On Wednesday of this week one of my classmates mentioned to many of us that "today is our official 'hump day.'" Now at first I thought she was a little off... of course it's hump day, it's Wednesday after all. Then, after a little bit of thought it came to me that Wednesday was our official halfway point through training. It's crazy to think that as I write this entry today that I have already completed four of the seven weeks in A-100. To be honest, it feels as though I have been in training for months and have been working with my classmates for a decade. I guess when you put that much time, effort, and learning in to such a short amount of time, the only way we can truly comprehend it is to stretch the timeline out in our minds. No matter what, its becoming obvious why I am so tired at the end of the day!
Now aside from my summers of two-a-day swim practices, I have never really been the best napper. Unless completely exhausted, I've always had the hardest time shutting off my mind and letting go for a quick rest. Stretching back as far as I can remember, I've always been a little too worried that I will miss out on something. As a result, I think I convinced myself that I always needed to just fight being tired to make sure I wouldn't miss what the world had in store for me. My analogy reminds me a little bit of when my oldest niece was just a baby and she'd never want to go to sleep... she was always the curious little bugger that wanted to be awake for everything (she sure does make her uncle proud!). This week however, was a completely different story. More than once this week I came home and started studying or working on homework after class. Realizing that I was too tired to be absorbing information or make logical decisions, I would put my materials down, turn on the TV and just rest my brain for a bit. After what I can figure was only a short while, I would unintentionally fall asleep and wake up HOURS later!! To top it all of, even after waking up and finishing my nightly routine, I was still able to get to bed at a normal time and sleep through the night. Its been almost embarrassing that this is what my nights have become, but hopefully after a weekend of sleeping and getting stuff done I'll be able to return to a normal schedule (or what could pass as normal considering the circumstances) this week.
A-100 week 4 was a big mix of exposure as we continue to learn more about our new jobs, the State Department, and overall U.S. foreign policy. This week we spent an entire day learning how to adjust to working in a different culture and how the clash of U.S. habits and demeanor with the local culture can cause some major workplace chaos. While many of my classmates have worked in an overseas environment before, I found these sessions to be quite helpful, as I want to be as effective as possible when I get to post. In the process of discussing and learning about "crossing cultures" it was really interesting to profile and generalize American behavior. One of my favorite parts of the day was when someone clashed with me about Midwestern communication. I was insistent that in the Midwest we constantly have to read between the lines when someone is talking to us (as opposed to saying exactly what's on our minds). A number of folks disagreed with me, but it turns out one of my fellow Minnesotans was having the same disagreement in his small group. After the discussion he came up to me with a few of his group members and asked, "Brian, how do you know if its okay to accept food that someone has offered you?" I told him, "well, if they offer it only once you politely decline, but if they offer 2-3 times, you know you have to take it." He began to laugh and the people with him looked dumbfounded. They asked me how that works, and I had to explain that in the Midwest if someone is seriously offering you something (as opposed to just being polite) they offer it multiple times to notify you that it's okay to accept. It was so fascinating to discover that being able to overcome and learn our own American culture differences will be a big help in adjusting to life and work overseas. I guess with our diverse class, we'll have plenty of time to practice before shipping out.
This week we also began our series, "Diplomatic History." I think a more appropriate title would be "History for Diplomats," but the point is probably taken. In our sessions this week we began to learn the historical foundations of U.S. foreign policy, beginning with the outreach done during the Revolutionary War. Now, I've never been a history buff, but I really did enjoy these sessions and fealt like I learned a lot. I don't know if I'll ever be able to remember it all, but I think it is useful to be able to learn and discuss previous events and how we can learn lessons from them. Additionally, we learned that the State Department has a History Office, that can provide research and context to events of the past. I hope that I'll be able to tap into this resource as I get ready to go to post. I'm convinced that I'm going to learn as much history of the country we're assigned to as possible before we head out... we'll see how that goes.
The end of the week brought what could be one of my favorite sessions thus far. We received a briefing from the Congressional Relations Office for the State Department. It was so exciting to learn more about how the Department works with Congress to make decisions and to hopefully develop policy that is favorable to us. I was also elated to discover that the CR office does have positions available to FSOs on DC tours. Now I wouldn't be back to DC for 4-5 years most likely, but I definitely think I want to keep this option in mind for the future. One great opportunity would be a one-year fellowship to work in a Congressional office on foreign affairs issues. I always regretted not working on "The Hill" during our time in DC, but who knows, this could be a great opportunity to do some policy work while maintaining my position as a FSO. Our session with the CR office was the cap to a series discussing interagency cooperation. It was surprising how much work it takes for the government to work with itself, but when you consider checks and balances, it's probably a good thing. I guess this is just the reality of our world and we can only work to increase cooperation and efficiency. It's exciting to think that I could be doing this now from the inside.
This weekend I am working on my final cable assignment. I can't believe how much we've learned in four short weeks! I'm actually looking forward to putting this together and seeing how much progress I've made. My last practice cable got good remarks from the instructor, so I'm hoping that I can do even better on this final assignment.
This coming week our class splits into three groups for "core skills rotations." I'm told that these sessions are deep dives into public speaking, composure under fire (tough questions), and learning more about Foreign Service life. I'm sure it will continue to be exhausting, but I'm really looking forward to these practical sessions where we get to apply much of what we've learned thus far.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
He Said: A-100 Week 3 & "The Woods"
First I want to apologize for the delay in getting this post up. As you've probably guessed, this experience has left me both crazily busy and extremely E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D! Considering it is Wednesday of the following week and I am just getting around to this post, I think it just shows a little of what my life is like right now. Thank you to everyone who has been calling and/or sending me e-mails. I apologize that I have not yet had a chance to return many of them, but I will do what I can to get around to it. By the time I hit the end of the day, get dinner and homework done, and then carve out time to talk to Steph I barely have time for anything else. I'm not too confident that things will change before Flag Day, but in the meantime I will continue to chip away at getting back to you all.
This week past week marked my first whole week and weekend without Steph. Its strange to realize that this is the first time in my life that I have lived alone. Throughout my life I've either had siblings, roommates, or Steph, so this is quite the adjustment. Its probably a good thing that I've got so much to do which helps pass the time.
Week three was another great week of training where I felt I gained so much. The first two days of the week were spent in the classroom where we continued to work on our cable writing. We received feedback on our last assignment, and I'm happy to report that I am improving with each try. I'm definitely glad that we're going to have so much practice before I ever have to write one for real at post! We also spent a large chunk of the two days covering management within an embassy or U.S. Mission. It is interesting to get a look at how our working situation may be covered and how we might be able to advance in our careers. We were lucky enough to have a panel that covered all of the career tracks. The more I learn about it, the more confident I am that I picked the right cone. I think being a Public Diplomacy officer will be great!
Before we left for our leadership retreat (The Woods), we were given the results of our Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI is an assessment that tells you your preferences in viewing the world, dealing with people, and making decisions. I am an ENTP, meaning that I am extroverted, I see the big picture first and then the details, I work through problem solving logistically rather than from the gut, and I do not prefer to schedule things in advance or plan too far ahead. We are supposed to use the results of our test to see how we deal with people and to recognize where we may have to work harder to deal with people that are different from us. I really feel that I learned a lot from taking the assessment this time around, mostly because they explained what each letter means so well.
The rest of the week was spent at "The Woods," a conference facility in West Virginia. This offsite is an opportunity for the A-100 staff to really dig deep and give us an opportunity to work on our team building and leadership skills. While we did not do trust falls and the other cliche retreat activities, we did go through many different exercises that tested our ability to quickly create working teams, identify leadership and expertise, and implement a plan. I've mentioned in previous posts what an impressive group my class is. After spending three days with them conducting teambuilding activities, I must say that I am blown away even more. Honestly, I really didn't expect to learn that much from the offsite. In the end, I was completely wrong and took away so much. It was such a new concept to work on such a competent team and to realize that I don't HAVE to be the leader of the group for it to succeed. A truly valuable lesson to learn I think.
In the midst of the offsite, I was able to complete my class committee obligation by participating in the A-100 Follies, a variety show put on by every class during the offsite. After a week of writing and practicing, I think the show was a hit. The class coordinators did not give us much guidance (in an effort to make every show original), so we settled on creating a show similar to Saturday Night Live. I was one of the anchors in the "Weekend Update" skit, which was a blast. I think the highlight of the show was both the live band we had (made up of classmates) and a skit called "Acronym Guy" which makes fun of the constant alphabet soup we're exposed to everyday as those in the State Department communicate with us and all those in the Department. We literally had people rolling on the floor laughing... what a blast!
After the offsite, I think everyone was completely exhausted. The bus ride home was definitely much quieter than the one on the way to The Woods. I guess its good to know that everyone put so much into the experience that all they could do was rest. I think leading into this week we were all really tired and it showed. We're probably at that point where you just maintain "operational" status in your life and do whatever you need to be able to stay awake in class, get your homework done, and learn something about how to do our jobs in the process.
This week I'm going to work on getting more sleep. I don't have a shortage of things to do, but perhaps I can do some exercises in moving from a "P" in the MBTI to a "J" forcing me to create lists and become more efficient in my time management.
This week past week marked my first whole week and weekend without Steph. Its strange to realize that this is the first time in my life that I have lived alone. Throughout my life I've either had siblings, roommates, or Steph, so this is quite the adjustment. Its probably a good thing that I've got so much to do which helps pass the time.
Week three was another great week of training where I felt I gained so much. The first two days of the week were spent in the classroom where we continued to work on our cable writing. We received feedback on our last assignment, and I'm happy to report that I am improving with each try. I'm definitely glad that we're going to have so much practice before I ever have to write one for real at post! We also spent a large chunk of the two days covering management within an embassy or U.S. Mission. It is interesting to get a look at how our working situation may be covered and how we might be able to advance in our careers. We were lucky enough to have a panel that covered all of the career tracks. The more I learn about it, the more confident I am that I picked the right cone. I think being a Public Diplomacy officer will be great!
Before we left for our leadership retreat (The Woods), we were given the results of our Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI is an assessment that tells you your preferences in viewing the world, dealing with people, and making decisions. I am an ENTP, meaning that I am extroverted, I see the big picture first and then the details, I work through problem solving logistically rather than from the gut, and I do not prefer to schedule things in advance or plan too far ahead. We are supposed to use the results of our test to see how we deal with people and to recognize where we may have to work harder to deal with people that are different from us. I really feel that I learned a lot from taking the assessment this time around, mostly because they explained what each letter means so well.
The rest of the week was spent at "The Woods," a conference facility in West Virginia. This offsite is an opportunity for the A-100 staff to really dig deep and give us an opportunity to work on our team building and leadership skills. While we did not do trust falls and the other cliche retreat activities, we did go through many different exercises that tested our ability to quickly create working teams, identify leadership and expertise, and implement a plan. I've mentioned in previous posts what an impressive group my class is. After spending three days with them conducting teambuilding activities, I must say that I am blown away even more. Honestly, I really didn't expect to learn that much from the offsite. In the end, I was completely wrong and took away so much. It was such a new concept to work on such a competent team and to realize that I don't HAVE to be the leader of the group for it to succeed. A truly valuable lesson to learn I think.
In the midst of the offsite, I was able to complete my class committee obligation by participating in the A-100 Follies, a variety show put on by every class during the offsite. After a week of writing and practicing, I think the show was a hit. The class coordinators did not give us much guidance (in an effort to make every show original), so we settled on creating a show similar to Saturday Night Live. I was one of the anchors in the "Weekend Update" skit, which was a blast. I think the highlight of the show was both the live band we had (made up of classmates) and a skit called "Acronym Guy" which makes fun of the constant alphabet soup we're exposed to everyday as those in the State Department communicate with us and all those in the Department. We literally had people rolling on the floor laughing... what a blast!
After the offsite, I think everyone was completely exhausted. The bus ride home was definitely much quieter than the one on the way to The Woods. I guess its good to know that everyone put so much into the experience that all they could do was rest. I think leading into this week we were all really tired and it showed. We're probably at that point where you just maintain "operational" status in your life and do whatever you need to be able to stay awake in class, get your homework done, and learn something about how to do our jobs in the process.
This week I'm going to work on getting more sleep. I don't have a shortage of things to do, but perhaps I can do some exercises in moving from a "P" in the MBTI to a "J" forcing me to create lists and become more efficient in my time management.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
She Said: A much needed break
Sorry I have been so disconnected, though I must admit that it has been intentional. There is so much I could share that I don't even know where to start, but I will take a shot at updating you on what has been going on.
Brian and I had a great time in Florida, which, as I suggested, was a much needed break from this chaos. I intentionally did not bring anything foreign service related with me, with the exception of the bid list. Friday morning we talked with Brian's CDO and had a really great conversation. I truly believe that he cares about my input as well as Brian's career and will take those into consideration as much as he can. On Sunday, I had to send Brian back to DC. A melty, crying mess, I drove myself back to Marco Island for one more day of vacation. Monday Brian submitted the bid list, and to be honest, it feels really good. It is out of our hands now and we will have to wait until flag day to see where we land.
While I have been missing Brian dearly, I am also very busy at Target. Today was our National Sales Meeting and I thought to myself about how sad I would be if I had to leave that environment. Target is an outstanding company through and through and the environment is addicting. I absolutely love working with the people there. Kelly Clarkson performed at the meeting today, but to be honest, she looked terrible. Jake Shimibukuro, a Hawaiian ukulele player, definitely put on a better show than Clarkson. He was amazing and I'm putting in a plug for all of you to check out his music on You Tube and support him if you like it. Who would have thought I'd like ukulele music.
That's all I have for now. I am trying to keep myself busy as we lead up to flag day and will keep you posted on the process of packing out, moving out of our apartment, and all the other fun things that accompany this process.
Brian and I had a great time in Florida, which, as I suggested, was a much needed break from this chaos. I intentionally did not bring anything foreign service related with me, with the exception of the bid list. Friday morning we talked with Brian's CDO and had a really great conversation. I truly believe that he cares about my input as well as Brian's career and will take those into consideration as much as he can. On Sunday, I had to send Brian back to DC. A melty, crying mess, I drove myself back to Marco Island for one more day of vacation. Monday Brian submitted the bid list, and to be honest, it feels really good. It is out of our hands now and we will have to wait until flag day to see where we land.
While I have been missing Brian dearly, I am also very busy at Target. Today was our National Sales Meeting and I thought to myself about how sad I would be if I had to leave that environment. Target is an outstanding company through and through and the environment is addicting. I absolutely love working with the people there. Kelly Clarkson performed at the meeting today, but to be honest, she looked terrible. Jake Shimibukuro, a Hawaiian ukulele player, definitely put on a better show than Clarkson. He was amazing and I'm putting in a plug for all of you to check out his music on You Tube and support him if you like it. Who would have thought I'd like ukulele music.
That's all I have for now. I am trying to keep myself busy as we lead up to flag day and will keep you posted on the process of packing out, moving out of our apartment, and all the other fun things that accompany this process.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
He Said: A-100 Week Two
Another week down, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t exhausted. Over the past two weeks I’ve had so much information presented to me, I think it’s tiring just for my brain to try and absorb/comprehend it all. I have never been in a situation like this where I am required to be engaged for an entire day. From the time I arrive, until I finally get home each evening, I am either having something new taught to me, doing research, or simply trying to get to know my ninety plus classmates. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love what I am doing and feel so lucky to be there, but they certainly weren’t lying when they said the first two weeks are the worst. I’ll definitely be crossing my fingers next week for it to become “routine.”
On Sunday I had to put Steph on a plane back to Minnesota. It was so good to have her out to share the experience and to meet many of my classmates and their spouses and/or families. I was sad to see her go, but knew that this was a small price for us to pay to be able to share this adventure. I believe she wrote already about her travel nightmare on the way back, so I’ll spare you all the nitty gritty details.
This week was definitely a big mix in terms of subject matter. We had the opportunity to hear from yet another Ambassador, as well as some third and fourth tour FSOs. It is amazing to hear the stories and experiences these people have had. Their reflection is a constant reminder of how unique this experience is and how lucky Steph and I are. We also took some time this week to begin learning to write “cables.” Cables are the system the State Department uses to communicate between post and Washington. Based on the old teletypes, cables are a writing style of their own… basically a super memo. I thought because I’ve spent so much time in my professional life writing memos that I would be an instant superstar in putting cables together…boy was I wrong! It is definitely an acquired craft, and I’m glad we’re having the chance to practice before I ever have to write one for real.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the week was the time we spent discussing U.S. public diplomacy. As a PD coned officer, it was automatic that this topic would intrigue me. I’m amazed at the breadth of U.S. efforts to understand, inform, engage, and influence the rest of the world. Amazingly, it has much more to do about relationships than it does about policy. I can’t wait to continue this series.
The last and most demanding task of the week was completing the requirements for submitting our bid list. While Steph was visiting, we spent the majority of our time together researching the posts that were available on our bid list to determine how we were going to bid each. We are required to mark posts as a high, medium plus, medium, or low, based on our career and personal preferences. Although we are “worldwide available” it is nice that they at least give us a say in where we end up on our first tour. After hours upon hours of research at the Overseas Briefing Center, surfing the web, and watching post videos (firsthand accounts or recruiting videos made by many of the U.S. missions) we finally wrapped up our bid list on Tuesday night, which was good considering it had to be turned in on Wednesday.
Friday marked one of the final steps for us in the bidding process. In the morning I sat down with my Career Development Officer (CDO) and Steph via telephone to discuss our strategy in bidding and how we got to the conclusions we did. I think the interview went well, and it was also useful to hear firsthand his experiences and the process they go through. We’ve got until Monday to make any last minute changes, and then it’s completely out of our hands. Flag Day is less than four weeks away, but I am already ready to know where we are going and to move forward.
My great reward at the end of the week was to finally be able to see Steph again. We’ve had a long planned vacation to Florida with my cousin Renee and her husband, so I’m glad I was still able to join. My part of the trip will be cut short as I have to be in class again on Monday morning, but after an intense couple of weeks it is nice to have a little time to relax.
On Sunday I had to put Steph on a plane back to Minnesota. It was so good to have her out to share the experience and to meet many of my classmates and their spouses and/or families. I was sad to see her go, but knew that this was a small price for us to pay to be able to share this adventure. I believe she wrote already about her travel nightmare on the way back, so I’ll spare you all the nitty gritty details.
This week was definitely a big mix in terms of subject matter. We had the opportunity to hear from yet another Ambassador, as well as some third and fourth tour FSOs. It is amazing to hear the stories and experiences these people have had. Their reflection is a constant reminder of how unique this experience is and how lucky Steph and I are. We also took some time this week to begin learning to write “cables.” Cables are the system the State Department uses to communicate between post and Washington. Based on the old teletypes, cables are a writing style of their own… basically a super memo. I thought because I’ve spent so much time in my professional life writing memos that I would be an instant superstar in putting cables together…boy was I wrong! It is definitely an acquired craft, and I’m glad we’re having the chance to practice before I ever have to write one for real.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the week was the time we spent discussing U.S. public diplomacy. As a PD coned officer, it was automatic that this topic would intrigue me. I’m amazed at the breadth of U.S. efforts to understand, inform, engage, and influence the rest of the world. Amazingly, it has much more to do about relationships than it does about policy. I can’t wait to continue this series.
The last and most demanding task of the week was completing the requirements for submitting our bid list. While Steph was visiting, we spent the majority of our time together researching the posts that were available on our bid list to determine how we were going to bid each. We are required to mark posts as a high, medium plus, medium, or low, based on our career and personal preferences. Although we are “worldwide available” it is nice that they at least give us a say in where we end up on our first tour. After hours upon hours of research at the Overseas Briefing Center, surfing the web, and watching post videos (firsthand accounts or recruiting videos made by many of the U.S. missions) we finally wrapped up our bid list on Tuesday night, which was good considering it had to be turned in on Wednesday.
Friday marked one of the final steps for us in the bidding process. In the morning I sat down with my Career Development Officer (CDO) and Steph via telephone to discuss our strategy in bidding and how we got to the conclusions we did. I think the interview went well, and it was also useful to hear firsthand his experiences and the process they go through. We’ve got until Monday to make any last minute changes, and then it’s completely out of our hands. Flag Day is less than four weeks away, but I am already ready to know where we are going and to move forward.
My great reward at the end of the week was to finally be able to see Steph again. We’ve had a long planned vacation to Florida with my cousin Renee and her husband, so I’m glad I was still able to join. My part of the trip will be cut short as I have to be in class again on Monday morning, but after an intense couple of weeks it is nice to have a little time to relax.
Monday, March 9, 2009
She Said: Sharing Foreign Experiences
Q: How did your day go. We are excited about getting more information about your days and experiences.
Asked by Steve Flinn
A: I guess the fact that it took me 4 days to get to your question pretty much answers it. I know we've shared lots since then, and the bottom line is we had a blast being together in Washington. I will be looking forward to being together in one place again sometime in the near future. It was strange to be back in Washington again, but in a totally different space with once again, new experiences.
The excitement and seeking information piece of your question reminded me of something that came up in the training that I thought I'd just share it. The staff at FSI said that one of the biggest challenges families and children face when they come back from overseas (and even now I can see it to a certain extent), is that they have a hard time connecting to people at home because their lives are so different. I remember this from study abroad. When I came back, I wanted to share my experiences. It's not that people aren't interested, it's just that you have very different experiences and people sometimes aren't as interested in listening. An older woman at FSI told me how fortunate she was to have people in her life at home that would sit she and her husband down each time they came home and share experiences back and forth. That has been our experience so far as well and I wanted to say thanks to all of you for being so supportive and interested in what we're doing. You have all been so interested in hearing about what we are doing and we have not felt disconnected at all. We really do look forward to sharing our experiences with you in the future as you share yours with us as well.
Ask stephbeckmann a question.
She Said: Post Research and Spouse Training
I have never been so happy to see our apartment as I was tonight when I walked through the door. Given that this is not a blog about how much I dislike flying through O'Hare Airport or about my terrible experiences on United Airlines, I'll spare you the details of my trip home. Suffice it to say that it was not fun and I arrived in MN at 3:00 in the morning last night. Yes, I did still work today.
I too am very sorry that I have not posted lately. Brian and I have literally been glued to computers, books, reading files, and whatever other media we could get our hands on to do our post research. It has been a blast! We are both exhausted, but this experience has been even more fun than I ever could have imagined. Putting a description, name and place to where we might possible be posted is absolutely thrilling!
This weekend brought both anxiety and calm to my life. In spouse training I had the opportunity to meet other talented men and women who are also leaving their own careers to go on a journey with their significant others. It was really reassuring to hear others who had the same fears and worries that I do about seeking employment overseas. The trainers talked constantly about how foreign service spouses are forever "reinventing" themselves, and that was exciting to me. I don't know what is ahead for me, but the idea that I could be given the opportunity to be an international businesswoman, a teacher, a mother, a volunteer, and so much more that I don't even know about is quite a blessing. How many people get this opportunity? I found myself really getting excited about this experience and feeling very thankful for all the talents I've been given.
While on the one hand I felt very reassured, I began to feel the stress of moving and all of the logistics that lie ahead of us. I realized that the next couple of weeks leading up to flag day are going to be absolutely chaotic in my life. Between the immunization records, sorting our belongings for packing, deciding what to sell and what to keep, and perhaps enticing my mother into "helping me with a garage sale (pretty please!)," I will be a busy woman. I wouldn't have it any other way!
Brian and I have tried to reach out to as many extended family members and friends as possible in the past few weeks and let them know that Brian accepted a position with the foreign service and about the big adventure. It has been really crazy, and we may have inadvertently missed some people, so please do share our news and our blog with those we have missed. I'm off to read some more about foreign lands...
I too am very sorry that I have not posted lately. Brian and I have literally been glued to computers, books, reading files, and whatever other media we could get our hands on to do our post research. It has been a blast! We are both exhausted, but this experience has been even more fun than I ever could have imagined. Putting a description, name and place to where we might possible be posted is absolutely thrilling!
This weekend brought both anxiety and calm to my life. In spouse training I had the opportunity to meet other talented men and women who are also leaving their own careers to go on a journey with their significant others. It was really reassuring to hear others who had the same fears and worries that I do about seeking employment overseas. The trainers talked constantly about how foreign service spouses are forever "reinventing" themselves, and that was exciting to me. I don't know what is ahead for me, but the idea that I could be given the opportunity to be an international businesswoman, a teacher, a mother, a volunteer, and so much more that I don't even know about is quite a blessing. How many people get this opportunity? I found myself really getting excited about this experience and feeling very thankful for all the talents I've been given.
While on the one hand I felt very reassured, I began to feel the stress of moving and all of the logistics that lie ahead of us. I realized that the next couple of weeks leading up to flag day are going to be absolutely chaotic in my life. Between the immunization records, sorting our belongings for packing, deciding what to sell and what to keep, and perhaps enticing my mother into "helping me with a garage sale (pretty please!)," I will be a busy woman. I wouldn't have it any other way!
Brian and I have tried to reach out to as many extended family members and friends as possible in the past few weeks and let them know that Brian accepted a position with the foreign service and about the big adventure. It has been really crazy, and we may have inadvertently missed some people, so please do share our news and our blog with those we have missed. I'm off to read some more about foreign lands...
Sunday, March 8, 2009
He Said: A-100 Week One
I apologize for the delay in posting, as I'm sure there are many of you out there that have been waiting anxiously to hear about what has been going on. To say the least, this week has blown by. I cannot even believe how much has been crammed into so few days and tomorrow morning the craziness begins.
Wednesday marked the official beginning of the training to actually becoming a Foreign Service Officer. The first day of class brought the first exercise of many to practice our public speaking skills. After general announcements and housekeeping, we spent the rest of the day introducing our classmates to each other. I was completely humbled by my classmates. There are some truly amazing individuals and unique backgrounds in our class of 92... this will be an interesting 7 weeks. The second and third days of classes consisted mostly of briefings on how the State Department operates overseas. We also had the honor of hearing two former Ambassadors speak on their experiences overseas.
The real pinnacle of the week came on Thursday when we received the BID LIST! For those that don't remember, this is the sheet of all the available posts for our class. We are required to bid on every post, giving the Department an idea of where we'd prefer to go... I say "prefer" because in the end it's up to them. Don't forget, we signed up to be "Worldwide Available!!" Steph and I were so happy to see a number of Spanish speaking posts on the list. Additionally, there was an extremely diverse selection of posts from across the globe. No matter where we end up, I am confident that we will be happy based on what is available to us. Flag Day is April 10th... I will be sure to let you all know where we are assigned as soon as possible that day.
As I just mentioned, Steph came out to DC this weekend to attend spouse training. It was so nice to have her here experiencing what I have been going through first hand. She also had the opportunity to meet many of the other spouses and partners. I think meeting others who are going through the same things that we are and validating what we have been feeling was a real breath of fresh air for us both. This is such a unique experience and honor; the ability to become apart of an amazing community with whom to share the highs and lows is just gravy. In addition to both our training classes, we spent the weekend conducting research on the available posts and how we planned to bid each one. We're not quite done, but the draft is not due until Wednesday. Later next week I will be sitting down to review my bids with my Career Development Officer (CDO). Steph will be joining us by phone, as the State Department does everthing it can to accomodate the wishes of family into the decision making process.
I will try to update every fews days to let you all know what has been happening. I could never have imagined how busy this time would be, but after the bid lists get turned in, I should be able to have some more free time after class each day.
Wednesday marked the official beginning of the training to actually becoming a Foreign Service Officer. The first day of class brought the first exercise of many to practice our public speaking skills. After general announcements and housekeeping, we spent the rest of the day introducing our classmates to each other. I was completely humbled by my classmates. There are some truly amazing individuals and unique backgrounds in our class of 92... this will be an interesting 7 weeks. The second and third days of classes consisted mostly of briefings on how the State Department operates overseas. We also had the honor of hearing two former Ambassadors speak on their experiences overseas.
The real pinnacle of the week came on Thursday when we received the BID LIST! For those that don't remember, this is the sheet of all the available posts for our class. We are required to bid on every post, giving the Department an idea of where we'd prefer to go... I say "prefer" because in the end it's up to them. Don't forget, we signed up to be "Worldwide Available!!" Steph and I were so happy to see a number of Spanish speaking posts on the list. Additionally, there was an extremely diverse selection of posts from across the globe. No matter where we end up, I am confident that we will be happy based on what is available to us. Flag Day is April 10th... I will be sure to let you all know where we are assigned as soon as possible that day.
As I just mentioned, Steph came out to DC this weekend to attend spouse training. It was so nice to have her here experiencing what I have been going through first hand. She also had the opportunity to meet many of the other spouses and partners. I think meeting others who are going through the same things that we are and validating what we have been feeling was a real breath of fresh air for us both. This is such a unique experience and honor; the ability to become apart of an amazing community with whom to share the highs and lows is just gravy. In addition to both our training classes, we spent the weekend conducting research on the available posts and how we planned to bid each one. We're not quite done, but the draft is not due until Wednesday. Later next week I will be sitting down to review my bids with my Career Development Officer (CDO). Steph will be joining us by phone, as the State Department does everthing it can to accomodate the wishes of family into the decision making process.
I will try to update every fews days to let you all know what has been happening. I could never have imagined how busy this time would be, but after the bid lists get turned in, I should be able to have some more free time after class each day.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
He Said: The First Day
Today was my first official day as a Foreign Service Officer... how exciting! After the travel fiasco and the stress worrying about having missed my first day, I was much more at ease today and ready to head off for my first day. After getting a good nights sleep (finally) I got up early to get ready to head to the main State Department building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of DC. Of course, today was the first time in 6 months that I cut myself shaving! It took me 15 minutes to get the bleeding to stop, and I was so desperate that I actually salted the wound to make it stop so I could head out the door. Man, did that burn!
After getting to "Main State" I headed through security and was directed to the auditorium where the second day of HR orientation would take place. Right away, the coordinators whisked me away to be joined in a side room with three other of my classmates who also missed yesterday's orientation. Once we were all there, we took the oath and afterward were officially Foreign Service Officers! After the oath we were treated to a briefing on how to handle confidential material which was followed by a conversation on what considerations needed to be taken for us with our health insurance because of all the overseas travel. In the afternoon we had the chance to finalize all our employment paperwork, talk to the health insurance providers, and in the end were awarded our security badges as official State Department employees.
Today was an absolutely amazing day. I met some truly great people and am so exciting about the upcoming seven weeks. I truly enjoyed hearing about everyone's backgrounds and how they ended up as FSOs. Tomorrow starts our official training at the Foreign Service Institute, so I am really looking forward to getting into the real "work" of this process and learning about how to do my new job.
It's strange to be back in DC, but definitely exciting at the same time. I'm so looking forward to seeing Steph tomorrow so I can share this experience with her firsthand. There's so much going on, I know that she will have a blast and that this will then become OUR experience.
Well now its time to relax as tomorrow will be another early day!
After getting to "Main State" I headed through security and was directed to the auditorium where the second day of HR orientation would take place. Right away, the coordinators whisked me away to be joined in a side room with three other of my classmates who also missed yesterday's orientation. Once we were all there, we took the oath and afterward were officially Foreign Service Officers! After the oath we were treated to a briefing on how to handle confidential material which was followed by a conversation on what considerations needed to be taken for us with our health insurance because of all the overseas travel. In the afternoon we had the chance to finalize all our employment paperwork, talk to the health insurance providers, and in the end were awarded our security badges as official State Department employees.
Today was an absolutely amazing day. I met some truly great people and am so exciting about the upcoming seven weeks. I truly enjoyed hearing about everyone's backgrounds and how they ended up as FSOs. Tomorrow starts our official training at the Foreign Service Institute, so I am really looking forward to getting into the real "work" of this process and learning about how to do my new job.
It's strange to be back in DC, but definitely exciting at the same time. I'm so looking forward to seeing Steph tomorrow so I can share this experience with her firsthand. There's so much going on, I know that she will have a blast and that this will then become OUR experience.
Well now its time to relax as tomorrow will be another early day!
Monday, March 2, 2009
She Said: Food Poisoning and a Dose of Stress
Wow, what a crazy couple of days. On Saturday night we went out for dinner and I got sick from the burger that I ordered. It was not good! Although I felt a lot better yesterday, I'm still not back to full strength. That was the kickoff to our weekend, followed by all of the chaos that Brian described in his post. I'm just glad he finally got there today and will be able to join his class tomorrow. Even though he's nervous, I know he'll have no problem jumping right in.
As I opened the door to the apartment tonight, it felt very lonely. Noone was there, no lights were on, and Brian had not called to let me know that he was on his way home. It hit me that we are now apart and I felt really sad. I am lucky, however, that I will see Brian on Wednesday when I head to DC and then again we will have a chance to be together in Florida the following week. I think the weeks between Florida and Easter will be very difficult. As of now, we are not planning any trips to see each other in that time.
I am very excited to head to DC for "spouse training" at the end of this week. I'm hoping we will also have the bid list by the time I get there so that Brian and I can start to rank the posts and get a better idea of where we could be headed. That's all for now.
As I opened the door to the apartment tonight, it felt very lonely. Noone was there, no lights were on, and Brian had not called to let me know that he was on his way home. It hit me that we are now apart and I felt really sad. I am lucky, however, that I will see Brian on Wednesday when I head to DC and then again we will have a chance to be together in Florida the following week. I think the weeks between Florida and Easter will be very difficult. As of now, we are not planning any trips to see each other in that time.
I am very excited to head to DC for "spouse training" at the end of this week. I'm hoping we will also have the bid list by the time I get there so that Brian and I can start to rank the posts and get a better idea of where we could be headed. That's all for now.
He Said: Tried & Tested
Well, to say that the last couple days have been interesting would be much more than an understatement. To begin with, I MISSED the first day of training!! That's right, I basically missed the first day of the job. Now, I'm alright and I had a good excuse, but I would never have thought in my life that I would ever actually miss my first day of work.
Flashing back to yesterday, the plan was for Steph and I to attend my niece Lola's 3rd birthday party in the morning and then Steph would take me to airport to catch my flight in the afternoon. On the way to the party (around 10:30 am) I got an automated call from Northwest saying that my flight had been cancelled and that they had rebooked me on a flight the next day connecting through Boston...my heart stopped. What was I going to do? Would it be possible at all for me to report to training at 7:45 am the next day in Washington, DC? The major problem was a snowstorm that was hammering the east coast... would the federal government even be open on the first day? In the end, there were too many questions and I figured I needed to do whatever I could to try and get to DC as early as possible.
After 7 hours on hold and probably 9+ hours on the phone with the airlines and the government contracted travel agency I finally had a ticket for this morning to put in into DC around 12:45. In the midst of all that I was trying to track whether or not there would even be training today. At around 2 am last night, I finally had a confirmed ticket leaving Minnesota at 8 am, but a decision on the government's operating status was not yet made. After getting up at 5 am to get ready to head to the airport, I found to my dismay that the government was operating on a 2 hour delay, meaning I would for sure be missing some degree of training today... I was so sick to my stomach at that point. After an extended layover in Chicago, I ended up making it to DC around 3 o'clock this afternoon...most of the training day was over before I ever even landed...ugh!
In the end it worked out alright. One of the coordinators from the class got a hold of me while I was on my layover in Chicago and explained that I would be able to make up what I missed today, and that it was more important for me to make tomorrow than to go crazy trying to get there today. I was glad to have the piece of mind that I still had a job and that things would be okay, but in the end I was a little sad to have missed sharing some of those "firsts" with my new classmates (who I am yet to meet). I was also glad to know that two other people had missed today, meaning I wasn't alone. I'll be curious to see what they do with us tomorrow and how the three of us meld into the rest of the group who have all already had a chance to begin getting to know one another. Additionally, to be a Foreign Service Officer officially, you have to be sworn in. I unfortunately missed the opportunity to do this with my class, so I 'm really curious if the three of us who missed will do it in front of everyone else tomorrow or off to the side. I'll have to keep you posted on how things play out, but for now the anticipation is killing me.
I'm told that tomorrow will be the day we handle our security badges and cover some of the confidentiality components of the job (we did have to get security clearances after all). I'm very excited to go through this process and to finally get to meet my classmates and colleagues for the next seven weeks. On Wednesday we move to the Foreign Service Institute to actually begin our training. These first two days are mostly employment oriented, so the real work begins then. I promise to post often this week to keep everyone aprised as to what is going on and what I'm up to. I'm sure that this will be an exciting week.
Thanks to all for their support in this crazy process. Obviously, the craziness continues to pursue! I'm absolutely exhausted at this point and want to be fresh for the day tomorrow, so I think its off to bed for me.
Flashing back to yesterday, the plan was for Steph and I to attend my niece Lola's 3rd birthday party in the morning and then Steph would take me to airport to catch my flight in the afternoon. On the way to the party (around 10:30 am) I got an automated call from Northwest saying that my flight had been cancelled and that they had rebooked me on a flight the next day connecting through Boston...my heart stopped. What was I going to do? Would it be possible at all for me to report to training at 7:45 am the next day in Washington, DC? The major problem was a snowstorm that was hammering the east coast... would the federal government even be open on the first day? In the end, there were too many questions and I figured I needed to do whatever I could to try and get to DC as early as possible.
After 7 hours on hold and probably 9+ hours on the phone with the airlines and the government contracted travel agency I finally had a ticket for this morning to put in into DC around 12:45. In the midst of all that I was trying to track whether or not there would even be training today. At around 2 am last night, I finally had a confirmed ticket leaving Minnesota at 8 am, but a decision on the government's operating status was not yet made. After getting up at 5 am to get ready to head to the airport, I found to my dismay that the government was operating on a 2 hour delay, meaning I would for sure be missing some degree of training today... I was so sick to my stomach at that point. After an extended layover in Chicago, I ended up making it to DC around 3 o'clock this afternoon...most of the training day was over before I ever even landed...ugh!
In the end it worked out alright. One of the coordinators from the class got a hold of me while I was on my layover in Chicago and explained that I would be able to make up what I missed today, and that it was more important for me to make tomorrow than to go crazy trying to get there today. I was glad to have the piece of mind that I still had a job and that things would be okay, but in the end I was a little sad to have missed sharing some of those "firsts" with my new classmates (who I am yet to meet). I was also glad to know that two other people had missed today, meaning I wasn't alone. I'll be curious to see what they do with us tomorrow and how the three of us meld into the rest of the group who have all already had a chance to begin getting to know one another. Additionally, to be a Foreign Service Officer officially, you have to be sworn in. I unfortunately missed the opportunity to do this with my class, so I 'm really curious if the three of us who missed will do it in front of everyone else tomorrow or off to the side. I'll have to keep you posted on how things play out, but for now the anticipation is killing me.
I'm told that tomorrow will be the day we handle our security badges and cover some of the confidentiality components of the job (we did have to get security clearances after all). I'm very excited to go through this process and to finally get to meet my classmates and colleagues for the next seven weeks. On Wednesday we move to the Foreign Service Institute to actually begin our training. These first two days are mostly employment oriented, so the real work begins then. I promise to post often this week to keep everyone aprised as to what is going on and what I'm up to. I'm sure that this will be an exciting week.
Thanks to all for their support in this crazy process. Obviously, the craziness continues to pursue! I'm absolutely exhausted at this point and want to be fresh for the day tomorrow, so I think its off to bed for me.
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