AND AWAY WE GO...!!!

It all started about five years ago.  We had gotten together with some friends (hi Erica & Jeremy!) who had recently returned from Nairobi where they had been living and working for a couple of years.  We talked about the things they had seen and done.  It sounded amazing.  They told us they would be home for a month or so and then head off to Cambodia for another two year stint.  “OK… wait.  Tell me again, what is this job you have?”  I asked.  “It’s the foreign service,”  Erica said.  “What the hell is the foreign service?”  I thought.  I googled it when I got home.

That was the spark to start pursuing this new career and way of life.  The foreign service is a part of the U.S. Department of State.  It is comprised of “Foreign Service Officers” and “Foreign Service Specialists” who may be better known as diplomats.  I’ll be joining as an Economic Officer… although what I’ll actually be doing – and where I’ll be doing it – are still undetermined.  I’m not kidding when I say we are the international couple of mystery.  I just didn’t realize it would be a mystery to us too!  

So, how did I get here, you may ask?  After submitting an application, I took a 4-hour (!!!) test in February 2014 – one week after leaving my job at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and one week before heading off on my 6-month “Latitude Adjustment” in Central and South America.  In March 2014, I learned I had passed the test and was invited to submit six “personal narratives” – short essays describing personal experiences that demonstrated various traits and capabilities.  I don’t know who reads those or what they look for, but in May 2014, I was invited to go to Washington DC for a day-long “assessment” consisting of a group exercise, a structured interview, and a written exercise.  I scheduled my assessment for September 4, 2014 and spent a solid month doing practice exercises to prepare for it.   There were 12 of us at the assessment that day, and they were an impressive group of people!  Some were already working for the State Department in civil positions, and many had significant overseas experience and/or other professional qualifications that were a bit… imposing.  I briefly thought, maybe I can sneak out now and they’ll never know I left!  But I stuck it out, and I received a passing score.  That began an 8-month process to obtain all the necessary medical and security clearances, after which I was placed on the “register” – a list of candidates ranked in order according to the score received at the DC assessment.  After finally making it onto the register, I waited another 9 months before finally receiving an appointment offer at the end of January.  Let’s just say I am not the most patient person, so the process was a true test on my sanity – and those around me (sorry Andrew!). 

One month from today, on April 1 (April Fool’s Day – a date that I feel is both ironic and appropriate), I will fly to DC.  On April 4, I’ll begin a training program with about 90 other new incoming officers.  We will find out what posts are available during our first week, and I will have the opportunity to indicate high, medium, or low interest for all of them.  Andrew will join me on April 6 for almost two weeks before heading back to Portland to wrap up our move.  He’ll attend an orientation day for spouses and partners, and he’ll also help research the available posts to help put together our prioritized list.  I’ll be training in DC for at least three months – likely longer.   On May 6, I’ll learn how much longer I’ll be in DC, and, most importantly, where my first 2-year post (most likely) will be and what my job will be.  That will be a big day!   

Most of February was a blur – finishing up my part-time jobs, coordinating with the Department of State on housing, travel, packing and shipping… lots of logistics!  With many of those details now sorted out, this month is all about enjoying the time I have left (for now) in Portland!  I have a bunch of things I want to do before I leave, so the social calendar is pretty full.  I’m looking forward to it!  For those of you here in town, I hope to see you at some of my outings.  And for those of you out of the area, sorry you’ll miss out on the fun but you can experience it indirectly through this blog.  I hope you’ll bookmark this page and follow along.  No doubt this will be a wild and exciting ride.  Stay tuned for the next installment!