Hi all,
Well, I woke up on Saturday morning and I actually felt healthy for the first time in a week! It was almost like....I was the energizer bunny because I felt so well. It reminded me how sick really I had been because feeling well was so unfamiliar.
Big social event happened on Friday. We only work half days on Fridays, and the Ambassador had invited a select few of us to her house for lunch. Ok, now remember this is the foreign service. She did not casually walk by my desk and verbally ask me to stop by her place for sandwiches after work. Oh no. I got an engraved invitation! It was all very formal! Her house is very beautiful (nothing like mine) and she has a staff of servants to pour the wine and prepare the food. For those curious in the crowd, she served Lasagna (yea comfort food!) and bread and salad. For desert we had mixed fruit in a crystal dish, topped with chocolate ice cream. No, it's not Amy's Ice Cream, but I'll take it. Somehow, I am really missing ice cream over here. It's not very available and it does not taste the same as the US. Anyway, enough about the food. I had a mini-crisis about the forks! I took several etiquette classes at UT, so I pretty much know how to butter bread the correct way (yes, guys, there is a proper way to eat bread at a formal table), and to use the silverware from the outside in. Well......the table was set with the dinner fork on the outside!! I saw my salad sitting right next to my dinner plate and I thought...what??? Why isn't the salad fork on the outside? So, of course, I sat there confused until I watched the Ambassador pick up her dinner fork and dig into her Lasagna. So, I did the same. I ate the Lasagna first. Strange. I mentioned this dilemma to someone at Post and they informed me that in Europe, they serve the salad after the main course, so that's why they place the dinner fork on the outside so you use it first. However, this person also told me that that rule only applies if you don't actually see the salad on the table...clearly a violation because the salad was sitting right there! This person also added that European style table-settings should only be used in Europe, and not in Africa. But of course someone else stated that the Ambassador can do whatever she wants and that's the prevailing rule! Thank you Emily Post. Cheers! Becky
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Be warned...you will be jealous!
Time to write a few fun things to let you know I'm ok here. I didn't mean that last email to scare anyone.
The last two weekends, I have gone to the beach with friends from work. These are two different beaches and I will mention more about that later. The road to both beaches is very rough and it takes about 1 and a half hours to drive there. The roads are terrible. No one in the United States would believe it. The road is only paved a very small portion of the way. Today we went through streams, giant holes filled with water, ruts in the road that I wondered how we would even manuver around, and bumbs so large it feels like you're on a roller coaster and bridges so narrow that I hoped to god we would make it. Just to make things interesting, I did see several "dead" cars from long ago lying at the botton of creek beds. These cars had probably gotten into an accident or missed a turn and went over the side. The cars sit in the creek forever...getting rusted and falling apart. No one ever bothers to remove them. I'm a little anxious about driving here when my car actually does arrive. Everyone I have talked to says you get used to it. I'll let you know!
So after all the driving and being thrown around inside the car like a rag doll, we arrive at the beach. The beach we went to last weekend was remote. We were the only people there except for a few Africans who came to cook lunch for us. The beach is breathtakingly beautiful. Pure white sand, crystal clear blue water, no seaweed (like in Texas), no jelly fish, no debris of any kind. Just wonderfully clean water. In the background of the beach are the mountains. The mountains are covered in lush green plants and trees, so it's very magestic. No people, only beautiful nature all around. We played in the big waves, had lunch of Angel fish and rice cooked by the local Africans. Basically all you do is call someone's cell phone (of course you know them!), you tell them you're coming to the beach and how many people you are brining. The meal is delicious and only costs about $5.
The beach I went to today was an invitation from some people I met at a Happy Hour for my boss last night. (The drive was similar to last week and took about the same amount of time. There is no shortage of beautiful beaches in Sierra Leone. There is 250 miles of beautiful coastland.) These were Lebanese people. They are rich here in Freetown, as they own a lot of the business' here. There was a large party of about 30 people. All very nice people and they brought all this home made Lebanese food. We played in the waves, talked and even played sand volleyball. I got several comliments on my volleyball skills, which means I got noticed! I made a lot of saves on the court and got every one of my serves over the net. Nothing wrong with being 50...I've still got it! Oh, I also wore my new bikini to the beach. The old black one was getting tired and boring even for me. I think with all the trips to the beach, I should have brought a lot more swimsuits!
One quick word about food. There is something here the Africans call "rock buns." Basically, its a muffin; only a little more hard and dry than ours. Anyway, I bought one and left it in a little brown paper sack on the shelf in my kitchen. The next day, I took it to work with me. I put it in the microwave to heat it up for breakfast. When I took out the brown paper sack with the muffin in it, ALL THESE LITTLE ANTS CRAWLED OUT!!! Everyone has these little ants in their kitchen, but I forgot about it and didn't think they would get in the bag with the muffin. Anyway, the amazing part is that those hearty ants survived cooking in the microwave! I didn't know if I should eat the muffin or not; I figured it must be sanitized if it was in the microwave....and I didn't see any ants on the muffin. This being Africa and me being hungry, I ate a few bites.....then a co-worker brought in some really yummy lemon pound cake and I promptly threw the muffin away, just in the nick of time! Just like me to come all the way to Africa having received all my vaccinations for yellow fever, malaria, typhoid, rabies, etc. only to be killed off my tiny kitchen ants!
Hope all is well in your corner of the world!
Becky
The last two weekends, I have gone to the beach with friends from work. These are two different beaches and I will mention more about that later. The road to both beaches is very rough and it takes about 1 and a half hours to drive there. The roads are terrible. No one in the United States would believe it. The road is only paved a very small portion of the way. Today we went through streams, giant holes filled with water, ruts in the road that I wondered how we would even manuver around, and bumbs so large it feels like you're on a roller coaster and bridges so narrow that I hoped to god we would make it. Just to make things interesting, I did see several "dead" cars from long ago lying at the botton of creek beds. These cars had probably gotten into an accident or missed a turn and went over the side. The cars sit in the creek forever...getting rusted and falling apart. No one ever bothers to remove them. I'm a little anxious about driving here when my car actually does arrive. Everyone I have talked to says you get used to it. I'll let you know!
So after all the driving and being thrown around inside the car like a rag doll, we arrive at the beach. The beach we went to last weekend was remote. We were the only people there except for a few Africans who came to cook lunch for us. The beach is breathtakingly beautiful. Pure white sand, crystal clear blue water, no seaweed (like in Texas), no jelly fish, no debris of any kind. Just wonderfully clean water. In the background of the beach are the mountains. The mountains are covered in lush green plants and trees, so it's very magestic. No people, only beautiful nature all around. We played in the big waves, had lunch of Angel fish and rice cooked by the local Africans. Basically all you do is call someone's cell phone (of course you know them!), you tell them you're coming to the beach and how many people you are brining. The meal is delicious and only costs about $5.
The beach I went to today was an invitation from some people I met at a Happy Hour for my boss last night. (The drive was similar to last week and took about the same amount of time. There is no shortage of beautiful beaches in Sierra Leone. There is 250 miles of beautiful coastland.) These were Lebanese people. They are rich here in Freetown, as they own a lot of the business' here. There was a large party of about 30 people. All very nice people and they brought all this home made Lebanese food. We played in the waves, talked and even played sand volleyball. I got several comliments on my volleyball skills, which means I got noticed! I made a lot of saves on the court and got every one of my serves over the net. Nothing wrong with being 50...I've still got it! Oh, I also wore my new bikini to the beach. The old black one was getting tired and boring even for me. I think with all the trips to the beach, I should have brought a lot more swimsuits!
One quick word about food. There is something here the Africans call "rock buns." Basically, its a muffin; only a little more hard and dry than ours. Anyway, I bought one and left it in a little brown paper sack on the shelf in my kitchen. The next day, I took it to work with me. I put it in the microwave to heat it up for breakfast. When I took out the brown paper sack with the muffin in it, ALL THESE LITTLE ANTS CRAWLED OUT!!! Everyone has these little ants in their kitchen, but I forgot about it and didn't think they would get in the bag with the muffin. Anyway, the amazing part is that those hearty ants survived cooking in the microwave! I didn't know if I should eat the muffin or not; I figured it must be sanitized if it was in the microwave....and I didn't see any ants on the muffin. This being Africa and me being hungry, I ate a few bites.....then a co-worker brought in some really yummy lemon pound cake and I promptly threw the muffin away, just in the nick of time! Just like me to come all the way to Africa having received all my vaccinations for yellow fever, malaria, typhoid, rabies, etc. only to be killed off my tiny kitchen ants!
Hope all is well in your corner of the world!
Becky
Thursday, May 8, 2008
May 21
The date has been set....May 21 I leave for Freetown, Sierra Leone, AFRICA. There were a few confusions along the way. I wanted to stay in US over the Memorial Holiday weekend, but Post needs me ASAP, so I will leave more than a week ahead of schedule. Welcome to the government. I'm still waiting for my visa, my car, my airline tickets.
When I went to make my airline reservations, I found out a few startling facts about third world countries. Regular air service does not operate every day or out of every city or by every carrier. Only United flies to Freetown and they only fly out of London or Brussels. It's going to take me 4 days to get to Freetown! Are you ready for this:
Wed. May 21 leave DC
Thurs May 22 arrive London
Stay overnight in London because the next flight out is on Friday
Fri May 23 leave London
Fri May 23 arrive Lungi airport
Stay overnight in Lungi airport hotel because the only ferry to Freetown has already left!
Sat May 24 arrive in Freetown.
Sun & Mon lay by the pool and relax!!!
I got the last of my immunizations. Today it was Meningitis and Typhoid. Yes, both my arms hurt and yes, that's about 7 shots total. I think I should be good for the next several years. Oh yea, except for rabies. Rabies is in short supply so I have to get that at Post when they get a shipment in.
I did a short presentation on Tuesday on Sierra Leone. I'll try and attach it to this email. Ooops. Apparently this BLOG does not support attachments. If anyone wants me to email it to them, just email me or leave a comment here with your email address and I will send it to you. Here are a few more facts about Sierra Leone that I shared in the PP presentation:
•First explored in 1462 (thirty years before Columbus!)
•Land Area comparable to half the size of Illinois
•“Sierra Leone” is Portuguese for Lion Mountains.
•Population is 5.9 Million (Freetown is 1,070,200)
•Settled by the United Kingdom (they speak English!)
*250 Miles of coast
*$1.00 equals 2901 Leones (so $8.00 cream cheese costs 23,600 Leones!)
*Lowest country on the Human Development Scale
*7th Lowest country on Human Poverty Scale
*Rainy season May - Dec
*Dry season Dec - May
*Average temps 80's
*Current Ambassador: June Carter Perry
When I went to make my airline reservations, I found out a few startling facts about third world countries. Regular air service does not operate every day or out of every city or by every carrier. Only United flies to Freetown and they only fly out of London or Brussels. It's going to take me 4 days to get to Freetown! Are you ready for this:
Wed. May 21 leave DC
Thurs May 22 arrive London
Stay overnight in London because the next flight out is on Friday
Fri May 23 leave London
Fri May 23 arrive Lungi airport
Stay overnight in Lungi airport hotel because the only ferry to Freetown has already left!
Sat May 24 arrive in Freetown.
Sun & Mon lay by the pool and relax!!!
I got the last of my immunizations. Today it was Meningitis and Typhoid. Yes, both my arms hurt and yes, that's about 7 shots total. I think I should be good for the next several years. Oh yea, except for rabies. Rabies is in short supply so I have to get that at Post when they get a shipment in.
I did a short presentation on Tuesday on Sierra Leone. I'll try and attach it to this email. Ooops. Apparently this BLOG does not support attachments. If anyone wants me to email it to them, just email me or leave a comment here with your email address and I will send it to you. Here are a few more facts about Sierra Leone that I shared in the PP presentation:
•First explored in 1462 (thirty years before Columbus!)
•Land Area comparable to half the size of Illinois
•“Sierra Leone” is Portuguese for Lion Mountains.
•Population is 5.9 Million (Freetown is 1,070,200)
•Settled by the United Kingdom (they speak English!)
*250 Miles of coast
*$1.00 equals 2901 Leones (so $8.00 cream cheese costs 23,600 Leones!)
*Lowest country on the Human Development Scale
*7th Lowest country on Human Poverty Scale
*Rainy season May - Dec
*Dry season Dec - May
*Average temps 80's
*Current Ambassador: June Carter Perry
So...time for bed for me. Hope you have a good night in your corner of the world,
Becky Boo
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Bits and Pieces
I had a long weekend....no class on Monday and Tuesday. It felt totally blissful to sleep in, not rush, smell the roses (literally) and just generally socialize and be a normal human for a change.
Last Friday was graduation. Pictures, programs, congratulations. Ambassador John D. Negroponte (Deputy Secretary of State) gave the oath of office. It's really official when you raise your hand and promise to support and defend the Constitution of the United States in front of about 500 classmates, friends, family and assorted dignitaries.
I've completed the first three weeks of general Specialist orientation. Now our wave of tiresome briefings will be replaced by information specific to our unique speciality. Our class of 54 is separated into each specific individual category for more training. My departure date is set for somewhere around May 22nd. I have much to do; arrange a car, find out about housing choices, prepare for shipment of my HHE (House Hold Effects). I also have to arrange immunizations (oh joy!) diplomatic passport, consumables shipment (paper towels, baking supplies, cleaning stuff---things which are too expensive to purchase in Sierra Leone or NOT AVAILABLE). I sat down this morning and made out Level Two "TO DO" lists. Wish me luck!
I wanted to mention a few things I have been thinking about that have to do with being away from home. I have a feeling my children (especially the younger two) are more adaptable than I am. I think Ryan and Laura have moved every six months or so since they left college. I, on the other hand, have been in the same house for 17 years; with only two of those spent in Germany. Here are a few things (good and bad) that are different from being in Austin:
The fellow in the apartment below me smokes. How do I know this? Well, I like to keep my patio door open and let the fresh air in. Suddenly, there is this horrible smell of cigarette smoke coming in the apartment! UGH!! I went out on the patio and looked all around and finally looked down, and there was half a person smoking a cigarette. Only half a person because that's all I could see from my angle. The joys of apartment living, I guess.
I love birds. At home in Austin, I have a birdbath right outside my kitchen window. I used to love watching the birds come and take a bath and eat out of the feeder. I lamented what I would do when I could not see the birds from my balcony in Washington. No worries! I can see the birds closer than ever! I put out some bread crumbs, old crackers, popcorn, etc, and the birds have come to me. This morning I woke up to the smaller birds fighting over the crumbs. It was sweet music! Of course, I have to be very still when I watch them because if they see me, they fly away. Now I can see the birds and hear them from about 2-3 feet away. Where there is a will, there is a way!
I miss driving my car. Laura has my car in New York because I really don't need it here. It's been three weeks and I've been taking the Metro. Not much of a problem and I like the exercise. But it rains a lot here. No fun getting caught in the rain. Yesterday I walked about two miles to get a pedicure. (girl thing) It started to rain on the way home. I was wearing those ridiculous next-to-nothing flip flops they give you so you don't ruin your polish. I had to walk the two miles home in the drizzle and then I really missed my car. But I did think of all the money I'm saving not having to buy gasoline!
Tomorrow it's back to class. My highest priority is to check with the Embassy in Sierra Leone and determine housing choices and what attire is appropriate on Post. I'll let you know if we wear sun dresses or business suits!
Hope all is well in your corner of the world,
Becky Boo
Last Friday was graduation. Pictures, programs, congratulations. Ambassador John D. Negroponte (Deputy Secretary of State) gave the oath of office. It's really official when you raise your hand and promise to support and defend the Constitution of the United States in front of about 500 classmates, friends, family and assorted dignitaries.
I've completed the first three weeks of general Specialist orientation. Now our wave of tiresome briefings will be replaced by information specific to our unique speciality. Our class of 54 is separated into each specific individual category for more training. My departure date is set for somewhere around May 22nd. I have much to do; arrange a car, find out about housing choices, prepare for shipment of my HHE (House Hold Effects). I also have to arrange immunizations (oh joy!) diplomatic passport, consumables shipment (paper towels, baking supplies, cleaning stuff---things which are too expensive to purchase in Sierra Leone or NOT AVAILABLE). I sat down this morning and made out Level Two "TO DO" lists. Wish me luck!
I wanted to mention a few things I have been thinking about that have to do with being away from home. I have a feeling my children (especially the younger two) are more adaptable than I am. I think Ryan and Laura have moved every six months or so since they left college. I, on the other hand, have been in the same house for 17 years; with only two of those spent in Germany. Here are a few things (good and bad) that are different from being in Austin:
The fellow in the apartment below me smokes. How do I know this? Well, I like to keep my patio door open and let the fresh air in. Suddenly, there is this horrible smell of cigarette smoke coming in the apartment! UGH!! I went out on the patio and looked all around and finally looked down, and there was half a person smoking a cigarette. Only half a person because that's all I could see from my angle. The joys of apartment living, I guess.
I love birds. At home in Austin, I have a birdbath right outside my kitchen window. I used to love watching the birds come and take a bath and eat out of the feeder. I lamented what I would do when I could not see the birds from my balcony in Washington. No worries! I can see the birds closer than ever! I put out some bread crumbs, old crackers, popcorn, etc, and the birds have come to me. This morning I woke up to the smaller birds fighting over the crumbs. It was sweet music! Of course, I have to be very still when I watch them because if they see me, they fly away. Now I can see the birds and hear them from about 2-3 feet away. Where there is a will, there is a way!
I miss driving my car. Laura has my car in New York because I really don't need it here. It's been three weeks and I've been taking the Metro. Not much of a problem and I like the exercise. But it rains a lot here. No fun getting caught in the rain. Yesterday I walked about two miles to get a pedicure. (girl thing) It started to rain on the way home. I was wearing those ridiculous next-to-nothing flip flops they give you so you don't ruin your polish. I had to walk the two miles home in the drizzle and then I really missed my car. But I did think of all the money I'm saving not having to buy gasoline!
Tomorrow it's back to class. My highest priority is to check with the Embassy in Sierra Leone and determine housing choices and what attire is appropriate on Post. I'll let you know if we wear sun dresses or business suits!
Hope all is well in your corner of the world,
Becky Boo
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
AND THE WINNER IS.....
For those of you checking back here and wondering WHEN I plan to announce which country I've been assigned...there is a reason I have not posted the country yet. I have not yet had been able to contact several of my really close friends to tell them in person (over the phone)! And one of those really special people is my son, Ryan. He just arrived back from Thailand and so far we have missed talking to each other. I really don't want him to read it here first. And for my other dear friends, you know who you are! I was away for the evening tonight and could not call you. Actually, I was standing on the parade route waiting to see the Pope! I will update the country choice as soon as I can reach those people mentioned above. Your patience will be rewarded very soon!!
Love,
Becky Boo
Love,
Becky Boo
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The Final Cut!
Well, after days of research, talking to current FS people, friendly advice, reading online postings, and general "gut feelings," I have created a list of countries I would like to serve in. The list is in preferred order and takes into consideration size of post, danger level, availability of fun things to do, housing choices, post moral, and of course financial compensation. Each post has a different level of income associated with it, and all these factors play a part in where I want to be assigned. After a point, I just decided that I have to trust that I will get a good assignment and then make the most of it. Not many people in my OMS (remember what that stands for??) group are very interested in the African countries, so I might get one of my top choices since my top 4 picks are Africa.
Here they are in order:
1-Monrovia, Liberia
2-Freetown, Sierra Leone
3-Ibidjan, Ivory Coast
4-Kinshasa, Congo
5-Tegucigalpa, Honduras
6-Guatemala
7-Haiti
8-Tel Aviv, Israel
9-Istanbul, Turkey
10-Seoul, Korea
11-Abuja, Nigeria
12-Tokyo, Japan
13-Paris, France
14-Nassau, Bahamas
15-Stockholm, Sweden
16-Manama, Bahrain
17-Washington, DC
My top 4 choices were chosen because of African culture, danger pay, and good reports of post morale. Most of them also have interesting things to do nearby. I chose Honduras and Guatemala because of the possible Spanish language training offered and because I think that would be a beautiful part of the world to see. After that, the countries are ranked in order compared to where I would want to go if I HAD to chose places and I ranked them in order of where I didn't want to go and put the most desired on the top of the list. We usually get assigned to our top 1-4 choices, so I don't think my middle list of countries will be very important, but I would rather go to Tel Aviv or Istanbul than Bahrain or Sweden.
I think it's amazing that I am even discussing these countries. Six days ago I could not even tell you where most of them were on a world map! I mean, I could tell you where Africa was, but Bahrian? (after researching Bahrian, I really didn't want to go there! Very boring, not much to do, high danger and it's on an isolated island)
I have spent this Sunday at home and it feels good to slow down a little compared to the hectic schedule of the weekdays. Yesterday (Saturday) I managed to go shopping downtown with a new friend from class. She knows the area so she navigated the Metro. (although since we were talking so much, she managed to get us on blue line instead of the orange line and we had to get off and switch trains!) I purchased a mini-wardrobe, and that was really necessary since I am missing my UAB (air) shipment and am running out of business clothes. For those of you who know me well and know how much my running has affected my life; I'll tell you that I finally figured out why my old clothes don't fit. I bought clothes two sizes smaller that what I have in the closet!! The beauty of running!
Speaking of running....I was happy to get back to running on Monday and Wednesday this past week. It had been two weeks since I last had a chance to put on my running shoes and I felt glorious getting outside and running about 3 miles. I decided my training routine would be "every other day." Well, Friday I was too exhausted to run, Saturday I walked about 5 miles getting to and from the Metro, and Sunday it rained all day. I might have to re-think the "every other day" idea to "run on days when it does not rain!" This is NOT sunny Texas, that's for sure.
Ok, enough for now. We find out where we will be assigned at a special ceremony on April 15th. Until then, it's wait and see! If you want to check out personal reports of some of these countries from people who have lived there, go to "Tales from a Small Planet" and you can read all the personal stuff. You will have to enter a password, but it's free and the reading is interesting.
Hope all is well in your corner of the world!
Here they are in order:
1-Monrovia, Liberia
2-Freetown, Sierra Leone
3-Ibidjan, Ivory Coast
4-Kinshasa, Congo
5-Tegucigalpa, Honduras
6-Guatemala
7-Haiti
8-Tel Aviv, Israel
9-Istanbul, Turkey
10-Seoul, Korea
11-Abuja, Nigeria
12-Tokyo, Japan
13-Paris, France
14-Nassau, Bahamas
15-Stockholm, Sweden
16-Manama, Bahrain
17-Washington, DC
My top 4 choices were chosen because of African culture, danger pay, and good reports of post morale. Most of them also have interesting things to do nearby. I chose Honduras and Guatemala because of the possible Spanish language training offered and because I think that would be a beautiful part of the world to see. After that, the countries are ranked in order compared to where I would want to go if I HAD to chose places and I ranked them in order of where I didn't want to go and put the most desired on the top of the list. We usually get assigned to our top 1-4 choices, so I don't think my middle list of countries will be very important, but I would rather go to Tel Aviv or Istanbul than Bahrain or Sweden.
I think it's amazing that I am even discussing these countries. Six days ago I could not even tell you where most of them were on a world map! I mean, I could tell you where Africa was, but Bahrian? (after researching Bahrian, I really didn't want to go there! Very boring, not much to do, high danger and it's on an isolated island)
I have spent this Sunday at home and it feels good to slow down a little compared to the hectic schedule of the weekdays. Yesterday (Saturday) I managed to go shopping downtown with a new friend from class. She knows the area so she navigated the Metro. (although since we were talking so much, she managed to get us on blue line instead of the orange line and we had to get off and switch trains!) I purchased a mini-wardrobe, and that was really necessary since I am missing my UAB (air) shipment and am running out of business clothes. For those of you who know me well and know how much my running has affected my life; I'll tell you that I finally figured out why my old clothes don't fit. I bought clothes two sizes smaller that what I have in the closet!! The beauty of running!
Speaking of running....I was happy to get back to running on Monday and Wednesday this past week. It had been two weeks since I last had a chance to put on my running shoes and I felt glorious getting outside and running about 3 miles. I decided my training routine would be "every other day." Well, Friday I was too exhausted to run, Saturday I walked about 5 miles getting to and from the Metro, and Sunday it rained all day. I might have to re-think the "every other day" idea to "run on days when it does not rain!" This is NOT sunny Texas, that's for sure.
Ok, enough for now. We find out where we will be assigned at a special ceremony on April 15th. Until then, it's wait and see! If you want to check out personal reports of some of these countries from people who have lived there, go to "Tales from a Small Planet" and you can read all the personal stuff. You will have to enter a password, but it's free and the reading is interesting.
Hope all is well in your corner of the world!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
And the jourey begins.....
March 2007, applied online for Foreign Service Specialist position with State Department
August 2007, passed oral exam
January 2008, passed top secret security clearance and medical clearance
February 2008, invited to the 100th Class of Specialists in Washington DC
March 2008, packed up the house, sold junk, gave away goodies, got in the car and DROVE cross-country with Laura from Austin to DC. Arrived tired, hungry, exhausted.
The first day of class we were "sworn in" in the Woods room of the FSI complex. You quickly learn to live by acronyms. Believe me, three letters can stand for everything in the world. We promised to "preserve and protect and defend the constitution of the United States, to protect our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic." And a bunch of other things I forgot in the emotional moment of raising my right hand. The remainder of day one was a blur due to lack of sleep due to high anxiety of what to wear on the first day!
Memories of the first day...
*About 67 people in my class. We call ourselves "Foreign Service Specialist Candidates." There are about 10 different Specialities; including mine: Office Management Specialist.
*Everyone seems so capable, smart, intelligent. Then I think, "wait a minute, I'm in this group!" If finally hits me that I was specially selected....just like all these other talented people in the room.
*All the men wear suits and ties. It's great to be in a room with all these handsome, clean-cut guys. I feel like I'm surrounded by FBI or Secret Service!
*We get a tour of the facilities and I feel like a kindergartner being led around....where is the rope we hang on to? The mention the bathrooms more than once, so I guess that's important?
*We get our list of possible countries of assignment at 4pm. Everyone pours over the list and hopes to get a good country. We have a week to research our choices and then we rank them in the order we want them. So far I'm leaning towards Africa, but who knows where I'll end up.
Here is the list of possible places I could be sent to:
Abidjan, Ivory Coast, AFRICA
Abuja, Nigeria, AFRICA
Freetown, Sierra Leone, AFRICA
Guatemala, GUATEMALA
Istanbul, TURKEY
Kinshasa, Congo, AFRICA
Manama, BAHRAIN
Monrovia, Liberia, AFRICA
Nassau, THE BAHAMAS
Paris, FRANCE
Port-au-Prince, HAITI
Seoul, KOREA
Stockholm, SWEDEN
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
Tel Aviv, ISRAEL
Tokyo, JAPAN
Washington, DC
I miss everyone and will try and keep you updated as much as possible. So far....."I'M LOVING IT!!!"
Becky Boo
August 2007, passed oral exam
January 2008, passed top secret security clearance and medical clearance
February 2008, invited to the 100th Class of Specialists in Washington DC
March 2008, packed up the house, sold junk, gave away goodies, got in the car and DROVE cross-country with Laura from Austin to DC. Arrived tired, hungry, exhausted.
The first day of class we were "sworn in" in the Woods room of the FSI complex. You quickly learn to live by acronyms. Believe me, three letters can stand for everything in the world. We promised to "preserve and protect and defend the constitution of the United States, to protect our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic." And a bunch of other things I forgot in the emotional moment of raising my right hand. The remainder of day one was a blur due to lack of sleep due to high anxiety of what to wear on the first day!
Memories of the first day...
*About 67 people in my class. We call ourselves "Foreign Service Specialist Candidates." There are about 10 different Specialities; including mine: Office Management Specialist.
*Everyone seems so capable, smart, intelligent. Then I think, "wait a minute, I'm in this group!" If finally hits me that I was specially selected....just like all these other talented people in the room.
*All the men wear suits and ties. It's great to be in a room with all these handsome, clean-cut guys. I feel like I'm surrounded by FBI or Secret Service!
*We get a tour of the facilities and I feel like a kindergartner being led around....where is the rope we hang on to? The mention the bathrooms more than once, so I guess that's important?
*We get our list of possible countries of assignment at 4pm. Everyone pours over the list and hopes to get a good country. We have a week to research our choices and then we rank them in the order we want them. So far I'm leaning towards Africa, but who knows where I'll end up.
Here is the list of possible places I could be sent to:
Abidjan, Ivory Coast, AFRICA
Abuja, Nigeria, AFRICA
Freetown, Sierra Leone, AFRICA
Guatemala, GUATEMALA
Istanbul, TURKEY
Kinshasa, Congo, AFRICA
Manama, BAHRAIN
Monrovia, Liberia, AFRICA
Nassau, THE BAHAMAS
Paris, FRANCE
Port-au-Prince, HAITI
Seoul, KOREA
Stockholm, SWEDEN
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
Tel Aviv, ISRAEL
Tokyo, JAPAN
Washington, DC
I miss everyone and will try and keep you updated as much as possible. So far....."I'M LOVING IT!!!"
Becky Boo
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