Welcome 160th!!

Yesterday the newest class started: the 160th. Welcome, everyone! It has been great meeting you over the last few days. I wish you a wonderful experience in A-100 and a great career. If I can help with anything, I think you know where to find me!

The welcome reception on Sunday night went off without a hitch. I'm kind of the worrying hostess type, so it was nice to have it all work out so smoothly. And this morning, my fabulous classmates and I escorted all 89 class members to their first official function and had a little breakfast waiting for them there. It was great to hear that welcome speech again on the other side of the mountain and remember how thrilling that moment was, only 3 months ago.

In other news, Spanish is still totally awesome. I'm moving past my reading block and starting to enjoy the puzzle of figuring out what a reading is about. I did great on my first evaluation (in which they measure my progress and decide whether I'm on track to reach my training goal, which I am). My teacher keeps telling me my biggest problems are confidance and nerves. So true, so true.

I still just feel so lucky to be here. Spring is coming. I have a ten minute commute. I am getting paid to learn a language I adore. And soon I'll be off to a beautiful country where I will do a really cool job.

I know so many of you are struggling to keep the hope alive. I never thought I'd make it here. Keep trying. 

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

What a day! I can't believe we got the DR. We are overjoyed!

Today was totally intense. Around 3:15pm we were all in our seats, waiting anxiously, laughing nervously, learning how to use the Flag Day Bingo cards that a classmate had kindly created for us. I'm so glad I was sitting next to my classmate L. A few minutes later, we realized there was no way we could follow along with the bid list, Bingo, or anything else- all I could stand to do was watch and clap! It moved very quickly. The assignments started out with a bang when our classmate S was assigned to a Pol/Con rotation in Bangkok- a coveted bid for many members of our class! Her shocked reaction was priceless.

It moved quickly for me, although my family tells me I was in the last third to be called. Every time India popped up on the list, I held my breath. We bid 6 India posts high, so I thought there was a good chance we might go there (but I was hoping for certain posts more than others). Same for Mexico- in this case, we had only bid Guadalajara high, so I was nervous about the other posts.

Many of my classmates received posts that they are thrilled with- it seems like the CDOs really worked hard to accommodate pregnancies, spousal work/school issues, and even new love (well, maybe it wasn't intentional, but it sure is awesome). It was wonderful to see people get the posts they had been dreaming of.

Finally, my name was called for the DR! What a great feeling! I jumped up to get my flag and waved it joyfully at my husband and parents sitting in the back.

I should probably share why we are so excited about this post. First, I lived there about 12 (ouch) years ago for 6 mos on a short-term Peace Corps assignment. I fell in love with the country's beauty and diversity, the friendly people, the delicious food, and the bachata music. I know that Santo Domingo has its drawbacks, and I will need to learn what they are. I know it has changed since I was there. But in a few hours, you can travel to a gorgeous beach or head to the mountains for a refreshing change of climate. The warmth of the people is a big factor for me. And dancing bachata and merengue for hours pretty much equals the perfect night for me. I've already taught my husband to dance, but we'll have to start practicing again. I'm also relieved to have a first post that is so close and familiar to the US. I hope we'll have lots of visitors.

I'm also happy that we are leaving somewhat late. A lot of my classmates will ship out quickly. I really wanted to give the kids some time between moves, some time with their grandparents, and a chance to celebrate their birthdays here. In 2012, we will have Dominican blowouts complete with arroz con habichuelas and bachata music, but this year, we'll celebrate stateside.

So this is what I know: We leave in early August. I start Spanish on Monday, with quite a few of my classmates, so I wonder if we'll have more than 1 class. I'll take my Consular General (ConGen) class last.

A terrific guy from my class was also assigned to the DR, and tonight I chatted with a really friendly member of the 156th who heads there in June. According to my paperwork, the DR is one of the busiest consular sections in the world, so it sounds like there will be many people to get to know and lots of work to keep us busy.

I'm also delighted to overlap for a few months with my new friend at the blog For Lack of Tacos , who has been advising me over the last year about the FS with young kids. Hopefully I won't drive her crazy with my newbie questions!

Thank you everyone near and far for the good wishes!! We look forward to seeing family and friends in the DR!

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We are going to....

More soon!

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.

Sunday update

We went on a 2-day retreat in West Virginia this week. It was cold but awesome. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about it. But I can say that it was great to get to know my classmates better and in a different atmosphere. We have a really incredible class and I'm proud to be a member of the 158th. On Thursday night, the "Follies" committee put on a terrific show consisting of a series of skits that left me laughing so hard I cried. I truly didn't want it to end. The show was brilliant and my hat is off to my amazingly talented classmates.

Lots going on today. I have to prepare a speech, attend a class potluck, and hopefully have a playdate with some classmates in my building and their kids. Only one more week until Flag Day. We are very excited. I had a dream about it during a nap yesterday, and woke up right before the ceremony started. Bummer- I wanted to know where we're going! I think I'll sign off now - my to-do list is calling.

Out of our hands

Well, the bid list was submitted yesterday. Less than 2 weeks until Flag Day (1/31), when we'll find out our fate (for the next ~2 years, anyway). I have a feeling it will pass pretty quickly. I don't really want to wish the time away, because that will mean wishing A-100 away, and it's really a pretty cool time.

On Friday, I met with my CDO (Career Development Officer), the person in charge of assigning me to a post. My husband was able to participate by calling in. I felt like it was a good meeting. She listened to us and our concerns, learned more about me and my skills, and prepared us for a post using my Spanish. We tried not to get too bogged down in dozens of priorities, focusing on just one: we'd like to avoid a Mexico border post with our young children, because of the dangerous atmosphere. She was kind, but cautioned that a border post might be exactly the right fit for me, as the timing might work out perfectly with the amount of Spanish training I need. She also noted that we might be able to go to other Spanish speaking posts, which was good news, as I thought many of the posts were designated for people needing a full course of Spanish.

[it is so hard to write this without revealing post names! Or revealing prohibited information! I understand why many bloggers go private.]

I should add that there are many advantages to serving on the border, and that if we're assigned there, we will make the best of it. I really love Mexico, and feel so sad that the violence is escalating to such a degree. Every post has its pluses and minuses, and in the end, I didn't end up doing too much research on posts. I read a few pages on most of them, and then just trusted that wherever we're assigned, we'll figure things out and make our way.

In the end, we had 21 high posts, 17 lows (danger/unaccompanied posts, D.C. jobs, and Econ posts), and the rest mediums. Our highs include varied posts that would allow me to learn quite a few different languages. Anything could happen on Flag Day. We just have to wait and see.

Oakwood Falls Church

I thought I'd take a moment to share my thoughts on Oakwood Falls Church. State has a contract with Oakwood temporary housing to provide us with furnished lodging while we are in training. I haven't visited the other Oakwoods here in Northern VA, so I can't compare among them. I can say, however, that I've been impressed and pleased with this facility. It's tremendously helpful to be able to move in and not worry about the basics. Of course, we brought everything but the kitchen sink with us, and while it was a pain to move, I do think it helped us feel at home pretty quickly. (a word of caution to cooks: the kitchen storage space is not very ample, so I suggest being careful about what you bring).

I find that the reception and maintenance staffs are courteous and attentive. For example, when we moved in, we found that the closet light in the kids closet was out. We reported it on Sat pm, and it was fixed by Monday am.

Some of the pros of this Oakwood are
- shuttles that leave pretty regularly to the metro and FSI
- lots of activities such as Sunday brunch, kids crafts time, movie nights, etc
- pool and playground, which we hope to be able to use soon
- gathering rooms that State employees can rent at no charge. For example, we rented a room to watch post videos on a Sunday afternoon.
- really spacious closets in both bedrooms- the best feature of the apartment, for me. We can store our suitcases, plastic storage containers, linens which will become our UAB when we leave for post, etc.
- thick walls! My kids are terribly loud, and I *think* that the walls do a great job of containing the noise. Our neighbors insist they can't hear us, and we have a baby living directly below us, who I have never heard. I'm really grateful for this fact.

The only con to me is the shuttle thing- most of the other Oakwoods are closer to a metro station. You can walk to East Falls Church, but it's about 10-15 min and not something I enjoy (my husband does it regularly).

A tip for parents, especially: request an apartment on a floor with laundry facilities. They are located on every other floor and we are provided with free laundry cards. There are about 5 washers and 3 big dryers on my floor and it is actually easier to do my laundry here because I can do it all at once! At home, it used to take me all day. I do feel like I'm in college again, though.

One final thought: your perspective on Oakwood totally depends on where you're coming from. People who just returned from overseas, where they had luxury apartments or enormous houses, find this place pretty small. Personally, I like not having to run up and down the stairs- a 2BR is the perfect size for me. I'm not sure if my husband and kids agree, though. And we were definitely not living in luxury before, so this suits us just fine.

Here are a few pictures of the kids room, the only room I can keep relatively clean. As you can see, we brought a lot of things to help it feel like home. I really think that is one reason we settled into this new home rather easily. It will be more challenging to do this when we move to post, but I'll find a way.

I'm really glad we brought L's crib. She was very happy to see it and I'm glad we had something to contain her since she's going through a difficult bedtime phase. M has graduated to a big boy bed, and this reminds me that his toddler bed is still in my parents' basement. Sorry!

The closet has shelves and hanging rods on both sides- it's awesome. And ours, which I can't currently show you, is practically twice the size. We came from a very closet-limited home, so we are psyched. And yes, that is a small flat screen TV at the top of the closet. There are TVs in every room. We don't plan for the kids to watch TV in bed just yet, though.

And last but not least, I wanted to share my holiday card wall. It was really bothering me this year that I couldn't put my cards up, so it was one of the first things I did in the new home. Friends and family, we say hi to you every day! (if you don't see your card here, please know that I've added a lot since I took this picture!)

At some point, I might get around to cleaning up the apartment enough to share more pictures, but I'm not promising anything. In the meantime, hope this was helpful to future FSOs as well as our family and friends.

A-100, week 2

I have been trying to update this blog for days, but things are kind of chaotic around here. As many have said before me, A-100 is intense. There is homework for upcoming classes, online tests to complete, committee work to do, lots of socializing going on, and of course, the bid list to research, over and over again. And there is, of course, my family. It's fun and exciting, but very busy.

My husband has been totally amazing and I am really grateful to him. He has supported me and put my work first these last few weeks. He has stayed home with first L and then M when they spiked fevers, since missing A-100 is not an option for me. He has talked with me about the bid list non-stop for a week.

The kids are doing very well at FSI daycare. I feel a little left out, since my husband was the one to help them adjust the first 2 days and I don't really know what's going on there (a first for me). Now that I have the lay of the land at FSI, I'm mostly doing drop-off and pick-ups, but my husband helps a lot. I've taken them a few times on the Oakwood shuttle, and they love that. The A-100 schedule is diverse - some days you are at Main State (or start one place and end up at another) or another location downtown, so it's tricky to coordinate kid transportation.

And then of course, there is the bid list. For those who don't know, we received a list of approximately 70 posts. Each one has an ETA, language level required (some have none), and type of job indicated (Political, Economic, Consular, Public Diplomacy, or Management). We have to bid each post high, medium, or low, according to a list of 3 priorities. Here are ours:

1) Family friendly: relatively safe, affordable cost of living, adequate schools
2) Timing: we'd prefer a post that leaves after June, though there are a few irresistible early posts (in many cases, this means I'd be learning a new language, except for the Spanish posts for which I'd get a little more training)
3) Job: I prefer a Consular or Management job

Bidding is really a challenging exercise. I'm glad they ask us to identify our priorities and form a bidding strategy around them, as that practice really does help you flesh out what is important and helps you consider posts you may never have thought about before. Before I joined, I thought of bidding in regions- I'm really going to focus on Latin America, or I'd like to explore East or Southern Africa. But the list required me to think differently, which is why I think I was disappointed at first. The timing and job type really make a difference, and the posts are quite diverse.

Since I received the bump-up points for Spanish, I was automatically scheduled to take the full Spanish test. I scored a 2/2, which means I need about 12 weeks to get to a 3/3, according to FSI. I think this assessment is just right- I need some work, especially in reading comprehension, to get to a 3/3, and I definitely don't want to go to post and be expected to do Pol/Econ work without a better professional grasp of the language. So I look forward to learning more, if applicable.

I also took an informal French assessment (a quick test) and did well enough that they are scheduling me for the full test. That will be painful, as my French is extremely rusty.

There is so much more, but it's late and I need to get some rest. More this weekend, I hope, with photos, too.

The first few days

I've often been disappointed when bloggers start A-100 and just disappear...only to resurface later sharing very few details about A-100. Well, I get it now. Moving is exhausting and stuff is everywhere. I don't find the day too overwhelming (yet), but when I come home, I have tons of email messages to read/respond to, plus plans to make with my new colleagues, and I just haven't gotten to the blog. PLUS, there's this little problem that we are not allowed to share what happens during A-100.

So, I'll say this. There are 64 of us, about 1/3 women, and only a few moms (but lots of dads). As has been said before, everyone is amazingly accomplished and terrifically nice. I've almost got all their names down. Almost.

A-100 is amazingly well-run. I'm totally impressed at the organization.

And we got our bid list today. As some of you frequent blog readers will know, I'm not allowed to share specifics on the blog. I can say that the list was not what I expected. I thought there would be lots of opportunities to learn certain languages, but there aren't. I'm really trying not to get too worked up about the list. I understand we may go to any of these posts, and I know my Spanish may be what's needed by the Service. My full Spanish test is on Monday, so I'll get an idea of which Spanish posts I am most qualified for.


That's all for now.

We're here!

Well, we made it. We shlepped our UAB down here all by ourselves and moved into Oakwood Falls Church on Saturday pm. I had promised my pop THIS time he wouldn't have to move me- the State Department would- so I was a little embarrassed to be eating my words. My mom, pop, and brother helped us move our 1 minivan, 1 truck, 2 SUVs, and 1 sedan worth of stuff into the apartment. It felt a lot like moving into a college dorm, though the digs are much nicer and I have two small appendages now. Thank you, thank you, family!!! You are the best!

I'm bummed I don't have photos of the process or of our apartment before it got hit by a tornado of stuff, but there was just too much going on.

I'm impressed and pleased with Oakwood. I really like the way the apartment is set up and furnished. Once we get our stuff put away, I'll post photos.

The kids are doing extraordinarily well. They were a little hyper yesterday after all the excitement, but that was it. Tomorrow Daddy will take them to FSI daycare for a few hours, to let them get used to it. They will have their first full day on Wednesday.

The 156th class threw a great welcome reception for us tonight and I enjoyed meeting my classmates, their spouses, and members of the 156th. I can't believe tomorrow is our first day. I can't wait to get started.

Making piles

We took the house off the market this week and thus I finally got to start making piles. My wonderful aunts came over to play with the kids so that D and I could focus. The kids were in seventh heaven! Two people playing with them for 4 straight hours? Poor kids- we've been a bit busy lately and have not sat down to really play with them. We are very grateful to the Aunties A!

It really felt good to finally start organizing our stuff. I've been thinking about this for so long. We realized a few things: 1) we have a lot of stuff and especially a lot of toys, and 2) it probably won't fit into 3 cars and UAB (unaccompanied air baggage- State gives us 700lbs of stuff that will be delivered to our VA apartment), since we are taking the crib and the toddler bed too (plus our desk files that we did not get a chance to purge). So it looks like my husband will make a trip down to DC to store some stuff in my parents' home for a week. Thank goodness for them. But part of me is bothered- why do we have so much? I suppose other families coming from far away have to make the decision either to send the extra toys/books that won't fit into UAB to storage or get rid of them. I've given away so many toys and books. I've decided to keep the stuff that is age appropriate, even if they don't play with it much, but I'm starting to rethink that policy. And I will certainly do a major purge before we leave for post.

Anyway, here's a pic of L playing in the UAB pile. Here's an example of stuff: I've let go of dozens of stuffed animals they don't play with. L has a series of about 10 that she adores, and then there are some others they love, but don't play with daily. I put a hamper full of those in the UAB pile, and of course she found it. I'm not taking hundreds of stuffed animals to Mumbai or Pretoria. But for now, I'm going to let them have their stuff, I guess.

(a note about the pumpkin for our non-FS family/friends: we don't know how long we'll be in DC. We could be there up to a year without access to our storage stuff, so we have to bring everything we'll need. I'm bringing the Hanukkah box, too...even though we just celebrated it. We'll hopefully need our beach/pool toys, beach umbrella, and summer clothes- we hope to stay in DC long enough to enjoy the pool at Oakwood!- but we decided to leave those here in NY for a few more months. We'll come up and get them when needed.)

Relief

You probably heard a huge sigh of relief coming from New Rochelle last night.

My husband received word that his company is going to transfer him to DC in January.

He'll be with us for A-100. I won't be a single mom. The kids won't have to deal with missing daddy on top of everything else. My best friend will be with me.

This boss knows about the FS and understands that D might be there for 3 mos or 12 mos. They won't invest anything in training D since he already knows the ropes. So even though we will still favor an assignment that keeps us in DC a while, we won't be desperate for one.

And most importantly, I don't have to figure out how to organize another layer of stuff that has to be left at the house for Daddy to use, on top of the UAB, HHE, car items, etc. Well, ok, it's not the most important aspect of this news. But it might be close.

I am truly so thankful.

This is as creative as I get

I've been wanting to share this with you for a while. I made M's moving book about a month ago, and he proudly brought it to daycare and showed it off. But I had some changes in mind to make L's even better. And suddenly, we're only a few weeks away from moving! So I got it done today, finally.

I wish these pictures were more clear, and I'm sure if I was more technologically savvy, I'd figure out a better way, but this is what I have for now.

I'm looking forward to doing this all over again very soon!

I'd be happy to share the text (I'll leave off the photos which made the file ginormous) with anyone who would like it. Just leave me a comment with your email and I can delete after sending.

Still excited!

Yesterday was a great day. I took the day off to be there for the pre-packout survey. I had to laugh when she asked me if we were going to pare down the items in the bookcase. Um, yea, we already did? I also got totally overwhelmed as we walked around the house - closets that I cleaned out 2 mos ago have gotten cluttered again! What do I do with all the toiletries and such? (Answer- pack a box of in-use toiletries and take them with us in the car). What about the cupboard full of oils and vinegars and other liquidy items? Also hoping to take them in the car.

We are lucky that we will have 3 cars heading to DC- we have two and my parents are bringing a truck (ok, mom?). So we will carry more than most people on our way down, and I am grateful for that.

But let's just say that I might be assuming more room than there will really be. I will pack this stuff a few days to a day in advance and try to fit it in the cars, so at least we'll know.

We also STILL have stuff we need to sell and donate. What a pain! I wish this was all done. I went to the consignment shop yesterday and dropped off some things, gave others to our daycare, dropped our new kids world map at the framers, etc. (I think I bought this world map , which you can't see very well and it's a little cheesy in person so I don't really recommend it. But I like the idea- we spent a while looking at the different animals all over the world. We also got the book Children Around the World from the library and it's become my son's favorite book recently).

A note to those on the register: Seriously, declutter now! I would be losing my mind right now if I had not been preparing for months in advance. 

I had lunch at my favorite spot, Stanz in Larchmont. I will really miss that place!

I am still really loving the uncertainty of it all. Where will we go? I have no idea!!

Counting down

3 weeks from tomorrow, we pack out.
4 weeks from today, I start my new job.

We still don't know whether my husband is moving to DC with us. He is waiting to hear about a few job options. Cross fingers for us.

My husband is starting to get stressed.

My son is starting to act out. He alternates between great behavior and absolutely abysmal, freak-out behavior. He's having potty issues again. It's hard to know how to handle it, but I'm just trying to give him a lot of love (which is hard when he's misbehaving and needs a time out, but is clinging to me crying, "Mama!"). It's going to be a fun (3? 6? who knows?) months until he feels more secure.

The other day I was explaining the assignment process to my boss and she remarked that she was impressed with my ability to handle this uncertainty. Actually, I'm impressed too, as flexibility and dealing well with the unknown have never been strengths of mine (it's actually one reason I wanted to join the FS- to get better at handling change).

I'm sure I'll get stressed soon enough, but for now I'm energized and excited. I'm just taking it a week at a time. We'll make each decision as it comes. We'll figure out what to do with the house when we have to. We'll see what's on the bid list and create our bidding strategy accordingly. One week at a time.

Kickin' it into high gear

Our Thanksgiving was awesome. We drove down on Thursday am and hit not a lick of traffic. Yes! We spent 3 days with my family, eating, shopping, playing with Moses the big doggie, and fighting over which movie to watch. Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday. My only regret is that I didn't eat enough of my mom's world famous pecan pie. But I bet if I ask her to, she'll make me one in January when we move there.

It was very strange thinking that next time we are at my parent's house, we'll only drive 20 minutes to get home. Or that our trip back to NYC will likely be our last. It felt so good to arrive home on Saturday night, but that made me sad, knowing that soon it won't be our home anymore. I'm doing ok with it, really. But that did give me a twinge of sadness.

So we have a month to get ready for packout. Not stressing or worrying yet. But aware that it's time to get busy.

I was very productive last Wednesday when I was home alone.

• finalized and sent my State new hire forms
• prepared and sent my Mexico wedding photos to be scanned at ScanMyPhotos . I will leave one CD in storage and take one with me. I will probably make a Shutterfly photo book so that people can actually LOOK at the photos without my stressing about ruining my perfect, handmade, one of a kind album.
• prepared my home inventory and started discussing with my husband

I hope to share my thoughts on property insurance and inventories at some point, but for now, I just want to list some tasks for the next 2 weeks:

• get ready for Hanukkah which starts Wed!
• start clearing out various drawers/closets which have gotten messy again (or were never cleaned)
• order more file storage boxes and continue to empty my old photo albums
• finalize holiday shopping- people will be getting their gifts early this year!
• hopefully get our holiday cards ordered, if I can manage this task this year

That is probably enough, since most nights I can barely stay awake long enough to tuck my kids into bed. :)

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, too.

Another Flag Day!

I kept thinking about the 157th A-100 class yesterday- it was their Flag Day! So far, I know about assignments to Tashkent, Monterrey, Kathmandu, Bridgetown, Nuevo Laredo, Kampala, Bratislava, Shenyang,  and that's it. Looking forward to hearing from a few more bloggers and cyber friends.

I can't believe that the next Flag Day I'll be eagerly anticipating will be mine.

To do this week

Nothing too earth-shattering to report over here. Random thoughts running through my head include:

It's so depressing to go down to the basement! It looks SO nice just with a freakin coat of paint on the floor (oh, and all the stuff cleared out)! I could have been doing laundry in this nice bright space (hey, it's all relative, folks) for years!

The rest of the house looks really nice, too. We have been keeping it clean and organized and while it seems to get "crapped up" (as we like to say in the B household) in a minute, the cleanup doesn't take as long as it used to.

It's time to get back on the ball with all my tasks, such as:
1) calling insurance companies re transit insurance
2) finishing the kids' moving books
3) scheduling my pre-move survey (received my orders, which was exciting!)
4) booking a hotel for a few days during/after packout
5) finishing those ridiculous State pre-hire forms
6) figuring out health insurance
7) requesting charts from MDs
8) continuing my house inventory (argh...)
9) setting up help with the kids during our packout, which of course coincides with the daycare being closed (no way around that one...)
10) selling all those lingering items on Craig's list or begging someone to take them on freecycle

So yea, I guess I have some things to do.

NYC meetup

Last night I had dinner with 3 of my January A-100 classmates. We are all so different- lawyer, media professional, teacher, and health care administrator. Different ages and life stages, definitely. Fellow blogger Career Diplomat is about to buy a house in Florida (perfect for home leave rentals!). S. is about to get married and hasn't had much time to think about A-100 prep. N. is teaching in a Long Island school and working on the forms. I'm the only parent in this group. But we had a terrific time. I am really going to enjoy getting to know my A-100 classmates. Everyone has such fascinating experiences to share and an interest in the world.

But meeting up with them also made it more real. We were talking about Istanbul, and suddenly, I just had to duck my head and take a few deep breaths for a minute. It's one thing to be doing this by myself. But when I think about taking my kids around the world, every once in a while, I freak out. I wish I could describe what I feel, but I can't seem to put it into words. I just want to snatch them up tight and hold them. I can only imagine what I'm going to be feeling on Flag Day or departure day.

Of course, I had to get a picture for the blog! Forgot my camera, but luckily CD's phone saved the day.

Career Diplomat, N, Bfiles, S

Cold feet?

It's rainy and gloomy in NYC today and I'm feeling a bit down this week. I think I'm overwhelmed. Every decision for the FS requires a few days of mad researching and dozens of emails. I am immensely grateful to the FSOs and their family members who share their experiences and advice. What on earth did people do before email?

I can barely recall the days before I left for Peace Corps Niger - I think I received the phone number of an RPCV and had a brief conversation with him. That was it. But also- Peace Corps was easier! They gave us health insurance and a list of stuff to bring. I used my parents' address. There was no selling of a house or worrying about the kids! Yes, much easier. I guess I'm a grown-up now. I think I figured out health insurance, but this whole legal residence/address to use thing is really throwing me for a loop.

I can't seem to motivate to do anything in the evenings, even the easy tasks like going through a photo album or a desk drawer. I'm so tired I fall asleep while reading to my son. We have two more weekends to work on the house (before listing it), and progress seems so slow.

And the holidays are early this year, which I'll be glad about in late Dec., but it's also overwhelming me right now.

Ok, deep breath. Enough whining. I am terribly grateful to be in this situation; just have to push through to January.