School Daze

I know posting has been slow lately, but I promise that I really do have a good excuse this time. It's back to school season! This year we've decided that it is so exciting everyone is joining in. The kids started back to school on the 6th, and I started language training the same day. Husband and I are also back to our various other educational pursuits. After a couple weeks of summer break, I am back to my Masters degree (I graduate in Dec, yay!) while Husband is pursuing a post-grad certificate program in IT program management since he may as well put the rest of his GI Bill to good use!* Husband also starts ConGen on Monday. This is the same course that I just finished which is required to get your consular commission. As an EFM (eligible family member, which is what we call all family members listed officially on one's orders), Husband will not be eligible to adjudicate visas like an FSO, but there are many other jobs in the consular section for which a cleared American is needed. Manila is a rather large post and there are many jobs available for EFMs that pay on the US pay schedule. After looking into jobs on the Philippine economy, Husband has decided that it would probably be better to pursue employment at the Embassy and earn a decent wage rather than try to put his MBA to use and make very little.

Now that school has been in session for a couple of weeks, I can report that all children seem to be doing quite well...thriving even. I was concerned, especially for C, that the change from small private school to large public school would be a difficult adjustment, but my children constantly amaze me with their incredible resilience. C is absolutely loving her new school. She has made lots of friends, joined the morning announcements team, and her favorite class is FACS (I forget what it stands for, but it is apparently the new, PC term for Home Ec) where she gets to cook! J is also enjoying school, and she recently started soccer. Today was her 1st game. I was a little worried how she was feeling about the whole thing because we discovered at practice that she is not only the only new child (all the other children played together last year), she was also 1 of only 2 girls on the team! J is more than a bit shy, and at practice one of the rambunctious boys kicked her soccer ball away from her and the look on her face just broke my heart. At first J mostly stood around on the field, but after a couple of quarters and some encouragement from her parents and coaches (who are really wonderful) she started running around after the ball just like the other kids. She even kicked a few times! I was very, very proud of her. A seems to be flourishing in pre-K. His teacher is very sweet, and although A is not quite over his shyness, he is doing well. A will be starting ice skating lessons in Oct (NHL here we come!).

As for me, well, language training is not quite what I expected. I am in a class of two...actually, I am in a department of two! L and I make up the entire Tagalog language department at FSI :) Fortunately, L is an awesome girl, and it has been a very bonding experience so far. I imagine we will be very close by the end of the course as we have nothing but each other to talk about during class :) Another benefit to being in such a small class is that we got to set our own schedule. Generally language classes at FSI are either in the morning (0740 - 1440, 5 hours of classroom instruction and two hours allotted for language lab) or in the afternoon (1040 - 1640). Since it is just L and I, we requested to have class from 0740-1240 with no break for language lab so that we would be free to do it at our leisure. This way I will always be home to pick up the kids from school, even on Wed when they have early release. It is really a great schedule! As for the course itself, let me start by saying if my teachers are representative of the Philippines, I think I am really going to like it there. They are such a warm people, and they love to laugh! Just like me! :) As for the course itself, well, it has been an interesting experience so far. Tagalog is a very unique language. It is of Malay origin, but it has been heaving influenced by Spanish and English, so it is really a bundle of contradictions and lack of rules. On top of that our instructors, as wonderful as they are, are not teachers by profession, so it has been a struggle to understand some of the madness behind their methods. We had little structure to our days, no drills, no grammar, no homework. I actually became quite jealous of my friends in Hindi and Chinese who had hours of class devoted to grammar, pronunciation drills, etc. It had gotten so bad that on Thursday L & I met with the head of of the SE Asia Maritime Dept (who also happens to be a Tagalog speaker and has a PhD in second language acquisition). She was very understanding and seemed to be expecting some of our feedback.  I don't know what she said to our instructors but yesterday was like a brand new class. It was a good Tagalog day! I am also amazed at how much we have learned so far. We have only been in class for two weeks, and we are already having small, halting conversations. It boggle the mind to think of how far we will have advanced by the time we leave next year.

Remembering

Living in VA has reminded me of my desire to never live or work in the DC area. Between the multiple natural disasters (including the last week of non-stop rain that caused flash floods and tornadoes), the incredibly rude people (perhaps we have just become accustomed to the friendliness of the South and Southwest?), and the ridiculous cost of living here, I am more determined than ever that we will spend the vast majority of our career overseas. However, there have been some incredible high points to living here. I blogged about experiencing 4th of July in our nation's capitol, and being here for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is right up there with it. 

I was in the process of transitioning from active duty to ROTC when 9/11 happened. I had flown into Seattle on the 9th and was staying with my friend A while I apartment hunted and got registered for school. My ex and C were staying with relatives in Idaho and were supposed to fly in on the 11th. My friend A and I were at her friend's apartment when the news reported the 1st plane crash. I remember talking to my dad on the phone and trying to make some sense of what was happening, watching the fuzzy picture on this friend of a friend's small television on a disconcertingly beautiful fall day, but I don't have a whole lot of concrete memories of what I did for the rest of that day. I know the ex and C's flight was delayed since everything we grounded, and they didn't arrive until two days later. I know that I felt sick to my stomach that something like this could happen here, and I knew that nothing would ever be the same. I think if you asked any American where they were when the planes hit we would all have some rather distinct memory. They might be as vague as my memory of staring at strange pixelations on an old tv set, searching the channels for coverage that would help us make some sense of what was happening. It's not so much the memory of what I was doing that stands out to me as he memory of how I felt. I remember distinctly the sense of disbelief and dread when we learned of the attack on the Pentagon. To me, even more than the 2nd tower crash, that signified that this could not be interpreted as anything other than a serious violent attack on the U.S. 

It's hard to explain to people who joined the military or the intel field post-9/11 (as many did) the difference between what it was like before and after. It was not the same experience. When I joined the AF in the 90's most people came in to get their education (GI Bill), to escape a bad situation, or to learn a skill. We had a decent operational tempo (after all there were still tings like Kosovo, EP-3 crashes, stand-offs in the Taiwan Strait, etc. to worry about), but the difference was that feeling of security. I can't put into words the changes that I saw over the years, some were quite sudden and jarring and some were so gradual it's hard to say when  they changed at all. Of course, there are many things I expected to change that have never changed at all (thus my distaste for serving in Washington). All I can say is that to serve today is very different than it was to serve 10 years ago, and I am proud to have served my country in as many capacities as I have. I myself joined the military to go to college. I ended up loving active duty, oh how I needed the structure, and was awarded a scholarship to ROTC through the AECP program. I commissioned as an officer post-9/11 and rejoined a service changed by experience and by declaration of war. I also left active duty for the same reason some years later when the deployment tempo simply became too much for our family, and I was unwilling to leave three small children behind to go to Afghanistan for a year supplementing the Army. But, I can reflect upon how the wars were managed (or mis-managed in some cases) in another post. I would rather you take this time to read this article and reflect on how 9/11 affected your life. 

So to my foreign service colleagues, military counterparts, intel professionals, and our civilian equivalents: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Americans feel safe again because they have no idea what you do on a daily basis to keep them safe. 

Are You Ready for Some Yoga?

While the end of August/beginning of September brings with it pre-season football and fantasy drafts (only doing two leagues this year, but I still ended up with several of the same picks - Arian Foster better be a beast this year or I am screwed!), September is also known for being National Yoga Month. I hearts me some yoga! Yoga has innumerable physiological, physical, and psychological benefits. Personally, practicing yoga has really increased my flexibility, my mental calmness, and my physical strength (especially core strength). Because I have so little time to fit it in amongst my other fitness routines, I only do two long (60min+) yoga practices per week (although I do stretch for at least 10min after every workout). Yoga has become so popular that there are multiple online resources, no need to go to a class or purchase a DVD (unless you want to). Most are pay by month or pay by download sites, which helps if you have exercise ADD like me. Yoga Today, Yoga Vibes, Yoga Glo, Yoga Download, and My Yoga Online are all excellent sites with a variety of different types of yoga classes. Most of them have free trials so you can see if you like it before you commit to anything long term. There are even some totally free resources online like Yogis Anonymous. Many yoga instructors like Sadie Nardini and Jill Miller have their own YouTube Channels that offer several free practices, and, in honor of National Yoga Month, several different sites are offering free trials or free downloads, why not try kripalu?  

If you're not big on following along with a screen, try some MP3 downloads that simply talk you through, like Alive Yoga. It feels more like a classroom just without all of the other sweaty people in your space :) Yoga Journal and iHanuman have free podcasts for download. 

Now that I've shared all of that with you, I'm off to do my own practice for the day because after a weekend filled with school preparation and broken doggie doings, I sure need some relaxation! 

Perils in Parenting - School Version

Everyone is heading back to school next week, and it has been a pain in the ass trying to get everything ready. Since C attended private school last year, she had to take placement tests for English (reading and writing) and Math. To her great disappointment my Francophile daughter will have to endure yet another year of Spanish (what they taught at her last school) since they only offer year 2 of French for 7th graders. I did, however, attempt to ease the sting by agreeing she could take chorus instead of band this year. I think 3 years of flute is torture enough. Because we had to wait for the results of C's placement tests we weren't sure what school supplies to buy. Now that we have them, I have to head back out and brave the crowds and empty aisles trying to track down the last few items she will need for the year. I am a bit worried about how she is going to deal with going from a very small school environment to one that is not only large (there are more kids in her grade than there were in her entire school last year) but also significantly more complicated. C will have to change classes by period (Math in one room, Spanish in another, etc.) as well as by day (each day's schedule is slightly different since only some classes are 5 days per week, while others are 2 or 3 days per week), contend with actual lockers (one in the main hall and one in gym) and floors (3 of them!), and the realities of middle school fashion choices (uniforms - I miss you already!). I have a feeling the 1st couple of weeks are going to be quite a challenge as she acclimates to this new environment.

As for J, well, it has been a bit of rough going there as well. She had gone in a few weeks ago to do a reading test and based on that assessment, I learned yesterday that the school has recommended that she repeat kindergarten. Now, I was already concerned because she is not reading and I felt like she was not at the same level as C had been at that age, but her K teacher from FL seemed to think she was ready for 1st grade. So it was a bit of a blow to have my fears given some credence. J is also very young (the youngest in her class), and I am not opposed to having her be the oldest rather than the youngest in her class. Plus, I would rather she have a strong foundation now instead of perpetually being behind and playing catch up. She's too young to be stressed about school yet. So I was feeling okay with this abrupt and sudden change of plans until I ran into some friends at the school's open house later that afternoon where I learned that the school had also recommended the same thing to them except they turned it down. I was not present when J took her assessment (Husband had to take her, but he wasn't permitted in the room), but my friend S said that she felt the assessment was unfair, that the administrator had been cold and a little intimidating. It's understandable that a young, shy child might clam up and not want to answer questions in an unfamiliar and somewhat scary environment. So now I feel very conflicted. Did I make the right decision for J? I don't want her to feel bad about having to repeat a grade, but I want to make sure she has a really good foundation before we throw her into international school (which generally has even more rigorous standards than U.S. schools). All her new friends here at Oakwood FC will be going into 1st, and I wonder what they/she will think about not being together in the same grade. Did I make the right decision?

A's school entrance have also been somewhat of a nightmare. 1st we had the contention of just getting him in in the first place. Then we had to wait for all the new paperwork to get processed. So when I took in J yesterday I asked about A's class & teacher, and they didn't even have a file on him yet! School starts Tuesday!! Anyway, after some scrambling and a lot of time being sent from person to person in the school, I got word today that A will for sure be in the afternoon program, as well as am e-mail from his new teacher. They have also changed his IEP to reflect the appropriate language, hours of therapy, etc. to meet VA's requirements. He may also have to get two more shots (they never reviewed his shot records since there was no enrollment verification, so no one told me that VA has different standards for immunizations than FL). After all the issues we've faced changing from just one state to another I can only imagine the hell we're going to face when we transfer overseas.

Of course, husband is in LA right now, so I've been taking care of all this + the one-legged dog all on my own (wah, wah). I try not to let my decisions weigh too heavily on me (my thought is usually, what's done is done and you just have to move forward rather than dwelling on the past), but I can't help it when it comes to the kids. Did we do the right thing putting them back in public school (especially for C)? Did I make the right decision having J repeat kindergarten? Will A thrive in his spec ed pre-K or will the other kids need much more attention so he gets lost in the shuffle? This parenting thingy really sucks some times.

Broke Ass Pup

So, we got a dog. Husband and small Pu's have been begging for one for quite a while, but I have resisted mainly because I was wary of the great effort a puppy requires. I didn't even want to cat to begin with (he has grown on me). With five children, a husband, two jobs, and school, I just felt that taking care of a new puppy would be too much to take on. Husband was adamant that now was the perfect time since he is home full-time and would have the time to train the dog properly. Also he missed out on having pet as a child and really wants to give our children the benefit of having a dog through their formative years (and J is a huuuuuge dog lover). Thus the dog came to be. As with all new toys that come into the Pu household, the kids promptly broke it (no, seriously). So the dog that I didn't want has now come into being, cost me several thousand dollars in hospital/vet bills, and now must be carried around everywhere since he's supposed to stay off the leg. He is lucky he is so fucking cute. Seriously fucking cute.

Dog Before

Dog After

Hunkering Down

This is absolutely crazy. Irene has totally freaked out the East Coast. New York shut down its subway system for the 1st time in history in anticipation of the storm. She is just a bit south of us now and moving quickly, so I expect we'll be out of power for a couple of days based on what the news reports are saying. We've got our water, flashlights, extra food, everything is charged, etc. etc. I find it amusing that we went storm free in FL, and now that we've moved to VA we're about to get hammered, lol. Hopefully this is all for naught and all we'll get are some heavy rains. I guess we'll find out soon!

ETA: Just some strong winds and lots of rain for us. We didn't even lose cable satellite, much less power. A little anti-climatic after all the news coverage!

Earthquake!

Having lived through earthquakes in Japan and Cali, we were unfazed by Virginia's 5.9 today. I paused, waited it out in a doorway, then continued working out*. Apparently the rest of the East Coast freaked out and evacuated. What's next, a hurricane? ... oh wait ...

We've lived through earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons, wildfires, mud slides, blizzards, and floods...I'm beginning to think our presence may be more than a mere coincidence. Take note, Philippines!

Random Shit

A: What butts made of?

Me: Um, butts are made up of butts. What kind of question is that?

A: Butts have more butts in dem?

J: No, dummy, butts are made of poop.

Me: Seriously? Is your butt made of poop? Butts are made up of flesh. Poop comes from digesting the food you eat.

A: *horrified* Poop in you tummy??

Me: No, food goes into your tummy, which digests it and then pushes the waste down into your intestines, which eventually comes out of your butt as poop.

A: *ponders this for a bit* ...what peepee made of?

Me: I cannot believe I am having this conversation. Oh wait, this is the same little boy who told the UPS man that he eats farts. Never mind.

*One of the little known benefits of gap days at FSI - you can sleep in and work out at 1pm and still get all your work done from home!

A Year of Pu

Pun intended.

Another year older, another year wiser. Well, another year older anyway. I had an awesome birthday this year. I read some trite, sentimental article in one of those parenting magazines and have since been collecting original artwork from the progeny as gifts on my special days. Soon I will have enough glitter and foam stickers to build my own rotating statue. Suck on that, Turkmenistan!

From the husband I received a day off from Mommy duties, a fabulous dinner date at Tallula, and some Bills gear to kick off the season right! But, I have to say, that this year's best gift award goes to my lil' sis and her hubby who gifted us with a new niece:

I'm still not sure if they're planning to ship her by Fed Ex or UPS. Either way, welcome to the world Lia Agnes! You have already started inconveniencing your parents by spoiling well laid birth plans. This bodes well for you. If you should need further assistance in how to become even more of a PITA, I have 3 children who would be happy to share some tips and advice. It may be a few years before you are old enough to crawl on the floor of a grocery store, but you should try it. Nothing will gross out your mother more than crawling on your belly on the floor of a store that sells raw meat and seafood. Then run into people you don't know and shout, "Now you dead! I make you a zombie! Go eat braiiiiiins!" This is just one suggestion. Congratulations A&R; welcome to parenthood!! :)

Checkin' In

Just a brief post to say I'm still here! ConGen is progressing nicely (we graduate next Monday!). We've made it through Passport & Nationality, Immigrant Visas (IV), and Non-immigrant Visas (NIV), and now we are working our way through American Citizen Services (ACS). The work is incredibly diverse and interesting. I have studied everything from how to detect fraudulent documents and micro expressions to interviewing techniques. Today, for example, we role played death notifications. Not exactly light subject material but, unfortunately, a reality of our job. I continue to hear wonderful things about Manila through the grapevine and it just feeds the fire of our excitement, in spite of the fact that we won't be leaving for almost a whole year!

In other news the kids are mostly settled for school. Yesterday J went in for her reading placement test (all 1st graders must do this), and today I took C in to meet with her 7th grade school counselor who helped her pick out her schedule for the year. she'll need to come back next week for a math placement test (a reading comprehension assessment will be done for all students at the same time after the start of the school year). At her last school she took advanced math, which doesn't fit in nicely with any of the offered categories here in FC (i.e. algebra or geometry), so this test will help us figure out where she needs to be. She will also be taking chorus in place of band (I'm tired of fighting over it), continuing with Spanish (she would have preferred French, but they don't offer French A for 7th graders), and this is a civics/economics year vs. History. I'm actually okay with that as one of my biggest worries about attending international schools is the lack of U.S. history and government instruction. As for A, after a bit of a head/heart ache over transferring his IEP (no two states are the same, so they were having trouble deciphering his needs) we have been offered the option of having A enroll in the spec ed pre-school option or just taking outside services (which would equate to just 1 hour of speech and 1 hour of language with an ST, and one hour of OT, per week). Unfortunately, FC does not have the option we pursued in FL, which was an all-day, language based program that mixed neuro-typical kids with mild spec needs kids. The school here is only half-day, and it sounds like it is intended for kids with far more severe needs than A, but I am loathe to restrict his services to just a couple of sessions per week. I think we are going to go with the school option for now and see how that goes. We can always pull him from the program if we think it isn't working out.

To wrap up this quick update, T&V went back to Texas last weekend (back down to 3!)and I finished my last class of the semester with a killer final. Once ConGen ends it will be a little bit of a break for me while I take a few onesie, twosie classes before I launch into language training on 6 Sep, coincidentally the same day the kids start school.

Family Traditions

Okay, so there's no time to blog about how ConGen is progressing (quickly!), or how my MS is going (slowly & painfully!), or how the summer is flying by. But, there is always time to write about one thing: Shaaaawk Weeeeeek!!!!!!! This has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember (or at least for the last couple of years). Every summer Discovery Channel has shark week in July, and every summer we watch it with the kids and reminisce about all of the shark infested beaches we have been to/lived near.*

In other family tradition news, I just have to gloat for a minute. You may not recall my previous posts on the great list debate, but AinA sent out what I consider the final word on the matter in an e-mail earlier. So, in the spirit of gift giving: in yo face, sistahs!!!

*Fun fact: Florida has the world's most dangerous shark-filled waters in the entire world, yay! :)

Reason #29 to Move to Oakwood FC

Bouncy House!!*

*Forgot to take pictures of the snowcones, but I guess that would make the title of this post #'s 29 and 30 :)

I Be ConGenning

Useful Bits

So it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with the bloggio as things progress. As my post title suggests, I am about a week into Basic Consular Training, also known as ConGen. This class is totally rocking my world. I now understand why so many ex-lawyers become consular officers. It is nutso the amount of information you must understand and know how to apply in order to do your job effectively. I can’t go into too many specifics because so much of the info we work with is considered SBU (sensitive but unclassified)* but let’s just say this shit is hard, yo! They are going to grant me god-like powers. No, really! For once this isn’t just a fantasy in my own mind!! Many consular functions are left to the discretion of the individual consular officers working the case. You want your baby born abroad to be a U.S. citizen? BAM, I just made your baby a U.S. citizen…or not. Okay, that last example is sort of not true because citizenship and transmission thereof is written into U.S. law, so it is pretty cut and dry, but there is a lot in Consular World that is not. We have the FAM to guide us (talk about legalese!) and case precedents, but many of the decisions we make are based upon our own personal abilities and judgments. I.feel.so.powerful! If you could see me now *nerd alert*, I look just like Galadreil when Frodo tries to give her the ring…Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for State to send me on a Consular tour, lol.

Okay, obvs the above is somewhat tongue in cheek, but it truly is amazing the types of decisions I’ll be making. These are decisions that can have profound effects on an applicant’s life, regardless of the service they are looking for, and I am in awe that I am being entrusted to carry out such important work.

In totes different news, I haven’t posted a recipe in a while, so lemme share what I’m eating now. Because I have so little time to cook anymore I am fixated on creating meals that take about 5min to put together. Besides tons of big ass yummy salads, I am currently obsessed with chunking shit in a bowl and hoping for the best. In general I have pretty good luck with that. Here are a couple of creations that are in the current repertoire:

Berries & Shit:

Equal mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries mixed with crumbled goat cheese and about 1 tbsp of sugar-free raspberry syrup (like Da Vinci). Let it sit for at least an hour and mange!!

Nuts & Shit:

Blueberries, sliced bananas, chopped walnuts, raisins, halved dried figs, crumbled goat cheese, and about 1 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup. Mix that shit up and it’s ready to go. Sooo yummy!

PB & Shit:

Chopped roasted peanuts (no salt), sliced bananas, halved grapes (or whole, depends on how much time I have), maybe 1/4cup 0% plain greek yogurt, PB2. Sprinkle a little wheat germ on this one for an added nutrition boost.

Best Dip Evah!

2 parts almond butter, 1 part almond milk, 1 tsp light agave syrup, sprinkle of unsweetened coconut. Whip that shit together and keep adding almond milk until it reaches the consistency you prefer for a dip. This is awesome with either celery and carrots or with any fruit.

Random Shit

So I’m in the bath with J rinsing the soap out of her hair talking about things like the move and camp.** We are casually discussing subjects like how it stinks when Marley (the cat) poops, how candy tastes really good, and the progress we are making potty-training A (fully trained, including pooping – yay – except for the nighttime accidents) when J very nonchalantly says, “Yeah, I always pee and poop in the potty and sometimes I pee in the bath.”

Me: Wait, sometimes you pee in your own bath?

J: Yeah, but it’s okay because it’s just water.

Me: Okay, hold on, did you pee in this bath?

J: *smiles sheepishly* No?

Me: Now I need a shower, too.

*Every time I read that I think SBD and start giggling…because I seriously have the sense of humor of a 12 yr old boy

**J is adjusting well, but there have been a couple of instances where she has asked to “go home” and mentioned that she misses Florida. Sometimes with accompanying tears :(

Belated 4th of July Wrap Up

Yeah, yeah, I know this is about a week late, but considering I sometimes go months without updating, consider yourselves lucky! ;)

Useful Bits

So we’re living in DC, and I’m determined that we shall take full advantage while we can…you can see where this is headed, right? I decide, in all my brilliance, that since we are living in the nation’s capitol during the celebration of our nation’s birth that we should spend the entire day at the National Mall starting with the 4th of July parade and ending with the fireworks over the Washington Memorial. Well, this would probably be a pretty awesome idea if it were for all those dang kids we have hanging around (where do they come from??). Most of my memories from the 4th will probably be of the great amount of perspiration I exuded, the amount of money I dropped on stale hot pretzels and lunchroom-style pizza, and the smell of the metro as we rode home with 1 million of our closest (and I do mean close) friends. The kids, I’m hoping, will remember the parade and the fireworks and possibly the great amount of time we spent inside the Air & Space Museum trying to cool off.

Personally, I thought the parade was a really good event for the kids, but the fireworks? Well, the great mass of people is fun to be in if it’s just you, but it was not a pleasant experience trying to shepherd all five kids through the metro (it was worse than the NY subway after a Yankees game). Plus, I didn’t even think the show was that great. The fireworks only lasted about 20min and there was a lot of condensation in the air that held the smoke in so it kind of obscured the subsequent fireworks. IDK, I was a little let down :( Also, I would recommend either picking only one event to attend or leaving the National Mall area between events because 12 hours downtown was waaaay overkill.

I mentioned to my parents that my greatest memories of the 4th of July were the numerous summers we spent watching fireworks over the lake in MD, walking the jogging paths to get there, eating homemade popcorn, and playing with sparklers while we waited for the fireworks show. My parents’ greatest memories? Trying to get out of the parking lot and fight traffic on the way home, then having to stop and let my little sister pee in someone’s yard because the traffic was so bad and she was too little to hold it. Amazing how the same event triggers different memories depending on the generation, lol! Anyway, we did get some kick-ass pics out of the deal:










Random Shit
A friend shared this on Facebook, and I thought it was hilarious. Personally, for many years I was confused as to why CCR was so obsessed with the “bathroom on the right.”

Officially Sworn In

So Friday was graduation day, at least for the 161st A-100 class it was. I'm excited and a little sad to see it all end, although I have to admit I was ready to be done with the 8hr lecture days! Most of my classmates had their entire families come out for the big day to see them get sworn in, it very much reminded me of the excitement surrounding my commissioning day as an AF officer* I wish I could have been more enthused, but I generally hate these types of events (I even skipped my own college graduation!). It does feel really good to be an official FSO, though. Now I just need to get my paws on that little black passport and I'll be on my way to ruling the world, mwah hah hah hah...er, I mean I'll be on my way to Manila. Same thing.

Anyway, since I enjoy imposing some type of order on this incredibly eclectic and nonsensical blog, I've decided to try and use this forum to actually provide some useful information in addition to my bits of random and useless info. Thus I bring you:

Useful Bits

This whole experience of joining the FS with a special needs kid has been quite the adventure. It is not as simple as having just a Class 2 Med EFM (eligible family member), which you can get cleared through Med itself. For a special needs kid you have to get substantiating info from the schools at Post that they have the appropriate curriculum for whatever it is your particular child needs (in our case A needs speech and occupational therapists and has an IEP that lays out specific goals in each of these areas). You also have to get verification from Post that they have the specialists needed to support the child’s IEP. Originally I had not planned to contact Post until I was much closer to my ETA since my TM1 (the travel message that lets Post know I’m coming) hasn’t even been issued yet, and I hadn’t even begun to think about choosing a school for the kids yet since I still have to enroll them for this school year here in VA! Ah, well, this long-term planning is generally right up my alley. I have sent the CLO (Community Liaison Officer) an e-mail to see if they can help me out since I don’t even know where to start to gather all this info! There is also yet another yahoo group dedicated to FS parents with special needs kids that I am hoping will be another good resource of information for us as we try to figure all this out. Oh, and State does have a lot of guidance out there both on the internet and the intranet, but every situation with a special needs child is unique so each case must be handled individually. Will keep you posted on how this progresses regardless of interest, lol.

Random Shit

On the way home from mandatory fun last week, some friends and I were discussing the blogosphere, and they were stymied by the fact that they couldn’t come up with a clever name for their blogs. First I had to explain that my blog name is actually sort of clever, or at least not insulting (Pu is my Chinese name – pronounced Pooh, not Pee Yew as so many people seem to think. My blog name is a play on Pooh’s Corner, not a reference to my BO). So, anyway, my girlfriend from A-100, M, came up with the awesome idea for a blog named, “I Would Rub My Face All Over That.” She was referring to the rotating gold statue of ex-president of Turkmenistan

but she was also open to the idea of rubbing her face all over the Neutrality Arch

Personally, I think this is a fucking fantastic idea for a blog. Imagine all the things you’d like to rub your face all over like:

Giant Pandas

Pilipino Rice Terraces

Giant piles of pink feathers

Hugh Jackman

A big bowl of pho

Okay that last one might not be such a good idea depending on how hot the soup was, but, still, that’s a lot of shit to rub your face all over. The possibilities are endless!

*Fun Fact - The FS oath of office and the military officer oath of office are exactly the same! :)

I Have a Confession

My name is Pu, and I am an exercise DVD addict. I know you all already think I am crazy obsessive with my workouts, but even I am starting to worry. This year alone I have done rotations with the Firm Express, Insanity: Asylum, Tracy Anderson's Meta, This was my A-100 rotation (I combined BCX with Real Strength), and now I am coveting PeakFit and P90X2! Do I really need all these workouts????

The answer is YES, people. Yes I do....I may also need a straitjacket, but that is another conversation altogether.

Also, I have to give a shout out to AinA who, upon hearing that I will be learning Tagalog* for my first post, commented, "Thank God! Finally, someone else will know an even more useless language than me."

*Fun Fact: Every time I type Tagalog into Word it tries to correct it to Tagalong. Mmmmm, Tagalongs with Manila....


***ETA: Five minutes after I wrote this, I bought PeakFit...I am so ashamed.

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.

And The Winner Is....

A-100 Update #4

So much to catch up on! Let's see where I left off...Camp was fun, but very hot! I can see why this is considered a highlight in A-100 because you really get the opportunity to get to know your fellow classmates in a way you just can't in your normal environment. Luckily I have been blessed to be part of an amazing cohort, so I really enjoyed getting to know my colleagues (the wine may also have had a small part in my increased happy level). Poor Husband, on the other hand, returned from spending several days in the actual, for real woods with the kiddos (about 6-7hrs travel time to get home from rural Wisconsin) only to discover that our car had been towed despite having our complex sticker on the dashboard. Apparently they felt that because our car was parked in the same spot for a number of days that it had become a "suspicious vehicle." You can imagine the Husband's pleasure at returning home after a long day of travel with 3 kids, an extra trip to pay $250 to get our car out of impound (we did complain, and Oakwood will reimburse us), so when I called to talk from the bar it didn't go over so well.

I also got a call from Oakwood while we were gone that they had found us a space over at Oakwood Falls Church (we were in Ballston previously), so we spent last weekend moving into our new apartment. We had to move ourselves since we were the ones to requect the move, but it was totally worth it because FC is like paradise for kids. For any future FS'ers, I cannot recommend FC high enough if you have kids. If you're single or child-free, go to Ballston!

Week 4 of A-100 saw the decent into exhaustion. The excitement has worn off some, and the classes are long (and some a wee bit painful). We're also getting anxious for Flag Day (next Friday!!), so it's harder and harder to pay attention (also there is a lot of info being presented and the likelihood that we'll remember it all is getting smaller and smaller. At least for me it is, I've only so much room left in my brain!) In addition, the s-kids arrived so we are back up to 5 kids + MIL, which makes a total of 8 in our 3-bedroom apartment. So, there isn't much downtime, which has resulted in me developing a terrible cold that I'm desperately trying to get rid of before I head into Core Skills week next week. Core Skills week should return us to our normal level of excitement (and/or terror) since it is mostly focused on how to keep your composure when answering tough questions about U.S. foreign policy (and also how to avoid inadvertently changing it by answering stupidly), as well as public speaking among other things. Then on Friday, as noted above, I will finally find out where I am going in a ceremony known as Flag Day. Basically we'll all be seated in an auditorium where our MC will bring up pictures of the flag of a certain country, we're supposed to yell out the name of the country from memory (so I'll be the one in the back mumbling), and then they call the name of the individual who will be going to that post. This is a big family event, so even though Husband is really not looking forward to having all 5 kids there, it means a lot to me to have everyone involved.

Oh, I also found out last week that putting A on the FSI daycare waiting list paid off. Starting Monday he will be coming with me on the Oakwood shuttle to work to go to FSI's daycare center on campus. This is going to be a mental lifesaver for the Husband, and it should be great for A, as well. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the FSI daycare and how focused it is on preparing your children for going Global.

This weekend we had a small bbq with a few classmates and there kids (there was a larger event going on last night, but we didn't want to make people suffer through having our 5 kids running around like maniacs). It was nice to finally hang out with people outside of the classroom. Husband and I also plan to attend one of the Happy Hour events next week (we always have about 3-4 events scheduled per week, but I have not really been able to attend any because of the fam), and, of course, we will attend the family-friendly celebration after flag day. I am stressing a wee bit because I have procrastinated on my school work, and I have two big papers due in the next week that I have yet to start. It makes me feel very guilty to come home after work at 6pm and have to hole up in my room trying to bang out homework when Husband has been home all day with the kids (who also miss me, I hope!), but I am so close to finishing! Only a few more months. I have to say, though, that I would not recommend staying in school while attending A-100 to anyone else!

So that's life in a nutshell right now. This week should be fairly busy, but you can be sure I'll post the minute we know where we're gong so everyone can start making their travel plans! :)

Rollin' the Dice

Bid list is complete and sent. Where are we going? No freakin clue! But we'll be happy and together wherever it is :)

This weekend we went to the "beach." FL has spoiled us, and we have become complete beach snobs. We have missed the sun and sand so much, though, so it was nice to have a little bit of it back in our lives even if the sand was orange (J: Mommy, sand a sposed to be white). We also had a birthday party for A, who turned 4 on Sat. My baby is 4! I need a new one stat! I need to schedule a visit to see AinA post squiddo-birth so I can fend off these crazy hormones. 6 kids? I can't even begin to imagine.

We also hit up the Eastern Market. I took the kids by myself on the metro, and we had a blast. It was the first time for the two little ones on any kind of public trans (yes, I know, it is hard to believe that FL doesn't have a great subway system), and they were pretty enamored of it. We'll see how long that lasts.

This week I go to the Woods (actually it's an Army Reserve Base somewhere in WV, but they still call it the Woods). This is for a couple of days of leadership and team-building training, which is a highlight of A-100. I won't be missing the fam too much since they have already abandoned me to go to WI for my family reunion (I couldn't go since we aren't allowed to take leave during A-100). It is a little weird being in my own home without anyone around. I have spent a lot of time talking to the cat, lol. On a positive note, I have already finished all of my homework for the week (only 6 more months!). Now if only I could get the motivation to do anything else!

So Tired

It's so crazy. This should be almost a vacation for me. No deadlines, no crazy people promising others that we will do things that can't accomplished, I don't even have to drive myself to work (yay FS shuttle)! Yet I am utterly exhausted. I can't figure it out?


I had my language test today. The language phone test I took as part of the hiring process was just a mini-test to see if I spoke at a reasonably appropriate level. This test a little over an hour and it was excruciating. It felt like my testers sucked every bit of Chinese knowledge out of my brain with one of those tiny little straws you get with your coffee and spread it out on the table...then they pointed and laughed. And that was just the speaking portion! It. Was. Painful.


So to lighen the mood here's a taste of the send off I got from work. First they gave me this really handy emergency booklet that I can use to help me out in my new jobs as an FSO:

And so forth...There are literally nametags in just about every language. I am so ready for this!

Additionally, I also received a wonderful book of top ten lists to remind me of all the wonderful things I have left behind, as well as all the wonderful things I have to look forward to:

*BTW, I've added a little disclaimer into my intro for any random people wo happen to stumble onto my blog (and in accordance with State's official policy). I've also added some links to other FS blogs written by other people in my A-100. Enjoy stalking them!

1 Week Down

Only 5 more to go. Week 1 was a lot of information and even though we are mostly just sitting and absorbing the info given to us, I feel incredibly wiped out. We received our bid list on Tuesday. There are about as many jobs as there are people in my class, but we have to bid on all of them. We get the choice of bidding every location/job at either High, Medium, or Low, but, of course, the decision on where to send you is based on the needs of the service, so we have been cautioned not to fall in love with a certain job since the only thing that is truly certain in the FS is that you should remain flexible!

For us the process will be a bit more complicated. A was given what is called a Class 2 medical clearance because of his Apraxia. This means that any post we're sent to must have the appropriate care available and we must verify it through MED before we can be given clearance to go to post. In order to figure out which posts on our bid list were actually open to us, I poured through what medical care is available at each post on the list (e.g. did they have a speech therapist), then I looked at the information compiled by the Office of Overseas Schools, which does mini-recaps of the international schools available at each post and states whether or not they have special education resources (and whether the ones hat do meet US standards). This narrowed the list down by about 2/3 for us. Then we used some other criteria to help sort out the remaining available posts into either Mediums or Highs (the ones we can't go to will all be Lows). It has really changed the way I had originally looked at how we might bid, and I should forewarn everyone that we may not end up in any part of the world we had expected (there are also about 20 Mandarin speakers in my class competing for the much less than 20 China posts).
The good news is that if we don't get China as our 1st post, we will definitely get it for our 2nd post (just the way the FS works if you took the S/CNL points), so we will get there eventually.

Made It

We're here, we're safe. No one was killed in the 2 1/2 days it took us to drive here (although a couple came close). So much to write, but I'm just too exhausted right now. My peeps at BB gave me an awesome send-off complete with some nifty little tools to use in my new life as an FSO. I promise I'll take pics and post when I can because they were so funny. It made me feel good to know that I would really be missed (and I'll miss them, too! There's nothing like going through hell together to bring a group close together.)

We went to our first social tonight. Our sponsoring class put it on for us. Found out our class has some 90+ people in it, so you can imagine how many names I remember, lol. Not surprisingly, we were one of maybe 3-4 couples that had kids, and we definitely win the prize for having the most! :) Tomorrow is my first day, but it will mainly consist of in-processing at Main State. My normal training will be at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which I will start on Tuesday.

It is about 70 degrees here, and I am wearing long pants, a sweatshirt, and big fuzzy socks. I wonder how long it will take for my tan to fade? On the plus side, there are about 1 million restaurants that deliver to our door and groceries, too! I never have to leave my apartment again (except for that pesky working and all). Promise I'll do a post on our living quarters in the future; it is much better than we expected and we are quite pleased all in all.

Moving Amnesia

Similar to pregnancy amnesia, this phenomena entails forgetting what a complete ass-pain moving a large family across the country is. I have moved over a dozen times to multiple states and countries, and yet it always seems like the inane bullshit that goes along with moving all of the crap you have accumulated from all of the amazing places you have lived is completely brand new. For example, yesterday the movers did not show. I spent the entire morning on the phone with various offices at State and the moving company itself...come to find out someone had entered the date incorrectly (it might have been caught if I had, you know, received my TO before Monday morning - which I had to call back to State to get since they didn't bother to send it to me), and the movers weren't planning to come until the 17th. The problem: Our pack out is a two-day job (hey, we have a lot of kids), and we need to be out of the house on the 18th. So I need time to reorganize all of the crap we're loading in the car and clean the entire house before we turn over the keys. After a lot of headache and extra stress, the movers showed up yesterday at about 2pm. They packed up about 1/2 the house and returned this morning to finish the job. I have a feeling it is going to be a very late night for us :( On the plus side, the movers themselves are great and seem very nice and competent, so at least we have that going for us!

I have to say, this has not been a good intro to moving as an FSO. My travel admin has been completely unresponsive and unhelpful and was, in fact, very, very rude the one time I actually managed to get her on the phone. I had to call the main office several times and instruct them not to patch me through to her but to find someone else to answer my questions. Since our next move will likely be in less than a year and to a much farther location, I do not have high hopes that it will be a good experience. But, who knows, I have been known to be wrong a time a two.


In other moving news, today is my last day at work (only a couple of hours to do my out-brief and sign some paperwork, turn in my badge, etc.). We pick up the rental car tomorrow (we rented a mini-van for the drive since I already sold my car; Husband will drive his own vehicle loaded up with crap) and check into our hotel tonight. Tomorrow consists of house cleaning and check-out, and spending our last few precious moments at the beach. We are bringing our boards and other beach gear with us in spite of our new close quarters, and I envision many weekends exploring the East Coast beaches in our future!

Patience is the 14th Dimension

So when you're going through the process of becoming an FSO, you learn there are 13 Dimensions they (the FS) are looking for in candidates. Patience is not one of them, but it definitely should be. I am supposed to be moving on Monday, but I still have no travel orders. Without these orders I cannot have the movers pick up my things, and if the movers do not come on Monday then our entire time-line (which we have planed perfectly in order to arrive on time) is going to be completely fucked up. I am trying not to lose my mind, but it is becoming exceedingly difficult when NO ONE WILL ANSWER THEIR PHONE. I have been on phone and e-mail for the last couple of days trying to get things in order, but I keep getting the run around regarding what paperwork they need and again NO ONE WILL ANSWER THEIR PHONE. It is so frustrating to sit here at 2:30 on Friday afternoon with no confirmation that I will, in fact, be able to move on Monday. I realize that these folks are overworked right now with the incoming class being last minute and all, but I can't imagine that it is too much to ask to get some kind of contact letting me what the status is. And there is nothing I can do right now but wait.

It's Really Happening

• Agreement to Join the FS & Salary Offer - signed & sent
• Travel Orders - on their way
• Pack out - scheduled for 16-17 May
• Welcome packet - received
• Husband - totally freaking out!

Oh yeah, it is definitely happening!

Man, am I going to miss this place