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.