"Flag Day"

Today was "Flag Day" - the day that Foreign Service Specialists are given the flag of their assigned country. Out of the 6 bids we placed, we were granted our first choice: We're going to DC!!!

Not only did we get DC, but Billy was the class speaker in today's graduation ceremony. Out of several specialists, Billy was selected to give a speech. A few days ago, Billy had been advised by the course coordinators that he'd been selected as class speaker, but it was kept a secret from the specialists until today. In front of ambassadors, the dean of FSI, CDO's, GSO's and his colleagues, he gave an amazing speech.

Note: He'd never mention his being selected to speak because he doesn't like to boast, but I'm very proud of him. You da bomb...baby!!!

There's a big celebration tonight at "Irelands Four Fields" an Irish pub in Cleveland Park. We're gearing up to have a fantastic evening...DC style.

Week 2 in DC

Since my last posting, I've been to China Town, 3 Smithsonian's (National, Modern Art and Natural History Museums) and my all time favorite the Washington National Cathedral. I love the cathedral because of the Gothic-style architecture, and how it functions as a house of worship for all faiths.

Note: The best things in DC are free, including entrance to most museums, the Smithsonian National Zoo, tours of monuments and memorials, and my all time favorite place, the National Cathedral.


I've spent time with friends who live in the area as well as hung out with new friends I have met at Oakwoods. I've even found a wonderful veterinarian because Dante contracted a very bad yeast infection (poor baby). "Flag Day" is next Tuesday, so I've also been exploring the different neighborhoods just in case we are posted in DC.

Everyday is a new day, and my emotions constantly fluctuate. I realize my life will drastically change soon. For over 15 years, Billy and I have always spent every waking moment together. We are not only husband and wife, but best friends, and we enjoy each others company. He has a lengthy year of training and will be traveling a lot. I am excited about this new journey, but I realize it will be an adjustment for the both of us. I've always been very independent, but now more than ever, a side from Billy's support, I welcome the support of my friends and family.

Old Town Alexandria

Today, I got in my car and decided to go tour Old Town Alexandria. The weather was perfect; 66 and not a cloud in the sky. When I arrived in Old Town it reminded me of King Street in Charleston, or La Jolla in California. For the Virginians, it's their version of Georgetown. There are blocks and blocks of elegant, tree lined streets, historic houses, boutiques, spas, art galleries, pastry shops, restaurants, hotels and cafes. I love sweets, so I was excited to see several French pastry/coffee and chocolate shops. During the remainder of my stay, I will definitely make a few more trips to Old Town Alexandria.

The Bid List

The available posts are: DC, NYC, Chicago, Miami, Houston, LA.
We have 2-days to decide the order of our bid list (favorite-least favorite city). At the end of orientation (2.5 weeks) we'll know during "Flag Day" where our first post will be. "Flag Day" is when the specialists are given the flag of where he/she will be posted. We're hoping for Washington DC, Los Angeles or New York City. Keep your fingers crossed!

Spouse/Partner Orientation at FSI

The Foreign Service (FS) Specialist Spouse/Partner Orientation was held yesterday from 8-5 pm. Billy and I woke up early and decided to take the shuttle from the apartment to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI). Before arriving my image of FSI was a 3-5 story brick building, but boy was I wrong. It's a huge training campus with several buildings, library, cafeteria, visitor and child care center. This is truly a college campus for the Foreign Service Agents as well as for other agencies who have a need for knowledge of foreign languages, cultures, or international affairs.

"FSI offers both online and traditional classroom sessions to the Department of State and to employees from over 60 other government entities in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government. FSI provides both mentored and self-paced distance learning products developed by FSI." USALearning Webpage

We arrived at the Visitor Center and there was a "Welcome" get together for the specialists and their spouses/partners. After socializing and sipping coffee for 30mins, the spouses/partners were escorted to the classroom. I knew we were off to a good start when the FSI Transition Center Coordinator introduced herself and said, "what I first would like you to do is breatheeeee". I took comfort in knowing that she understood how overwhelmed and anxious we are to begin this new chapter of our lives.

Through out the day several senior specialists spoke to our class. A few of the specialists were women who had started out as a Foreign Service Spouse (FSS) and now are FSO's, which made it even more interesting and insightful. A list of acronyms (which I'm slowly memorizing) were handed out, power point presentations, and casual talks about living overseas, service for family members, the ups and downs of diplomatic life as well as breaks and an hour lunch consumed our day.

At the end of the day, I walked away very impressed on how the Foreign Service includes the spouse/partner, and how they go out of their way to make this new "lifestyle" transition as smooth as possible for us.

"Meet and Greet"

Lots of socializing today. "Sunday Brunch" for all the specialists and spouses/partners staying at our apartment complex. We then headed to "Eden Center" a premier Asian center containing approximately 120 stores and is located right behind our apartment complex. This place is fantastic...besides all the stores there are many places to eat. We went with another agent and his wife, who are Korean. They just returned from a vacation in Vietnam, so it was perfect. We ate at a "hole in the wall" restaurant, where none of the wait staff spoke a lick of English. Communication on our part was done non-verbally just with hand gestures and pointing. Man the food was good and fresh, fresh, fresh! Who knew we would be in little Saigon in Falls Church, VA?

For dinner, we went to a "Meet and Greet" at Rock Bottom Cafe in Balston, Va. The energy in that room was so positive. Specialists, spouses, kids, and dogs (ha,ha) had been waiting for so long for this day to arrive, and it's finally here. Each and everyone of the FSO's as well as the spouses/partners have a unique story and come from different backgrounds, but we now are, all in the same boat working together for the same purpose.

Oakwood Apartments

The drive from South Carolina was a breeze until we hit DC traffic on Saturday. What's up with that??? It's Saturday people! It took us 30-45 mins from the I-95 exit to drive 7 miles to our apartment complex. I feel a little out of my element and slightly overwhelmed. DC is a big city and we've been sheltered from the "big city" lifestyle for over 10 years. Poor Dante hasn't seen so many cars in his life. He keeps pacing back and forth and watching our every move. The complex placed us on the 6th floor, so we can't just walk outside and let Dante go pee. We have to walk down a long hallway, enter the elevator, through the lobby, pass the parking lot before we see a small patch of grass. This morning at 7 am Dante wakes me up, I drag myself out of bed, change, begin the process of getting him to that little patch of grass, enter the lobby, open the door, and it's raining. Of course, I had no umbrella. We walked for a brief 1-2 min span, and back into the building we went. Not so fun...but definitely insightful because after 1 day of this, I realize wherever we get posted apartment living may not be an option.

A New Beginning

At first, the thought of having my own blog seemed silly and pretentious, but then again not everyone is married to some one in the foreign service, and will be relocating to different parts of the world every 2 years. So, why not share with our friends and family the new experiences and adventures we are about to embark on?
Our journey into the Federal Government starts Friday, March 12th when we drive to Washington DC for my husband's 3 weeks of orientation which begins Monday, March 15th. Billy, has worked all of his life to get to this position and I am very proud of his perseverance. 2010 will be an intense year of training for him. For me, it's an exciting time to accompany my best friend and husband in this new chapter of our lives.