Counting down

This week was a bit exhausting. We were working on some core skills, such as public speaking and answering tough questions, which meant a lot of preparation outside of class. Half my class is sick, and I feel for them. Luckily, despite my embarrassing cough during weeks 1 and 2 (I was in the front row and once had to leave during an Ambassador's session), I never got really sick. Knock on wood.

On Wednesday, 5 bloggers at FSI met for lunch. It was awesome to meet the famous Digger. The others who attended were Wanderings of a Cheerful Stoic, Career Diplomat (my classmate), and our organizer, Lisa from Paul Benjamin: Writer, Editor, Supermodel. We are planning a weekend potluck for all local bloggers, so please stay tuned for details. We all agreed that blogging allows us to broaden our network, which is so important at State, so we'd like to take it one step further. We wish all of you who are far from DC could join us too, but hopefully we'll cross paths someday, somehow.

So....Monday is Flag Day. I think it's safe to say we're all on pins and needles. I know that you are not supposed to "expect" anything, but I find it really hard not to. I find myself thinking about a certain post a little too much, and focusing on my highs (some of which will still give me pause upon assignment), rather than the whole list. And to make it even more nerve-wracking, we could even be assigned to posts not on our list. It's possible that on Flag Day, they will announce some last-minute additions. So, basically, the whole world is a possibility.

I am reviewing the list daily and trying to prepare myself for my lows and mediums. It's really hard to prepare for the unknown. So I'm concentrating just on being positive. Everyone says that you never know what your tour will be like. Your "dream post" can be really challenging for unexpected reasons. The post you dreaded can turn out to provide an amazing tour. I know that wisdom is true, so I'm going to really do my best to smile and withhold judgment, even if the flag I receive on Monday is not one I was longing for.