Congrats, 160th!

Yesterday was Flag Day for the 160th, and it was as fun as ever. Most people looked really delighted with their assignments. I love to watch the families and see their reactions- shrieking, fist pumping, tears of relief, silent prayers, mad texting after the announcement, it's all there (if there were tears of sadness, I didn't see them!). I felt a bit like a proud parent since this was the class we sponsored. Good luck and congratulations, 160th! May your FS careers be long, happy, and successful!

As much as I would love to serve in many of the countries on their list, there was only one country I was really envious about: Brazil. Ever since I visited Brazil in 1998 with some Peace Corps friends, I have longed to live there and learn Portuguese. The good news is that there are tons of positions and it's one of the big four in Consular work (Mexico, India, China, Brazil). However, I do hear it's hard to get training in a world language after you receive tenure, especially if you already speak one, so there is a part of me that is nervous we will never be assigned there. I will just have to wait; there is nothing to do about it now, but I think about it often.

Last night we had a little happy hour with some DR-bound friends. Only 3 others came, but we had a good time. We have been receiving more information from post and I'm getting excited. I am so grateful that we received such a wonderful first assignment. 

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!

Add caption

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.

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.

Flag Day for the 155th!

I love Flag Day! So far, we know about San Salvador (a dream post for me! I've heard it's wonderful for families!) and Dhaka (don't know too much about this post so I'm looking forward to learning!). I'm happy that V is for Vonhinken  got what they were hoping for - a DC post (and as Con candidate, I'm hoping she'll share a little bit about her job, which sounds so interesting!). And The World That We Live In got a really cool and beautiful country as their first post.

Another- Riga, Latvia!  (shout out to two former RPCVs from Africa!). Also heard that Niamey, Niger, was assigned to someone.

If you know of others who don't blog, please share! I love living vicariously! Congrats, everyone!