Manila...It's Not Just a Folder

Well, if you didn't know that the flag I posted was for the Philippines, don't feel bad. Neither did I! And if you're surprised we're heading to Manila, then you can imagine how I felt when they called my name. I almost fell out of my chair I was so surprised. After all of the talk about bidding strategies and keeping expectations low, we were preparing to go to some of our lower priority areas. Manila was our #3 choice, so we are stoked!!! For future post-bidders (and any looky-loos who are just interested), here's how we looked at it:

Pu's Priorities: I wanted a post that would allow me to learn a 3rd language (on top of Mandarin and English), fulfill my consular tour (now I have a really good chance of doing Econ work in China), somewhere in the EAP (Pacific Region) Bureau (which is the Bureau I would like to major in), and somewhere with great schools & great special education resources for A.

Husband's Priorities: Husband wanted a post that was in a warm weather area on a coast so we could continue to enjoy beach activities, somewhere that had a decent amount of English so it wouldn't be such a shock to the system (a transitional post, if you will), somewhere with a bilateral work agreement so that he could find employment, and somewhere where the cost of living was low so we can afford a nanny.

Secondary Priorities (nice-to-haves): We both wanted to leave DC sometime after the New Year so we could spend one last holiday with our families, we also wanted to be close a military installation so that we can shop for any US necessities and so I could have an opportunity to do my Reserve duty without having to travel to far, and we wanted a location that would allow us to do a lot of traveling.

Manila fits every single one of our criteria. My CDO absolutely could not have advocated for a better assignment for us!

So now what happens? Well, I have about a week after A-100 ends next Friday where I'll have to arrange my own training either by doing some distance learning or scheduling consultations in the Department. After that I start ConGen (consular training where I'll learn how to do my job), which lasts the rest of the summer. In early Sep I will start about 8 months of Tagalog training before we leave for the Philippines next April. So we will be staying here in Oakwood Falls Church until we leave the country since we will be in training status. A will continue to attend DiploTots at FSI through the end of summer when he'll transition into the VA school system (as will the girls, of course). This was really fortunate since I wasn't sure how we'd handle the whole pre-school thing overseas.* Now we can relax and just enjoy the rest of our time here in DC, and you all can start making plans about how you're going to come visit us in the Hawai'i of Asia!



*The State Dept is incredibly generous by paying for your child's schooling while you're posted overseas; however, they only pay for K-12 not pre-school. Since A has an IEP that covers pre-K (like his program in FL), I wasn't sure if they would also pay for his special needs pre-K since it is something that would be offered to him in the States.