Jakarta!

Wow!

That really has to sum up my first three days in this city. So far we have gotten most of the suitcases unpacked, walked back and forth to the embassy a few times, gone shopping, and seen the Oldest's school. That may not sound like much, but let me tell you, that is a lot for right now.

The first thing we all noticed was that the airport is not your typical glass and concrete bunker, but rather a series of tile-roofed buildings that Think 2 claimed to look like buildings in China. That she saw in a book at school about Mulan. I love 8-year olds. The second thing we noticed was that it was HAWT! Yes, I spelled it that way on purpose because "hot" just doesn't seem to cut it. And it was (still is) sticky. We were met at the ramp by our sponsor, Bu C. and headed off to immigration. I tell you, the Diplomatic line for immigration was a whole lot shorter than all the others. I can certainly get used to that. We sailed through immigration and headed off to baggage claim where, surprise, ALL our luggage showed up (21 bags). From there we went to customs where I was assured by Bu C. that we would not have to have anything inspected, except the young guard looked at our passports and said to start loading the bags on the belt. Luckily, a more experienced guard looked again, waived us through, and reprimanded his colleague that we were diplomats. After loading our stuff into the embassy van, the real adventure began.

If you have never been to Jakarta, and before this week I had not either, be prepared to think that you are going to be in a major traffic fatality in the first five minutes of getting in any car. Cars drive on the lines, around the lines, between the lines, on the shoulder, the wrong way, every way! And the scooters are 10X worse. Swarms of them, everywhere! I can't even describe it so will have to post pictures or video one of these days.

We made it to our place without incident (surprisingly) and began the process of unloading. Three flights of stairs, 21 full-sized bags plus carry-ons, three tired kiddos. It took a bit, but the place was spacious, tiled wall to wall, and just right as a temporary home for my family.

I will write more later, but figure this post is a week late so will finish here.

Be well my friends!

An Ending that is a Beginning

Today marks the ending of a significant portion of my life. Yes, I know that I have been training for the last three months at FSI, but on my way to Jakarta, I went home to help get the family ready to join me. But today is my last full day in Oregon, and the last day that I will be in my house for what is likely to be many years.

My house.

A and I have lived here for the last 10 and a half years. re-roofed it, re-sided it, re-painted it, re-floored it, and re-designed the backyard several times, just to list a few projects. Our children grew up in that house, and are quite sad to leave it.

So am I. So is A.

But in order to have this new beginning with State, I have to move on, and the family is coming along for the ride. I need to leave all that is familiar behind me and reach out for the unknown, the unexpected, the new, in order to grow and thrive in this new life I have chosen. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about this and can't wait to start my new job in Jakarta. It is going to be amazing and I am ready. Or at least as ready as I can be.

Our oldest is very sad and upset about leaving her home, her friends, and her school. I know she will get over it eventually and love all the adventures that are in front of her, but right now she is just angry and upset. And makes sure that I know about it. The twins are a little more excited, a little less nervous, but still sad to be leaving. They have never known anywhere else as home. But we will be having Christmas in our temporary housing and the presents are all in the suitcases, ready to be put under the tree.

Some days I am not as confident about this change, but I know, as surely as I know anything, that I have found my people and I am ready for this new beginning.

So to the rest of the world, and all the challenges that are in front of me, I only have one thing to say.

"Bring it on, if you think you are hard enough!"

Almost Time

One more week in Falls Church. That's it, just one more week and the first leg of this right turn is over and the next leg begins. It's hard to believe that I've only been away from Oregon for three months. It feels like so much longer. It's even harder to fathom that I am going to be living in Indonesia in two weeks.

Oddly, there isn't all that much for me to do in the time I have left. I have applied for all the visas, I pack out on Wednesday, I have three more days of training at lovely FSI, an evening meeting next week, a few more shots tomorrow, personal packing to do, turn in my fob, wave good bye, and fly home. I am the lucky one.

My wife has to get the entire house ready for pack out, on her own, for next week, move herself and the kids into a hotel, ship the cats to LA to then be sent on to Jakarta, continue to get the house ready to rent, and stay sane. Maybe I should bring her back some booze. Or take her out to the bars to get really drunk. Or flowers. Maybe chocolate. Or take the kids somewhere and let her nap. Something.

Later, I will tell all of you the adventures of the USPS and the Dip passport.

Be well

Thanksgiving and 3 More Weeks

Thanksgiving is a time for family, no matter how dysfunctional, now matter how far apart, it is a time to be together and celebrate. But what do you do when you are 3000 miles from home? Or 5000? What about when you are half-way around the world? This is the world that our military members live in when they are deployed. It is also the world that our diplomats live in as they serve in remote posts around the world.

And then there are those of us who are here in D.C., training to go to our first posts. It is kind of hard to go home when you have to work the day after Thanksgiving. Not impossible, but prohibitively expensive. So, what do you do? Well, I'll tell you. You make your own family with all your friends, and have Thanksgiving pot-luck. 40 of us from the 163rd, plus some visiting family and friends, got together and had a wonderful night. We brought way too much food, too much drink, had a food drive for a local homeless shelter, and basically had a dinner to remember.

I missed being with my family.
I missed being with friends.
But I tell you, the only way it would have been a better night, was if my family had been here with me.

So yes, I am very thankful that I had so many friends to spend this Thanksgiving with, and it is also a good reminder that family isn't always blood. Often it is the people you are with. And they might be more dysfunctional than your Uncle Theo.

____________

That's right, three weeks to go until we are supposed to touch down in Jakarta. Looking at the weather there on my iPhone, I think I am seeing a trend. Monday, thunderstorms, 91 deg, 80% humidity. Tuesday, the same. Wednesday, the same. Thursday, same. Fri...same. Well, you get the picture.


Things left to do before leaving:
Get visas
pack out my apartment
pack out the house in Oregon
get schools finalized
breathe
ship the cats
get tickets
finalize housing
sell the car in Oregon
buy a car in Jakarta
rent the house
breathe again

The list goes on, as does the outlay of cash. I know that those readers who are part of the Foreign Service, with kids, understand just how many suitcases you need, but I never really considered it before joining the ranks. I mean really, who actually owns two full-sized suitcases for every member of the family, plus a carry-on, and a personal bag? With three kids and my wife, that comes to 20 bags.

20!

I'm going to need a Greyhound bus to pick us up from the airport! Or a fleet of vans. Something bigger than a taxi, that's for sure.

The other thing that I forgot

When last I posted, I had forgotten the other thing that I wanted to talk about. Now I have remembered. Actually, I remembered on Tuesday but I've been a bit lazy so I am posting today. Two weeks ago I got to go on a White House tour. This may not seem like a big thing to some of you, but if you have ever tried to get on a tour, it is quite the process. Honestly, it really was interesting to walk through. There are amazing pictures, a mix of beautiful furniture and stuff I wouldn't put in YOUR house. Two things stand out the most from the tour: first was the Army First Sergeant that proposed to his girlfriend in the Blue Room. Turns out that you can arrange it with the Secret Service to pop the question in one of the nicest rooms in the White House. The second thing was that we got to see the First Lady walking the First Dog on the South Lawn. I know, I know, it's kind of lame to be excited about this. But really? How many Americans can say the same thing?

But while these things were cool, and I enjoyed my tour, it was what happened before the tour that was the most interesting. Walking up to the White House, there was a fire truck and an ambulance parked INSIDE the fence. This was, obviously, concerning. What happened? A shooting? Beat-down? No such luck. Just some random tourist that was so moved by the experience of touring the White House she fainted right there.

The second cool thing was, in fact, a beat down. Sort of. As we got to Pennsylvania Ave. there was a large group of police surrounding someone on the ground, and more police were showing up by the second. We didn't see it happen, but some protestor had chosen to get in an argument with the police, and instead of following directions, chose to turn and run. Moron. Seriously people, when across the street from the White House, DO NOT try and run from the police. You WILL get jacked up and be at the bottom of (Ok, I'm really sorry about this, but the pun writes itself) a pig pile.

Yes, I said it, but didn't any of you play pig pile? I'm just hoping you weren't drinking anything when you read that last bit, and did a big spit take all over your computer, cause I'm not liable for damages.

Any-who, our protagonist was trussed up and dealt with in some fashion or another, because he wasn't there when we finished the tour. After the tour, my friends and I headed off to Founding Farmers for a wonderful breakfast, good company, and then went our separate ways for the rest of the weekend.

Tomorrow, if you're lucky, I will tell you about my experience at the Newseum.

Be well neighbors.

What a Wild Week

There are times when people or organizations tell you they have a motto, but really it is just some snide little statement that either makes them feel important or they came up with because some consultant told them they needed one. Other companies, like Nike, have one that they embrace in every level of their culture. State has a motto, or at least maybe a philosophy, that seems, when you are new, to fall in the first category: Be Flexible. This isn't an official statement that appears on our business cards. It isn't part of the logo. It isn't splashed across the top of every Power Point slide. We are just reminded of it, constantly.

Side note; I think State uses Be Flexible because the Boy Scouts already had a lock on Be Prepared.

For those of you that read other Foreign Service blogs, this line of thought should come as no surprise. For those of you that are part of the Foreign Service, either as employees or families, I have a feeling you are cringing at this point, waiting for me to get on with it because you know the other shoe is going to drop and it will sound familiar or with the question of "what happened this time?"


Not even three weeks after Flag Day, I have been reassigned.


Where am I going? To the same post.
What am I doing? Different job.
When do you want me there? NOW!


I'm sorry, what was that last bit? You want me when? How much training do I get? Oh, that little? I see. Well, OK, I'm flexible. Let's do it!


Frankly, this has caused a lot of stress in my household because the family had only just applied for their blue passports, the kids hadn't applied for the new school yet, and frankly, they were in the process of getting ready to move out to Falls Church in December, three time zones East, instead of nine time zones West.


So we are working hard at getting ready to move to Post in December. The kids applications are in, the cats are being prepped to fly, the house prepped for renting, an accountant hired, passports and visas applied for, and expectations are being managed. I have to say that everyone involved in this process has been extremely helpful. Post has been wonderful at answering my wife's questions, and very responsive to my questions. The Bureau has been very helpful and is working closely with me to get as much training as possible in the five weeks I have left in DC, before heading to Post. And the kid's new school is being very helpful with all of the things that we need to get done in such a short time.



I am very excited about my first position, and I can't wait to start this next phase of my career. My family is excited and even the oldest has become excited about it too. She found the schools website and looked at all they had to offer, with no prompting from me or her mother. This is VERY encouraging!


I know I had more to write about in this post, but I started it last week and got sidetracked by something, so that is it for now. My next post will be about my visit home to Oregon and the joys of good coffee and excellent Indian food.


Be well world.

Snow Storms and Throat Singing?

So, living on the east coast is a very different animal than living on the west coast. For starters, who knew that the sun actually rose OUT of the ocean? I mean, it's only right and proper place is to set INTO the ocean, isn't it? Then there are the houses and apartments in the area. I have never seen so many brick buildings in one place. Or ones clad in granite. Or marble. Or whatever else kind of stone they use out here. Very strange, houses are supposed to be built out of wood or stucco. And oddly, when there is an earthquake, a lot of those bricks either fall off or the mortar is cracked. But they never have earthquakes out here right? Right?

Oh. Yeah.

And then ther was Saturday's surprise storm. It dumped almost three feet of snow on New England, but down here it just made a mess. Lots of snow that didn't stick, lots of rain that just made things wet, and a bit of a cold snap to make things interesting. So what did yours truly do during the surprise snowpocolypse? played video games, ate cold pizza, filed papers, and was generally a slug all day.

It. Was. Wonderful!

Not that I am likely to repeat it, but once in awhile it is ok to do absolutely nothing, and like it.

So that meant that Sunday was shopping day, and get-other-things-done day, followed by dinner and a concert with friends. I didn't go see Jimmy Buffett, Cowboy Mouth, The Beastie Boys, Iron Maiden, or any one else that I know and love. Oh no. When you have 100 new friends that have all traveled the world and seen many things, you end up at a concert of Tuvan throat singing. Right, I'd never heard of it either. I will admit to being skeptical but I had to get out after Saturday, so this was the perfect opportunity. The band's name is Alash Ensemble, and is a quartet of Master Singers from Tuva, and their talent proved it. To say that I was impressed is an understatement. The music was haunting, and like nothing I had ever heard before. I have heard musicians use their bodies as an instrument (Bobby McFarrin, Take 6) but never heard someone create more than one sound from their throat at the same time.

All I can say is that it was amazing. If you get a chance to hear them, or others like them, I highly recommend it. You can hear their music on iTunes, or on their website. Either way, give them a try, and listen closely. When you hear a lonely, high note that seems to be coming from nowhere, you will be hearing a person creating two notes at the same time.

Swearing In and Seeing Family

It's official. I have been formally sworn in as a Foreign Service Officer in the US State Department after six weeks of initial training. From here I will learn how to be a Consular Officer and how to speak Bahasa (Malay Indonesian.) Honestly, I can't wait! There is little in this world that I have looked forward to more than this opportunity to serve my country. I am amazed and humbled by this honor and am confident that I will have a wonderful time in this new career.

Aren't I lucky!

To top it off, the Momma-beast came to DC to watch me get sworn in and today we drove southwest to visit "A", whom I haven't seen in 15 years. What a wonderful day it was! We had a great lunch in Luray, VA at Gathering Grounds, shopped a bit, and then visited some more. While the trees weren't at their most colorful, none the less they were beautiful and the drive was very scenic. The really nice thing is that with "A" living so close, it is likely she will come visit a few times before I move to Jakarta.

And the answer is...

Jakarta, Indonesia!

That's right folks, I am going to be spending two years in Jakarta, after I finish ConGen (I will define this another day) and half a year of language training, learning Bahasa (Malay Indonesian).

This is really an awesome assignment and I am looking forward to it. Jakarta was one of our top choices as a family and everything that I have heard is that it is a great post. Lots to see and do. Lots of travel opportunities. I can't wait!

Almost there!

After three tests over eight months.
After my past being scrutinized with a fine-toothed comb.
After having physicals and and lots of medical tests to insure I am healthy.
After months of answering the same question over and over.
After two weeks of sorting through names of cities.
After two more weeks of waiting.
I am almost there.
Two days and a wake up left.
68 hours to go.
Flag Day is almost here!
Finally I will know what country I am going to for my first post.
What city my family and I will be living in for two years.

Flag Day is almost upon me.

Flag Day, the day that every new Foreign Service Officer waits for with anxiety, fear, hope, dread, longing, anticipation, and excitement.

Flag Day, the day that every other Foreign Service Officer remembers for their entire career.


 I'm almost there!

(The sad thing is, all I can see in my mind's eye is the final battle with the Death Star in the original Star Wars and Red Leader saying "Almost there." Yes, I am a geek. And lucky you, I am also the geek that will represent US interests abroad. Your interests! Isn't that exciting?)

A Surprising Day

So I began my weekend looking for a good place to get breakfast in DC. Some place well-reviewed that had a unique or special something to it. And it had to be close to the Metro because otherwise I have to walk further than I would like.After doing a few minutes of research I discovered a place called the Waffle Shop, across the street from Ford's Theater. It was described as a greasy spoon diner and I am here to tell you that description was dead on. Very few tables but a long, snaking counter where you just walked up to and sat down. Everything on the menu was pretty standard except for something called "scrapple". I asked my waitress what it was and she told me it was "the last part of the pig that was used. Sort of like mushy sausage." YUCK! Needless to say I did not partake. The food was acceptable, and filling, but nothing to really go back for, so with a full stomach I began to walk down to the National Mall again.

When I got to the back side of the Natural History Museum I turned left and headed for the National Gallery to go look at some art. Not just any art though, I wanted to spend time looking at the works of Rodin, Degas, and that of other sculptors whose names I can't remember. Rodin's work just moves me. His attention to detail, to form, and to emotion simply floor me. While I'm not a huge fan of the busts that he did, his other sculptures are very moving. Similarly with Degas. The detail he put into most of his work was not the same as Rodin, but Degas captures movement and life, particularly in his different dancers and horses.  After spending time being awed and humbled by such greatness I wandered upstairs to the portrait galleries where I sauntered past the Rembrandts and made my way to this painting.
 

 

This is "Moonlit Landscape With Bridge" by Aert Van Der Neer, and the first time I saw it, in January, I was struck by how strong the light shown out of the sky and illuminated the picture. There are obviously other great works of art in the Gallery, but this one jumped out at me, and on second viewing, had just as much impact. With that goal accomplished, I set off through the museum again and found another amazing exhibit, this one of etchings done by John Taylor Arms. I am always amazed at the talent that artists show, their ability to create so much emotion on different media, the fact that I can barely draw a stick figure in comparison. What Arms does though, is brings to life a scene, in many cases quite real, and etches it BACKWARDS on his plates. Thik about that for a second. Look at whatever is in front of you and imagine drawing the mirror image it. On metal. Apparently, according to his children, Arms would work with a pin that had been attached to a wooden handle, and etch lines while looking through a stack of three magnifying glasses. What might that create? 

After dreaming for 30 seconds about what it might feel like to have this kind of talent in art, I walked out the front door of the Gallery into a sea of white tents set up across half the Mall. 

What was this?!

This, was the National Book Fest, put on by the Library of Congress. There were tents for most genres of books: fiction, poetry, teen, children, contemporary, etc. They had the Magic School Bus there, a whole section from PBS Kids, a trailer set up to download digital library books, and at the far end of the field, a row of 20 small tents for book signings. Yes, that's right, 20 rows of people waiting to have a book signed by their favorite author. It looked like this:

I walked up to the tent for fiction just as they were announcing the next author to speak. I didn't recognize the name at first but heard something about Oz, so I stayed a bit longer, only to discover that it was Gregory McGuire, the author of Wicked. So I stayed longer. He read the first few pages of the fourth book in the Wicked series, which comes out shortly, and then began talking about how he came to write Wicked and then the subsequent books. Who would have thought that his muse was the first Gulf War and Hitler? Or that his second book was based on the incidents at Abu Ghraib? He was an engaging speaker and this discovery seemed to be the surprise of the day. Little did I know.

I left the Mall and headed off to look for a store, only to find that it had moved. So I jumped on the train to the next location where I could find the store I was looking for and when I walked out of the Clarendon Station I stepped square in the middle of a street fair. It was Clarendon Day! What? You have never heard of Clarendon Day? Good, because neither had I. Basically they closed off the center of town, in a two block radius from the Metro station, and filled it with food, games, activities, demonstrations, and vendors of all sorts. After getting turned around looking for the store I was seeking (stupid map program) I returned to the fair and had a look. The food was good, the entertainment was good, and I was able to walk around without everyone trying to sell me something and just take in the sights and sounds. 

This may not sound like much to some of you, but the point is that you just never know what you are going to find when you head off looking for breakfast. It was a very surprising day and I am so very glad that I went looking for waffles.

Reflections

The reason I started this blog was to chronicle my adventures as I began a new job and new life in the Foreign Service. The funny experiences, the different sights, sounds, and foods, sharing these things with friends, family, and strangers who might be interested. Today is not going to be one of those funny days. Today I went to the National Holocaust Museum.

On my last trip to DC I visited several museums and had a wonderful time. Now that I am living here I intend to go to them all, and for some reason I chose the Holocaust Museum. Maybe it was because I am feeling down and missing my family, maybe because I wanted to get it out of the way, and maybe because I had heard how moving an experience it was for others. Regardless, I chose to visit it today. To say that I was overwhelmed is a serious understatement. The weight of the exhibits was far more than I ever thought possible. I have seen video of the concentration camps, pictures of the liberation, and different examples of what Hitler did, but NEVER in such breadth or depth. Even typing this in the comfort of my room I am overcome with emotion when I think of the section regarding the mental hospitals and what was done to children. Horrifying! Seeing the tower of photos from the city of Ejszyszki, and learning that so many were killed was another moment that will live with me forever. But the most striking thing of all, as strange as it may seem, was the part of the exhibit that was nothing but shoes taken from victims when they arrived at the camps. Mstly old and decaying leather, many of the shoes still had dye on them and you could see that they had been bright red at some point. 
There were parts of the exhibit that I found to be intensely graphic and thought that I will never bring my children there. But another part of me is saying that at a certain age, they need to see this and understand that it is necessary to stand up to evil. 


I knew I would be moved by this experience, I just had no idea I would be moved this much. If those of you that read this have never been to this museum, I encourage you to do so. If you have, encourage others that have not. 


If you have gotten this far, thank you for reading all of this, and I promise such occurrences will be rare.

Be well my friends
 

Adventures in Roadtripping or, How I survived West Virginia

So after all of the initial drama with my poor old Saturn, and another 2200 miles of driving, I made it safe and sound to Falls Church, VA, my new home for the foreseeable future. Along the way, I stopped in a smallish town in CO to see my old friend, the dog trainer, where we had a wonderfully greasy lunch at 5 Guys Burgers. The detour to do this extra jaunt generated Rule #2 of Road Trips:

When road tripping, and you have a little extra time, it is ALWAYS appropriate to detour to see an old friend.

From there I continued on my merry way and headed for what I thought was going to be Nebraska. I didn't end up there. I ended up in Kansas. Let me explain. When you have been reading maps on your iPhone you tend to just look at little colored lines and not pay really close attention to the bigger details. Like what state you are going towards. Soooo, I ended up driving across Kansas and I am here to tell you that I have never seen a place so utterly devoid of geographic landmarks. Frightening! Now, it is possible that eastern KS has terrain, but it was very dark when I zoomed through that part of the state so I can't say for sure. I spent the night in KC after deciding that 1150 miles of driving in one day was enough, then a short drive the next morning to see the in-laws.

The next morning I was off again with the target of Louisville, KY to see the Preacher and her family. That was a wonderful reunion with two of my best friends in the world and the next day the Preacher and I went off to tour some distilleries! That's right, the Preacher likes her some Kentucky sipping bourbon, and we were not disappointed. We went to Woodford Reserve and Four Roses that day, then headed back to get the kiddies off the bus and go to wine and cheese night at the Seminary. Boy, those Presbyterians can pour it back!

Saturday dawned rather dreary as I packed up and started the last leg of my trans-continental adventure. From KY I went into West Virginia and all started off pretty well. The roads were nice, there were lots of trees, and I didn't have to stop for awhile. But when you follow Google Maps, you sometimes go some interesting places. What that link does NOT tell you, is that you end up on a lot of 2 lane highways going down some scary-steep hills (10%) that wind every which way, then suddenly burst into a gorgeous valley that lasts a few miles, then back up the hills you go. This went on for about 150 miles or so, and some of the towns looked rather nice and well cared for, and others made me hear banjos.

Eventually I made it back onto the Interstate, and rolled into VA on-time as planned. In another post I will describe my marvelous living quarters and my first days as a Foreign Service Officer.

Of Road Trips and Sheepdogs

There is something about a road trip that requires a breakdown of some sort. Call it fate, call it the law of narrative causality, call it "just plain weird", but whenever a road trip is embarked upon it is inevitable that your vehicle will have trouble. In my case it came early, 350 miles into my 750 mile day. Climbing over the last pass out of Oregon on I-84 my check engine light started flashing and I lost a major portion of my power. Power. That is a relative term when talking about a 15 year old Saturn with 150K miles and in desperate need of a ring-job, but none-the-less, power is still the right word.

I was close to Ontario, Oregon so I didn't stop or pull over, and just kept going. I broke several driving rules, both real and of the common sense variety, and started checking the interwebs on my phone to see what the possible causes could be. Low oil pressure? Cylinder mis-fire? I was spoiled for choice. Either way, I located an auto parts store in Ontario that was open and limped in to get the code checked on the engine. Lo and behold, it was a mis-fire. #3 to be exact.

Turns out I had a bad spark plug wire but the Auto Zone didn't have any in stock. Did my helpful clerk send me on my way to fend for myself? NO! He called the O'Reilly just up the street, found they had the parts, and got them to price match! This was fantastic service and I highly recommend these folks if you need parts. I then limped my ailing car a few more blocks and went into the O'Reilly's to get my wires. Again I was greeted with fantastic service! Not only did they already have the parts on the counter, they didn't question a thing and rang me up at the lower price with a smile and an offer to help if I needed it.

Let me be clear folks, that is two competing businesses that were willing to work closely together for no other reason than I needed a part to hopefully be able to keep going on my way to D.C.! The staff at both stores were amazing and I have nothing but high praise for their work.

Oh yeah, the part worked and I was able to keep going.

Unfortunately I lost all faith in my old Saturn to make it further than Salt Lake City. I planned ahead though, and had brought the pink slip with me to donate the car when I got to D.C. Turns out I will be donating it, or selling it for salvage, 2000 miles earlier than planned. I will be getting a rental car to take me the rest of the way and my mileage and per diem should cover most of that. Good thing I am staying with friends and family for the whole way. :)

Sheepdogs!

I am staying in SLC an extra night to spend time with my mother and brother, and I was asked if I would like to spend part of the day at the Sheepdog Trials in Soldier Hollow, UT. With no other responsibilities than getting to D.C. I said yes and we drove up this morning to see what was going on. I tell you what, I was not expecting to see that many people out to watch dogs herd sheep, but the stands were packed and it was really quite amazing to watch. These dogs are very well trained and their owners send whistle signals to them to tell them which way to go, when to stop, and when to run. The field of play is several acres of hillside that were part of the Cross Country skiing course in the 2002 Winter Olympics and the dogs have to find two separate herds of sheep, bring them through a set of fences, then run both herds together through two more fences, followed by separating them out and getting five into a corral. Truly amazing work. On top of that there was great food and dogs that were competing in dock diving, so a great time was had by all. Additionally, there was a documentary being filmed about sheepdogs so I may just be in the movie!

Tomorrow begins the longest stretch of my trip, 1200 miles, so we will have to see how that goes.

And then there were none

My last day in Portland has come to an end and all that's left is one more night in my home then I drive off into the sunrise. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new dream, a new adventure, a new life, and I intend to enjoy every minute of it. 

After four years leading a wonderful crew of people at MAC I am now back to being an entry level employer with no seniority, few acquaintances, and no direct experience for the job I am starting. My responsibilities will change every couple of years along with my address, the language I speak, and the food I eat. At this point I only know that in nine days I start my first six weeks if training with no idea what happens after that.   

This is going to be FUN!!!!

3 Days and a Wake-up

until I drive off into the sunrise, on my way to D.C.! This is exciting stuff, but it also means that my time at MAC is coming to an end in the morning. After 13 years, many friendships, and countless interactions with wonderful people, I am leaving. This is equal parts sad and joyous for me since it means that I get to start my new career with the State Department but at the cost of leaving all these fantastic people.

Last night was my farewell party with my fellow managers, my boss, a couple of my staff, and a random stranger we picked up half-way through the evening. Duvy, the party planner, was tasked with finding something "uniquely Portland" for us to do and boy did he come through! We spent the evening on this! What fun! and we got to burn off the calories that we drank along the way. Seriously, this was the best outing we have had and I was thrilled to spend the evening with my friends.

My last three days in Portland will be spent tying up loose ends, getting to doctor appointments, and packing my car to the gills. I'm not sure if I will be able to pack everything I am planning on, but I will get close who needs to see out the back window anyways?

Back from the Beach

I spent that last six days at the Oregon Coast and the experience was exactly as it was expected to be. The weather changed several times a day, there were a lot of tourists, and the kids couldn't stop begging for candy, swimming, the beach, the arcade, stuff, candy, swimming, clam chowder, candy,... Well, you get the picture. It was a relaxing time overall and we all had a good time. The kids got to do all of the things they wanted, the SO got her hair did and a manicure, I went running most mornings, and we all got a lot of sun.

No sooner did we get home than we turned around and went shopping for shoes and school clothes at the Nike Employee Store. If you have never been there, or even heard of it, the store is basically Nike's clearing house for styles and also a way to provide apparel for staff at highly reduced rates. A neighbor of mine got us a guest pass so we could partake, yet again, in the savings and madness of the store. We were all ready to check out when what did we see, but huge duffel bags that will work for carrying stuff overseas. So there went more money.

As for going to D.C., the countdown is at seven days and a wake up.

Be well.

Vacation and Work

It feels kind of strange going on vacation a week before my last days at work, but I booked this vacation last summer and have no intention of giving it up. Five days on the beach with my family is just what I need before I drive 3000 miles to start my new life. The Oregon Coast is perfect this time of year and I am looking forward to sitting back and staring at the ocean for hours while my kids play in the sand and the surf.

As for work, once I return from the beach I will have three full working days left. Time enough to clean out my office, have a few meetings, clean out my email and computer files, shake hands and give/get hugs, and generally close out a chapter of my life that spanned 13 years. This is a very surreal experience and one that I have mixed feelings about. I am trying to stay present throughout and pay attention to how I am feeling, how others are responding/reacting, and not just glossing over this part of my life. There is a lot to learn here if I pay attention.

Lastly, I have my travel orders and I have mostly cleaned out my car in preparation to fill it up again with all that I am taking to DC with me. You can see the inventory in a prior post, but now I have to re-figure how I am packing everything in. I thought I could hang my clothes behind my seat but it turns out there isn't enough space. This means they go behind the passenger seat, reducing visibility. But I guess that doesn't really matter, since I have no intention of looking back.

Be well neighbors!

Promoted

Big news! I was promoted to Green Belt this evening and that is an awesome thing for me. With just three weeks until I move to D.C. and look for a dojo it will be good to show up with more than a white belt after nearly two years of training. Of course this means I have to work harder so I don't make my senseis look bad when I move but that isn't a bad thing.

On a different note; DAMN I'M SORE!

Wardrobe

I picked up my last suit from Macy's this evening, bringing my grand total to five. Yes, that's right, I now own five suits. You may not think this is a big deal, but up until 4 years ago I didn't even own one. As of June of this year I only owned one.

Now I own five.

I am changing worlds; from sweats or khakis to a suit and tie.

Oh well, it's just another uniform, to be worn with pride in service to my country.

Did I forget to mention that I bought a watch too? I did? Oh. Well, I did buy one, so now my wardrobe is complete. I hope.

Decisions

It's three weeks out until I drive off into the sunrise to begin my adventures in D.C. and it's time to start figuring out some of what is going to come with me and what will arrive later when my family joins me. So far the list includes:

golf clubs
three cases of beer that didn't get consumed at my Birthday party
a half case of wine from the same event
(Please note that the important stuff is listed first)
most of my clothes
assorted hand tools
some things to drop off with family for safe-keeping along the way
my coffee maker and coffee grinder
five pounds of Pete's coffee
rice cooker
printer and scanner
laptop
a few books
and pictures

That should all fit in a 97 Saturn, don't you think?

On top of these decisions, I am also selling most of my library, throwing away and/or donating old clothes, and just generally downsizing my life. Oh yeah, I have to empty out my office too, and decide what I will leave with my staff, what stays for the new manager, what gets tossed, and what I will bring with me. It's amazing just how much stuff you can collect over 13 years in the same company.

Seriously! You just never realize how many damned knick-knacks you collect or inherit in your life until it is time to move them somewhere, AND you have a weight limit.

Paperwork

I'm going to work for the US Government. Again. I was reminded of this when I had to fill out the 10 inch thick security clearance forms. OK, fine, 3/4 of an inch, but it sure felt like more. That was only a teaser though for what was to come. Before I even leave for D.C. to start training, I had to provide State with 20 separate forms. That's right, 20.

What was my ethnicity?
Do I have a disability?
How much Life Insurance do I want?
Who gets it?
Who gets any back pay if I die on the job?

(No, I'm not whining. I know I have been hired for an amazing job and am lucky to have one. I'm just pointing out what has to happen before I even start getting paid.)

You get the picture. Some I could just fill in a couple of fields and sign. Some were bigger, and some required witnesses. There were even some I had to fill out and not send, but rather bring with me for my first day.

Did I mention that this is the US Government we are talking about? Good, because you might then understand that I also made a lot of copies of all these forms, just in case I have to turn them in again. And then give another copy to the next department, and the next, and the next, and then have copies left over when the first set is misplaced. I've done the paper dance before so I am planning on overkill, hoping I wont need any of the copies.

I know there will be LOTS more paperwork in my future, and my soul is prepared. I just hope my organizational skills are prepared too.

A Hard Right Turn

I'm 40 now, and as the title of this blog says, I am making a hard right turn in my life. 18 months ago I decided it was time for a change in career. I have always wanted to travel, see new things, visit lots of places, and meet more people.


But how was I going to do this? I certainly didn't make enough. I don't have a trust fund. So what was I going to do?

So I started looking at options. Teaching at the American Schools, working for the DOD as a civilian contractor running rec programs. Both possible, but I wasn't finding jobs I thought I was qualified for. Then a friend suggested I look into the US State Department. I did, and I was immediately hooked. Foreign Service Officer! That looked like the job for me! Live in different countries, meet lots of people, see new things. Everything I wanted and they were going to pay me to do it too.

There was a catch though. There were tests involved. Three of them. Apparently they were very hard and the only people that knew how they were scored weren't telling. The first test, the FSOT, was a three hour test, much like the MCAT, GMAT, AFOQT, CPA exam, etc.

Hard.

So I signed up and checked out the online resources. The reading list (pdf) was rather daunting and dammit, I had to go back and learn US history again. I didn't get a seat during the next round of testing so had to wait until June of last year before I could take it. I got to the testing site and the computers couldn't connect to the test server. JOY! But Lo, the IT gods were smiling and they got it to work and I took the test. Three weeks later I was told I passed, and oh by the way, will you please answer these questions and send them back to us in three weeks. Kthanksbye!

So I answered their questions, sent them in, and waited. And waited, And waited. Mind you, I sent them in July. It was now September. I still waited, until a member of a Yahoo group for the Foreign Service Oral Assessment (FSOA) announced that invitations to the Oral Assessment (OA) were coming out.

And Lo! I answered the mysterious questions correctly and received an invitation to sign up for the OA, and oh by the way, here is the window of time where you can sign up. So on that day I stalked the signup site and the system overloaded and I couldn't refresh fast enough to get signed up. I waited 15 minutes and went in to sign up again. Would you believe that 80% of the available dates were already taken?! But I got a date in January of this year and bought my tickets for D.C. I wont bore you with the details, though I know there are OA hopefuls out there who wish I would, but suffice it to say, I passed on my first go. I passed with the lowest score possible, but I passed. So what next?

Let me tell you.

Nearly every detail of my life for the past 10 years was peered into by the State Department, trying to figure out if I was a security risk and if I was going to die soon of cancer or a heart attack. Or maybe I was depressed, or used drugs. Lucky for me I was clean enough that they gave me a clean bil of health and said I was trustworthy enough.

What does that all mean? It means I got put on the bottom of the depth chart for a Management position in the Foreign Service. It meant that unless I learned a language, I was never getting off that list and getting a job offer. So I started studying Mandarin in hopes of getting off the list in 18 months, the total time you can stay on the list before getting kicked off and having to start over. On a chance, I sent in my DD-214s from the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard to see if I could get any Veteran's Preference points to help my score, and what do you know, it did. I got moved from 137th on the list to 37th! That's right, 100 spots! I was blown away. I had a real shot at getting a job offer this year (2011).

Soon I was 25th on the list and I was told that only 15 to 18 would be chosen for the September A-100 class, the class that introduces you to the Foreign Service and must be gone through by every new member of the Foreign Service. I was sweating because I didn't know how many of the people in front of me had deferred or were on the Do Not Call list. Then word came out on June 27th that not only were offer letters going out, but that there were going to be 22 offers for Management. Talk about torture! So I emailed my HR contact and asked "where was I on the list and can you please, pretty please, tell me where I am on the list and are you really taking 22 people?"

Crickets.

Not a peep out of them.

And then, on the afternoon of the 28th, I got the email that every candidate wants to see. You have been accepted! And there, about a month before my 40th Birthday, my life began what is shortly to be, a hard right turn.