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.
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.
