Tomorrow is the BIG day!

Tomorrow we find out our assignments. About 3:00 eastern time, think of me. I will be standing in the Woods Lobby which is the reception hall we entered on our very first day of class. It's where we took the oath of office and where tomorrow they will announce our names and then the country we are going to. It's called "Flag Day" and it's called that because they hand you a small flag from the country you are being assigned to serve. Some of us were worried if we were supposed to recognize the flag and then deduce which country we are going to, but someone reassured us that they would actually speak the country name so we would not have to spend tonight memorizing the flags from all these new and exotic countries. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I would not be able to distinguish the country flag of Sierra Leone from Congo or Liberia.

Today we had a seminar in Crisis Management. This briefing explained what happens when an embassy experiences a level of danger due to some event happening in the country; such as a natural disaster or a political uprising. We learned how to contact Washington, how to take precautions regarding employees, and what to do in an evacuation. Not stuff I necessarily want to think about, but I'm very relieved that these procedures are in place. FYI, my first choice, Liberia, has been evacuated 8 times. Hmmmmm. I hear they are more stable now.....

I had a great time this weekend. I had drinks and dinner on Friday night with a fellow classmate at a fantastic Lebanese restaurant. On Saturday, .I got to see Laura. We had a great time talking and hanging out together. I'm really going to miss her. I am getting pretty good at navigating the Metro mass transit system. I took the train all the way to lovely Trenton, NJ!

On Sunday night I hosted my first party in DC. I invited some classmates to my house for a "Taboo and Fondue" party. We discussed world events, had some GREAT fondue that someone brought and then played a few rounds of Taboo. I had fun being the hostess in my little tiny apartment and even thought I don't have much, it still felt good to share with others. I'll probably have parties wherever I am in the world.

Time for bed. This time tomorrow I will know where I'll be living for the next two years!