Getting the offer was surreal, and sending in all of my paperwork just felt like homework. Yesterday I received confirmation of my last day at Halfaker, but I’ve known that date for weeks, so it didn’t feel like a big deal.

Last night, however, I met up with some of the local hires from my upcoming A-100 class for drinks and dinner in Chinatown, and this life-shift started to feel real. I met people who I will be spending a LOT of time with come August (in 24 days, to be precise), and they are real people with names and faces and personalities and experiences and…well, you know what I mean (maybe?).

Then today I emailed one of my classmates the name of a movie I couldn’t remember last night, and I included the the bit about 24 days until A-100. That could have been where the closeness of our class hit me, but it wasn’t.

I got another email today from my “Peer Buddy” in the ‘Clapping 153rd.’ She’s going to Beirut in September and seems like a very nice person over email and THAT was the point where the reality of the impending A-100 tapped me on the shoulder and said hello. I’m not entirely sure why that was my tipping point, maybe the email along with culmination of this week’s events finally woke me up, I’m not sure, and I don’t think I’ll question it anymore.

So there it is, 24 days until I start life as a Foreign Service Officer. Now I’ve got to wonder if I can manage to not count down the hours for just a few more weeks…

Did I mention that their headquarters is on the National Mall? I brought my tripod and took a lot of pictures of fireworks.

I took over 700 pictures!



But I culled them down to a 174 of my favorites – which are all in the gallery



Thanks again Christina – it was a 4th of July we’ll never forget!

Recent Updates:

• New WordPressUpdated from WordPress 2.9.something to WordPress 3.0, or, as some like to call him, Thelonious. This is a great, feature rich update that I actually did early in the month.
• New Theme – I’ve made the switch over to Magazine Basic by Bavotasan.com and I’m very happy with it. I’m not done playing around with the format and features, but I really like grid layout and automatic excerpts

Upcoming Updates

• New Header Photo It’s a nice picture, but we’ve been married for almost three years. Also, I don’t look like that anymore – not since I got my hair cut.
• New Tag Line I guess I could put this under new header…but it’s fun enough to get it’s own bullet.
• New (Better) Organization One of the bonuses of WordPress 3.0 is the new menu functions. I plan on trying to make information on my site easier to find – especially for the Foreign Service
• New Links Page This is still up in the air, because the effort to keep it updated will be significant. Stay tuned.

I’ve known a couple future and current FSO’s who have debated moving outside of the 50 mile mark to be able to take advantage of the per diem benefit as well as the convenience of living in corporate housing. While one current FSO regrets their decision to stay a local hire, most agree with me that the move isn’t worth it.

My primary instinct is to not try and ‘game’ the system. Every federal agency is facing tight budgets this year, and the Department of State is no exception. I have the Death and Taxes Poster on the wall of my office. If you haven’t seen it before, I highly recommend taking a look. You can zoom in and out on it, and see the Obama administration’s proposal for the Federal discretionary budget. It’s a great graph and poster, and in the bottom, a little right of the center, is the circle that represents the State Department. While the overall department budget is up a few percentage point, the Administration of Foreign Affairs is down a bit. They need all of the money they can get. My father is a retired Marine (who still works for the Marine Corps), my mother worked for the Navy, and I work for federal contractors. Out of my 31 years on earth, 3 of them were not subsidized by tax payers in one way or another. I try to be a good steward of tax payer money, and trying to ‘game’ the per diem benefit goes directly against the spirit of that benefit, and I won’t do it.

I completely agree that incoming FSO’s, and anyone on training or TDY should get a per diem. Incoming FSO’s have approximately 60 days to uproot their entire lives and move to a new city that is probably unfamiliar to them, and they may not be here for more than four or five months (hence the logic of corporate housing). Per diem helps to ease the loss of income during their transition to the State Department, especially since we won’t receive our first paycheck until the end of A-100 training. However, for Chad and me, it just isn’t necessary.

First, we don’t have to move. I have lost track of how many foreign service families are starting, in the middle of, or finishing up their summer migrations. If you want to read about their experiences, the Weekly State Department Blog Roundup posts by Ryan & Lori’s Exciting Adventures and Shannon’s blog Cyberbones are a great source for all of the fun pack out and moving adventures. Let me just say that I’m happy to delay that experience. I’m happy to be able to spend the next howeverlong in the apartment I’ve spent the past two years in with all of my (kitchen – and other!) stuff, and that we have a little extra time to cull out the excess junk.

Second, we don’t need the money. Since we don’t have to move, I’m only taking a few days off between my job here at Halfaker and the beginning of the A-100, so I won’t have too much of an income gap (especially thanks to some accumulated leave payout). More importantly, however, is that Chad will still be working. We are definitely privileged to be DINKs (double income, no kids), and his income and benefits more than make up for any amount of per diem that we might receive.

Finally, we can hang on to the novelty of being a local for a little bit longer. Best place for falafel or the best restaurant for an anniversary? Too easy. You need a doctor or a dentist? I have recommendations. We need to find a place to hold a 100+ person happy hour where we can all still move around and talk to each other, and it won’t cost an arm and a leg? I have a list.

So good luck to my future classmates and anyone else still going through their pack outs and moves. I know we’ll get that experience soon enough, but for now I’m glad to be a local hire.

• Super H Mart
• Let’s Meat on the Avenue
• Cheesetique
• Mediterranean Bakery
• Costco
• Trader Joe’s
• Wegmans
• Whole Foods

(Super) H Mart
When Chad and I lived in Fairfax, H Mart and Super H Mart were our primary grocery stores. H Mart is a localish chain of large Korean-owned grocery stores. They carry super cheap produce, almost all of the Asian food you could want, and fish so fresh they may still be alive when you leave the store (if that’s how you want them). If you want, you can point to the fish you want in the tank and they will “take care of it” for you. Do not be alarmed by large paper bags that may want to snap at you – they usually have live crabs in them. Their prices are very very very good, but some of their smaller stores can feel a little cramped. I recommend going out to the Fairfax Super H Mart on rt. 50 across from the Catholic high school.

Let’s Meat on the Avenue
On Mt. Vernon Ave. in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria is an honest to goodness neighborhood butcher shop. Let’s Meat on the Avenue has some of the best meat you can buy in the National Capital Region, and the butcher (a nice Englishman) takes requests. The ground beef there is amazing, and the prices are on par with what you’d pay at a Whole Foods or Harris Teeter, only better quality.

Cheesetique
Still in Del Ray, a few doors up from the butcher shop is a combination cheese monger shop and cafe, with some dry goods and wine thrown in. Cheesetique is a great place to meet a few friends for dinner, and to pick out (and up) a selection for the cheese board at your next party (because it isn’t a party without a cheese board – I’m just sayin’). The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful, and will cut you a thin slice of anything so you can give it a taste test.

Mediterranean Bakery & Cafe
I used to live across the street from this place, and I miss being that close (we’re a 15 minute drive now…but I like to be able to walk places). The Mediterranean Bakery & Cafe (no website – link to Yelp!) is where you go to get your baklava fix. They make it there (all kinds, but get the cashew one!), along with all sorts of pastries, cookies, and pita. They also make deli items such as hummus, ful m’dammas, tabouleh, and kibbeh – all of it’s delicious. You can place an order for a schwarma at the deli counter, then shop around while you wait for your order to come up. If you need olive oil, this is the best place in town to buy it. They are also a dry goods store with an entire aisle of olive oil. I recommend Saifan brand from Lebanon.

Costco
You probably don’t think Costco really needs any explanation – most people are familiar with the Membership only discount big box store. However, if you are new to the Northern Virginia area, let me give you some advice.
1. Avoid the Pentagon City Costco at all costs. Even if it’s the closest one to you, it will take forever to get in and out of. Don’t be fooled by it’s location, it’s one of the busiest and most inconvenient Coscto’s I’ve ever seen. Go to Fairfax or Springfield.
2. On the weekends, get there when they open, or an hour before they close. Unless you really really really really like crowds.
Bonus! Unless we’re going to have a huge party, we only buy what we can carry. Sometimes nice people even let us in front of them in line because we don’t have too many items. Then again, we also don’t have children…

Trader Joe’s
The first time I lived in DC, TJ’s hadn’t made the move to the East Coast. My parents used to send care packages of my favorite things from Trader Joe’s. Their food is great, reasonably priced, and there are two within 5 miles of my apartment.

Wegman’s
If you are from the North East, then Wegman’s needs no introduction. For the rest of you, just go. It’s an amazing grocery store. I highly recommend eating before shopping or you may be in danger of buying the entire store.

Whole Foods
A lot of people give Whole Foods a hard time because some of the things there can get pricey. While that is true, I can still buy bulk rolled oats there for $0.99 a pound, so it doesn’t seem quite as expensive to me. I’ve always liked Whole Foods, and I like it even better since we’ve moved within a 10 minute walk of one. I know we wouldn’t shop there as much if it wasn’t so close, but I figure that just walking there makes me healthier by proxy. I like the food, I like the convenience, I like the store.

1. Toaster Oven
2. Rice Cooker
3. Electric Kettle
4. Crock Pot
5. Food Processor
6. Hand Mixer

Toaster Oven
We use the toaster every day. If it isn’t providing beautifully browned bread, it may be cooking an empanada, baking an individual oversize muffin, toasting some nuts. My dad likes to warm plates in their toaster oven. We bought an Oster toaster oven from Costco, but for me, brand isn’t the biggest concern – features are. For me, a good toaster over must: a.) have toast, broil, bake and warm functions, b.) have temperature settings, c.) have a good timer, d.) be large enough to broil two 6 ounce steaks (generally, a clearance of 4 inches from the heating element to the rack is necessary).

The Oster fits the bill, and actually helps keep our electricity bill down. If what I would otherwise put in the big oven can comfortably fit in the toaster oven, I prefer to cook in the toaster oven. While I may have to put a little aluminum foil on top of an empanada for the first half of cooking to keep the top from burning, it will cook faster and more efficiently in a small space than in the large cavern of our oven.

Rice Cooker
A rice cooker may not be essential to everyone, but mine has a permanent home on my counter and is used at least once a week. I grew up with a very basic rice cooker – press the button and in a half an hour you have rice. The last time I bought a rice cooker I decided to go fancy. I got a Zojirushi Micom Fuzzy Logic 5.5 cup cooker and I’m never going back. It cooks brown rice and quiona like a dream, has a convenient retractable cord and a flip up handle. I don’t understand how the fuzzy logic works, but I don’t care since my food comes out perfectly. However, my favorite feature, which I wish we had while I was growing up, is the timer. It is so nice to be able to add rice (or quinoa) and water, set the timer, and have the food ready when I’m going to want it.

Electric Tea Kettle
We have a very basic electric tea kettle. You plug it in and it boils water, there’s an automatic shut off. Basic, very helpful for pasta, boiling potatoes, blanching vegetables, tea, coffee (we use a press thingy that isn’t a French press…I’m not the coffee drinker, you’ll have to ask Chad about it). The stove takes longer to boil a pot of water so it’s very convenient and energy efficient. However, if I had to buy a new one, I’d get one that lets you set the temperature you want. I don’t need the water to boil for tea (apparently, it affects the flavor of coffee as well), and it would be nice for poaching eggs as well. However, the current one works just fine, so a fancy new kettle will just have to wait.

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot
Oh Crock Pot, where would I be without you. Chili, pot roast, corned beef, braised turkey legs, apple sauce, beans… the list goes on and on. My favorite part of cooking with a Crock Pot is that I can let things cook overnight at a low temperature for a long time. My second favorite thing about a Crock Pot is that it’s perfect for sharing hot dishes at pot lucks. There’s no need to re- heat anything, just keep it plugged in at the ‘warm’ level. My least favorite thing about a Crock Pot is that if you’re around while it’s on, the smell of wonderful food cooking can be enough to drive you crazy. Mmmmmmm

Food Processor
I always patiently minced with my knife, pounded with the mortar and pestle, grated large amounts of cheese by hand and used a pastry cutter to bring flour and butter together. Then I got married, and the house in Hawaii we rented to stay in and host the wedding had a large (probably 12 cup) food processor. I used it to chop the macadamia nuts and crystallized ginger in my tropical carrot, and to bring all of the dry ingredients together. I was hooked. So when we got back, my Sur La Table coworkers had pitched in on a gift card to put towards a food processor of my very own. I got a 12 cup KitchenAid, though after reading this really great Food Processor Buying Guide, I think I should have gone for the Cuisinart – oh well. Pastry crusts and pesto are still awesome in my KitchenAid.

Hand Mixer
Yes, that’s right, hand mixer. I have a KithenAid 5 speed hand mixer and no need for anything more powerful. I spent over a year at Sur La Table wondering if I should get a stand mixer. Pros and cons for a stand mixer: a.) less muscle power, especially for things like whipping egg whites to stiff peaks. Yes, that take a long time with a hand mixer, but it’s not so bad if you let the eggs come to room temperature first. Also, I’ve only had the need twice in the past two years. Also, I prefer to use a spatula for bringing dry and wet ingredients together for cakes so I don’t over mix, I would probably forget about whipped cream and end up halfway to butter, and I use a no knead method for bread, so the dough hook is unnecessary. These are good enough reasons for me to pass on the stand mixer, but throw in the fact that I would never use any of the attachments I’d feel compelled to buy (maybe one day I’ll need a meat grinder and a grain mill), but it’s also big, heavy, and takes up too much space. Therefore, I’ll just stick with my little hand mixer and be happy. This is definitely one of those instances where we need to make sure that our tools match what we actually cook.

Yes, you read that correctly: The Foreign Service is plan B. This post is directed to all of the Foreign Service Hopefuls who find my blog by googling ‘fsot score breakdown’ or ‘foreign service security clearance’ or any of the numerous foreign service related search terms that people use to find this website on a daily basis. In order to maintain your sanity, you should delegate a career in the Foreign Service to ‘Plan B.’

No Double Standards at Muttering Behind the Hardline wrote a great series of posts on the how’s and why’s of his entry into the Foreign Service, as did Digger from Life After Jerusalem . And they both, especially NDS, made it look sooooo easy (although I’m sure it wasn’t). However, this has not be a short, or easy road for me.

I’ve wanted to join the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer since I first learned about the career while I was still in college (more than ten years ago). I didn’t take the FSOT right away because I wanted to have a little fun, get some experience, and decide if I wanted to go to grad school (I didn’t). I lived in San Diego a few more years, traveled a lot, then moved to the DC area. My thinking in moving here was that I could find some great job that would work while I made my way into the Foreign Service to start an awesome career. That was in 2004.

I didn’t feel prepared to take the test in 2005, but I did find a job, and I started to date a really really great guy (who was on board with the whole Foreign Service thing). In April 2006, I took the Foreign Service Written Exam (the old one) for the first time. I didn’t pass. 2007 was the year that they revamped the test, and the first time they offered the new FSOT was September. Chad and I got married in September, so I didn’t take it. I also didn’t take the test in January or March – I ended up waiting until July of 2008.

Here’s a relevant side note: Chad and I met while working for the same company, in different departments. The job was all right, but nothing fantastic. I had harbored hopes that I could take and pass all of the FSOT and get us both out of there and really ‘start our lives.’ That didn’t work, and Chad’s job situation, and the management he was under started to go bad, then got worse and worse. At the time, I felt very guilty for not passing the Foreign Service Exam. I felt that since I had said that a life with me would include Adventures in Far Off Lands, I wasn’t holding up to some bargain that I created in my own mind. Of course, Adventures in Far Off Lands was not the reason Chad asked me to marry him, so I was being very silly. However, when I used to think about how far I still had to go, I felt a little guilty.

So combine the disappointment of not passing the first time, with intense desire to become a Foreign Service Officer, add all of the hard work I put into studying, then throw in a dash of misplaced guilt. Oh, and don’t forget to factor in the slow decline of the company I used to work for. It’s enough to make a lady crazy. Luckily, I am a notorious planner and I plan for things very far in advance. I took six months to plan for Chad’s Awesome 30th Birthday Trip to New York, and it paid off. So I distracted myself with alternate plans. Some examples over the years:

• Get a Masters in Urban Planning (another thing I believe to be very important)
• Join the Peace Corps as a couple
• Work for the Census
• Write an awesome children’s book (I may still do this)
• Move to Hawaii and raise goats. Wait, that’s our retirement plan.

And I was serious about all of them. There are so many moving parts involved in the process of becoming a Foreign Service Officer and we don’t have control over most of them. Almost every step of the way, there is an outside factor that can determine whether your candidacy continues. For example:
The Written Exam and QEP You could do well on all sections, but State only needs to pass 1,000 people and you’re person 1,005, so you don’t pass.
The Oral Exam… Actually, this one is all you. At the end of this very long day, your score is your own responsibility.
Medical Clearance Who knows, you might be sick and not know it (though I really hope not!).
Security Clearance While your security clearance looks at your life, and is there for your responsibility, you have no control over how long it takes before you receive your clearance. Mine took nine months. If it had taken 3 months, I would have started an A-100 last year.
Register Position As I said before, your score is up to you and your score and register date determine your placement. However, other people’s scores and dates have a major impact on your rank on the register. If enough people have a higher Oral Assessment score or can pass a language test, they’re going to be higher than you, and you may not get the call within the 18 month deadline.

The entire process often feels like a giant emotional and intellectual roller coaster. I imagine that the career itself feels much the same way. The point I hope that I’m able to make with this post is that an obsession with this process has the potential to make you crazy and negatively impact your life.

We did not put our life on hold. Chad found a new job in December of 2007 – a job that is paying for the degree program he started at UVA in the fall of 2008 (he graduates next May!). I dealt with some medical issues and had other things to do. Then, I found out that I passed the written exam, then the QEP. So I started to study for the FSOA with the understanding that I could fail and have to start the process all over again. I kept applying for a new job, and a month after I passed the FSOA, I started a new position. I’ve been very lucky, and very happy to work at Halfaker and Associates for this past year, and I could have been for a while.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, Plan B turned into Plan A and we are very excited. After a two year candidacy, I can still hardly believe that it’s actually happening. I know that there are people who get through this whole process in under a year. I also know that there are people who spend a lot more time than I did to get to this point. Finally, I know plenty of people who aren’t here yet, but want to be. This post is especially for you. I didn’t write this to discourage anyone from throwing their hat in the Foreign Service ring. I will not tell people to give up a goal to serve their country. But if you start this process, you should be fully aware that you may never become a Foreign Service Officer.

So don’t forget to live your life. Get married. Buy (or sell) the house. Apply for a new job. Start the degree program. Have a baby (sorry mom’s, not me). Move to Morocco or Shanghai or Provence or Santiago or New York or Portland or wherever you want to go. Adopt a pet (alas, also not me). Remember that Plan B is there, but follow Plan A or Plan D or whichever letter you happen to be on, until Plan B turns into Plan NOW (or Plan 60 days from now). Your sanity may thank you.

Highlights:

• Happening upon dog agility trials – they were having so much fun!
• Reading Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth to Aurora and Ozzie
• Disneyland! (until the end when I started to get cranky)
• Hanging out with Naama and Greg, and meeting Lena for the first time.
• Dim Sum
• Hanging out in Joel’s front porch
• Going to Extraordinary Desserts!

I took over 1000 pictures that week. I don’t know how, but I’ve managed to cull their numbers back down to 170. My favorites are below. You can see all of them at the Gallery for the California trip. Below are my favorites.