Journeys

As I sit here pondering life two days before we leave, I am visualizing all of the different journeys that we face throughout our lives. Our family's current journey is one that can be tracked on a map and measured geographically. Other life-changing journeys might lack the geography, but are no less significant in the grand scheme of things. I have friends facing journeys into new motherhood, ones figuring out what their future holds once the kids grow older, some face retirement journeys. My kids are all starting new phases in school : beginning kindergarten, middle school and high school.  It is scary to start a new journey, but always rewarding. I hold onto that thought as we say goodby to so many people that we love. It is also stunning to me how places can hold so many memories.  My daughter was born in our yellow house and our boys were 3 and 5 when we moved there. All of them hit so many milestones in that house and it is just full of memories.  It was crazy to see it completely empty and with bare walls. Now we are just crossing our fingers that a new family wants to move in and make new memories there.

On a happier note, technology has made our world so much more interconnected than it ever was. I love that I can follow so many of my friends through email, text, phone conversations, blogs and Facebook.  When Chris and I were doing the long-distance dating thing many moons ago, we racked up around $400/month in phone bills.  That was definitely the pre-Internet, pre-Skype era. Of course, it isn't the same as face-to-face communication, but I do think it will help all of us.

Oh, and how exciting is it that Chris is probably about 2 weeks out from holding our bid list!  The list of places where we will possibly spend the next 2 years of our lives. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture of our yellow house. Drop me a line if you know anybody who wants a cute family home in Winnetka Heights!

Why Join the Foreign Service Part 2

I was perhaps a little flippant in this post about why join the Foreign Service.  In all seriousness, there is a sense of purpose. I spent a few years representing America abroad in my small way, as a musician in the US Navy Sixth Fleet Band.  That experience led me to the conclusion that the world is a better place where Americans are positively engaged.  I've had a rewarding career in the private sector, but it does lack a sense of service.  I'm really excited about the opportunity to once again have a small role in promoting America.

That, and getting some really cool FourSquare check ins.  Assuming we have service, of course.

Timeline

It's common on these 'Joining the Foreign Service' blogs to share your timeline.  I think it's encouraging to those going through the process.  Here's mine, roughly:

July 2011 - applied
Dec 2011 - invited to interview/exam
March 2012 - oral exam in DC
June 2012 - on the registry
July 24 - Offer received
Sept 10 - First day

Just over a year from application to offer - I think that's pretty fast.

I also applied back in 2002 and went through all the clearances, was placed on the registry, but wasn't hired after 18 months so I dropped off.  I've lived in the same area and worked for the same company since then, which I suspect sped up the clearance process this time.

Favorite Reactions to the News

This week I started telling co-workers that I'm leaving.  That's usually followed by an explanation of what the Foreign Service is.  I say something like "I'm joining the Foreign Service. I will be working  for the State Department, working in embassies and consulates"

Reactions vary a lot.  Some of my favorites (paraphrased, obviously):

Co-worker:  Do you need to relocate?
Me: Yes.  Virginia for a few months, then an embassy or consulate somewhere, according to the needs of the service.
Co-worker: Cool, maybe it will be someplace exotic, like Hawaii

Co-worker:  Aren't you a little old for that sort of thing?*
Me: Yeah, it's a mid-life crisis.

Co-worker: So desperate to get away from Dallas that you need to leave the country?
Me:  No, wouldn't say that.  I've had a good run here. I'll likely have to deal with things like TB or Malaria. I'm probably increasing my risk.
Co-worker:  They have shots for TB and Malaria.  There's no vaccine for this place

*I'm 44

Note to grammar enthusiasts:  If this blog were widely read, this post would likely generate comments criticizing the use of the hyphen in co-worker, followed by more comments defending the hyphen.  I did careful research ( spent a minute googling it) and there is no consensus.  AP guidelines say use the hyphen, Chicago Manual of Style does not use the hyphen.

16 days left....

Things I Don't Know

1.  Whether the movers will actually come next week since we don't have actual travel orders and they cannot pack out our stuff without these orders.
2.  The name of the human resources person/travel coordinator in charge of getting these super important travel orders together.
3.  What amount of per diem is authorized for our drive to DC.  How many miles we are supposed to go each day, what we are authorized to spend on a hotel, meals, etc.  It is pretty hard to plan out a route and book hotels without this information.  Yet nobody seems to know this or be able to point us in the right direction.  Maybe our mystical travel coordinator knows this?
4.  How long we will actually be in the DC area.
5.  What exactly I'm supposed to be putting in the various piles I'm supposed to be constructing out of our household effects.
6. How long our family of 5 will have to live in a 2-bedroom corporate apartment before getting transferred to a 3 bedroom (please, please, please). 
7.  What day we are actually leaving on since that really depends on the per diem situation.
8. My actual address and new phone number at this corporate apartment.

There is far, far more but I'm sorting things into immediate vs. long-term concerns.  You know, long-term being things like where we are actually going after our stint in DC.  It is way fun explaining to my daughter that her toys are going with us, but she won't see them until we reach our permanent home after our temporary home. The permanent house in an as-yet unknown country.

Ultimately, this is the life though. I think we all know this going in so I'm really not whining.  As chaotic as it is, it is an adventure for all of us right now.  Everyone is doing their best to take it all in stride.  I think waiting on the bid list will be like Christmas. I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep the night before Flag Day!

In which I know that I should be insanely busy, but am not entirely certain what I should be doing

That pretty much sums things up here with 19 days left in Dallas.  We have met with the movers who assure us everything we now own will be well under the weight granted to us by the government.  They have also told us that we are NOT to pack anything or put things into boxes.  They need to be the ones to do all of the wrapping of items and packing.  So we continue to sort and discard some, but that is pretty tricky when you don't know where on this planet you are going.  We have also shed many of the things that have marked our middle-class life -- the second car, insurance on the car, the house is on the market. It is nerve-wracking to get rid of these things and these routines that have been a hallmark of our life for years.  Giving up the kids spot in school was definitely the biggest bridge that we burned.  Once we did that, I knew we were actually going through with this.  Many aspects of this shedding and sorting are down-right freeing. I have to say that if I never have to enter a Home Depot again, I will be a happy woman. Of course, I might change my tune in a few years. Right now, I find the thought of not owning all of this stuff liberating.

There are also hard parts as reality really sets in. More tears from all of us lately. I cry every time I think about dealing with my daughter's playhouse.  We created a little wonderland in our backyard for the kids.  My dad and Chris built her little house themselves and we gave it to her when she turned 2. I KNOW realistically that we can't bring it with us. I know this -- it is heavy, unwieldy and unlikely to survive being transplanted. It doesn't fit in with our new nomadic lifestyle. But my dad and Chris built it.  I will miss my parents and I know they will miss me, Chris and the kids.  The playhouse is a tangible reminder of their love and support. All of us will carry that love and support with us wherever we go -- I know that.  But sometimes letting go can be hard.  There is lots of that going on right now though. One baby is starting kindergarten, one middle school and one high school.  I'm thrilled that they are growing bigger and more capable of experiencing life, but this is definitely accompanied by sadness at how fast they grow.  How hard it is to let them go more and more into the world. I'd bet parents feel that whether their kids are 5 or 50. 

Why Join the Foreign Service

There's lots of reasons to join the Foreign Service.  Here's one of mine:  I think it's a midlife crisis.  I'm not really into cars, so this works.

Starting To Sink In

As we start this transition, little things make it especially real.

Unsubscribing from various email lists like the kids school, meetups, etc.  Unsubscribing from the Kessler Theater email was really bittersweet.  Great place to hear music, and my daughter's dance lessons were there.

Went out for Tex Mex and knowing it's likely we'll live someplace where it is impossible to find good enchiladas.  But I'll try to stay positive.

Deep, deep denial

So, we have a bit over 4 weeks left to dismantle our entire existence and move our family cross-country -- and then overseas.  I have a staggering amount of stuff to do. I've been in this house for 8.5 years and in this city for most of my life.  Instead of inventorying my belongings, gathering doctor records and photocopying stuff (owning lots of paper appears to be essential for foreign service personnel), I am wandering about drinking coffee and blogging.  Honestly, both Mr. Nomad and I are preternaturally calm.  I think the reality is slow to dawn.  We have wanted this job -- and this life for our family -- for years.  It is stunning to realize that it is actually happening. Unfortunately, there isn't a ton of time to process this. In some ways this is good. Leaving so quickly is almost like ripping of a bandaid. Neither the kids or the adults have too much time to dwell on what it feels like and what it means to leave everything we've known for a very vague and unknown future.

Anyways, finding the right title for my blog seemed paramount to me and there were lots of rejections and false tries.  I think I'm there though. I first heard this Cat Stevens song when I went on a Maryknoll mission trip after high school. I spent most of that summer in Oaxaca, Mexico among Catholic nuns and former Peace Corps folks doing mission work. It was eye-opening to be in that setting and to be among people living -- and raising families -- somewhere other than the USA. 

I'll leave you with some of the things that make our imminent move seem real.  Yesterday I went grocery shopping since our cupboards were literally bare.  Most of the dairy products in the store expire AFTER we leave.  That means we are leaving soon, my friends. I also had to fight my tendencies to stock up on literally everything I buy because my kids eat things like locusts.  The second time I had to face reality was when trying to enroll the kids to start school in Virginia.  The automated enrollment form asked for two local emergency contacts. It actually wouldn't let me move on to the next registration page until I provided this information, I, of course, know nobody at all in Virginia.  I called Mr. Nomad who was also flummoxed. He suggested putting the main state number down (ring, ring, why yes Ms. Clinton there are some kids here who need a ride home from school). Ha.  A dear friend here (who is a former VA resident and still owns a home there) came to the rescue and provided me with a list of contact names and  numbers.  So, it is indeed, a wild world, but a smile and friends help a lot.