Cromaroama

Flying

2010-11-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

Oh! I never realized how much I would miss my favorite hobby, being a private pilot. I started flying in 1996 and until 2009 I flew about 100 hours each year. When we changed jobs, I basically gave up my hobby due to the fact that I just could not afford it. Well, now that I have a new job, I am on the prowl for an airpane; an inexpensive airplane. The plane that I have my eye on is a 1965 Mooney M20C. It is a beautiful airplane, but normally out of my reach financially. This example is in very good shape, but will need to have the engine overhauled in the near future. Although the engine runs great now, I can expect to have to pay for an overhaul within the next 5 years. If I am able to work it out, I hope to be flying be early next year. We are about 4 hours flying in a plane like this to the US border of Texas.

Musica Americana!

2010-10-03T10:04:00.007-04:00

There are some things that you miss while in a foreign country. One of the things I miss the most here is the music. Although I enjoy many different varieties of music, to me country music reminds me of home the most. Most, but not all american radio stations do not allow international streaming of their music, so normally listening to an iPod is the best option.

While driving in the car, we listen to the local FM radio stations and there is one station out of maybe 30 that plays american variety music exclusively. Yesterday, we got a big laugh out of this song being played on the radio. Somehow, this song doesn't seem appropriate for everyone here in Guadalajara. You would be surprised to know, though, there are a few Mexicans who were born in the USA, or their parents were born there and can transmit citizenship to them, but they never officially applied for their citizenship paperwork. They go to the Consulate to apply for a visa and get the news that they can't get a visa, they should be applying for a passport instead.

2010-09-23T18:57:00.002-04:00

July-September is the official Rainy Season here in central Mexico. When we flew into Guadalajara in early August, my first view out of the airplane window reminded me of scenes from Ireland. Guadalajara receives about 37" of rain per year, and about 33" of that falls during the rainy season. Beginning in October, get ready for almost no rain. During the dry season, Guadalajara gets about as much rain as Las Vegas, NV. I have seen pictures of this area during the dry season, and although the weather is Wonderful, the grass and many plants turn brown and there is a problem with dust.

Getting Settled

2010-08-20T10:06:00.002-04:00

We have been in Guadalajara for about 10 days now and although there is so much to take in, I think we are adjusting well. It has been difficult not having a car and either walking or taking taxis anywhere we need to go. I can already see that this will be an easy city to live in. The people are friendly, the weather is the best in the World, and the danger threat that you hear about in Mexico seems to be mainly in other parts of the country.

The most challenging thing about being here is not speaking Spanish. Sure, I had 11 weeks of Spanish class and know a little more than a baby on his first day of life, but not too much more. R, on the other hand, is doing much better communicating as she had 6 months of class. Last night, I went to WalMart and ordered Dish Mexico TV for our house. This was a challenge with my "Que Hora Es?" Spanish. See this youtube video for a laugh or two. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WckCw_-7e3M

Getting Paranoid about the Internet

2010-07-31T10:53:00.002-04:00

I am getting more paranoid about the internet. It could be because I have been reading about kidnappings. It could be because I am becoming a more private person. It could be because I am afraid of creepy people stalking our family.

Should we delete all our photos from the internet? People can upload photos of us on facebook and we wouldn't even necessarily know. I have heard that once something is on the internet it is there forever.

There is so much public information available online, which is scary too. What about privacy? If I am concerned about privacy, why even have a blog? Should we delete it?

Passing the Spanish Test and Why it Felt Like Gambling

2010-06-15T22:33:00.002-04:00

I passed! On my first try! It was harder than I thought it would be to spend 2 solid hours in Spanish reading and talking. I made quite a few mistakes but I just kept talking and hoping that by saying more words I would have a higher overall percentage of real Spanish. I think before in another post I talked about how easy it is to make up words in Spanish and not even realize you are doing it.

Lots of things in the FS feel like gambling, from the beginning when you start studying for a written test covering such a broad range of material. There is no way you can really study everything so you have to guess, and it is multiple choice. Then if you pass the written and go to the oral exam there are parts that feel like a TV game show. And just like a TV game they keep you guessing about whether you passed until the very end of the show. It's similar with the Spanish test. Your teachers give you little hints along the way, like someone might coach you in Blackjack, "split if you can double," "don't hit on 16," but you really can't understand all the hints until you start playing and seeing the scenarios yourself.

Several of my teachers coached us on using transitions, practicing common topics, and throwing in some subjunctive at the end to give your opinion. The best hints I got were from my fellow students including to act like you know what you are talking about and to keep talking no matter how you feel about what you just said. Even if you just said that many college students in the United States study the arts of liberalism instead of liberal arts, because you don't have the skill to say that in Spanish. (Not an actual test topic--I made that up.)

It's really a relief to pass. That's another part that seems like gambling. You've put a lot of money and time in this slot machine waiting for it to pay off. I don't know anyone yet who hasn't passed, although some had to try a second or third time. Part of it is your effort, but part of it is how your tongue does on the day of the test, how your testers feel, and the test topics you get assigned.

So now I have my 3/3. I still can't turn on the TV or radio in Spanish and understand all the words. I can get an idea of what they are saying, especially if they show pictures. I can watch a video and usually understand the details if I replay it a few times. I can understand a lot better than I can speak. I think the real test is yet to come in Mexico.

Will it be rare, medium or well done?

2010-05-28T22:39:00.005-04:00

I am now one week away from my Spanish exam. I feel like I am well done but sometimes the inside of my Spanish is still pink & mushy. Just don't put the fork in too far. These are cuy (guinea pig) being roasted in Ecuador.

Probably the turning point in my feeling more confident in Spanish was going on the immersion trip to Ecuador. I can understand way more Spanish than I could before. When I got back from Ecuador and turned on CNN Espanol it was like night and day compared to what I could understand before I went. I have been back at FSI four weeks now. I still can't say I feel much different but at the same time I know so much more Spanish than before. When I look back through some of my old notebooks and the old Nuevas Rutas libros I can really see how far I have come.

My learning consultant told me last week she thought I was at the 3 level and if I worked hard I could possibly get a 3+. That was probably the wrong thing to tell me, because this week my teacher said she thought my Spanish was a little worse. She said maybe I was too relaxed about it. The thing is, now I have kind of a "big picture" Spanish. I can understand and make myself understood but I cannot stop making little mistakes. For example, today I couldn't conjugate nosotros correctly in any tense. At the same time I know I realize I am making errors I am powerless to correct them. I can only think about one thing at a time. This means that I can either focus on vocabulary and keeping the words coming, or I can focus on noun/verb agreement and conjugations, but not both. That is why speaking Spanish requires so much concentration. You don't have to think about your grammar in your native language. It just either sounds right or it doesn't. Even weirder, I have caught myself saying strange things in English or mispronouncing English words. My poor brain is short-circuiting.

This is probably some milestone or dire sign of deterioration in language learning. Possibly I am going to stay monolingual but in Spanglish. My Spanish is improving while my English suffers. This is a strange phenomenon that all of us have noticed in our language classes. We can also understand each other's Spanish so much more easily than our teacher's Spanish. Even when we make up words, which turn out to be false cognates (false friends, as they say in Spanish--e.g. experienzar, militario), our classmates can totally understand us.

Today two of my good friends at FSI took their Spanish exams. One passed and one didn't. I really couldn't tell you why because they both seemed at similar levels. It had to be nerves or just the topics they were asked to speak about, because both of them were very prepared. Maybe the tester just stuck the fork in too far.

Language Immersion

2010-05-03T20:09:00.003-04:00

This picture is from Baños, Ecuador. It's the waterfall there called "El Pailon del Diablo," the devil's frypan. It's a metaphor for the rush of Spanish I got while I was there. I had my own teacher 4 hours a day, which was heavenly. I stayed with an Ecuadorian family in Quito 2 weeks, and then spent one week at Puerto Lopez. Taking language classes here is different. There is just a different flow to the class when you are the only student.

I have just returned from these 3 weeks of language immersion training in Ecuador. Vale la pena (It was worth it). Some of the language programs at the Foreign Service Institute allow you to take a language immersion trip. You pay all your own expenses, but it counts as time spent at work so you don't have to take leave. I would recommend it to anyone. It was worthwhile if only to change up the pace after 4 months at the Foreign Service Institute.

It's hard to measure how much my Spanish improved, but at least I feel better about it. The highlight was when I checked in at the airport to leave and started talking to the lady in Spanish, and handed over my passport, and she asked me if I preferred English or Spanish and she complimented me on my Spanish! I was quickly brought back down to earth in Miami. The customs officer asked me what I had done on my trip and I told him taking Spanish classes. I could barely understand him in Spanish. The Ecuadorians have a much clearer and plainer accent.

Four more weeks until my suggested end of Spanish. I hear about half of the people don't pass the first try and have to take an additional four weeks of training.

Learning Spanish

2010-03-12T21:04:00.002-05:00

It's harder than I thought it would be. I have made progress but it has been painfully slow. Last night I was collaborating with a friend on a writing project from my past work. I felt smart again, unlike how I have felt in Spanish class for the past 13 weeks. I am still just a baby in Spanish. C says he is definitely still in the baby talk stage. One of his teachers told him he speaks like an Indian chief in the old westerns: Me Big Chief. Me like ride horse. Wait, he said he doesn't know the word for horse.

What is so frustrating is not being able to say what I want to say. Especially for someone like me that likes to talk. It's like being constipated. There's stuff that wants to come out but it won't come. If only there was verbal Ex-Lax. In 3 more weeks I am planning to go on a Spanish immersion trip to Ecuador. I am hoping this will help.

A Kick in the Pants for Romance

2010-02-03T19:25:00.003-05:00

One thing I have noticed about the Foreign Service is that it gets people thinking about getting married. It seems there are always some newlyweds and some almost weds planning a wedding before leaving for their posts. Spouses get travel orders, diplomatic passports, and opportunities to learn languages at FSI. So it is a big incentive to get married.

It could also be a big incentive for single people to find someone to share their adventures. I imagine if I were single I would not be looking forward to lonely evenings in a foreign country. They have had more than one seminar at FSI about "Singles in the Foreign Service." There was talk that when you do get overseas, you may need to be careful that some foreigners are seeking an American spouse not for their many fine qualities, but for a green card.

I have heard it can also be a wake-up call for some married folks. Some officers learn their spouses aren't really world-wide available and are not happy to hear that most new officers don't go to Europe.

For us, the whole process of thinking about moving overseas, packing up all of our material possessions, and saying goodbye to our friends and family involved a lot of thinking about our lives and what made us happy together. I was just reading the other day that sharing adventures together is one of the best things a couple can do. Talking to some of the more experienced FS folks was very encouraging along these lines, and that FS life brings spouses and children closer by necessity. You have to rely on each other more, you spend more time together, and your family is the one constant in your life even though you are changing posts frequently.

One other couple now in training told me they planned to renew their wedding vows in every country. How romantic!

Online personas

2010-01-12T16:55:00.002-05:00

One thing I am so curious about is to meet people after I have read some of their blog postings. Usually they are different than I imagine them. For example, recently I met someone whose blog I had followed. Online he seemed like a gregarious and caring person. But live and in person he seemed more standoffish and less friendly. Maybe his gruff exterior hides a soft interior landscape, but you would probably never know this unless you knew him well.

You would think it would be the other way around, and that their blog would be less revealing than meeting them in person. Guess that's the crazy world of the internet and why people like to meet authors, to compare their idea of the person to the actual person.

Adding to the Foreign Service

2010-01-06T20:17:00.003-05:00

I was so excited to learn today that someone I know in Anderson is now applying to the Foreign Service after hearing about our experience. Several people that I have told were very interested in the whole process and asked me lots of questions. But so far only one has actually applied that I know of.

In other good news, the new A100 class has some people from South Carolina.

Mi espos0 started Spanish this week. We have our classes at different times so we don't see each other during the day, but it is nice to know that he is there. We are still working out all the logistics with two children in two different schools and one that needs child care. They seem to be adjusting well to their first week of school.

Nature Abhors a Vacuum

2009-12-29T14:09:00.004-05:00

Well, no sooner did we sell all of our toys in anticipation of moving abroad than we are thinking about what new toys we may want to take with us. This is the latest on our wish list. It's an Airstream Basecamp with big wide rear doors and a ramp so you can load up yet more toys inside, which is why it is also called a toy hauler. So much for simplifying our lives. My station wagon should be able to pull it.

This would be great for taking camping trips in Mexico. It would be our 3rd Airstream. We have 9 months to find a reasonably priced used one. Some of them have a tent that hooks on the back to expand the sleeping area. With our other travel trailers, we got equal amounts of enjoyment from planning the trips as actually taking the trips. Just looking out and seeing it in the driveway was like an invitation to take a trip, therefore fun.

Blizzard 2009 in DC

2009-12-19T18:17:00.003-05:00

The snow is amazing. Here is a video of my trip to Target this morning. There were some crazy folks driving but it was great to walk in the snow and not too far. There was hardly anyone shopping. I wanted to go to downtown DC but there was no metro service on the outside lines so Falls Church wasn't running. Maybe tomorrow.

So few FSO's from South Carolina

2009-12-15T19:41:00.002-05:00

So far I have only met one other FSO from South Carolina. There was one person in my A100 who graduated from the University of South Carolina, but was not from South Carolina. I also know one girl who is starting in January from South Carolina. The whole Southeast seems underrepresented. I don't know if it is because they don't apply or because they don't pass through all the steps to become an FSO.

I would like to see more FSO's from my state. From a very unscientific survey sample of all the FSO's I know, I would say the majority are from large cities. Many are from three places: D.C., New York or California. Maybe people in S.C. are just too happy to want to live anywhere else.

Saw President Obama today

2009-11-28T21:15:00.002-05:00

One thing we have looked forward to since we moved to D.C. was seeing somebody famous around town.

It happened today when we went to the GWU vs. Oregon State basketball game with the Obamas. They were sitting right behind the Oregon bench (the orange players), and we were way up in the upper deck. You cannot even see them in this picture but we could see them when we were there. The Presidential limo was parked right outside the gym, so everyone in line to get in the game was talking about them being there.

One of my savvy A100 classmates predicted that they might be there because Michelle Obama's brother is the Oregon State coach. It was a good game too.

In other sports news, the Gamecocks beat the Tigers today, making this branch of the family happy & rich. It was about time.

We're Going to Guadalajara

2009-11-26T19:41:00.002-05:00

Finally it was Flag Day. We had posted a map in our apartment with pins for all the posts on our bid list. Every evening we would stare at the map with pins all over the world, different colors for our high, medium and low bids. Some nights we would move the highs to medium or mediums to lows. I feel so fortunate to have gotten a post that we bid high.

Guadalajara was one of our highs because it was a smaller post, a great place for the family, and a place to learn a language. The more we read about it, the more we like it. A few of our classmates are going as well, so we'll have instant friends at the new place. I still don't know how all the assignment officers came up with the posts for everyone. Most people got a high choice, so I know that they take our preferences into account to some degree. All through A100 they repeat that their main criteria are "worldwide availability" and "needs of the service."

Flag Day was quite a bit more emotional than I expected. The only thing I can compare it to is waiting for the jury to come back with a verdict. You just cannot predict how it will come out. All you can do is pray and hope for the best. We had lots of friends and family praying as well. You are hearing them call out the places and the names of your classmates, in no particular order, and waiting impatiently for them to call your name. Even though you want them to tell you immediately, it is also the end of the wide open possibilities so it is sad as well.

We are now reading all we can about our future home. It is still 9 months away because of language & work training. I had to take the language aptitude test this week (it was hard), so I am hoping the results will show that I have some aptitude. I am a little apprehensive. There is only so much room in this brain, so what will I have to forget to make room for the Spanish? Hopefully nothing important.

Flag Day Eve

2009-11-22T18:24:00.004-05:00

In less than 24 hours we should know where we are going to spend our next 2-3 years, when we will be going, and whether or not we will be learning a foreign language. I am hoping for a county that speaks Spanish so that when we return home one day, we will have the language skills we need to talk to our Mexican friends. In a way, even if we get to go to one of our High ranked choices, we will probably have a bit of a letdown. Right now, we are so excited because the whole world is available to us. After Flag Day, the anticipation will be over and we have enjoyed it so much.

Today, we visited Manassas National Battlefield Park and took a 3-4 mile hike through the battlefields. It was a beautiful day in the high 50s. We picked my parents up at Reagan National Airport and went into DC for dinner and a driving tour of the monuments.

Missing my family

2009-11-19T19:18:00.002-05:00

It has been less than two weeks since I saw my family but I really miss them. That has been the hardest part about A100. I'm glad they had the chance to come up and stay for a week, but it was not enough.

There are only 4 more days until Flag Day. We are all trying to prepare ourselves for the unknown.

Packing out

2009-10-27T04:36:00.002-04:00

It took 3 days to pack out. One day to box up and two days to load, because at 5:00 the 2nd day it was apparent that all of our things would not fit on one truck. I was concerned that we would go over our weight limit but the grand total of the first truck's weight was 11,000 pounds. The movers had to pull out the tailgate of the truck and strap 3 mattresses on. Then the next day they returned with another small truck to pick up the items at my office, probably about 600 pounds.

It was sad to see them pack up my Vespa. When will I see it again? One of the movers told me he had recently unpacked a family that had been overseas for 20 years. He said all their things were old, like from the 70's, and most of it just went to Goodwill.

I had already spent a week separating all of our things into three groups: what we are taking to training, what we are packing out because we may need it overseas at an unfurnished post, and what we are leaving in Anderson.

The movers did all the packing, which was great, but I had to keep track of what was going into each box so that I can request them by box number or item number later on. Every item has a number that goes on our inventory.

Tonight Anderson, Tomorrow the World

2009-10-22T21:45:00.002-04:00

Tonight is my last night in Anderson. I will probably be up late packing and getting ready for this big adventure. I didn't expect to be so sad to leave because I have been so busy I did not really think about it much. I have been focused on our destination, instead of what we are leaving behind.

Last night they had a bon voyage party for us at church, complete with international food, flags of the world, sentimental speeches, tears & costumes from different countries. Lots of people got up to predict where we would go: Sierra Leone, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Belize, Japan, Mexico, and China. My parents and Chet's parents almost cried when they started talking about us leaving.

Our church family will be greatly missed. We are very close to so many of them after living here for 15 years for me and a lifetime for C. It is nice to feel like they will miss us too. I hope they remember to pray for us.

The plane, the plane, the plane

2009-10-05T19:24:00.005-04:00

This weekend C. flew us down to Myrtle Beach for a combination business trip/family weekend. If you would have asked us two years ago if C. would be willing to give up the airplane we would have said "never in a million years." Of course that was pre-FS (before we were thinking about the Foreign Service). Now we are taking our last few trips before it gets sold.

You might notice that all the posts lately have been about our sacrifices to join the foreign service. We cannot stop thinking about it because C's parents and his brother and sister-in-law keep reminding us. They think we are totally out of our minds to even consider giving up what we have here to go to a place to-be-determined. The thing is, we are asking ourselves the same thing, but at the same time we are excited to be doing it. It is liberating. It is also scary. We are simplifying our lives but we are taking a big chance too.

We are rolling the dice and hoping for 7's: a good post, an easy adjustment for the children & C, lots of new friends, and interesting work.

House for Sale - Owner relocating

2009-09-27T19:26:00.003-04:00

Our house is the second big thing we have to give up to join the Foreign Service. A few posts back we told about our first sacrifice, our boat.

It is hard to give it up. We have lived here 5 years, longer than any other home our whole married life. Here is what we added while we were here: whole new kitchen & appliances, 2 new bathrooms, all new plumbing, tankless hot water heater, roof, jokul wood stove, porcelain tile, walls & flooring, hot tub, and more. Now we are selling it cheap because we have to go. If it doesn't sell, maybe we will rent it.

Someone came to look at it today with their realtor. It would be perfect for a large family. I hope it will be a happy home for someone special.

The rest of our family just says that we are crazy to give up our cushy lives here to go to live in some backwards part of the world. We might be a little bit crazy because it is really nice here.

Last night we watched the movie "City of Joy" starring Patrick Swayze about a doctor who works in a medical clinic in Calcutta. The conditions there looked really bad. Seeing how people lived in the movie made me so sad for them, and it made me think that there would never be enough help to meet their most urgent needs. Several people at our church are planning a mission trip to India, but they are not going to Calcutta because they heard it was not safe.

Yard Sale today

2009-09-12T19:10:00.003-04:00

We had a yard sale today. All week we had the installation truck parked at our house trying to load it up with things to sell and we had it full by Friday. The kids made $12 apiece selling drinks and stuff from their tables. We made about $150, not much considering all that we sold: TV armoire, table & chairs, books, toys, videos, and bunches of miscellaneous knickknacks.

Having a yard sale just makes you realize that you need to quit buying junk. Thinking about going into the Foreign Service has really curtailed our stuff-collecting impulses. That has been a good thing. Just knowing that soon we will have to pack it all up and ship it thousands of miles is a big deterrent. It's still hard to get rid of stuff. I am kind of envious of the younger people joining the Foreign Service who do not have much to pack.

Instead of stuff, I have been buying a lot of groceries. Soon I won't be able to do that because I know that once I leave for DC, C won't be cooking very much. I can still buy clothes because we will still need those. But in the process of trying to weed through all our extraneous possessions, I do not want to shop for clothes. When I do shop for them, everything seems to look like something I already have.

Dreaming about where we might go

2009-09-10T21:01:00.003-04:00

Now that we have finally made it into the Foreign Service, we can spend all the time we used to spend worrying "if we would make it" now wondering "where we will go and when." To do this properly we have to spend vast amounts of time surfing the internet about random places and checking crime statistics, grocery costs, living conditions, and diversions. Our main source of information is www.talesmag.com. But we really do not discriminate and use any source. It is much easier to choose the places we do not want to go rather than deciding our top picks.

POSTS WE WANT TO AVOID based upon our late night internet surfing:

Caracas now known as murder capital of the world, but R visited it with her Mom and 3 year old son about 7 years ago and really enjoyed the trip.

Mexican border towns also many murders; one report says that you will spend all your time in some type of compound surrounded by razor wire and armed guards with all the other Americans; doesn't sound like much cultural interaction goes on there.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, unaccompanied posts supposedly off limits to first tour FSO's

Port Moresby, PNG rated as the highest hardship of any place in the world by the Economist magazine; R's brother spent time there on a mission trip and contracted malaria, from which he suffered greatly because doctors here didn't know how to diagnose it.

Countries that are reported to have a low view of women and Americans, or who have severe restrictions such as not allowing women to drive.

HARDSHIP POSTS WE THINK WE WOULD LIKE:

Freetown, Sierra Leone, because we have some friends and relatives who have been on medical mission trips there.

Guinea Bissau, West Africa, C's good friend from Anderson is now a missionary there.

Yekaterinburg or Vladivostok, Russia, because there is a lot of cultural interaction with the locals who reportedly are interested to speak to Americans, and we like following the blog of an FSO posted in Vladivostok www.240to120.com.

Lima, Peru, reportedly hard to fill post but R's brother went there last year and enjoyed it; want to try the ceviche and roasted guinea pig.

Chennai, India, because R has a friend in Anderson who was born there who says it is the best part of India.

Vietnam, because C's distant relative from Colorado was a teacher there and we love the Vietnamese food

Cuba, because we have always wanted to go there since it has not been allowed.

Guangzhou, China because that is where they do all the adoptions from China. This one city accounts for a third of all international adoptions by American parents.

Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet Republic, because of beautiful mountain scenery.

Most of Latin America is considered a hardship post as well, but they don't sound too bad to us.

POSTS WE LIKE THAT ARE NOT HARDSHIP POSTS, in order of preference:

Japan

Eastern Europe, especially Hungary where R. went on vacation with her Mom

Western Europe, of course.

Scandinavian countries

Bahamas and Caribbean

Hong Kong

Taiwan

Australia & New Zealand

Canada

South Pacific Islands

Bermuda

Iceland

That covers about the whole world, doesn't it.

2009-08-25T15:41:00.003-04:00

Fun on Dad's Segway

2009-08-22T22:17:00.003-04:00

Papa CT bought a Segway a few months ago and we have had loads of fun riding it around. All of us except for brent who ended up breaking his arm and putting a golfball sized lump on his head.

Celebrating the first day of school & other good news

2009-08-19T21:53:00.003-04:00

The girls are excited about the first day of school and so is their mama. Our son doesn't look that excited but inside he really is, it's just not cool to show it. The K4 is not open til next week, so little one will still be staying home. I hope her teacher is resting up.

In other news I just heard via email that my security clearance is now "in adjudications pending review." This is new wording from last time I checked the status, when it was "investigation still pending." There is much discussion on the A-100 yahoo board about how these emails are worded, and what they might mean. People are always discussing and comparing the wording of emails while trying to figure out how they might fit into a time line of some kind. As best I can tell the security clearance goes through several phases: (1) security interviews starting June 12, (2) paperwork processing, (3) rechecking through a case manager, (4) adjudication by the adjudicator at which point there could be follow-up information to be obtained, and (5) granting of the security clearance via a letter. Then you go through final suitability review. After that you can reach the exalted register, hopefully at a high enough number to obtain an offer.

I am hopeful for an offer to begin training in October or January. Just to keep you on edge, there was an A-100 yahoo post of someone who reached the adjudication stage and then was rejected because of a past gambling problem. How disappointing to get that far and then be rejected.

Waiting waiting and more waiting

2009-08-06T22:00:00.002-04:00

I requested an update from security clearance customer service. The investigation is still pending. I am trying to keep this in perspective. This picture shows where we were last February (Colorado). That was six months ago. Doesn't seem all that long. In six more months we should know a lot more.

The waiting is getting harder as I get closer to the end of the process.

Morning Flight

2009-08-04T09:37:00.003-04:00

Monday evening I flew my wife and three children down to Myrtle Beach. I decided to stay the night and get up the crack of dawn to fly back. This morning was beautiful for flying despite the low clouds and reduced visibility.

Twin Falls

2009-08-02T15:50:00.002-04:00

We rode up here on the motorcycle. Twin Falls is about 20 miles north of Pickens, SC. You hike along the river a short way and then come to these falls. There are two here but the second is behind our heads. The water is very cold. Usually it's not crowded. It's a great place to go on a hot afternoon.

Lighthouse at Cape Florida

2009-08-02T15:33:00.002-04:00

We climbed up inside this lighthouse and looked down to see a giant iguana laying on top of a tree. The other side of the lighthouse had a view of the Miami skyline. We walked through the keeper's house. It looked like a nice place to live, except no indoor plumbing. We do take that for granted these days.

We are having ongoing discussion of whether we should include our names in our blog. It's awkward to write without using the names. But if we put the names in, will we lose our privacy? Then forevermore if someone does a search under our names they will find all our vacation photos. So for now no names.

Looks a little like Strom Thurmond

2009-07-26T00:14:00.001-04:00

Something about him looks a little like Strom Thurmond. This was the guitar player at Casa Panza. I will have to upload my picture of Strom Thurmond to compare them.

Casa Panza, Little Havana, Cortadillo

2009-07-25T23:59:00.003-04:00

We are celebrating my husband's July birthday here in Key Biscayne. Last night we went to Little Havana over the bridge in Miami. We ate dinner at this Spanish restaurant where they had a live flamenco show. I bought the guitar player's CD because he really looked like Strom Thurmond, but shorter. He was a very good player. We both ate paella with chicken. I almost ordered the squid in his own ink but I chickened out. I asked our waitress what the potatas bravas was, and she said "angry potatoes." It was a little spicy.

They have a good band at our hotel every night. It has been a very nice trip and I highly recommend the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne. Soon we may never be able to stay at such a nice hotel.

Tonight we ate at a cuban cafe right on the island. They have this coffee drink they call cortadillo, but it is just like cappucino. Our waiter said the name comes from cortar (coffee cut with milk). I have realized from this trip that my Spanish is very poor. I can understand maybe one or two phrases out of every sentence I hear. Spanish is everywhere here.

South Beach was a little disappointing, very crowded, nowhere to park, and full of tourists.

We can go back to eating what we want -- we passed our medical!

2009-07-21T22:08:00.003-04:00

Husband and wife both have worldwide medical clearance. Not that we were worried, we're both pretty healthy. Well, husband was a little worried because when he had his chest x-ray he saw a big black spot. He looked it up on the internet and they said only be worried about white spots.

I read a funny post on the a-100 group about the chubby guy worried his weight might keep him from passing his medical. If it did, he should sue. I know a good lawyer.

To celebrate we went to the Vietnamese restaurant in Greenville - Pho Noodleville. Bubble Tea is our favorite but it's so hard to share because someone might suck all your bubbles out.

Now just waiting on security. How much more waiting? I emailed to find out and all they said was they are still checking on some leads and the target date is August 10.

Until we can go foreign, we'll bring foreign to us

2009-07-21T21:59:00.002-04:00

We had a great time hosting a British soccer coach, Chantel, for a week of soccer camp. We kept her busy after hours going square dancing, visiting the local Irish pub (Corbett McGee's), listening to the band at Downtown Sounds, and going out on the lake.

It was really fun to talk to her about her home in Birmingham, England. She's in the U.S. all summer directing British soccer camps. The kids had a great time.

He Said--A day at Skyland Bible Conference.

2009-06-29T21:12:00.002-04:00

This week, our family is on vacation at the Skyland Bible Conference in Dayton, TN. This conference holds a special place in our hearts because it is where my wife and I met 19 years ago!
Today, after hearing a great speaker in the morning, we spent the afternoon at Pocket Wilderness where we hiked and swam in the cold water of the mountain stream.

What a wonderful day it has been; hearing the Word of God, enjoying the beauty of his creation, and spending time with family and friends!

She Said. First Sacrifice on the Altar of Foreign Service Career

2009-06-09T22:02:00.005-04:00

We sold our big beautiful boat today at a loss. Just the first sacrifice on the altar of the foreign service career. My husband listed it on ebay, but then sold it to someone who saw it out in the forks of the road before the end of the auction. Better to have money in hand then wait until the end of the auction and sell for less.
We figured we better sell it now at the beginning of summer rather than hold on to it and try to sell it this winter when we will probably find out if we are going or not. Even though we don't know for sure that we are going, we are trying to economize and unload some of our possessions that may not make sense if we do go overseas. We'll probably get posted to the Bahamas now and wish we hadn't sold it. The only time we drove this boat in the ocean we went to Bimini on a Bahamas boating fling sponsored by the Bahamian government. It was so much fun. We tied up at the marina and slept on the boat. Every day we went out fishing and snorkeling. They had these neat places to snorkel-- a sunken ship, a sunken plane. We walked on the beach and ate fresh conch salad.
I had my physical today for my medical clearance. My doctor had never done one for the State department before and she was really interested to hear all about it. They forgot to order one of the blood tests, a 6BCG or something like that to do with blood glucose. My doctor said she had to look it up in her manual because she hadn't ordered one in forever, maybe never, or studied about it since medical school. My husband went to the main health campus to have his blood drawn and they said they had never done one of the 6BCG before and they are drawing gallons of blood every day for people all over Anderson. There were no problems with my physical and my cholesterol was down to 204 since my last doctor visit.
One of our neighbors is retired from the State Dept. He was in the civil service and worked in maintenance for the State Dept. He worked there many years in Washington, DC, so he has been telling me all about it. We know him and his wife pretty well because they invited us to join their square dance club about two years ago, and we've been square dancing ever since. He keeps telling me how hard it is to get in and how a lot of people get excluded at every stage of the process, but he thinks I will make it. I told him that when the security investigator comes to our neighborhood he better do his part.

She Said. Ice cream scooter

2009-06-05T13:02:00.005-04:00

We are down in Myrtle Beach for the 2009 Atlantic Coast Exposition and we saw this neat ice cream trailer being pulled by a moped. It looked like it had its own little generator and it was hooked onto the back axle of the scooter. Maybe when our son is a teenager I will let him get one for the Vespa.

He Said. Summertime at the lake

2009-06-01T10:44:00.004-04:00

Saturday, our oldest daughter had a party and invited a few of her friends over. It was very warm and a great day to enjoy a ride on the pontoon boat. We took a slow ride of about two hours and stopped at another friends house for food and swimming.

She Said. Our garden after the big rain

2009-05-29T18:53:00.002-04:00

Last night there was a big rainstorm and some of our tender plants washed away. I tried to put them back in and rake but the girls were impatient to get home, so I couldn't make it real pretty. The part of the garden with seeds already has some sprouts coming up. The radishes and the flowers are sending up little green shoots that look like clover.

He Said. Swimming Field Trip

2009-05-29T16:35:00.006-04:00

This morning our middle girl's class took an end of the year field trip to the Shepherd Swim Center in Anderson. I tagged along and watched them have a good time. By the time we left, I wish I had my swimsuit!

He Said. Downtown Sounds

2009-05-29T12:01:00.006-04:00

Each Thursday evening in the summer, downtown Anderson has a concert in the area between the old courthouse and the new courthouse which are across the street from one another. Last night my wife and I, along with our children and her parents had a picnic and enjoyed the music. As the sun set, the old courthouse reflected the light of the falling sun. I am so glad to see organized activities that bring people to a downtown that until about 3-5 years ago was totally dead.

She Said. Our garden

2009-05-25T20:48:00.004-04:00

My sister-in-law April and I are planting a garden together. Tonight we planted seeds to go along with the plants we put in last week. The three little cousins helped so it might mean all the plants come up in one hole. Some of the seeds were so small they looked like dust - thyme especially. We planted then watered. One of the varieties was Jelly Bean tomatoes. I can't wait for them to come up. They take 80 days to harvest, so we'll be waiting quite a while. When they start coming up we will have to mind that we don't pull them up for weeds. We did buy some plants already started so we didn't go totally from seed.

I've planted tomatoes before but this is my first true garden. We had a friend with a tiller that we paid to till it up. But when we went out to plant a few things it looked like the soil was still very compacted. We had to call in the CFS yard guys to do a soil makeover. My dad got a load of manure in his truck and they got a little more, and it started to look like a real garden with soil that might actually grow something.

I bought some Thai eggplant and some Hungarian peppers at the Anderson Farmer's Market. The man that I bought them from told me that this Hungarian lady snuck the seeds in from Hungary past customs without declaring them, and they are really good peppers. It made for a good story so he got my $2.50 to try them out.

He Said. Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-24T21:23:00.008-04:00

This weekend our family went to the N.C. mountains and enjoyed the beauty of God's creation. Friday night we got a late start and didn't actually leave Anderson for Franklin until 9:15PM. When we arrived at the Sloan's farm, we went straight to bed. Saturday, my son and I rode the motorcycle to Bryson City where they were having a Memorial Day festival complete with live music and yummy junk food!
Around lunchtime Robin, her parents, and our girls joined us at the Deep Creek recreation area of Great Smokey Mountain National Park. What a beautiful and relaxing place. Even though I have been here many times since I was a young boy, I never tire of the relaxing sound of the rushing water. I also love taking a walk and then putting my tired feet in the icy water.

Later Saturday we walked around Bryson City and then finished the day with board games and dinner at the Fryemont Inn before the drive back to Franklin.

Sunday started with heavy rain showers before clearing and turning into a beautiful afternoon. Robin's Dad and I worked on running power down to the barn and then Robin and I ended the day with a short motorcycle ride and then a trip to the dairy queen.

He Said. Farmer's Market special Event

2009-05-21T21:04:00.007-04:00

After work this evening Robin, baby girl, and I went downtown to a special event. Everything was sponsored by AG Credit and thus free to the public. We bought several interesting plants for our garden and enjoyed a gourmet burger, salad, and homemade strawberry shortcake. There was live music and even a visit by the SC Commissioner of Agriculture. Afterwards, we walked over to our building on Main Street that we have been remodeling. Each week, we tell ourselves that maybe next week we will finish. Redoing an older building is so much fun, but can be stressful and very expensive. Hopefully, the rent that we receive will cover most of the payment each month on the loan. This picture was taken several weeks ago and much work has been completed since.

He Said. She's Home!

2009-05-19T08:19:00.006-04:00

Our children and I are all so glad to have wife/mama back home in Anderson. I know that we are wimps when it comes to holding the family together without her, but we are not a complete family when she is gone. She is exhausted after 12 hours on the train from Washington to Clemson. She came back with great news! She has passed the oral exam in the process of becoming a foreign service officer for the US State Department. This is quite an achievement since less than 5% of all that apply make it this far.
Next for us is passing the medical clearance (all five of us) and she will have to pass the top secret security clearance. She was told that this next step should take about 6 months and then we can be placed on the register. Once on the register, she is eligible to be invited to the A-100 class and hired by the State Department. If everything goes well, we hope to be going to our first post in about a year from now.