only two jobs, in one city), although places that don't allow the full complement of 4 pets are not the slightest bit interesting. We all signed a page that indicated we're worldwide available, so if push came to shove, I'd need to take one for the team. I just don't think the team wants to test us that way. [fingers crossed]

Happy Hours

Monday night at a bar? Seriously? Apparently part of our training--even this very informal type--is in being sociable, or "representation." As it turns out, it was perfect, with the possible exception of being horribly overdressed. It was a low-pressure way to learn that we have one competitive and one aspiring curler in the group, meet "tipsy C--", discuss pet-importing possibilities in Turkey, and hatch the schemes for a weekend in New York, the 163rd symphonic orchestra, and karaoke! After a long afternoon of diplomatic prose, that was what I needed. Tomorrow we go to "Main State," which is the mother ship in Foggy Bottom, not our normal, cozy nest of a Foreign Service Institute. We'll meet with D.C.-based folks who work in the regional and topic-area bureaus and learn more about career development. Then there's an after-work reception for public diplomacy folks (that's my concentration).

And So It Begins...

Glory, hallelujah! I started down this road almost exactly two years ago, signing up for the Foreign Service written exam on 9/11/09 and arriving in DC 9/10/11 as a member of the 163rd A-100 orientation class. I continually reassured my hubby, D, that there was no way I'd ever get through the whole process, but as time and hurdles passed, I wanted it more and more. And miraculously, the world's most supportive husband went along with this crazy scheme!

So I got here a week ago yesterday and have survived an entire week of suits, closed-toe shoes, and an instant community of 93 A-100 classmates. Others in my class have summarized the events better than I have (will try to link to their blogs once I figure out how), so I'll just share a bit of the culture shock.

• Bureaucracy: I've been working for the federal government for 9+ years, so the number of acronyms and forms is not a problem. There is a fair amount of protocol to learn, which will keep me on my toes (or feet, anyway, when an ambassador enters or leaves the room).
• Housing: Living in a furnished corporate apartment in the hinterlands of suburban Virginia is downright weird. Something I need to get used to, apparently, since housing at most posts overseas is government provided and furnished. I'll probably look back fondly on the luxurious Oakwood Falls Church some day...
• Singledom: I've left behind my Hawaii family and friends. D, the dogs, and the cat; my best buddy, J, and her dog; a lot of beloved colleagues (and maybe a few I won't miss that much); the beaches; the house; the ahi poke... I hope that D and the critters will join me in April or at post, whichever comes first. A fair number of my classmates have also left their S.O.s to keep earning, man the fort, or close up shop. I will be getting a loaner cat next weekend; hope that's not a huge mistake that Harriet will hold against me forevermore.
• Clothing: I have to wear suits. And shoes that enclose my entire foot. Waaah! I believe this may be enforced only for the six weeks of A-100, because many of the folks roaming the halls of the Foreign Service Institute are wearing normal clothes. I even saw some slippahs!
• Colleagues: Wow, you thought I have a strong personality? Loads of super smart and talented people, but there's a lot of generals and not many privates. I'm hoping we can all mellow out a little; I think it's better already. Next week we have a two-day team-building trip. That'll probably make us all more comfortable and relaxed.
• Classes: I've been out of school for a while, but as a perpetual student, this doesn't bother me a bit. We're in a classroom, scrunched in ludicrously tight, 8:30 to 5 most days of the week, and all the sessions are fascinating (at least so far).

We got the list of available entry-level positions on Wednesday, so research is the name of the game. This week we'll turn in our bidding preference documents (listing what criteria we'd like the career development officer to consider in assigning us), and next week the list of positions, with each post marked high, medium, or low. I'll have a quickie French test this week to see if I have any hope of qualifying right away for a French-speaking post or need additional instruction.

I'm completely happy with the decision to join the Foreign Service. If I could have D and the pets here, all would be well.