Writing and Reuniting

Earlier today, I tried to sum up my home leave in one sentence for a colleague at FSI and found I couldn't do it. Mainly because words can't describe how nice it was to come back to the US and spend time with family. While I was traveling through Hawaii and Arizona, I took notes and wrote blog entries that I haven't published yet. They're rough and unfinished and have been preventing me from writing in here more often. I let the chronology get to me for fear of going back to edit posts, but tonight I really felt like writing.

I want to take a moment to write how happy I am. Life is grand at the moment and things couldn't be going smoother. This weekend, I transitioned from Philadelphia down to Arlington, VA to my new residence in downtown Rosslyn. First of all, let me tell you how stoked I am about that. All the worries melt away when you simply check in at the front desk and move into a fully-furnished apartment, just minutes from convenient groceries, restaurants, and public transportation. Not only that, but a free 10-minute shuttle to work? Yes, please. 

The shift back to being a student was a bit of a windfall, primarily because I am so looking forward to starting Italian language courses but they don't start until the end of February. Until then, I am taking two- and three-day courses on topics like Excel, SharePoint, Coaching, Diversity Training, and of course: Covey's 7 Habits of Effective People. Reminds me of Villanova all over again! Useful courses but not the most thrilling of dialogue. In any case, walking the halls of FSI has been a blast, running into old friends from orientation and a few from China as well. Soon, I will have three colleagues from Shenyang with me in training, a real treasure to reunite with them in a better setting.

Upon reflection, I really lucked out. Two fabulous years in a hardship post that could have been difficult. Times were tough occasionally, but everyone I met and everything I did was so fantastic that it completely overcompensated for the hardships. I'm really thankful to have had the opportunity for such a great first tour experience. Looking forward, I am excited for all of the great opportunities that are still coming my way. Hopefully I'll check in again as classes continue to progress. Thanks for reading!