sworn in by the secretary

by Alex Posted on April 30, 2010

On our first day of A-100 we swore in quickly as a formality, so we could get paid. This afternoon, though, after five weeks of orientation, we gathered at Main State for a swearing in with more pomp and circumstance. In fact, the 152nd’s swearing in ceremony had even more pomp and circumstance than most: the Secretary of State herself administered our oath of office!

Over the past few days our A-100 course coordinators brushed off questions about who our speaker would be. “We always start at the top,” they explained, but they went on to say that the Secretary was usually out of town or busy; she had only sworn in one other class. So we were thrilled this morning when a classmate revealed that his journalist roommate, who covered the State Department, noticed us on Secretary’s schedule for the afternoon.

At the auditorium, we were seated in reverse alphabetical order, giving me not only a front row seat but also the one closest to door. It was my job to watch for Secretary Clinton’s approach, and then to stand and start clapping as soon as I saw her. I watched and watched, but she was running behind schedule. Our other speakers scrambled. They shared a few embarrassing stories about their Foreign Service adventures, and then they opened up the floor to us. One classmate wished his mother a happy 58th birthday. Another classmate urged us not to quit when times get tough (which they inevitably will). He was actually an FSO a decade ago but left to practice law for a while. He found himself missing the Foreign Service so much that he decided to rejoin, even though he had to go through the brutal testing process again only to restart his career as an entry-level officer. “Trust me,” he said, “once you’ve been in the Foreign Service, going back to a regular American life will be intolerable.”

Finally, the Secretary arrived.

I was in the front row, about 15 feet away!

She spent 10 or 15 minutes thanking us for our service to our country, but also reminding us that there are thousands of other applicants who wish they could be sitting in our seats, so she’s expecting a lot from each of us. She talked about the challenges that we’ll face and also doled out some advice, including, “Find good mentors,” which she happened to say while looking me directly in the eye. An invitation? If only.

Then, she administered our Oath of Office:

“I ________, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

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where in the world is benin?

by Alex Posted on April 25, 2010

See the red circle around Cotonou, Benin’s capital.

More fun facts:

  • Though Benin looks like a tiny sliver of a country, it’s actually about the size of Pennsylvania.
Population-wise, Cotonou is comparable to Indianapolis.
  • Benin is one of the most politically stable countries in Africa.
  • The Route d’Esclaves was the last African soil seen by the many slaves bound for Brazil and the Caribbean.
Ganvie, a lake village on stilts, is the largest such community on the continent.
  • Many regional languages are spoken, but French in the language of business (and what I’ll be learning).
  • You can track lions, leopards, baboons, elephants and hippos at the Pendjari National Park.
Motorcycles are hugely popular (but also hugely dangerous).
  • Benin is the birthplace of voodoo. However, only 17% of the population currently practices it; 43% is Christian, 25% is Muslim, 8% belong to other religions and 7% claim no religious affiliation.
Cotonou is on the beach (but, sadly, the strong undertow makes the pool a much safer bet).
If our house doesn't have a pool, we'll be coming here.
  • There are indeed monkeys in Benin! Whether they’ll hang out in our backyard and pester Abbey, however, remains to be seen…
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flag day!

by Alex Posted on April 24, 2010

After a year of testing, months of security clearances, lots of waiting and a few weeks of A-100, the day we’ve been long anticipating finally arrived: Flag Day.

In case you somehow managed to avoid my incessant talking (and worrying) about this day, let me explain. Flag Day is when we new FSOs receive our first assignment. The news is delivered by way of a miniature flag representing our new post. It’s a pretty big deal. Not only is a lot at stake, but we learn our fate in front of a crowd of family, friends and VIPs — including several of the Ambassadors to countries on our bid list. (In other words, if you’re not happy with your assignment, you sure better figure out a way to look happy with your assignment.)

Since 93 of us bid on 103 jobs, the first thing announced was what jobs weren’t being filled. I had very few high bids to begin with, so I listened even more nervously than most. As posts were eliminated, both cheers of relief and sighs of disappointment spread through the crowd. A few of my medium bids were cut, but none of my highs. Whew.

Then, the assignments began. It was fun to watch friends receive posts I knew they really wanted — so fun, in fact, that I forgot for a while that I was waiting to learn about mine too. Before long, Paris and Brussels were claimed. I bid them both high but didn’t expect to get either, so they weren’t tough losses. Many more posts were called, but none of them in Africa — where Andy and I really wanted to go. Then, finally…

“Maseru, Lesotho…”

This was a medium bid — not a top pick, but still one we would have welcomed. “Alex–” the presenter began. I crept to the edge of my seat. Then, he filled in the name of another classmate.

More flags. More names. And then…

“Brazzaville, Congo…”

This was a high bid too, and one I’d grown pretty excited about recently. The work I’d be doing there — political reporting on human rights issues — would be fascinating. Would this job go to me?

Nope.

So, more waiting. More flags and more names. I turned around to look at a friend who hadn’t received her post yet either. “This is torture,” I whispered.

Not long after, she got her flag. For me? Nothing. And now, only two of my high bids were left.

“Bamako, Mali…”

Again, I crept to the edge of my seat. This was a high, and it was actually the post Andy had gotten most excited about over the past few days. He had a hunch we’d be going there. Would we?

Nope. Someone else’s name was called.

I began to resign myself to not getting a high bid. That would be okay, but where would we be going? I’d been trying to mark off posts as they were called, but I’d gotten distracted and missed some. I wasn’t sure what was left.

Then I heard, “Will (me) and (another classmate) please stand up?”

We did.

“So, there are two flags left here,” the presenter announced.

One of them was Muscat, Oman. A fascinating place, to be sure, but somewhere Andy and I had bid low. The other was Cotonou, Benin — our final remaining high. In fact, it wasn’t just a high; it was the highest of our highs. Andy and I included a note about this post on our bid list. “Dream job,” we wrote. It met all of our preferences — French language training, no security concerns and a high differential. On top of that, it was a Public Diplomacy job (my career track). There were only a handful of PD jobs on our bid list, and more seasoned FSOs repeatedly stressed to me how rare it would be to get to work in Public Diplomacy my first (or even my second) tour.

I looked across the room to my classmate. I knew he wanted Muscat. He knew I wanted Cotonou. We both smiled. The presenter muttered some joke about Miss America. I don’t really remember. I was too distracted. All I remember is my classmate being called to collect his flag, and then — finally — I was called to collect mine.

Yes, Cotonou translates as "mouth of the river of death." And yes, we're still thrilled.

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andy vs. the bid list

by Andy Posted on April 22, 2010

Alex mentioned before a little about her thoughts on the bidding process. In the end, I think we’re pretty happy with how we bid (ask me again tomorrow and hopefully I’ll say the same thing), but getting there was not an easy process. At first it was overwhelming. Then stressful. Then merely time consuming. Then back to stressful. Then we were relieved when the list was submitted. Then more stressed and even a little excited as we get closer to knowing where we’ll be for the next two years.

Since Alex had her chance to weigh in on the process, I thought I would put together some of my own thoughts for anybody out there wondering what it was like. Here are some of the things that went through my head:

  • All those crowds and traffic? India sounds terrible.
  • Exotic culture, reliable internet and the Cricket World Cup? Maybe India doesn’t sound so bad.
  • Paris would be amazing!
  • No hardship pay? Non.
  • I wish we had more time to research all these posts.
  • I wish we could turn this thing in today so I can stop thinking about it.
  • I’m glad they don’t make us rank each post individually.
  • This one is a “high-high” and that one is a “low-high.” I sure wish we could rank each post individually.
  • We have to go someplace we can take Abbey.
  • New Zealand has a six-month quarantine for pets, you say? Who’s Abbey?
  • Cotonou translates as “mouth of the river of death.” No thanks.
  • Actually, Cotonou is our dream post.
  • Excellent, we’re bidding high on Maui!
  • What do you mean we just bid high on Mali?
  • I really don’t want to stay in DC.
  • Come to think of it, DC is a whole lot better than some other places.

As you can see, it was a great deal of work organizing a list of 100 jobs into three categories. Places I never thought I’d want to go ended up being some of our most desired posts. Other places that I’ve longed to go wound up at the bottom. There was a method to all the madness, and tomorrow we will find out just where it will take us.

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yes, I’m a beagle

by Abbey Posted on April 20, 2010

The DNA results are in: I’m not part basset hound (like everybody thinks), just a fat beagle. I still don’t understand why my owners needed to poke my mouth to find this out, though. That was annoying. And besides, haven’t they heard my howl? Definite beagle.

So, anyway, can we now move on to more important things? Like, what’s this I hear about a cage and an airplane? My official position on that — “Not happening.”

You can't leave me if you can't get up.

Posted in Abbey Q. Howley | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

what do you do during a-100?

by Alex Posted on April 19, 2010

I’ve written a lot about the receiving the bid list, ranking each post and awaiting my fate on Flag Day. In fact, I’ve written so much about those things that you might assume getting my assignment is all A-100 is about. But it’s really not. In fact, the vast majority of the time is spent on other stuff. For instance:

  1. We attend lectures. Lots of lectures. About topics like diplomatic history, public diplomacy, Department structure and cultural sensitivity.
  2. We spend breaks and lunches getting to know our classmates (who are all cool, smart and quirky).
  3. We listen to Ambassadors, who love to stop by and share experience and advice.
  4. We practice public speaking.
  5. We practice writing cables.
  6. We master the art of squeezing ourselves into a room designed for far fewer people.
  7. We brave a two-day team-building course in the woods of West Virginia.
  8. We take field trips to places like Capitol Hill and the CIA.
  9. We’re briefed by colleagues from the National Security Council and the United States Agency for International Development.
  10. We pretend to be comfortable wearing business suits.
  11. We plan and attend more happy hours, potlucks and poker games than you can possibly imagine.
  12. We practice answering tough questions during “composure under fire” simulations. In fact, mine’s tomorrow, which is what I should probably be focusing on right now…
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bid list – submitted!

by Alex Posted on April 12, 2010

As you may recall, two weeks ago we received a list of about 100 available jobs at embassies and consulates around the globe — the “bid list,” in Foreign Service speak. (Amazingly, there’s no acronym for this one.)

After much research and discussion and even some lobbying (I convinced Andy that India’s not the worst place in the world; he convinced me that danger isn’t necessarily exciting), we ranked 9 positions as “high” preference, 28 as “medium” preference and the rest as “low” preference.

There are as many different strategies for assigning preferences as there are new FSOs. Some of my classmates bid highest on positions that will let them go abroad as soon as possible, while others prefer to stay for a while in D.C. Some want to work in a large Embassy. Some want to be close to the U.S. Some want to be as far from the U.S. as possible. Parents assess the quality of available schools. Pet-owners review quarantine regulations. Some classmates want to avoid danger, while others are seeking it out. And, of course, the jobs themselves are all different, which some people consider more than others.

As for us, we bid mainly based on our language interests, but there was also the occasional, “This doesn’t really align with career goals, but what a cool place to live” bid. Of course, as you may also remember, our preferences aren’t the only factor that comes into play. I’m worldwide available, which means I’ll go wherever the Department most needs me.

What happens now that our part is done? My classmates and I wait for our Career Development Officers to compare all our rankings and somewhow decide our fates. I don’t envy our CDOs. Last week we broke into small groups to complete an exercise that involved assigning 10 FSOs to 10 jobs, taking into consideration each of their preferences and skill sets. It wasn’t easy, and, like I said, we were only dealing with 10 people; our CDOs will be assigning all 93 of us. They’ll begin working on that later this week, when we’ll be spending two days at a team-building course in the woods of West Virginia. And then next Friday, in an exciting ceremony called Flag Day, we find out where we’re headed.

Any predictions?

Remember: I’m the same person who decided to study abroad in Niger because it was the second poorest country in the world at the time, and there was no study abroad program in the poorest. So, if I were you, I wouldn’t put your money on Wellington, New Zealand or Vienna, Austria. Then again, you never know…

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oath of office

by Alex Posted on April 9, 2010

I made this pledge my first day on the job:

“I ________, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

This also happens to be the same oath that the Vice President takes, so… that’s pretty cool, huh? But, I digress. What I want to write about is how I found my thoughts returning to this oath today after meeting with my Career Development Officer. (She’s one of the people who will decide my first post.) Our talk drilled in the point that I’m public servant now, and although I’m free to express preferences about my fate, I’ll ultimately go where the Department — and the country — needs me.

That’s kind of scary.

I’ve always known I’m “worldwide available,” but at the same time, my daydreams about life abroad as an FSO have all involved places I actually want to go. What if I get sent somewhere I don’t? That’s a very real possibility. And not one I’m having a whole lot of fun thinking about.

Of course, many FSOs end up hating places they thought they’d love and loving places they thought they’d hate, so it might turn out just fine. And even if it doesn’t, we’ll be moving again in two years — another benefit of what I keep hearing referred to as “the career for smart people with short attention spans.”

But most of all, I’m finding solace in this oath, which reminds me that the opportunity to trek to exciting places around the world isn’t the only reason I decided to take this job. It’s a privilege to be entrusted with the task of supporting and defending the Constitution. That, I’ll get to do anywhere.

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packing up and packing out

by Andy Posted on April 7, 2010

It’s been two weeks, but with the arrival of our unaccompanied baggage to our apartment in DC, it is finally time for the recap of our big pack out.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I think it bears repeating, we had a tiny apartment.  We measured it at less than 300 sq ft.  The coat closet in our new apartment is twice as large as the only closet we had in Brooklyn.  Because of the size of our apartment, we figured our pack out would be a snap.  We gave ourselves an entire day to get organized before the movers arrived but thought we’d be done in two hours, tops.

And that’s when we ran into problems.  Ironically, it was the size of our apartment that made organizing and packing harder than we thought.  You see, when you have a small apartment, it becomes very difficult to organize your belongings into the appropriate groups.  There was just no room for piles.  Sure, we wanted all of our UAB in one room with our HHE in the other, but it just didn’t work out that way.

Not pictured: where the four movers are supposed to stand.

When the movers did arrive – four of them – it was difficult to navigate through the maze of boxes and furniture.  All the advice we read about removing your UAB first went out the window when we realized there was no way for anyone to actually get to our UAB pile.  So things were carried out of our apartment in groups.  A little HHE here, some permanent storage there, then a dash of UAB.

The next challenge was squeezing everything we could into our UAB.  I’m proud to say we used every last pound.  Since we were renting a car to drive down to DC we thought we would have plenty of space, but it was used up surprisingly fast.  Some last minute decisions had to be made about what would be in our UAB, what would be HHE and what we could take in our car.  Crock pot?  UAB.  Bread maker?  HHE.  Dog?  Depended on how well she behaved the rest of the afternoon.

Awkward.

If we were to give advice to future A-100 packers, we’d tell them to organize as much as possible so the movers can do their work without stopping to confirm what went where.  Putting your UAB in a separate room as your HHE would be ideal.  Also, since our UAB took two weeks to travel 250 miles, don’t assume things will be delivered promptly.

When all was said and done, the movers were at the apartment for a little over four hours.  We’re happy to say they were nice and, despite the amount of time it took, seemed to work quickly.  We were able to pack everything we really needed into our car and the secondary necessities went into UAB with no problems.  Sure there were a few items that were packed up accidentally, but you can’t win them all.

Then we said goodbye to the first apartment we ever had together and began looking forward to telling our future kids that if they thought their bedrooms were small, they should have seen the 300 sq ft apartment their parents shared with a dog in Brooklyn, New York.

Posted in A-100, FS Life, Personal | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments