Made it through Chinese!

Last week, I passed my Chinese test!

It feels like it was by the skin of my teeth. I had heard the tester spoke very quickly and with a strong accent, so I thought I was ready to fight my way through the test. But I was so keyed up by the time I got in there that when he opened his mouth and I didn't understand a word, I totally broke down. I started to cry and couldn't stop. They got me some tissues and then left for five minutes to let me compose myself. I sat there telling myself- you can do this!

When they came back, I pushed through, sighing with relief each time we finished a different section. Every once in a while, I would freak out again but was able to push it away and keep going. The reading was a whole different beast and I was frustrated that it was nothing like the readings we had practiced, but I did the best I could. 

As I sat in the waiting room waiting to learn my score, I was a mess...wondering if I failed both parts or just one, thinking about what it meant for my plans (really not a big deal), wishing I could control my nerves better. When they brought me back in and told me my score (2 in speaking and 1 in reading), I couldn't believe I passed, and of course, that made me cry anew. 

While I don't know that my performance that day really was deserving of that score, I know that the past nine months are. I have worked pretty hard, about as hard as I could work while also being a mom and trying to take care of myself. 

Out of my cohort of 10, 9 passed, with scores including 2+/2+ and 2/2 in addition to the minimum passing score, 2/1. I find that interesting, since we all started from 0, but absorbed the language at different rates. I don't think scores correlated with how hard we worked or how much extra time we put into it, though that extra time didn't hurt. Innate language ability plays a huge role. In some ways, that bothers me, because I have always been pretty good at languages, yet I was not one of the shining stars this time. But one thing I know is that I move slowly - it takes me a while to conquer things- so I'm hopeful that by the time I leave China, my Chinese level will have improved greatly. We'll see. 

The day after my test, I had LASIK, so I've been recovering from that while also trying to prepare for packout (in two days). Since we don't have all our stuff here (only about 1000 pounds), I'm not too worried about it. Plus, we have time during home leave to organize things further. But maybe that's why I can't sleep. :)

1 week!

Well, I am now officially able and authorized to do my job. I graduated from ConGen today, and it was bittersweet. I'm excited to get this show on the road, arrive in Santo Domingo, and start our new life. But I can't help but be sad about the one we're leaving. I know, that's the way of the FS. This has been such an exciting and positive move for our family. After so many years in difficult jobs, I feel like I came alive again professionally. We've made wonderful friends, spent time with old ones, and of course, soaked up time with beloved Grammy and Grandpa.

I'm sad to leave Oakwood Falls Church - it's been a fun, worry-free, comfortable (central a/c!), convenient (10 min commute!) home for us. It's nice to think we will be back here someday. I'm really sad to leave FSI daycare- what a wonderful place it has been for my children. I am so grateful they had room for us and so grateful for the wonderful caregivers and administration. And in general, I'm sad to leave FSI itself. I've often thought about blogging about how lovely the FSI campus is. There are windows in every classroom and beautiful open passageways that connect the buildings. Not all workplaces are attractive and I'm glad for the time I spent here. I will look forward to coming back. It's funny; many people complain about Oakwood and being at FSI and even Northern VA, and I just find it all really hard to understand. I feel so lucky to have lived and worked in these places.

I can't believe how far we've come since that cold New Year's Day when we drove down from New York.

I can't wait to see what's in store for us.

We have one day to prepare for packout. Movers come on Thursday. Wish us luck.

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. 

Checking in

It was a busy week and I wish I was still sleeping. My husband was on a work trip this week and the kids and I were on our own. We had a great week but I stayed up too late each night. 

Spanish class is still going great. In addition to 4 hours of class daily, we have an hour of one on one time with our teacher. This week, my teacher spent the hour asking me questions that I have always had trouble answering, like what are the costs of parenting or what is the American dream and how has it changed? I'm learning to take a moment to formulate my answer and then try to point out a few opposing views. It doesn't matter what I say, just that I say it correctly and can defend my position. My teacher pointed out that my problem is confidence and he is so right.

Last night, I started reading a book that my teacher lent me (Secuestrada: Una historia de la vida real)  and I was thrilled to find that I am reading it as if it were in English- just enjoying the story rather than struggling to understand the language. I'm proud of myself- I feel like I am really improving.

I don't think I'll be in Spanish class until June, my scheduled end. The language consultants (we each are assigned a consultant to help with language learning strategies) evaluate us periodically to see how we are progressing and whether we are ready to take the test. I think our first evaluation is in a few weeks. I've been very busy with the plans for the incoming 160th A-100 class (I'm the Welcome Committee co-chair), as well as trying to organize my life, so I haven't devoted as much time to Spanish as I'd like. But I plan to get more serious this week.

In case you're wondering, if I test out of Spanish early, I will work with my CDO (Career Development Officer) to find something to keep me busy until my Consular class starts (6/22 I think). I think they could also change my ConGen start date, but either way, I have to do something productive until my scheduled leave date in August (which is not definite yet- I will start to negotiate that with post in a month or two). I would like to take some FSI Management classes or other classes that will be helpful in my work. Another option is to find a "bridge assignment" at Main State. That worries me because of daycare and commute issues, but we'll cross that bridge later. 

My Regional Studies class (Central Am and the Caribbean) is also getting more intense. We have to read 5 chapters in this book  (although I just noticed there is an updated version of this book as this one ends in 1990 I think!) and prepare for a roundtable over the weekend.

Tonight I'm going to dinner at a Dominican restaurant with most of the current FSI students and their families going to the DR. There will be 20 of us. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better!

Alright, time to wrap up. The kids are agitating.

P.S. My son is watching a Dora episode in which she travels around the world. He periodically pipes up with comments about his daycare friends: "R is going to Russia! K is going to China!" Love FSI daycare.

Tuesday update

Today was day 5 of Spanish class. Seems like things keep changing- we had a few days of substitute teachers and yesterday we learned we have been assigned a new teacher. The first teacher was lovely, but moved very slowly. Our new one moves at a much faster pace, which is great. He's incredibly dynamic and I find myself engaged during the entire 2 hours. He's also Venezuelan, so I feel right at home listening to him (I was an exchange student in Vzla 20 years ago- hola amigos, si estan leyendo!).

Today a new student was added to our class, so there are now 6 of us. It's really too much for intensive language learning- there is a lot of waiting to speak. Last week, I asked the Spanish section to move me to a more challenging class, but I don't know yet whether they will (I will miss "my boys"- my 4 A-100 classmates- if they do!). I certainly don't speak perfectly, and I'm using this time to really work on my grammar and little mistakes that I didn't realize I frequently make. We haven't had much homework yet, so during my ~3 hours of lab time, I kind of jump around from grammar exercises to videos to news. I'm avoiding the literature stuff, which I will surely have to face if they move me up. Not my favorite!

I have to say again how wonderful the schedule is. I'm usually home by 445pm. I am out of the habit of cooking during the week, after years of arriving home at 6:30pm and rushing to feed the kids before packing them off to bed. I have had to remind myself that now I have the time. Of course, the kids want to eat immediately since they refuse to eat their lunch at school. But at least there is time to cook some pasta and vegetables or something simple (vs. frozen veggie burgers or leftovers). We have time to play on the playground. In the summer, I hope to fit in a quick swim after school. It's really a gift and I have to remember to enjoy it, as it won't last too long.

One thing I want to share about the FSI daycare for the parents out there: I never would have thought of this, but one of the best things about the FSI daycare is that all the kids are in the same boat. When we moved here, my son had no idea what was happening- he just knew he was moving to VA near his grandparents. Over the last two months, though, he slowly came to understand that all the kids are going somewhere. His teachers eagerly awaited the news on Flag Day so they could talk about it with him. He proudly tells people he's going to Kindergarten in the DR. He has learned to identify the DR on a map (such as the map carpet in his classroom- how cool is that!) and we talk about who's going where and what language they are going to learn. I can't imagine what this experience would be like w/o that help.

Here are some tidbits for the family. Little M has a new obsession- sharks.
We started off with a few paper sharks.

Here he is reading his new shark book from Grammy and Grandpa

But they are multiplying. Seriously, all he wants to do is draw sharks, talk about sharks, or read his shark book. We are amazed at his drawing skills, though. 2 months ago he was scribbling and didn't take much interest in art. Now he is making real pictures. His progress is incredible and so is his one-track-mindedness.

I have to share some of the names of these sharks. I swear I don't know where he gets them.
- Dido Racecar Shark
- Square-dom
- M-soap Water Juice
- Stripe Eye Grey
- Super Daddle Battle
- Crangill

In sibling news, L is potty training. We decided to stop waiting for her to show interest (no! I don't want use the big-girl potty!) and have upped the ante with m&ms and other incentives. So far, so good. No pics of that, though.

And here is a picture of the view from our window a few weeks ago. The kids enjoy watching the goings-on outside the window. We are very happy here.

Life after A-100

Since last Monday, I have been in a 2-week intensive Western Hemisphere area studies class. My 8 male classmates and I make up half of the class; there is also a handful of civil servants, military, and more experienced FSOs. It's a very brief overview of the region- we focus on a country or topic for a few hours and then move on to something new. We watch documentaries and take field trips- tomorrow we're going to the National Museum of the American Indian. In addition to the program, I'm looking forward to lunch at the Mitsitam Cafe,  which is truly delicious.

I was supposed to start Spanish last week, but my schedule (along with that of my Spanish speaking classmates) was changed for some unknown reason. I keep waiting for more changes. It took me about a week to get back into graduate school mode, but now I'm enjoying myself and am glad I was assigned to this class.

I am enjoying the slower pace, now that A-100 is over. My hours are reliably 9am-4pm. I pick up the kids by 4:15pm and there is time for dinner and playing before bed. I used to get home at 630pm and try to have L in bed by 730pm, so this is a real gift. Even though it's a teensy bit boring after the intensity of A-100, I'm trying to enjoy it, because 1) it will certainly get more demanding when I start Spanish, 2) my hours will not be this great again for a while, if ever, and 3) it will also get more intense in a few mos when we are preparing to leave for post.

Time to head for bed. I have a mild sore throat that I want to nip in the bud. It's hard to find the time now to blog and keep up with other blogs. I miss all of you bloggers out there! I hope many of you locals will join us at the DC area blogger potluck. 

By the way, welcome to the 159th A-100 class that started yesterday! It was fun seeing you in the cafeteria in your suits. If I can help with anything, please reach out.