A Kick in the Pants for Romance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.