Rules For Packing Out (Without Freaking Out)

Reliving last summer's pack out nightmare is NOT my idea of a good time but it was such an extraordinary lesson in getting our crap together that I feel like one way to redeem our misery is to write about it so that someone can learn from our mistakes.

We have been here almost a year now (stateside still) and I am still fighting off the bitter root of last summer's wheeling/dealing hustler movers and their demanding, nightmarish take over of my home and my emotions. We still are dealing with the effects of having no control over our moving process. We probably will be for a while mostly because our stuff is in boxes with weird labels. The manifest has almost nothing helpful written on it. I have at least 3 shoes in my closet that are missing their mates. Which box are their mates in? Who the heck knows! They were in pairs in my UAB pile before I was whisked off to work in the garage with Guy #2. It is a mystery.

I need to establish what will be made clear to everyone who reads this (and who does not already know me)... I am totally aware that I am a sucker. Oh.. the stories I could tell! Being a people pleaser is a DISEASE! Lol! Call me a late bloomer. I suppose this post is written for other late bloomers or people who lack experience with this sort of move.

#1 Rule of Pack Out: You are in charge. It is your move. It is your stuff. Get it together before they arrive. Organize, sort, group...whatever you want to call it. Have it in a specific spot and say, "This is all HHE" or "This is all UAB" (alphabet soup FS terms, sorry).

** Please, don't go picking through a box as they are trying to pack it up- for goodness sakes.

#2 Rule of Pack Out: It would be wise of you to write down the list of items as they go into each box. They have to let you do that before they tape it up and send it to the truck. It is their job to pack items carefully and get it to the storage place. They are not going to write down everything that goes in each box.

Your manifest thing will read something like this...

Notice it doesn't say which or who's foot board, not even a bed size is mentioned. You are
supposed to check a box on a long list (pages and pages) and guess which footboard you would like when
 you move to post. (In case you are wondering, the word under that says "side rail" not "silk nail") 

So, when they pack a box they write the number of the box down on a big sheet of paper and next to it they write something like "glass". But, the truth is, the box is actually filled with:

•   a trio of old coffee mugs
•   a toaster oven
•   a ceramic Easter Bunny decoration thing
•   a cheese grater
•   a pair of orange flip flops that I took off in the kitchen while the movers were there
•   an old bag of my favorite Christmas Tree Nougats candy
•   a box of toothpicks,
•   an almost empty bottle of Advil,
•   an old medicine bottle of my oldest child's first baby tooth from 14 yrs ago (I know- don't judge)
•   a nearly full 2 liter of Diet Coke from the party we had the night before the movers came
•   10 red plastic party cups with kids names written on them
•   and... a box of dog biscuits for the neighbor's labrador (throw him a handfull of biscuits and you have approx 2 seconds to jump the fence and grab your frisbee- see)

 I suppose "glass" is better than " kitchen junk" but I am guessing that each box will contain a few items that will either embarrass me or make me gasp due to the fact I used part of my 7200 lbs to ship them to Jakarta. I'm totally expecting to find that bottle of flat Diet Coke in one of the boxes labeled "Glass".

#3 Rule of Pack Out:  If the movers get pushy, pick up the phone and call State. Seriously! You gotta blow the bully whistle on movers who are taking a power trip at your expense, not listening or pushing you around.

Everyone who hears my "wheeling/dealing movers" story shrieks and asks why in the world I put up with that. Answer- I did not know I could call the travel people at State and tell them what was going on. It never crossed my mind, honestly. I had never had packers come and wrap up my stuff before- ever.

LISTEN TO ME... movers DO NOT BOSS YOU AROUND. They DO NOT make you cry or YELL at you.  DO NOT, DO NOT PUT UP WITH THIS BEHAVIOR FROM ANY MOVER:

Movers do not manipulate you into going to get them lunch or dinner - on your dime. You can offer to buy them lunch- it is up to you. It is nice to have waters in a cooler with ice for them, maybe sodas or sports drinks. We went all out for our wheeler/dealer packers lunches, you know, to be courteous. But after that they were happy to tell me what they wanted to eat, and when they wanted it. Yeah... between helping Guy #2 I was running snack patrol. Puke!
I did go get what they wanted because they only drove their moving truck and the taco place, or whatever, was literally around the corner. But, in retrospect, they did have a phone, they could have ordered pizza for themselves.

THEY SHOULD NOT RUSH YOU. Our wheeler/dealer movers were completely done packing a four bedroom/family of five's house in less than 36 hours. That is just about unheard of. There were just two men and they were moving so fast that we could not keep up with anything that was happening. Plus... Our movers came a day or two earlier than they were scheduled and would not take no for an answer when we explained that we were not ready. THIS WAS WRONG.

THEY ARE WORKING FOR YOU! THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO FLUSTER OR INTIMIDATE YOU.  The morning they arrived they showed up 3 hours early. Then, Guy #2 told me my job was to stay in the garage with him, that it was best to stay out of the boss's way because he had a bad temper. Yep. He was right.  Guy #1 would say, "What are doing in my kitchen?" when I would walk through MY KITCHEN for a drink of water or to wash my hands. He was the main master mind between these two hustler/wheeler/dealers. I'm not kidding, these guys were pros at running the show.

#4 Rules for Pack Out: Demand to be heard

 While working like an idiot in the garage with Guy #2 I noticed that he was mislabeling boxes. He labeled my son's stuff from his room as "Garage Corner" and I said "No, this is Jackson's room books" he yelled at me "Look lady, these boxes are in the garage corner, I can NOT label it Jackson's Books."

All of my son's treasured books were in the garage because we had loads of potential home buyers walking through our house all summer and most of his personal items (90% being books) were being stored there. Wheeler/dealer hustler Guy #2 finally understood when he started working in my son's room later that night and said, "Where is all your kid's stuff?" and I said, "In a box labeled Garage Corner". His face dropped. He finally realized what I had been trying to tell him. I realized at that moment that he had taken big advantage of my lack of FS pack out experience. Now, somewhere in a warehouse my oldest son's stuff is labeled "garage corner" which is not something that I would normally want sent to wherever we get posted. I was sooooooo angry. I am still angry because I have to request as many boxes as I can now because so many things have been mislabeled.

Try to find ways to reduce the insane amount of wrapping they do. It adds a lot of weight. 

To FS families: This is what your crates of stuff look like. Inside those
wooden boxes are more and more boxes and stuff wrapped in brown paper.
We had to pay $280 to go there to retrieve ONE FREAKING piece of paper. 

So, this time around I have had the benefit of my experienced FS friends here to ask them HOW not to make the same mistakes I made last summer.

1. Sort stuff into similar groups- like all shoes into one box so that when they write "Shoes" on the manifest it will actually be shoes and not actually one pair of shoes and a winter coat and preschool art projects from 1997.

2. Throw/give stuff away. Our new rule of thumb is "if you have not touched it or used it in a year it is gone" and "if you have not touched it or used it in 6 months- you must have a compelling reason to keep it." The Foreign Service life is not the lifestyle for hoarders.

***If you are wondering how long it will be between A-100 and your ship out date, I would say expect a year. Possibly less but most people I have met are staying at Oakwood for six months to a year. It is more or less a year for most Generalists who are learning a language. * Even if you have a second language expect to test with an extremely scrutinizing team of instructors... in other words you will be going to language school. Just accept that fact now. Diplomatic language skills must meet very high standards. People who majored/minored in Spanish (one lady I know was even a native Spanish speaker) were still sent to the full 24 weeks of language training. However, it does seem like Specialists are here for a shorter amount of time because many Specialist jobs do not require a full language course.

3. Group stuff together and put them in plastic bags or little containers before the movers show up. Reason being- this keeps the packing weight down. A friend told me today that if you take all your forks/spoons/knives and place them in a plastic container they will just pack the plastic container. Otherwise, if you leave them in the kitchen drawer the mover will wrap each piece with paper which adds a lot of unneeded weight to your load.  I love her advice (thank you, Christy!).

Right now, I've just got it all piled up in "sort of" similar groups.
This is the cleaning stuff HHE pile. 

Here is a link to my favorite gold mine of practical info, advice and real time experiences all piled into the awesome Hardship Homemaking blog .

Ode to Oklahoma (With a Lesson in Cloud Watching)

Growing up in small town Oklahoma gave me a wonderful start in life. I love my home state because the people are friendly, gritty and they follow the Golden Rule- most of the time.

But along with the many wonderful things that go along with living in Oklahoma- tornados are the crappy part of the package. Fearing tornados was part of my life while growing up in Oklahoma. The weather could be just fine one minute and then all hell would be breaking loose a second later- that's just the way it is in the plains states. I knew that all too well. When I was five years old a tornado made a surprise visit to our neighborhood. It left an indelible impression that tornados were wild and very destructive. We were home when the tornado hit and even though my mom stayed calm I knew it was a very serious, very scary situation. I remember the event quite well and it happened in 1975. These things don't just fade away like an average day.

I think my grandma was a good example of how to react to a bad storm. In 1999 there was a really big storm that took out Moore (yep, same Moore) and kept whooping everything in its path. It had started in central Oklahoma and was now on it's way towards my hometown.

I called my grandmother's house and said, "Grandma! A big tornado is coming! You gotta go get in a closet or the bathtub or something!"

She calmly replied with her killer southern accent,  "Well... you think so?   Oh-I think Bill and I are just going to set right here and watch the news until we think we ought to move."

I wailed, "But, Grandma, this one is bad. It's been taking out everything it touches. It's coming right for you guys!" I could hear the tornado siren in her background. I was really scared for her.

 Again, she scolded me, "Oh now... no tornada can keep-a-going for that long."

This had been one of those freakishly big and very deadly tornados that didn't seem to be following the rules at all. So naturally (for me) I got all bossy and all but demanded that she and Grampa Bill go get in the hall closet, a bathtub, something.

She laughed at me this time and said, "Well.. if I go and do that I won't be able to hear the man on the TV. If it passes and I've gone and gotten myself all stuffed up in that closet, how am I gonna' get back out? "

I couldn't argue with that. I hadn't taken into consideration the fact that these two 90 year olds would be stuck in a closet. If they did get in the closet it had better be a sure thing, otherwise I would feel terrible if they went and got themselves all "stuffed up" in there and couldn't hear the news well enough to know when the danger had passed.

Grandma was right, that massive tornado fizzled out before it got much farther. They would have been "all stuffed up" in a closet for nothing if they had listened to me. My point is, Grandma and Grandpa Bill weren't new to this. They had lived in Oklahoma all their lives. They probably have seen enough tornados throughout their lives to know when to get serious. I think they also knew that if it was going to be really bad that a closet wouldn't really do them much good. Frankly, if I were to live in Oklahoma ever again I would hope that I would have a house with a storm cellar (called "fraidy holes" in Okla).

 I think we had Doppler radar back in those days but I'm not sure. We also had the emergency weather broadcast "bleeeeps". Then, finally, in the mid/late 80's our little town got Tornado Sirens installed. That was one thing that actually did give me some peace of mind.

 After you've been through or experienced the after math of a tornado I think it just takes a while to realize that tornados aren't dropping out of the sky with no warning. They are fairly predictable, especially with the technology we have now.  We know the factors that create these storms and there are tools being used all day/every day to pick up on atmospheric changes. Getting educated on the details reduces the fear a lot.

I decided to learn more about super cells right after that May, 1999 storm happened. We lived in Oklahoma at the time and I was the mom of two kids. Our oldest was four or five and was aware of tornadoes because we had to jump into a neighbors storm cellar one night. It was pretty creepy and she wanted out of there. We had to keep telling her that we had to wait until the storm stopped. I totally lied and told her not to worry that are we are safe "in here". I decided if I was going to live there then I had to beat back the fears as much as I could, especially since I was driving along some of the more notorious Tornado Alley roadways when I went to visit family. From that moment in the neighbor's storm cellar I decided I had to start learning asap. I enrolled in a night class at a local college, I took Physical Science and learned quite a bit about the weather. Nowadays, I'm a bit of a weather junkie. I take notice when there is a serious cloud forming. I can sometimes even see where updraft is occurring. Not all updrafts are visible though. Not all clouds or big storms are waiting to demolish your house, either. Getting educated helped a lot.

Here is my way of coping with inclement weather:

I look for visible updraft when I see a cloud growing taller. Thought, updraft
 is not necessarily scary or anything to be overly concerned about. Frankly, I think updraft
is pretty cool to witness. An updraft is basically fuel for a storm that could be brewing. 

That downward shoot is a wall cloud. Wall clouds usually drop down from the
 base of an anvil top cloud. I would be concerned about this if I saw this tube or
 wall forming, especially if I could see rotation. Most tornados are connected to the
wall cloud. At the very least you're look at a severe thunderstorm here, it looks serious.

Yeah, I don't like this one at all. The light gray fluff there is a descending wall cloud.
Behind the wall cloud could be a funnel cloud, you really can't tell because a wall cloud this low
can act like a curtain. I would be quite concerned if I were near this storm. If this were a video the
fluffy light gray part would be moving and swishing around. This had to be a serious storm.

Ok... this photo explains a lot. This funnel cloud is a classic example of a tornado that forms like a tail behind a wall cloud. You can clearly see the wall cloud in the background. This storm would most likely be heading away from the photographer.

 There is probably rain/hail coming down just in front of the wall cloud.  I would say this is a typical tornado. 

Moore Oklahoma, May 2013, F5 tornado. This funnel cloud is HUGE and was

reported to be as big as a 1.5 miles wide at some points. Winds were between

 200 to 300 mph. This is not a typical storm. Thank goodness F5's are rare.

Oklahoma, my heart is with you. I think about all the kids and adults who have lost so much. Some are still searching for the bodies of loved ones presumed to be dead. Their homes, their lives, their peace of mind have been shattered. Losing a family member or a friend, plus your home/livelihood all at once would be beyond devastating.

The kids and families who have had their lives demolished by these recent tornados are surely struggling to maintain their sanity right now. They have to be in survival mode. Yet, the hearty people of Oklahoma rally on, making progress, making jokes and are making life happen in spite of the obvious need for help.

"Gone with the wind" - Well, that's one way to look at it I suppose! :)

Please pray for the people of Oklahoma, for God's mercy and peace for them all.

-L

Wrapping Up DC- Part 2

Wrapping Up DC- Part 2

So, the Cherry Blossom Festival was beautiful. I'm grateful to have seen the entire area be covered in the pink blossoms. Truly glorious!  But, Passport DC was by far our favorite city wide event this year, better than New Years in Old Town, better than a lot of them. I hope someone from Passport DC event group reads this post because I really can't say enough about it. We love love loved it!

Passport DC is a huge bash! Many of the foreign embassies located in DC open their doors, host tours, offer tasty treats and invite guests to participate in various artistic/cultural moments. Not all countries participate (but they should) and not all countries do a great job of it. The embassies who understand the value of public diplomacy go all out- it's obvious they are excited to have the opportunity for positive exposure.



Passport DC seems like was designed for people like us- culturally curious, diplos and just all around "embassy people". It was great to see many people being excited and involved.

It is interesting, we really could get a sense of each country by our interactions with the people working the events, in very general terms- of course. For example, the way people from a particular culture answer questions that are asked can tell you a lot. I was reminded of an important cultural difference when I asked someone in one of the embassies, "Excuse me, where is your restroom?" I noticed her body language changed dramatically. The young lady looked straight down and whispered an answer. I could tell she was essentially saying "no" but her answer started with the words "yes". She replied, "Yes, there are guest restrooms outside- at another location- very close to here". It struck me immediately that the young lady had somehow side stepped the word "no". This is a common situation in many cultures. There are places around the world where being asked a direct question puts one on the spot and it is unpleasant to be put on the spot. To have said "we don't have a guest bathroom" would have caused them to feel/look bad. So, in this case, she said "yes" and then explained that they did not have a restroom for guests without ever crossing the "no" bridge. It was like I had asked one question and she had answered a completely different one.  This was one of those suddenly "self-aware" moments when I felt like a big clumsy American who needs better manners, and yet my question was so benign that it took me half a second to recognize what I had done. I could tell she was miserable with my direct eye contact and thank goodness somehow I resisted the temptation to say, "Ok, where? Do you mean a port-a-potty or at a store?" but I did not say it. It was obvious that my initial question (asking where the restrooms are) had struck the young lady like a dart being thrown from across the room. I realize now that I should have asked her in the same indirect manner that we practiced in my Bahasa Indonesia classes. Oh yes! I should have known. Sean and I both struggled quite a bit learning how to ask a question or even reply to a question "indirectly". Most Asian countries prefer this style of communication.  The American "yes/no" question style is a bit harsh in comparison. In countries with "no" issues you should try to approach your inquiry in a way as to exclude any person or institution from any blame. See- I should  have asked, "Did a bathroom for guests find itself inside of this building?" Come to think of it, her answer would have actually made more sense if I had asked for a restroom in this "indirect" manner. Lol!
But- yes- other than nearly peeing our pants before figuring out that "outside, another building, close to here" actually meant about five blocks away (at Paradise Pizza) we thoroughly loved our day at Passport DC.

Our first embassy was the Indonesian Embassy- of course. It was the most beautiful of all of the embassies we toured. I loved chatting with local embassy staff there- I am really looking forward to living among Indonesian people. They are warm, sincere and very gentle hearted people. I genuinely like them and enjoyed talking to them.

From there we went to:Japan - They had the best displays (real humanoid robots) and made the most of this diplomatic opportunity. As you can see security was tight and the line was long but it was worth it (that's right, THIS many people and no restrooms).
The Japanese Embassy did the most to impress guests and if I were voting I would say they win!

 Ethiopian Embassy- We love Ethiopia and have many Ethiopian friends, that is why it saddens me to say that this was our least favorite of all of our embassy tours- which was heartbreaking considering how much we love and respect Ethiopia. The only time anyone spoke to us was outside where they were selling goods. This embassy SOLD hot coffee for $5 a cup (really???) when most other embassies offered small samples to guests. Frankly, my feelings were hurt for my Ethiopian born son. Not a single person spoke to him, asked him his name or showed him any form of inclusion or community.

 Bangladesh Embassy- Active, beautiful colors and interesting music. A little like an over priced market. I can't find a picture... sad because it was beautiful and interesting inside.

 Malaysian Embassy - The best food by far! We enjoyed the music, the displays and the awesome FOOD!

 Ghana - We seemed to have missed the fun but people were friendly and warm to us. By the time we got there everyone was winding down but but we got to meet a king, King Peggy. I bought the book of her amazing journey to accept the title handed down to her. She was very approachable and I could tell she was fun. A movie about her story is coming out next year starring Queen Latifah.

Pakistan- We loved the Heal Not Hate mini bus. The vibe there was quite nice and we are so glad we made it in before the event had ended. This embassy was our last stop.

I have to admit none of these photos were mine. I had taken amazing photos and for some reason they are GONE. I'll find them and replace these fine photos with ones that I actually took. Thank you to the people who took and uploaded these photos.


Toilet notes**  Everyone planning to join Passport DC needs to be prepared to go a long time between bathroom breaks- my only serious complaint about the whole thing.

Parent notes** Passport DC doesn't strike me as a kid loving event. Not that they aren't welcome because they are. I just don't think most kids will like this event unless they are old enough to be interested in other cultures, languages, and can handling standing in a long line and/or walking a good bit. Our nine year old was right on the edge of his tolerance level and he's fairly mature for his age. I think he liked it but he was over it a lot sooner than we were.

Ending Phase 1: Savoring DC and Falls Church, NOVA

Wrapping Up DC- Part 1

We are definitely starting to feel that familiar feeling- the temporary mindset that kicks in when you are on the count down to leave a place. Sean and I will start thinking, "we should have steak tonight because we may not have the chance to eat it again for a long time", or tacos, a falafel or BBQ. We start trying to imagine what we will miss once we are gone. I still find it amazing that I live in the DC area and have had too many trips to the museums to count and have gotten to know a few of the neighborhoods around town.

Savoring DC and Falls Church/NOVA-

This is what a Cherry Blossom Tree looks like in full bloom. Glorious!

Cherry Festival 2013

Due to a winter that seemed like it was being managed by an indecisive administrator with ADD, the wise old DC Cherry Blossom trees held off and waited for Winter and Spring to finally stop their feuding and get their act straight.  Finally, about April 10th (give or take a day) the blossoms hit their "peak" and it was more beautiful than I had expected. I would go far as to say that it was Breath Taking! This DC event should be on everyone's bucket list if you appreciate flowers or if want to experience the thrill of having pink petals rain down on you. This is a such a neat and beautiful thing to experience. If only the timing were easy to predict- that's the thing.

Here are few pics:

Cherry Blossom Petals storm. Notice the pink piles down the street.

 The Cherry Blossom Festival is a big deal around here and the entire thing is mingled with many Japanese cultural events. The same day we went to see the blossoms we also went to the Japanese Street Festival which I can't say was much fun because it was SO CROWDED and maybe a little weird but the people watching was pretty unbelievable.

 I've never felt so boring and old in all my life.

I can say that the Cherry Blossom Festival is amazing and very much worth the waiting (and that includes the line for the porta-potty).

Unga Bunga

Photo courtesy of Laura Kramka Petrie

Happy news! I have completed the fast course for Bahasa Indonesia at FSI. I loved it and admitting that automatically guarantees me a seat at the inner circle of the high order nerd club. 

Lilac bush. Photo courtesy of Terri Dunggan Schwartzbeck.

I am perfectly happy with that because Sean and I plan to make extraordinary use of our new language even after we leave Jakarta. We look forward to buying a car and being able to talk in front of the sales person without giving away our bottom line or which of us is the easy mark. 

Photo courtesy of Mary-Catherine Dennehy.
Lupines in the White Mountainsin New Hampshire.   

We have already practiced these skills while complaining about something one of our kids has done using our Bahasa Indonesia - while the kid is in the room. So far so good...

Aren't purple flowers lovely?

Iris. Photo by Gregg Shipman Photography

I've mentioned this before but initially Bahasa Indonesia sounded something like alien creatures talking in the cantina of the first Star Wars movie. In fact, I found a blog that makes me think I'm on to George Lucas and the Bahasa Indonesia thing. Very interesting~ deserves a little more research I'd say!

Mountain Laurel.
Photo by Ginger Sipes Young

Some of the words are funny sounding- they just are. There have been times when I have had to turn my head as I tried to stifle a giggle or hide my amusement, such as the day our exercise was to add the word "dong" as an added emphasis (no real meaning). I know it's juvenile but I was dog tired and everything had become funny. I'm pretty sure anyone would have laughed if they had to say "Ya dong" to answer a question when they were so tired that it seemed that the ceiling tiles had started to dance. I "mostly" maintained my dignity, mostly... 

Photo of a lavender rose by Joseph Crabtree

Bahasa Indonesia's pronunciation is not difficult at all.  For the most part the vowels are all long vowels, except for the vowel "a" it is an "ah" sound, such as the word "soft". Basically, it sounds the same as the Spanish alphabet minus a few letters here and there. 

Here is one of the words that had me hiding my face: 

"Kakak" (kahk-kahk) means older sibling. Here is a picture of my Kakak!

Kakak saya, Robin.

Here comes the grammar lesson:
  
"Orang putih" (or-ahng ...the ang part sounds the same as in the word long) Orang means person  and (pooh-tee) putih means the color white. 

This noun phrase has an opposite word order from English so it translates literally as "person white". Ex. Robin is an Orang Putih.

  "Sepupu sepupu baik" (seh-pooh-pooh 2x's) sepupu means cousin and (buy-eek) baik means good person, well made or of good character/quality. Again, note the word order. In Bahasa Indonesia you are literally saying cousins good.

The beautiful young ladies in this photo are my kids' sepupu sepupu baik (to make something plural you say it twice). Hope and Zoe are sepupu sepupu baik!

 Sepupu Hope, Kakak Robin and Sepupu Zoe! 

Words that would otherwise have made me either cringe or giggle now have meaning.  And that is how language training goes- 

Photo by Kaye Kohler

So, recently, while explaining some of my favorite Indonesian words to a friend I had a sudden realization that I now know what  "Ungu bunga" means! That's right, (oon-gooh) ungu= purple  (boon-gah) bunga= flower.  Who knew? Ungu bunga means Purple flower! Over the years we somehow must flipped the word order, it should actually be "bunga ungu".

And, there you have it. If you ever find yourself outwitted in crowd of know-it-alls you just might be able to impress the dong out of them by telling them what ungu bunga means!

Here is a test: please watch and translate this Bugs Bunny cartoon:

-L

What Does a Consular Officer Do?

So, having escaped with my life and career prospects intact from Indonesian language training, I have moved on to professional training at FSI, specifically consular work.

Many of my friends, upon hearing I had chosen the consular cone for my new job, took me aside and told me that while they valued my steady friendship, they were very worried that my personality type (INTJ) wasn't very well suited to counseling people, what with me being introverted and cold and all.

When I explained that instead I would be at a visa window interviewing dozens of potential immigrants and visitors to the US every day and deciding whether or not they were eligible based on the law, the facts and my judgment their concerns for me were reduced on the personality scale, but they then decided my new job was well, the DMV but for Indonesians.

But as I already knew (and my training has made even MORE clear), consular work is a lot more than that. We live in a global economy, and the US depends on international trade and tourism to a huge and growing degree every year. So you can imagine the interest our government, private companies and people overseas have in consular types facilitating legitimate travel as much as possible.

There are also people out there who want to hurt us, and they also very badly want to get into the US. As consular officials, we are the first of many lines of defense against those kinds of people. Whenever something bad happens in the US now, one of my early thoughts is "who was at the visa window, and how did they make their decision on that visa application?"

Then finally by our history, heritage, and character the US welcomes immigrants and visitors from around the world. This diversity is a tremendous source of strength for our country, and something that sets us apart from many others. We always have to apply the law fairly but with an eye towards who we are.

So, with these important and sometimes competing goals, we now have to add the element of speed. In many places around the world, non-immigrant visas are given 5 minutes or less to be determined. So, the job at the visa window comes down to "let the right ones in, keep the wrong ones out, as quickly as possible." It isn't the job for everyone. But as I continue with training, I am coming to realize more and more that it IS the job for me.

-S

It's Always the Best Ones- Rest In Peace Anne Smedinghoff

A young woman joins the Foreign Service in her mid-20's. Having just entered the service myself last year, let me tell you, that is YOUNG. Most FSO's have an advanced degree (or more), time in the Peace Corps, etc. For someone to pass through the filters and join the Foreign Service, she must have shown the examiners something special. After A-100, her first tour is in Venezuela. Interesting times to be in that country, to be sure.

After her first tour, she volunteers (you HAVE to volunteer) for a tour in Afghanistan as a public diplomacy (PD) officer. Tours in the A-I-P (Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan) are not like regular tours. Security concerns are high, and restrictions on travel are tight. For a PD officer, whose job is to make contacts with the host country media and people and help explain America, it is a particularly challenging environment. You want to be safe, so you can't travel around and meet with people a lot.  If you are going to present America in the best light and be a good PD officer, you have to travel around and meet with people a lot. Many people have a really hard time with this, and for a young officer on her second tour, it could be even harder. How well did she meet the challenge? Well enough that when newly-appointed Secretary of State John Kerry came to Afghanistan, she was the Control Officer. What does that mean? It meant she was entrusted with figuring out all the details and needs of a visit at that level and working with all the different sections and divisions that have responsibilities and making sure everything is covered. This is a big deal, and she did it well.

So yesterday she and some other State and Defense Department personnel are going to deliver books to some schoolchildren. This is a quintessential PD activity. We buy books and deliver them to needy schoolchildren, and take pictures of the event. And on the way to do her job, her convoy is attacked by the Taliban and she is killed along with a Defense contractor and many others are wounded. Just like that, she is gone.

It gets me thinking about Ambassador Stevens and the others killed last year. You know, the ones that volunteer and go outside the walls because they know they have to. And we send them because we know they have to go. And then they get killed and I think that the people they were trying to serve didn't deserve them. Why should we lose the best and brightest like this?

But then I remember my A-100 class, and how many people rated the dangerous places on our bid list the highest. I hear from them, and how they were able to report directly about when the fighting stopped because they no longer heard the shooting outside their window, etc. And I worry because even though they don't have ships or planes or guns, they are going to leave the embassy and go out and do their jobs. Not because it is safe, but because it has to be done. I can guarantee you someone soon will post to Afghanistan and fill Anne Smedinghoff's job, even if they can't fill her shoes. 

It is not safe. It needs to be done. We will do it, because that is what we do. We are Foreign Service Officers.

-S