Sick of Being Sick

Not that my last post was terribly cryptic, but that comment about the water has held double true for me. I can't seem to eat or drink much of anything without feeling terribly ill. I don't know if it's the water I'm using to wash dishes, rinse veggies/fruits, brush my teeth... or other items like the meat and poultry (the stuff at the supermarket is pretty sketchy), but I pretty much feel nauseous all of the time. And, no, I am most definitely not pregnant. Luckily, I seem to be the only one in the family thus affected by our new environment, so at least I don't have to deal with sick kids whilst feeling like crap. So there is that. You would think the one side benefit would be some weight loss, but I'm afraid that doesn't seem to be happening either thanks to the fact that all I do seem to be able to digest properly are pre-packaged crap foods that have been imported from other parts.

So in pursuit of healing my poor stomach, I have been researching the crap out of the burgeoning organic movement in the Philippines. There are some organic farmers who come to the Manila area to sell their goods at various farmers markets, as well as some that will even deliver to your door. There are also merchants for local, grass-fed beef and lamb, as well as, free-range poultry and organic eggs and dairy. So there are options out there. It's just a bummer because these products tend to come at more American prices, so saving money on food may not be something we get to do here :( But, I just can't take feeling like this anymore. I feel weak and tired all of the time because I'm not getting any good nutrition, so my workouts have really suffered, too* A girlfriend told me that this adjustment period happens to a lot of new arrivals, so maybe this is a phase that needs to be suffered through (Manila hazing).

*Still happily on the UY program, but I've already had to take off two days this week because I just felt so awful.

Don't Drink the Water

Seriously. They are not kidding.

Ultimate Pu

No this is not a post about gastrointestinal issues.* This is post to proclaim to the world my undying love for the Ultimate Yogi program. I've had it for a few months now, but I just started the 108-day rotation about a week ago. To say this is the best yoga program I have ever come across would be an understatement. I love, love, love it! Even my crabby teenage daughter (who pretty much hates the world right now) doesn't mind working out with Travis :)

I was previously using these as add-ons or as rest day workouts, but I have recently come to the realization that my body is screaming for me to take a step back. Between the stress of moving across the world, starting a new job and new way of life, having the kids and Husband adjust to a new way of living, and all of the other things that go along with this new lifestyle of ours, well, my punishing daily workouts were not really helping. I have always used exercise partly for stress -relief, so I couldn't figure out why my stress seemed to be increasing instead of decreasing. To top it all off, I have put on about 10lb since I joined the State Dept a year ago. Now that might not seem like much, but when you're just a shade over 5'1...None of my clothes are fitting properly. Even worse, I feel bloated and uncomfortable with these extra pounds hanging around. That starts to take a toll on your self-esteem in addition to all of the extra stress in our lives right now. After carefully evaluating my standard prescription of upping the intensity of my workouts I've decided to take a different approach. Maybe I need to give my body a little break from the high-intensity workouts I love so much (and I already miss them!). So I've decided to commit the next 108-days to a full Ultimate Yogi rotation, combined only with some extra walking, in order to find the Ultimate Pu. Will I actually be able to do this? Er, I guess I'll find out in 108 days!

In fitness/wellness-related news, I thought I'd share with the new HBO series The Weight of the Nation, which you can watch online for free if you don't have HBO (obvs we don't here in Manila!). Even more interesting is Gary Taubes' (who wrote the fabulous Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It) counterpoint article. Really fascinating stuff!



*Although I am not shy about sharing about those either!

Some Cheese for that Whine

Okay, reading back through my last post, I think I sound a little whiny. I should clarify that it was written on very little sleep and profound confusion ;) While there are definitely things that can be improved with the FS (as with any organization), I am absolutely, utterly, and completely blown away with the incredible character, professionalism, and generosity of my fellow FSers. Our neighbors throughout the building have been so kind and welcoming, they've even gone so far as to offer us the use of their homes (so we can have C stream her online school instruction), cars, and personal drivers. It is astounding that someone you've literally only met days before would just hand over the keys to their home or car. People remember what it was like to be new and without transportation or a connection to the outside world. I know we will pass this generosity forward. In the meantime, I hope my neighbors like chocolate chip cookies because there isn't much else I can make right now with our meager provisions and cookware!

I started on the line today all by my widdle old self. I only conducted my interviews in Tagalog even though it was rusty and most of the applicants answered me in English anyway! I am determined to fight against losing it as much as I can even if it means I adjudicate a bit slower. I've realized that my teachers at FSI, whom I completely adore, probably took it a bit easy on us because I find that the rapid-fire Filipino that people use here in Manila is way, way faster and more slangy than anything I'm used to. It will take some getting used to and it's hard to get people to slow down when they just switch over to English when they see that you haven't gotten their meaning the 1st time around. 

Ooooh, we also got word today that our UAB is here! I'm so excited to have my new/old clothes back!! I wish that I would have packed it a bit better, though, since I'm not entirely sure what Husband was able to cram into the shipment (basically we set aside what we really wanted to go and then he added things after the movers told him we had more room). We sent mostly clothes and toys for the kids, a few kitchen things, and a lot of bathroom stuff (towels, shampoo, etc.). I wish we had packed blankets because even though it is a million degrees here, it is like 2 degrees in our apartment (the Embassy is even worse!) no matter how much I adjust the temperature. I wear sweats to bed every night because you really can't leave the windows open here since there are no screens and the bugs would just infiltrate. I also would have packed scissors (actually, I will pack that in our suitcase next time) because holy crap is it hard to open things without a pair of scissors and it's not like I can just zip over to a corner store to buy some (plus, I'm cheap and there are at least 7 pairs in our various shipments). I have a note to someday do a post on what you should pack when PCSing overseas because there are other necessary items to keep in mind (like beds!! Government-provided furniture is like torture for your neck and back!). In the meantime, I'm going to publish this post while I have a bit of a connection!

1st Post From My 1st Post!

**Disclaimer: I actually wrote this post about a day after we arrived in Manila, but I am just now getting a sort of internet access. Due to our bizarre housing situation, we are unable to get our own internet until we move into our permanent housing. This means I am piggybacking off of one of fabulous FS colleagues who happens to live downstairs from us and was nice enough not to kick us out after we knocked on their door and said something to the effect of: "Hi, we're your new neighbors. So nice to meet you. Can we please steal some of your internet?" Anyway, access here is not what one might think considering that the Philippines is now #3 in the world for call center outsourcing from the US (meaning there are lots of companies here that need good, fast connections). We have very spotty access now, but at least we are able to get on sometimes. I'll post a more recent update when I'm able. I start work for realz, realz on Monday and Husband is set to start on the 21st. 

Welcome to the Foreign Service where our motto is “It Depends.” Someone once made the analogy of the Department of Defense to dogs: loyal, and organized pack animals. The Department of State is more like a bunch of cats: intelligent yet aloof loners. I cannot help but see the distinction in even more clarity as we begin to experience our first assignment.

The trip really wasn’t that bad considering the amount of stuff, people, and animals we were transporting to (literally) the other side of the world. The kids held up as well as can be expected, the animals made it all in one piece (I was very impressed with Delta as a pet carrier – they made sure to let me know on each flight that the animals were safely on board). The only thing we left behind was a bag full of groceries that would have served us well here, but what can you do? We arrived in Manila at about 10pm, earlier than expected, but had no trouble getting through customs and the airport thanks to the airport expediter and our sponsor. It was there that things started to veer off course. Apparently someone realized at about 3pm on the day we were to arrive that our original temp housing (a very nice long-term stay hotel) would not take large dogs. This started a scramble for them to figure out somewhere for us to live after our expected arrival in about 7 hours. They ended up sticking us in a townhouse on the Embassy Compound, still a good 15-20min drive from the Embassy, where we will be for about a week (I don’t actually know the details since I was unable to get a hold of the housing officer despite stopping by the office 2x yesterday and calling repeatedly). After that we are allegedly going to another temporary apartment in a different part of the city where we will live until our permanent quarters are ready on July 1 (this last part remains the same, and we will have a house with a yard at some point!).

The biggest issue right now is our inability to get television or internet for the next few months. When we were to stay in the long-term stay hotel all of that would have been taken care of by the hotel, as well as some of our other issues. For example, we didn’t ask our sponsors to pick us up essentials like, say, toilet paper or cleaning supplies or the all-important coffee, etc. because we were under the impression that the hotel would cover all of that. It’s now Saturday, which means we’ll have to wait until Monday to get a hold of GSO to try and figure out what is going on. I am very concerned about the prospect of not having internet access for two full months, particularly when we planned to have C home school online. Hopefully at some point in the near future we’ll also be able to figure out how to get cell phones so we can start communicating with the world again since it doesn’t look like we’ll have access to Skype for a while.

Anyway, after having this bombshell dropped on us and making our way to our new temp-temp living quarters, we made it to bed at about 1am local time. My work sponsor was not aware of the change of plans as of yet, so our plans to meet in the morning were obviously out the window.  My social sponsor walked me around the Compound briefly and showed me where the shuttle to the Embassy would pick me up. From there I guess he figured I could find my way to the Consular section and track down my work sponsor. Um, sure, since I’ve never been to an Embassy before and I’m currently working off of 24-hrs travel with three kids, two pets, and ten suitcases, I’m sure that will be just fine. Luckily my work sponsor was able to figure it out when he showed up at the original location and learned I wasn’t there, and he was able to adjust and come get me at the Embassy Compound. My first day was mostly spent in processing through HR. I was able to accomplish a few things, but a lot of things have to wait until certain paperwork gets processed and your Dip status is recognized. Also, it would have been really great to know that I should have brought certain paperwork along with me (for example, I didn’t bring the entire family’s passports because I was worried they might need them). So I wasn’t able to accomplish as much as I could since I didn’t have the paperwork I needed. After doing what I could and wandering around the Embassy like a zombie for a while, someone finally took pity on me and let it be known that I wasn’t expected to put in a full days work and could leave when I wished. So I made my way “home” after figuring out that there is a shuttle and where to pick it up.  

Now, I’m a big girl, and I can figure things out for myself. But why on earth would you not try to make it as easy as possible for someone coming in to a new situation, in a new and unfamiliar country, working off of terrible jet lag and exhaustion, particularly when this is their very first assignment? It just gave the impression that things are incredibly unorganized and it certainly made it very clear to me that the camaraderie I enjoyed so greatly in DoD is not an attribute that is highly valued in DoS. First impressions aren’t everything, but between the communication issues (or lack there of) with the CLO and other offices, and my experiences since arriving…well, I can’t say I’m impressed. Why, why, why would they make it this hard? This has been my question to just about everything involved with the Foreign Service so far. From figuring out how to get my step-kids added to my orders, to how to get a Post cleared for my special needs child, to simply what is expected of me for the next couple of days, it is all like pulling teeth. It is just mind-boggling.

Let me briefly compare this experience to when I PCSed to Japan with DoD. I arrived as a single parent with two animals and lots of luggage. I was whisked to my temporary living facility (TLF), which was well stocked with simple necessities, my sponsor brought a packet of information which welcomed me to the country and the unit and listed everything that was expected of me to check in and the timeline in which it was to be done along with where those check in tasks were located (office and bldg. numbers). The next day my sponsor picked me up and personally escorted me to get all of my badges, sign me up to take the drivers course to get my license, took me phone, food, and car shopping. The following few days were similar, as I wasn’t expected to go into work right away since, you know, I had just arrived in a new country with no childcare, transportation, or home. I was able to accomplish all of those necessary things and make my way to work within a week as a happy, productive, and prepared employee.  Right now, I have no internet, no phone, no childcare, no groceries or simple necessities except what we brought along in our suitcases (thank goodness for the tissue paper I brought) and no way to figure out how to get any of these things since we don’t really know what our living situation will be. I’m trying very, very hard to just let it all roll of my back since I’m sure it will all work out in the end, but for a Type-A planner like me, this is all extremely stressful. And that much more stressful since it really shouldn’t be, if that makes sense. If one agency is capable of making international moves go smoothly, why can’t that capability be duplicated?

I should temper my tone by stating that everyone has been super nice on a personal level, and I like everyone that I have met so far. My work sponsor is fantastic, and he has gone above and beyond to take me around and introduce me to different contacts *** UPDATE: I want to add in that, individually, people are absolutely amazing. We have been offered the use of people's personal drivers, rides to and from work, and all sorts of other random niceties to help us out along the way.  If this is indicative of what we have to look forward to in future assignments, I know we made the right career choice!***

The other big issue, of course, is the jet lag. We were up at 2am this morning and not able to fall back asleep. The kids have been up since about 3am. I’m writing this at about 5:30 while we kill time waiting for the rest of the world to start functioning. Our sponsors will be here at about 10am to take us grocery shopping, which is good since we have no toilet paper, and there is literally nothing on or within walking distance to the Compound. There is a 7-11 out the back gate, which is quite shady. We walked there with J alone (leaving C&A home) and experienced true Manila (between the dirt, smog, noise, and dodging traffic with no apparent order are the toothless old taxi drivers grabbing your arm to try and get you to take their cab, very small beggar children outside the store begging for change, and the wide-eyed stares of people who have never seen a small white child with red hair). I’ve seen worse, but this was a pretty overwhelming intro to our new city for Husband. However, we really needed toilet paper and something to eat for dinner (we went with ramen for all), so we didn’t have much choice.

Despite the frustration, we are still so excited to finally be here and starting our adventure. While Husband was a little overwhelmed by our sojourn outside yesterday, I found it exhilarating. I got a copy of our local newsletter from the CLO’s office and there are so many opportunities to volunteer and local organizations to join (I know my sis was heavily involved in local women’s groups in Amsterdam before my niece was born, and she really recommended getting involved as a way to quickly become a part of the community). It’s easy to see how Compound living can shelter you from the real community since you don’t have to experience it if you don’t want to (this was definitely true when I was in Japan, as well), but that’s not why I wanted to join the Foreign Service. I want to get involved and, as hokey as it sounds, I can’t wait to represent the US. I just wish it was a little more organized of an introduction ;) 

Paalam, Ya'll

After a lovely stay in SF seeing my sis & her fam, and doing my consults with the various agencies here, we are ready to start the last leg of our journey today. That's a 12-hour plane ride to Japan, a 2-hour layover, then another 3-4 hour flight to our final destination. Hope I brought enough drugs toys to keep the kids occupied. See you in Manila, bitches!*

*Or something slightly more diplomatic

Blogging in Transit

Got home last night just in time to unpack and re-pack for our move to Manila via San Francisco. Of course, the car got picked up to days ago, so I had to catch a cab home. How is possible that in this day and age many cabs still only take cash?



Anyway, we're currently in the air headed from our layover from Dallas to SF. Sure hope the cat and dog are okay! They seemed pretty non-plussed about the whole airport thing. Marley meowed pitifully on the way to the airport, but he did that for four days straight when we drove from Abq to FL, so I'm not sure if that's just his natural reaction to traveling. We'll spend 4 days of work/play with my sis and her fan before we head out again, so here's hoping that leg one is indicative of how the rest of the trip will go. Yes, there were hiccups (like that whole part about them forgetting to actually issue the tickets, which was - luckily - quickly resolved by a phone call to Carlson Wagonlit, but it did cause a mini-heart attack at the time. Two adults, three kids, six big suitcases, 4 small suitcases, ten carry on pieces, one three-legged dog, and a cat later...

Stasis

Last week was spent in FL catching up on what it's like to be back in uniform. Turns out that it doesn't take too much time to remind you of all the good and the bad that comes along with it. I spent a whirlwind weekend returning to Virginia to help with the pack out arrangements (all items are now in there proper places) and buy all the last minute items we need (can't ship liquids via pouch, so all of the shampoo, face wash, etc. for the next 2 years has been stocked!). On Sunday we went to C's last volleyball tournament. I am not sure what our options will be in Manila for her to continue at this level of play, but we hope that there are options since it has been such an amazing experience for her. Then I hopped directly back on a plane to come back to FL for two more weeks of Reserve duty. Unfortunately, I also seem to have contracted some sort of sinus thingy, which made taking my pt test (physical fitness test) today a real bitch. I've been non-current for a while since I've been gone from the unit for so long, so I was determined to just get the fucker done, sinuses be damned!!

It's very stressful to be moving while you're not actually present. Actually, it's stressful moving period, but add to that not being in the same state and it becomes infinitely more aggravating. We've had a few freak outs hiccups. First, we were informed (just yesterday) that State will not ship our oversized paddle boards, which were expensive, much loved, and we hoped to get a lot of use out of them in the Philippines. They also told us that we wouldn't be permitted to add them into storage either, so now we are scrambling trying to figure out what to do with these things. We also got a notice in the mail from the city of Arlington notifying us of a required court appearance for failure to pay a car registration fee. If you'll recall we first moved to Arlington for a few short weeks last May before we ended up in Oakwood Falls Church (in the city of Falls Church). We paid the fee to register our vehicle in Falls Church since that has been our residence, and we have been fighting with Arlington ever since. It is so frustrating (especially since we won't even be living in the country when this supposed court date is to occur)! Poor husband has to field all of these things all by his lonesome since I am proving completely useless here in FL. Seems I can't access my home e-mail from my AF computer, so I have to wait until after business hours to take care of anything. Not very helpful!

So to relieve the stress of it all. I am sitting in my hotel room and watching a Say Yes to the Dress mini-marathon, eating Combos (my Cheetos, Dad), and downing Nyquil. Nothing like watching vapid brides in amazing dresses to take your mind off of your own problems! Don't judge me. Anyway, here's some other stuff I've been saving up to share with ya'll:

Just a cool report that I found real interesting (plus I was a competitive swimmer growing up :)

In fitness news, here's a another free workout that's sure to appeal. Also, I came across this on a fitness site I frequent, and, if you've ever done a P90X workout, it is freaking hilarious!

Drumroll Please...

Unless you have Facebook, I know I've left you all hanging since my last post indicated that T-Day was, in fact, last Thursday...I got a freaking 3, 3!!! For all you non-State and DoD people, that is a big ole deal, and I am pretty fucking over the moon about it. I took about 1/2 a day to celebrate by forcing my children to relive part of my childhood and dragging them to Lake Kittamaqundi. Then reality set it, and I realized that we have less than 3 weeks until we move to the other side of the world!


 My friend D wrote up a great description of language training at FSI, so I won't do a repeat here. I will say that language testing at FSI is one of the most painful and stressful experiences I have ever gone through. I think I likened my Chinese test to having my brain sucked through a straw (then spat out onto the table so that all of the native speakers could laugh at me). Well, this was worse.

The test lasted about three hours, although it really didn't feel like it at the time. The speaking portion seemed to fly by, which I was surprised about because that was the part I was most worried about. It wasn't until I got to the reading portion that things really started to go downhill. At some point in the reading I realized that there were some sections of text where I did not know even one single word, and I started to panic. I was already panicking about the time limitations since I am a slow Tagalog reader, but then I started thinking that I was such a fool for stressting snd preparing so much for the speaking and now here I was getting ready to fail the reading portion!

The tester and examiner really push you as far as you can possibly go to see how much you can get out of whatever it is you are reading/conversing about, so you always feel a little behind. I walked out of the test with absolute certainty that I had failed, and I spent the 20-30 min break (where they are discussing what they think your overall score should be) outside chain smoking, trying not to cry, and panicking about WTF I was going to do considering I had just spent the last week busting my ass to get my military orders issued in time to do my check out from State. Imagine my utter shock when I trudged slowly back into the room braced to hear the bad news, and they told me I had been given a score which far exceeded my wildest expectations. Hell, I was just hoping to pass! I was so surprised, I had to ask the examiner to repeat himself to make sure I had heard him correctly.

I have no idea how my perception of my own abilities and others' perceptions can be so divergent. I can only speculate that it is my extreme type A, perfectionist personality that causes these feelings of inadequecy sometimes. I was also convinced that I had failed the Chinese language phone test back when I was still on the road to become an FSO, which turned out not to be the case either. Maybe I'm just overestimating how well other people speak foreign languages? I don't seem to ever have a confidence problem when it comes to completing tasks in English (job interviews, giving speeches, etc.). I wonder what it is about language that so fucks with my head?

Anyway, now that that one last hurdle is over and done, we are on our way! I'm currently in FL trying to get all of my requirements current, which would be way easier if they hadn't cut off my e-mail since I've been gone so long! At least I have access to the system now, and I got a new id card, so I can start checking off items on my military to-do list. I have an IMA job lined up with PACOM, which is looking like a good choice considering I'll be in Asia for at least the next 5 years. Husband is back in VA with the kids while they finish out as much school as they can. He is handling the move almost single-handedly (we already went through the house and separated our shipments, and I'll be flying home this weekend to help with the final preparations, like actually packing suitcases), while I'm here taking care of my military stuff. It's great to be back in uniform and doin' my thang. I have never regretted leaving active duty (I did a short notice separation shortly after A's brith to avoid a 15-month deployment to Afghanistan, which I was notified of thanks to a wonderful, understanding boss and being part of a small, tight-knit unit), but it always makes me sad that I couldn't make that life/work balance happen in the military. The AF just asked too much of certain officers (people in my career field were heavily deployed - to the point that many of us were on a 12 month home/deployed cycle - while other career fields were never tapped to help shoulder the burden), and I couldn't sacrifice that much time with my family. But, sometimes, I sure do miss it, and it's nice that I get to come back every once in a while and play that role again.

More Things I Never Imagined Would Need Explanation

So today I had to explain why it is important not to take your older sister's allowance money and flush it down the toilet. It was more difficult than one might think.

Oh, and I'm exactly one week out from T-Day. Freaked? Maybe just a little.* I'm learning that the more Tagalog I study, the less apt I am at any language at all. Today my instructor and I spent nearly twenty minutes trying to think up a really good English word that describes a situation when you really fuck up. I still can't think of a less profane way to describe it. Luckily since you can make just about any English word into a Tagalog verb by adding the mag- prefix, I'm pretty sure I can still use it in my test.

*If by a little you mean that I may wet myself at any moment.

Exhaustion Breeds Disease

Or so it seems since I was forced to cut out of my Tagalog lessons early to pick up 2.2 from school after she threw up in class. Now I'm home studying economic vocabulary and cleaning up vomit. Such a glamorous life! ;)

I know it's a bit late into 2012 already, but I forgot to post this. I'm particularly fond of #10.*

*Also, I may or may not be the person who submitted #20...just a little disclosure in case you ever happen to be stuck in an elevator with me :)

Exhaustion

I have so many things to blog about and just no time to actually get it down on screen. In addition to all of the usual PCS (permanent change of station) bullshit and my looming language test, we are busy making all of our last minute travel and personal visits. Last weekend I went back to Connecticut to visit my grandfather, who is currently home on hospice. I cannot explain what it is like to say goodbye to someone and know that it is the last time you will ever see them. It was a very surreal and emotional weekend. Totally worth doing but extremely upsetting at the same time. I don't know if my sister will blog more about it, but the one true highlight of the trip was being able to hang out with my little sister for the day (she flew all the way from Amsterdam).

This weekend Husband is in LA visiting friends and saying his goodbyes. I went and spent an awesome Friday night out with one of my BFFs from college.* We had a pretty busy day yesterday filled with Chuck E Cheese birthday parties and one adult going away get-together. Unfortunately, 2.3, as my dad likes to refer to him, came down with the explosive vomits last night so the rest of our weekend has been derailed with carpet scrubbing, multiple baths, and lots and lots of laundry. I stayed with him on the floor of my bathroom last night because he kept puking in his sleep, so I'm having trouble getting motivated to do anything (plus he already threw up again this morning, so our plans to go see the Lorax are going to have to wait).

Next weekend Husband will be in TX visiting the step-kids over their spring break. It wouldn't be so bad, but C has a volleyball tournament, which generally last all day from about 6am when we leave the house to after 9pm. No fun when you have to bring the whole gang along and entertain them all day! I'd consider just dropping her off, but the tournament location is about 2-2 1/2 hours away, so that is out of the question this time around. Then we have just one last weekend here in DC before I jet off to FL for 3 weeks of Reserve duty at my old unit. I come back on a Friday night and that following morning at the crack of dawn we are off to the airport with three kids, one cat, and a three-legged dog in tow to start our journey to Manila.

There is so much to get done and so little time to do it. We do have the household move all set up and ready to execute, only the sorting of things into the different shipment remains. The car shipment is set, the pet shipment is set (other than the USDA certificate, which has to be handled within 10 days of leaving the country, so it will be up to Husband to handle it while I am out of town), school withdrawal dates are set, still no visas but I'll be calling to check on their status on Monday. There's still the issue of T&V's passports and visas**,  homeschool for C***, getting transferred from the traditional Reserves to the IMA****, various insurance arrangements and transfers for everything (car, health, renters, dental...), and so much more. To say that it is overwhelming would be an understatement!

* Just a side note that I wanted to do a post about how awesome it is have a friend like L. We have been friends for over a decade and though we drift in and out of each others lives across continents and life events, she is the rare friend that I can visit with and feel like no time has passed at all. I think that quality of friendship is so hard to find, and I am super blessed to have her in my life.


** they need medical clearances before I can have them added to my orders to Manila - a fact which would have been great to know oh say a year ago when I first asked about what I needed to do!! But there's no use in dwelling on the incompetence of others.


*** missing out on two full months of the 7th grade is just not an option, SMA (special maintenance allowance) fell through because of time requirements, financial issues, and because it would have been impossible to coordinate with when the step-kids usually come over the summer.


**** I have to get current on all of my annual requirements (PT test, physical, dental, shots, etc.) before I can make the transition. The good news is that I already have a job waiting for me at PACOM, so it's just a matter of getting to FL, doing my thang, and getting it documented so we can fast-track the transition process.

Helpful(?) Hints: Passport Edition

Yowza! Has it really been so long since I last posted? February just flew by. We're down to the wire here both for language training and for getting all our crap together! Moving is never easy. Moving internationally is even less easy. Add in three full-time kids, two part-time kids, a cat, a three-legged dog, and the fact that this is our 1st move with State...well, let's just say this is the most complicated move we've ever attempted. Rather than bitch about all the crazy minute details that need to be attended to or that State is apparently the anti-checklist agency (the antithesis to DoD, if you will) where every move is treated like the first one ever conducted. Nope, I'll save all that for my internal seething. Instead I'll try to be a bit more helpful for any random FSOs/wanna be FSOs that come across this blog. Thus, I give you, the passport story...

Background:
Husband and I have a blended family. I have 1 child from my 1st marriage, and he has 2 children from his 1st marriage. My oldest daughter has a scumbag, shithole for a biological father who has no contact with her whatsoever. Now that we live so far away, my step-kids live with their mother in Texas during the school year.

Step Children:
Let's start with the step-kids. The State Dept, which deals with many cases of child custody and parental child abduction between international parents, is naturally very sensitive to the nature of taking children for whom you may not have full custody of overseas.  If you have step-children in the FS, you must have either joint, full, or sole custody to take them overseas. We have joint custody. You will need to submit all divorce/child custody paperwork to your HR Tech. You are also required to obtain and submit a notarized letter of consent from the other parent, which states that they give their permission for the child/children to be taken overseas for the period(s) of custody of the FSO or EFM parent. Your HR Tech can work with you on the specific language (our letter had to be redone at least 3 times and Husband's ex was not helpful or pleased to say the least!) All of this is needed in order to have your step-children recognized as EFMs. Then you can submit an OF-126 in order for them to be eligible to be put on your orders. This process took about 7 months for us between tracking down what was needed and getting all the parties involved to actually take the steps they needed to take. In our case, this length of time meant that we were not able to get their diplomatic passports because they have not been physically present with us since they were added as my EFMs. Oh, and I just noticed the other day when we were turning in our visa applications that despite all this, they still aren't listed on my TM4, haha! Back to HR!! Luckily for us, the Philippines actually has a loophole whereby we can apply for diplomatic visas for them and place them in their tourist passports. So once I get them added to my TM4 we should be able to get them into the country without issue.

One-Parent Signature Passport:
This was the real nail-biter. Since my oldest child, C, has no contact with her biological father, I applied for her passport with just my signature. This requires a a notarized statement of why you can't obtain the other parent's signature. Then, when you are in front of the passport official, you must fill out another statement basically going into as much detail as humanly possible as to why you can't obtain the other parent signature and then take an oath swearing that you are telling the truth. We went to the Special Issuance Agency (SIA) to apply for our passports since I thought it would be easier than going to Main State with all the kids, and the gentleman who took our applications was very kind and courteous. However, he warned me that DoS has begun taking a very hard look at 1-parent signature applications and has started asking the applicant parents to go to court in some cases in order to get a court order allowing the passport to be issued. He was not able to give me a general timeline for how long this process might take if they did not accept C's application as is, so up until the moment her passport was actually issued there was always a chance that they might come back and ask me to go to court. This, of course, would have hugely delayed us, so I have been putting off most of our other moving tasks until I was sure that C's passport would be issued. I was not about to leave the country without one of my children, so until I got that passport, I had no idea what we were going to do. So it was a MAJOR relief when I finally got word that her passport was ready to be picked up.

First Time Diplo Passport:
Hint - If you don't have your TM4, you will need yet another form called the DS-1640. I did not have this form when I went to apply for our diplo passports at the SIA. The SIA people were kind enough to take all of our applications and hold on to them while I tracked down the form, which should have taken about a day or two. Unfortunately, as with many of my experiences  with DoS, something that should take just a few days often turns into somewhat of a journey. To make a long story short, it took just over a month to get this form generated. This meant that our passport processing didn't even start until after the New Year. Hence why I was so concerned about the timeline concerning C's passport.

It's Official!

Finally got my hot little hands on some diplomatic passports. All 5 of them! At some point I might actually write up the saga, but for now, I'm just thrilled to have them in my possession. Now we just have to make plane reservations, households goods shipment arrangements, pet shipment arrangements, apply to the international school...

Island Hopping

Sorry for the length of time between posts. I have been consumed with frantic Tagalog training (realized my test is less than 8 weeks away, and I feel like I am no where near where I need to be to pass the test!) and taking up all kinds of new activities. L & I got Groupons for a Pilates studio in McLean and have attended a couple of sessions (don't think I will continue after the Groupon sessions are up...I wasn't that impressed with the studio). Husband and I are also hitting the ice in hopes of keeping up with our kids. Our instructor has been letting me sneak in on her lunchtime adult class (she's awesome!), and I surprised myself with how well I skate considering I haven't been on the ice since I was a kid. Husband and I also joined a gym (courtesy of Living Social this time). I'm not crazy about gyms in general (I prefer working out when no one is watching), but I don't have any of my equipment here and I was really, really missing my heavy weights. Then, C's volleyball season has really kicked into high gear. She has a clinic on Sat from 1-3, practice scrimmages on Sun from 8-11, practice on Wed from 6-8, Thus we have to help the club set up for the Capitol Classic from 5-9, Fri she has practice at the Washington Convention Center from 6-9, then Sat-Mon is the tournament with us parents helping out with tear down after the tournament has ended. I'm tired just typing all of that out!

But, the most exciting news of all is that we got word on where our second assignment will be. My plan to be a beach bumming FSO is in high gear 'cause we are headed to freaking HONG KONG, bitches! Going from Manila to HKG is like being sent to Hawaii to New York (if NYC had beaches and was made up of almost 70% green spaces. Plus, escalators, people! HKG is the land of the pedestrian commute!). We are so freaking excited!!! This is an amazing post for everyone in the family. Husband will be able to easily find a job (either at the Consulate or on the local economy - thank you weird HKG non-mainland status!), English abounds so it will be easy for the family to get around, there is no quarantine period for animals (!!!), and the international schools are some of the best in the world. Plus, the HKG airport is amazing! You can fly anywhere in SE Asia (likely anywhere in the world), and it is super clean and efficient. The only drawback (for me anyway) is that Mandarin is not the common language, so it will be less of an immersion for me. I still get to come back to FSI for six months between tours to brush up on my Mandarin (which I desperately wanted since it will have been 3+ years since I used the language by the time I get there), and there are pockets of Mandarin speakers within HKG - I will just have to search them out. And I can always venture across the bridge for immersion trips to keep my Mandarin up to par.

So what does all of this mean? Well, we now know where we'll be for the next 5 years, which is more stability than I've ever had in my adult life, and it means we can really start making some plans for the future. And now that we know we'll be in the same part of the world for the foreseeable future (HKG is only 2-3 hours from Manila!) we can take our time and plan out trips to visit all the places we want to see. And, it means that all of you lovely people can take your time with your own trips since we won't be leaving the region any time soon! :)

Walang Balita

I apologize for the recent blog silence. I really do have lots of posts in my head that never seem to make it to the screen. We recently received word that my grandfather is heading quickly downhill. This was somewhat unexpected (in spite of the fact that he is nearing 90), as we did not know until just last week that he had a life threatening illness. My father has blogged more extensively than I am willing to, but this event has dredged up some powerful emotions. I was with my grandmother on her deathbed, but one of my greatest regrets is that I did not get to see her one last time when she was still coherent. Now I fear the same will be true with my grandfather. I had more to say, but I think it's best if I just leave it at that. This is, perhaps, no longer the forum to air my private thoughts.

Bidding Again Already??!!

That's right, folks, the CNL (now called RLP - Recruitment Language Program) bid list is out! I am excited about all the possibilities for our 2nd tour. We are required to bid on everything that even comes close to being a fit for us, but looking at the issues of timing (i.e. when I am due to leave Manila + home leave + time for additional training at FSI), I think our list is narrowed significantly. All of our options are exciting and interesting in their own way, so I think we'll be thrilled no matter where we end up going. Our lists are due in about a week and a half, and I'm not sure how long the matching process takes, so it may be a while before we know definitively where we'll end up in 2014. It's going to be weird to have the next 5 years of our life fully mapped out after living with such uncertainty for so long. If only we had little black passports to match!*

*I promise an update on the saga of getting our diplomatic passports in the next post or so, but it's going to take more time than I have on hand to explain!

Ovetjkin Jr

I'd like to say the above pictures were due to an awesome hockey fight, but, sadly, we must blame that sole piece of metal playground equipment spared by the late 90's, early 00's plastic revolution: the slide. A and the slide don't get along to well and eventually the slide got the better of him. Unfortunately for A it took the school about 30min to track me down at work (I keep my phone off during class and the school had Husband's number written incorrectly). Poor kid sat around gushing blood until we finally showed up almost an hour after the slide one upped him. As usual, he didn't shed a tear. I, on the other hand, wanted to cry the minute I saw him. An ER trip later, A was off to the pediatric dentist to have one of his front teeth removed. Luckily he was able to keep the other one, but it's root was likely killed by the impact, so he may end up losing it at a later date anyway. On the plus side, he looks like a real hockey player now!

I begin to see how fortunate people with careful children are. C was a very calm child with few accidents. Between J&A we've had multiple ER visits resulting in stitches, heads glued back together, heads stapled back together, and now teeth knocked out. His skating instructor suggested it might be best if he wear his hockey helmet all the time instead of just on the ice. She may not be wrong!

Holiday Spirit

I was going to title this post, "Suck it. Bitches." but my husband was concerned that all of the other newsy bits would get lost in my crowing over how I WON MY FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE.* That's right, people. I am AWESOME!!! Bow down to the great power and ability of yours truly to pick the right players and kick major fantasy ass. What? What's that? Well, no. It's not actually a sport. Fantasy football is where people pick players who actually do play a sport and then get points when they do well. You know what, why don't you just Shut the Hell Up. I am the WINNAH!!!

I know, I know, I kept meaning to post over the vacation, but I was too busy trying to relax to get around to it, so there is a lot to catch up on. We spent an awesome (and way too short) few days with the extended Pu clan in good old Albuquerque, where we had a perfect white Christmas. Strangely enough, Abq has never failed to deliver on the white Christmas front. It was a balmy 50 degrees here in DC when we got back! It was so nice to visit with the family and meet my new niece, Lia, who is sooo precious! Cousin Y and J are just 6 months apart and the girls were inseparable for the entire vacation. It sucks that we get to see them so little. We did the usual: ate, ate, then we ate some more. I think there may have been some conversation in there...mostly about the food and how we were cooking it. I must have gained 10lb. Anything less would have been an insult! I would post pictures, but I hardly took any. I have come to the conclusion that I am just a terrible photographer and maybe it would be better for my temper if I just gave it up altogether. My mom and BIL are both excellent amateur photographers, who documented the event well enough for all of us. So I'll just poach their pictures when posted!

You know what else Abq is good for (besides snow at X-Mas)? Sleep!! That's right. I slept with no problems at all the minute I arrived in Albuquerque. I feel like I have finally caught up with my sleep, and I hope it stays when I get back to work on Tuesday. Speaking of which, I have not studied one bit this entire vacation. I have some lingering guilt over this, and I am sure that I will be regretting it greatly when class starts back up. But, right now, it seems like the best decision ever. I so needed a break from studying after this incredibly intense year.

C turned the big 1-3 yesterday, and I came to the sudden realization that I am the mother of an honest to god teenager. WTF? You know you're old when suddenly your kids birthday milestones make you feel older than your own! I took C to see Breaking Dawn Part 1 as one of her birthday gifts. I am happy I did so because she absolutely loved it, but that must be one of the most excruciatingly boring films I have ever seen. They spent the 1st hour solely on long, dramatic face shots of the two leads as they gazed at each other adoringly. And there's still a part 2 to live through!! Have you ever seen the Seinfeld episode where Elaine is forced to watch the English Patient? That is how I felt. I hope C knows how much love it took to sit through that ;)

So I guess that's mostly everything. Oh, I also got a Mac. Yay, me! The only problem? Now I have to learn how to use a whole new OS :( Boo! I'm too lazy for that. I think I'm going to sign up for classes at the Apple Store in Ballston because this no right click thing is killing me (I also never realized how much I used the page up and down buttons!). This is primarily why this post is so short. I am getting to frustrated! Now off to figure out how to sync my iPod without losing my folders. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Here's to an even more exciting 2012!

*And also it doesn't really sound all that diplomatic. Bleh. 

Cultura Overload

Otherwise known as Pu Dances the Tinikling and Goes to Church.

I have been meaning to post about the SLS Fair that occurred, oh, maybe a month ago, but I just kept forgetting to get permission from my teachers & classmate to post pics. One of my friends in Hindi posted a video about their class cultural experience, which inspired me to get off my ass and make this post! The SLS Fair gives our FSI instructors an opportunity to share their different cultures with each other. Students don't usually participate, but the Tagalog section is so tiny that our instructors asked if we might help out. First they taught us about two different Philippine holidays, the Flores de Mayo and the Ati-Atihan Festival, that we would be representing. Then we got all Imeldific! L & I got to rock some sparkly gowns, heels, tiaras, and sashes as Philippine beauty queens, but the real fun came when we learned and then got the chance to to teach people how to dance the Tinikling. My teachers made it look incredibly easy and graceful, but, to me, it was like jumping double dutch for two straight hours. I was so gross and sweaty by the end of it! On the plus side, we were by far the most popular booth at the fair. L & I posed for pictures, enticed people to come dance the Tinikling and try on traditional costumes, we played music, and generally had a blast. There was a booth next to us from a different part of the world (we'll be ultra-diplomatic and leave out said country's name) and man were they pissed! They kept complaining about how noisy we were being, and how we kept getting in their space, blah blah blah. As they sat there stone-faced and pouting, I couldn't help thinking how happy I am that we are headed to the Philippines! After having spent so many years not being represented (for a long time the Tagalog section only had 1 teacher, so there was no opportunity for her to participate), my teachers were so proud to have the Philippines be represented so well. Plus it was a total blast (and I got a good workout in!).

Teacher G and Language Supervisor M show off the traditional Ati-Atihan costume

L posing in front of the Philippines booth

Teacher G & I in front of our booth

Teacher S strikes a mean Tinikling

Three lovely Philippine ladies taking a break from dancing

This last week we did something on the opposite end of the spectrum and attended the first night of Simbang Gabi with my teacher. The Mass ended up being in English since the priest was not Philippino, but all of the songs were in Tagalog and we got to converse with people after the service while eating a traditional Philippine breakfast (lost of simple carbs and chicken soup!). The only negative was that we had to get up at 4am to make the 5am service. Mercifully, our teachers took pity on us and let us out of class early to make up for the fact that we started our day so early. This was a big plus for me since the other item on my agenda for the day was to get off my ass and haul the family downtown to get our diplomatic passports. I will post about this journey separately since it was truly its own adventure!