A long time ago in one of my posts I talked about how much I was looking forward to getting to the 10th week of my Spanish training because that was supposed to be a point at which things usually "clicked" for most students. Well, it took a little counting today for me to realize that last week was that 10th week, and that I really do feel as though things are "clicking." It is so weird to think about how fast time has flown by since we started this journey. How many great things have occurred, and how much Steph and I have grown through this whole process.
I really have been impressed by the language training at FSI. To think of where I was 10 weeks ago, and where I am now is somewhat unfathomable. I realize that I have been working and studying hard, but I definitely have to hand it to the instructors and the teaching methods used to get me to where I am today.
In one of my recent individualization sessions with my current professor, I recently reviewed the "Imperfect Subjunctive," a verb tense that is often considered horrible by many students because it's used to indicate doubt, unsure action, commands, and other things, but in the past. For example, I recently translated "We had to make a car do three things that day." This sentence seems straightforward, but in Spanish, the word for to make and to do is the same... enter the subjunctive! This form often gets a bad rap (I really didn't think it was that bad), but the real reason I am mentioning it is because it is the final verb tense I will learn in Spanish. It was crazy to walk out of that session realizing that from here on out I will no longer be working on verbs, but rather learning phrases, idioms, and other common language forms, rather than figuring out how to connect anything... basically from here on out I'll be working on review and mastering what I do know. In essence, the road forward. It's an exciting and scary prospect, but I know that deep down I am gearing up and really ready to begin using my skills... funny that this connects to the post from way back when I said I couldn't wait to just get to week 10.
On another note, it has been so nice having Steph here in DC with me to share all of this. It has been so much better having another person in the apartment and someone to share all my stories (and now experiences with). I think we both realize often how this really truly is OUR journey and that we each have a contribution to it. I've definitely enjoyed our shared time at FSI during the day and having lunch together when possible. I'm also grateful to have someone at home to practice my Spanish with, as well as someone to show my homework to (like a school child looking for praise from their parents).
As we begin to watch our new friends head off to their first assignments, it really brings a sense of anticipation for us both. I know we'll be ready, but in the end we need to take this one step at a time and little by little... or as they say in Spanish, "poco a poco."
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
She Said: Father's Day Weekend
The past week has been EXTREMELY FULL and it has been a blast. I'm going to try and recap the things that most stand out for the last week for us. By far the most notable event of the week was our trip to Minnesota. We flew in Friday evening and we just got back tonight, Sunday night. We celebrated father's day with our dads and were able to pack a lot of quality family time into a short weekend. Brian and I both agreed that it was one of the best trips we've ever had home. On Saturday, our families got together for a pool party at my parents' house. It was so fun to swim with the kids and have time to just relax with everyone. It was hard to leave and think about heading to class tomorrow, but I think more than anything it has made us really look forward to our next trip home in September.
Aside from that, which truly was the shining event this past week, here are some of the things we've been up to:
Connecting with old friends - Last week we went to a gathering of some of my old grad. school friends. It was great to reconnect with classmates after being away for a while. It honestly felt like we had never been apart and I was reminded of one of the reasons I absolutely loved living in DC...people who are interested in the same kinds of things I am. In addition to connecting with grad. school friends, I randomly discovered that one of my high school friends now manages a running store in Cleveland Park (right by where Brian and I used to live). We had a good laugh when we saw each other and vowed to keep in touch. We are now good facebook friends :-)
Indian food - Brian and I ventured out to find a fantastic Indian restaurant near our apartment. It was our first time having Indian food in a restaurant. We had had Indian food served in homes, but just never from a restaurant. We really liked it Brian was particularly fond of the spicy flavors. I think we will be returning soon for more curry. It was awesome!
FS Prom - Some of you have already heard/seen pictures of what the foreign service officers have affectionately coined "the prom." Basically it was a cocktail party put on by Brian's class with the extra money they had from their dues. It was a blast!! It gave me an excuse to buy a new cocktail dress (which I'm sure I will use many more times once we're overseas) and everyone had fun getting dressed up and getting together. The event was put on at The City Tavern Club, which is a private club in Georgetown set in an old row house. It was a really neat venue. If you haven't seen our pics. and you're interested, just let me know and I can send them your way.
Wheels up party #1 of 91- We attended our first "wheels up party". Wheels up parties are the going away parties A-100 classes host for each other. Ok, I don't really think there will be 91 parties, but that's how many new officers there are from Brian's class. Brian's first classmates will be heading out this week. One leaves for Sudan, another for Saudi Arabia and a third for India. It was exciting and surreal all at the same time. I could tell they were a bit in shock as I'm sure we all will be as we face our new realities.
My First Interview - More to come on this as I don't have a lot of details yet. I interviewed for a position at the Embassy working with the English Language teaching program as a coordinator. I would help coordinate young Americans that come down to Venezuela to teach English. It sounds like a very interesting job. I didn't think the interview went very well, so we'll see what happens, but I should have more info. by Wednesday of this week.
Exam - I had my first test in Congen. I got 100%, so I guess I didn't need to worry about passing. Cross your fingers for me for this week. I have another test on Thursday.
Venezuela Happy Hour - On Thursday night we had an opportunity to speak with some people who just came back from Caracas. We got a lot of information. It helped me to begin to get an idea of what life will be like down there. I have to admit, we were a little overwhelmed by some of the warnings they gave us about crime in Caracas. It sounds like there is a lot of "crime of opportunity" and you really have to employ as many safeguards as possible. I think we can really only assess the situation once we're on the ground, but it is good for us to know going into it. Overall, all of them said that they greatly enjoyed their time down there and that overall it was a good experience. It sounds like there will be lots of fun embassy parties and trips and like it is easy to travel while you are there.
That's the update for this past week. It was great to see those of you we had a chance to see this weekend. Hope to connect with more of you while we're home in September. Take care!
Aside from that, which truly was the shining event this past week, here are some of the things we've been up to:
Connecting with old friends - Last week we went to a gathering of some of my old grad. school friends. It was great to reconnect with classmates after being away for a while. It honestly felt like we had never been apart and I was reminded of one of the reasons I absolutely loved living in DC...people who are interested in the same kinds of things I am. In addition to connecting with grad. school friends, I randomly discovered that one of my high school friends now manages a running store in Cleveland Park (right by where Brian and I used to live). We had a good laugh when we saw each other and vowed to keep in touch. We are now good facebook friends :-)
Indian food - Brian and I ventured out to find a fantastic Indian restaurant near our apartment. It was our first time having Indian food in a restaurant. We had had Indian food served in homes, but just never from a restaurant. We really liked it Brian was particularly fond of the spicy flavors. I think we will be returning soon for more curry. It was awesome!
FS Prom - Some of you have already heard/seen pictures of what the foreign service officers have affectionately coined "the prom." Basically it was a cocktail party put on by Brian's class with the extra money they had from their dues. It was a blast!! It gave me an excuse to buy a new cocktail dress (which I'm sure I will use many more times once we're overseas) and everyone had fun getting dressed up and getting together. The event was put on at The City Tavern Club, which is a private club in Georgetown set in an old row house. It was a really neat venue. If you haven't seen our pics. and you're interested, just let me know and I can send them your way.
Wheels up party #1 of 91- We attended our first "wheels up party". Wheels up parties are the going away parties A-100 classes host for each other. Ok, I don't really think there will be 91 parties, but that's how many new officers there are from Brian's class. Brian's first classmates will be heading out this week. One leaves for Sudan, another for Saudi Arabia and a third for India. It was exciting and surreal all at the same time. I could tell they were a bit in shock as I'm sure we all will be as we face our new realities.
My First Interview - More to come on this as I don't have a lot of details yet. I interviewed for a position at the Embassy working with the English Language teaching program as a coordinator. I would help coordinate young Americans that come down to Venezuela to teach English. It sounds like a very interesting job. I didn't think the interview went very well, so we'll see what happens, but I should have more info. by Wednesday of this week.
Exam - I had my first test in Congen. I got 100%, so I guess I didn't need to worry about passing. Cross your fingers for me for this week. I have another test on Thursday.
Venezuela Happy Hour - On Thursday night we had an opportunity to speak with some people who just came back from Caracas. We got a lot of information. It helped me to begin to get an idea of what life will be like down there. I have to admit, we were a little overwhelmed by some of the warnings they gave us about crime in Caracas. It sounds like there is a lot of "crime of opportunity" and you really have to employ as many safeguards as possible. I think we can really only assess the situation once we're on the ground, but it is good for us to know going into it. Overall, all of them said that they greatly enjoyed their time down there and that overall it was a good experience. It sounds like there will be lots of fun embassy parties and trips and like it is easy to travel while you are there.
That's the update for this past week. It was great to see those of you we had a chance to see this weekend. Hope to connect with more of you while we're home in September. Take care!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
She Said: Relaxation Ends, Class Begins!
Hello,
You thought we had forgotten about you, didn't you? Some of you have written me to let me know that our blog post is way overdue, but the truth is, there hasn't been that much new news to share with you. Things are picking up again, so I wanted to get a post in now and then I promise they will be more frequent from here on out.
Over the past few weeks, I have really enjoyed my time off. I spent time baking bread, baking bars for dinner guests, cold brewing coffee, sleeping in, catching up with old friends, shopping and just generally relaxing. I had a blast! It's true that some days were lonely, but I really was thankful for the time that I had.
Aside from my adventures in being unemployed, Brian and I have also had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people who are sharing a similar adventure, just heading to different locations. It has been really fun to have some of them over for dinner or to go out on the town with them and share our concerns/excitement. I can already see that some of these people will be lifelong friends no matter where our families end up.
Today I started my class at the foreign service institute and it was really interesting. The course I am taking will give me the background I would need to apply for consular assistant positions at the embassy overseas. There's never a guarantee of a job, but for me it's basically just another opportunity. If there were a position open in Caracas, I would be qualified to apply for it. Because I have the Spanish and the work sounds interesting, it seemed like a great opportunity. We will learn all about visas, passports and how consular sections help Americans overseas. It's actually pretty amazing to really stop and think about all they do in a day. The class runs every day from 9:00-5:00 roughly, so Brian and I get to commute together and even have lunch together some days. I'm excited about being busy again and having something to look forward to each day.
On Saturday Brian and I have our first FS cocktail party. I bought a new dress this week and am very excited. I think it should be a good time. Other than that, I've been really just trying to enjoy the moment. We are kind of in a strange limbo right now where we can't do a whole lot to prepare for leaving yet, but feel like we should be doing something.
Alright, I could give you the details of my daily life for the last few weeks, but the post would be much too long, so I'll leave with what I've shared above. I commit to writing at least once a week from here on it so that it's a little more predictable for those of you who are randomly checking in. Don't forget you can subscribe to the updates if you don't want to keep checking our blog every day.
You thought we had forgotten about you, didn't you? Some of you have written me to let me know that our blog post is way overdue, but the truth is, there hasn't been that much new news to share with you. Things are picking up again, so I wanted to get a post in now and then I promise they will be more frequent from here on out.
Over the past few weeks, I have really enjoyed my time off. I spent time baking bread, baking bars for dinner guests, cold brewing coffee, sleeping in, catching up with old friends, shopping and just generally relaxing. I had a blast! It's true that some days were lonely, but I really was thankful for the time that I had.
Aside from my adventures in being unemployed, Brian and I have also had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people who are sharing a similar adventure, just heading to different locations. It has been really fun to have some of them over for dinner or to go out on the town with them and share our concerns/excitement. I can already see that some of these people will be lifelong friends no matter where our families end up.
Today I started my class at the foreign service institute and it was really interesting. The course I am taking will give me the background I would need to apply for consular assistant positions at the embassy overseas. There's never a guarantee of a job, but for me it's basically just another opportunity. If there were a position open in Caracas, I would be qualified to apply for it. Because I have the Spanish and the work sounds interesting, it seemed like a great opportunity. We will learn all about visas, passports and how consular sections help Americans overseas. It's actually pretty amazing to really stop and think about all they do in a day. The class runs every day from 9:00-5:00 roughly, so Brian and I get to commute together and even have lunch together some days. I'm excited about being busy again and having something to look forward to each day.
On Saturday Brian and I have our first FS cocktail party. I bought a new dress this week and am very excited. I think it should be a good time. Other than that, I've been really just trying to enjoy the moment. We are kind of in a strange limbo right now where we can't do a whole lot to prepare for leaving yet, but feel like we should be doing something.
Alright, I could give you the details of my daily life for the last few weeks, but the post would be much too long, so I'll leave with what I've shared above. I commit to writing at least once a week from here on it so that it's a little more predictable for those of you who are randomly checking in. Don't forget you can subscribe to the updates if you don't want to keep checking our blog every day.
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