Packout and China Familiarity

Sitting here in my empty apartment and it is finally sinking in. I'm leaving Shenyang forever. The time has come to say goodbye and I have to say that I don't feel ready. Two years went by so fast; within a blink and it was gone. It seems like just yesterday that I arrived all fresh-faced and eager to start. But when I sit and think about it, the waves of memories come rushing back. It has been a great tour here, and the people certainly are the best thing about this post.

Packing out this time was much easier than my first experience almost two and half years ago. Now I know what I need to have with me when I am at FSI and what I can say goodbye to for another eight months until I get to Rome. Thankfully, I underestimated the size of my UAB (unaccompanied air baggage) and was pleasantly surprised when the packer coordinator asked if I wanted to add anything else, since I had about 100lbs more. Yes, please! I'll add some more baking supplies, shoes and clothes! The rest of everything else is non-essential, like my books and decorations. I shipped the leftovers of my consumables via HHE (house-hold effects) since in Rosslyn I'll be able to get anything I want at the local stores.

All in all, 37 boxes later, I felt a wave of relief. There's nothing like saying goodbye to ALL OF YOUR STUFF and being as light as two suitcases and a backpack. I'll probably also ship some personal boxes by mail with my spices and my winter coat, since although I won't need a coat in Hawaii, I will need one when I get back to Philadelphia later in December. The packout process also allowed me to pair down a good deal of junk. I donated a few bags of clothes to the consulate staff as well as about 25 pairs of shoes (about 1/3 of my shoe collection). Some things should have been given away before I left for Shenyang, but ended up collecting two years of dust instead. Thankfully, now much of the excess has been given to others who could use it.

Pulling out clothes and packing my suitcase for three climates was slightly tricky, given that I will be in hot, tropical weather in Hawaii, cool and windy weather in Phoenix, and then cold and wintry mix in Philadelphia. But amazingly I did it! Only packed about 12 pairs of shoes, so that's actually not too bad. ;)

Leaving China hasn't really sunk in yet either. I've spent almost my entire educational life and most of my career focused on this country, so transitioning to an Italian mindset will be a challenge. I've talked with other officers who also come from an Asian-studies background and they agree. After a tour in China, being comfortable with the culture and language and history, moving to a new country, climate and locale can be intimidating. But also refreshing for a lifetime student like myself. I'm kind of nerding out about the idea of going back to school full time to study a language. What other career can you get paid for studying Italian as part of your job (and then go live in Italy)? Not many...

As the days tick down, I have a few more things to do: final going-out night in Shenyang, Chinese food tour around town, and an intimate farewell Thanksgiving with friends. I'm looking forward to all of it and catching up with people before I head out. On the horizon after that?? Sunrises, sunsets, and scenery in paradise....

Cambodia: Phnom Penh (Day 1)

Itinerary

• Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• Magnolia Restaurant (Khmer-Vietnamese food)
• Phsar Thmei - Central Market
• Frangipani Royal Palace Hotel
• Taqueria Corona (Mexican food)
• Riverside walk
• Blue Pumpkin (ice cream & bakery)
• Foreign Correspondents' Club

I woke up to the beautiful sound of birds. You don't hear chirping birds (or any wildlife, for that matter) in China. How refreshing. 

My morning run took me by the Royal Palace, where locals exercised outside the main gate or fed the morning pigeons. Typical Asian elements were there, like choreographed dancing to canned music, fresh fruit stands, people on their motorbikes heading to work. The route went around Koh Pich Island, a desolate Atlantic City-esque place that aims to be a center of luxury but in the daytime is a little sad. Across the Mekong River, you can see high rises that remind me of China's landscape. Perhaps they're built by Chinese real estate tycoons? Nevertheless, it was still nice to get out and stretch my legs after the flight.

Aside from the glorious temples of Cambodia located in Siem Reap, Cambodia has a dark history and is known for the Khmer Rouge regime and Pol Pot. In my opinion, a trip to Cambodia and Phnom Penh wouldn't be complete without a trip to the genocidal killing fields, at least to acknowledge this country's more recent grim history and pay respect to those that lost their lives. So the Choeung Ek Killing Fields site was my first stop of the day, located about 45 minutes via tuk-tuk outside of the city. 

Remembrance Bracelets at the Killing Fields

No two genocides are the "same" but the feeling I had at the Killing Fields is the same I had when I visited the Dachau Concentration Camp. When given a belief to hide behind, people are capable of inhuman things. The difference for Cambodia is that, to my knowledge, it's one of the few genocides where the regime attacked its own people. In any case, the site is well preserved, and the $2 audio
guide was very well made, I totally recommend it. Full of history and insight, the guide provided a narrative to the sights. Listening to a still-alive survivor of the 1978 events while standing beside a mass grave once filled with over 450 innocent bodies is very moving. This atrocity happened only 30 years ago, give or take, so the history for some is very much alive today. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn more about it from a first-hand perspective.

The Tuol Sleng facility is where the victims of the killing fields were first sent after they were arrested, to be tortured, interrogated, and held captive until they were transferred. An old school converted into the Security Prison 21 (S-21), Tuol Sleng's halls and cells are now bare except for barbed wire and metal beds with shackles. When Pol Pot's regime was finally overthrown, the resistance entered Tuol Sleng and freed the seven survivors, while photo-documenting those still chained to the beds who were not as fortunate. Large prints of these victims hang on the walls in the cells, left as they were in 1979. Haunting.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

::sigh:: After such a serious morning, I tried to lighten my afternoon at a local Khmer food restaurant for some authentic dishes (and delicious coffee), and then headed over to the art deco Central Market for some retail therapy. Like typical Asian markets, the wares were cheap and bargainable, and very varied (shoes, belts, bags, clothes, cosmetics, watches, jewelry, glasses, gifts, and oh yes, raw meat, live fish and flowers). I bought some scarves, postcards, and a pair of sandals. Heading back to the hotel after a long day, I thought about how much this country has rebounded after such a momentous past. 

I had dinner with A and his wife who both work here after a number of years serving in China. The Mexican restaurant we met at had some seriously delicious food and the conversations was great. Sharing China memories and comparisons to Cambodia made it easier for me to admire this country for its accomplishments and its charm. They gave me some insider recommendations for Phnom Penh and my onward trip to Siem Reap, and it was exciting to hear about their new lives settling in. It was a true pleasure to see them again in a new setting. Although I didn't really want to say goodbye, we parted ways after a tasty meal and will certainly stay in touch in the future given this small world. 

The evening ended up with a riverside walk along the Mekong, some delicious ice cream and petit madelines, and few local beers with some other expats at the FCC. Day 1, although heart-wrenching and slightly depressing, showed me just how beautiful, diverse, and impressive Cambodia truly is.

The view from the FCC

Home

I'm writing this from an airplane taking me back to Shenyang, not knowing which direction home is for me. For those of you who don't know, I recently went home to Pennsylvania to see my Poppop who is now in hospice care. I spent from Tuesday to Saturday back home and had the blessing of an opportunity to spend time with Poppop before I had to leave. Doctors have diagnosed him with stage four lung cancer and he has been having a hard time breathing. But throughout all of his pain, my Poppop has been a steady rock, ever faithful in his belief that he is headed Home. He is not afraid of the future because he knows what is waiting for him ahead. That kind of faith impresses and humbles me, teaching me that while life is precious, it is our belief in something greater that can help us through tough times.

Four full days with my family and friends was hardly "enough" but I cannot be greedy. One hour with Poppop was worth every minute and dollar spent traveling. When I was on the fence about coming home, it was my colleagues who told me stories of their loved ones' passing that helped me make the decision. Not everyone gets the opportunity to say goodbye (especially in the Foreign Service), and it's often only the funeral that one can make it home to be part of. For four full days, I am utterly grateful.

I left early Sunday morning, and I will get in to Shenyang late Monday night. I'm stuck here in the air in limbo, a middle place between two homes. No doubt Philadelphia will always be home to me, but in the two short years I've spent in the Foreign Service, Shenyang has become a second home as well. I've nested, learned the streets, spent winters and summers in this tiny/huge city of 8 million (in addition to the biggest factor of making tons of friends here). And soon I'll say goodbye to my present home in Shenyang, maybe forever, who knows. It's scary, but exciting, because the future is unknown but very much likely better than the present. It's up to me.

Though hardly equivalent in scale or life meaning, I like to think that my Poppop is also going to a future place, unknown but much better. He will enter heaven with the light of grace shining him forward, to meet his family living on the other side. There won't be any more pain or suffering. Although he won't be with us anymore in this familiar place, he will have a future of blessings and hopefully look over us as we continue our little treks in this big world.

I'm anxious about this period of time being incommunicado with my family. I wish I could be connected here but in the end, I know that whatever will be will be. Until next time, I sign off with the hope that my Poppop is sleeping a restful night with no pain, until he's ready to make his journey home.

In the early morning of Monday, September 23, Duard Glass, my Poppop, passed away. He was 80 years old.

Dear Poppop Glassie: I love you, forever. Thanks for the best birfday cards, lots of belly laughs, and being a great model of faith in my life. I'll miss you, but know that you're in a better place. Your Caroline

http://www.deckerfuneralhome.com/obituaries.asp?id=1075

Books, Books, Books

This is perfection to me.

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

"So many books, so little time." - Frank Zappa

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." - Marcus Cicero 

Before the BFF left post, she left her mark on our Consulate community in a big way. Not only on all of our hearts as a lovely person, a dear friend, and great leader, but also by establishing a healthy group of fellow book lovers. From what I've gathered, the Foreign Service is full of people who love to read. We spend a lot of our day reading (cables, memos, emails, news) that it would seem normal if all we wanted to do when we got home was anything BUT read. Yet, I think for many of us a good book can transport us somewhere else entirely (like our hometown, a familiar neighborhood, an adventure, a love story). At least for me, reading helps me cope with the feelings of homesickness, loneliness, the sense of being ungrounded, unsettled that occasionally come along with this career path. Reading also helps me learn about new cultures, future travel (and living) locations, and inspires me to continue my own adventures. I also love reading books suggested by other people: not only does it provide me with a glance at what's interesting to them, but it also shines light on what they think might be interesting to me. A great bonding tool for people to get to know one another.

Here in Shenyang, we've got two kinds of book clubs, both started by the BFF. The first book club I've ever participated in is comprised of other avid readers who work at the Consulate. We meet monthly to talk about a book we've picked amongst ourselves in advance. People originally submit their ideas for book club books, we present the list to everyone, tally a vote, and the top 5 or so become the next books to read for the coming months. Its a fairly democratic process, and I've often found myself voting for books that weren't the books I originally suggested. The book club has covered everything from War and Peace to Redshirts, 1Q84 and Cloud Atlas to Behind The Beautiful Forevers. The last book we read was The Book of Mormon Girl, by Joanna Brooks. As someone who knows very little about the world of Mormonism, I was very interested to read this one and hear from a few book clubbers who are Mormon themselves. By far one of the most interesting (and largest) discussions we've ever had, the last meeting was a perfect example of why this club is great for getting to know our colleagues. I learned so much and the conversation was refreshing, eye-opening, and very instructive. September's book is The Astronauts Wives Club and then later in November (my last Shenyang book club! ::tear::) I'll be excited to read The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese (which is totally my pick, evident because of the cheese, nom).

The second book club is a bit different. The Public Affairs Section often holds Thursday Night lectures on topics of interest, hosted by officers from the Consulate. My colleagues have presented lectures on sports, American sports, music, coffee, American universities, and much more. The audience is local Chinese students and English-language learners who want to practice listening and speaking. From one of these lectures started a book club for Chinese students to come in and discuss a book with an American officer. Well, just yesterday I hosted one of these on the book Farenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. A controversial book even for some Americans, 451 talks about a dystopian society where firemen burn books instead of putting out flames. Books are banned because they make people envious of what they don't have (knowledge, power, money, rights). The government controls people through television and consumerism, and leaves little room for creativity and free thinking. Needless to say, in a country where censorship is dominant throughout the media, I was curious how the book would be received. The discussion was lively and all the readers had different thoughts about interpretation and implications of a book like this. The underlying tone seemed to be that Bradbury's tale is a cautionary one, and everyone seemed to agree that we as humans have a great responsibility with knowledge its power.

I'm curious to know what everyone is reading these days. Leave a comment below and tell me what I should read next!!

100 Days

People in the Foreign Service are planners. Before FS folk bid on a place, they research the post extensively, including everything from schools and driving to the availability of dish soap and kitty litter. We have an entire office dedicated to providing guidance and planning information for our transfers. Once at post, we work off of to-the-minute Outlook calendars and weekly countdown meetings, taskers and hourly schedules for incoming visitors. Especially in the OMS world, organization is the key and the MO of our daily lives. So with that knowledge, I present to you:

The Countdown Spreadsheet:

Someone waaaaay before me created this spreadsheet and I heard about it through the BFF when I got to post. Simply plug in your start and end date and the spreadsheet tells you how many months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds you have left in your tour. I can see this being potentially dangerous for people who have awful tours, but I only ever looked at this once or twice during my time here. Once at about the 1-year mark, and then more recently when I realized I was coming up on 100 days. Well folks: I have 100 days and counting left in Shenyang...

Honestly, it's gone by so fast. The comings and goings of people. The happenings of large events and parties. Trips and excursions and getting lost along the way. Shenyang 2011-2013 is 3.32 months from over for me and I can't believe it. True, I've had hard times and heartbreak that make November 2013 seem long in coming, but the absolutely great times, great memories, and great friends throughout have made it the best anyone could have expected out of a first tour. I wouldn't exchange it for the world!

Fourteen weeks is still a long time, and I am glad for it. I'm not ready to leave yet and I have some things to check off before I go. Some of them include:

• A road trip to Changbaishan, the glacier lake along North Korea's border (mid Sep)
• An adventure through Cambodia, to visit friends in Phonm Penh and tour Siem Reap and Angkor Wat (end Sep- early Oct)
• A Halloween pub crawl to leave my last mark on the bar scene in Shenyang (end Oct)
• A final visit to Beijing to get my last set of clothes made and bid farewell to the capital (mid Nov)
• A massive Thanksgiving party to rival last years' extravaganza (end Nov)

Plus, having just witnessed the crazy amount of farewell gatherings for my colleagues here in Shenyang, I can guess that the last two or three weeks will simply be PACKED full of dinners, lunches, and outings to say goodbye (in addition to the official duties like packing out my apartment and checking out of the office). 

In the meantime, I have really been enjoying looking on the bright side of life lately. R mentioned to me that perhaps it is the weight lifted from my shoulders of no longer worrying about saying goodbye. Instead of fretting to eek out precious moments here at post, I am actively making plans to reunite with the people who left in their new habitats. That excitement, in addition to the weekend's beautiful weather, has me feeling simply buoyant. I'd like to hold onto this summery glow of basking in the worry-free sun forever, but I know that just as autumn and winter will soon tumble down upon us, my impending departure date will also creep up faster than I can imagine.

Here's to 2,404 2,402 more wonderful hours in Shenyang!

The Help

Another Foreign Service blog I read just wrote about her new guilty pleasure: domestic help. I figured this would be a good opportunity to explain the situation here in China, which is similar in some ways and different than others.

Domestic help is fairly common in China, among expats and even some Chinese families. Often middle-aged women with families of their own, 阿姨 or "ayis" can be hired on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. There are some people here at the Consulate who have ayis take care of their young children while both spouses are at work. Most people employ at least one to help with the cleaning duties, and oftentimes one ayi will clean a number of peoples' apartments within the same building. In the Asian region, ayis and domestic help are popular to have. At some posts in southeast Asia, I have heard from other officers that you're almost obligated to hire help, and not only a maid but also a cook, gardener, and driver. Thankfully, here in China just one is enough.

When I first joined the Foreign Service, I heard stories of officers abusing their "privilege" abroad when hiring domestic help. Because labor in non-Western countries is often very cheap, one can easily hire domestic help to do a whole bunch of tasks from the regular cleaning duties, to childcare, to menial tasks like dry cleaning and groceries. So naturally I was skeptical when I came to Shenyang and everyone encouraged me to hire an ayi. As someone who grew up folding her own laundry, washing her own dishes, and cleaning her own apartment, I have always thought that I could do fairly well on my own. But...

After the second weekend of cleaning my behemoth of an apartment, I decided I was going to cave in and hire an ayi. I had spent all of Saturday and half of Sunday just dusting, mopping, and vacuuming. I have an unnecessary three bedroom and three bath apartment, with an office, pantry, kitchen, dining room and living room. To be honest, it's pretty excessive for one person. On a regular basis, I don't even go into the "west wing" of my apartment except to use the water distiller in the laundry room. Needless to say, if I wanted to have any free time on the weekends and also have a clean apartment, I realized I was going to have to hire some help.

I found my ayi through an officer who was departing post and hired her on a weekly basis. For the equivalent of $200/month, she comes twice a week for a few hours. Originally, it was just cleaning: dusting, mopping, vacuuming, and bathrooms. But she asked for more work, so I had her start doing the linens on the bed and washing my clothes. In any other situation, I would never let someone wash my clothes... but she insists and I can't complain. I pay for all of the cleaning supplies, and she tells me when we're running low so I can give her money to purchase more. I'm not normally one to make big meals, but when I do she helps to clean the big dishes that I've left overnight to soak. As my Chinese has improved, I chit chat regularly with my ayi to make sure she's happy and doesn't have any problems. When she has questions or needs to take off, it's never a problem for me since I can certainly adjust. There have been a couple times where she's shrunk some of my clothes or broken kitchen items, but all in all it's been a blessing.

As I type this out, I realize that I must sound like a princess to most of you. Really, I'm not a very high-maintenance person. The availability of help in China makes it a luxury that I know will end once I leave post. In DC and most likely in Rome, domestic help will be too expensive and I'll be back to doing my own laundry and scrubbing my own floors. But until then, I plan to bask in the glory of a clean apartment every Monday and Friday afternoon. It's a really nice feeling to come home to and I am also helping the local economy in a (small but convenient) way.

Photography through Carolyn's Lens

When I joined the Foreign Service, the only camera I owned was my iPhone, which is actually quite decent for capturing spur of the moment shots. However, when I traveled to cool new places like the Great Wall, Taipei, Burma, and New Zealand, an iPhone was not going to cut it. Earlier this year I bought my first "real" camera: a Canon EOS Rebel T3i. I had played around with a friend's T2i and really enjoyed the feel and ease. Most of my photographs from Taipei are from the T2i. I had also played around with my colleague's Nikon D90 a bit too. All of my Burma photographs (Yangon / Bagan) are from the D90. In my opinion, I found the Canon easier to adjust the settings and take stunning photographs that were effortless on my part.

Disclaimer: I am not a camera guru. I have never taken photography courses. I like to read the Instruction Manuals (yes, I am a nerd), and this is a great place to start for people who have never taken photographs with a DSLR camera that has manual settings. The Internet is also a helpful resource for anyone who is willing to read and watch other peoples' advice. That's basically what you're doing right now, ya know?

I encourage you to click on the photos for a larger view so you can see what I'm describing.

• Exposure: Think of exposure as the overall combination of three settings. To help myself remember what each one does, I liken the settings to the functions of my eye:
• Aperture - pupil & lens, shrinking and dilating to focus the light
• Shutter speed - lid, blinking slow or fast to take in more/less information
• ISO - retina, light-sensing film to take in more/less light
• Aperture: You're on the couch reading a book and suddenly someone comes in the door. As you look up, it takes a second for your eyes to adjust to the new distance. Just like in your eye, setting the aperture allows your camera lens to focus the light. It is measured in f-stop increments. An open aperture is a low number (f/2.8) that would blur the immediate foreground and background, setting the focus on the mid-ground, which is good for portraits. A small aperture is a high number (f/20) that would keep everything sharp from the foreground, mid-ground, and distance background, which can be good for landscapes. 

f/5 - blurred foreground and background with a sharp mid-ground 

f/18 - sharp at all points, even the mountains in the distance

• Shutter speed: Let's say if you're in a park, and you have your eyes shut and open them fast, take in info, and then shut them, you get a pretty good idea of what's going on. You might remember someone mid-stance, a ball in mid-air, a bird flying by. That would be a high shutter speed, maybe 1/1000 of a second. In that picture, you would have frozen the action. If you open your eyes, and maybe even turn your head, you get more information and see the movement. That would be a slow shutter speed, maybe 1 whole second, 1/6 of a second. In that picture, you see water moving, and blurred images of people walking by.

1/1000 of a second - caught the wave, and all the spray 

1/3 of a second - blurred to show movement

• ISO: You're walking in from a brightly-light parking lot and you notice right away how dark it is inside the restaurant where you're meeting someone for a romantic dinner. Just as your pupil adjusted earlier to the light to focus it, your retina will also sense you're in a dark room and take in more light so you can see your meal. When your environment is bright, you want a low ISO number, around 200 or 400, to avoid overexposure. When the environment is dark, you should allow for more light sensitivity, about 1600 or higher, to capture as much information as possible. Unfortunately, when it's too dark and a 3200 ISO cannot capture anything, your image will be grainy and blah.

ISO 100 - A lot of natural light from the window at the back

ISO 3200 - This was taken in pitch black darkness without a tripod with a 6 second shutter speed. The slow shutter speed plus no tripod makes it super blurry. I shot this in RAW format to get the highest amount of information so I could take it into Photoshop and potentially edit it. This is the un-edited version. PS: this is the Milky Way :)

• To help you keep track of all of this, most DSLRs have a general exposure meter that runs from -3 -- 0 -- +3, with 0 being the optimal exposure, -3 being underexposed, and +3 being overexposed. All of this is personal preference, so you can be perfectly happy with an overexposed photo if that's what you're going for. 
• Lens & focal length: Your first setting here is your distance to the subject, which is changed by... well, YOU! To help you get virtually closer, you can use a zoom lens to change the focal length. My DSLR kit came with a moderate lens that ranges from 18-55mm with a max aperture f/3.5-5.6. I use this for most of my shots. I also got a telephoto zoom lens that ranges from 55-250mm with a max aperture f/4-5.6. This is good for super zooms and still captures fine detail. Canon does a great job at explaining what the different lenses do on their website: http://www.canonlenses.ca/ Just drag and drop the different lenses into the compare feature and you can see the difference. Lots of fun.

18mm - Taken with a 18-55mm lens, at the lowest zoom
ISO 400, 18mm, f/14, 1/500

55mm - Taken with a 55-250mm lens, at the lowest zoom
ISO 400, 55mm, f/11, 1/800 

109mm - Taken with a 55-250mm lens at mid-zoom
ISO 400, 109mm, f/11, 1/800

• Focus: With cameras these days, auto focus is awesome. For the most part, I let the camera do the work once I've found what to focus on. On my Canon, if you press the shutter button down half-way, the camera will select the focus based on how I've composed the shot. If I want the picture to focus on another object in the frame, I move the camera so the object is in the center, push the button down half-way to focus, and then reframe the shot by moving the object to where I want it to be. For example, in the shot on the left below, the camera had originally auto-focused on the mountains and I didn't know until I took the shot that the foreground would be so dark. In the second shot on the right, I had refocused on one of the cows in the foreground and then moved the camera so they were in the right side of the picture. You can see that both are pretty shots, but for different reasons. 

Original focus: the mountains in the distance.
The camera realized that it needed to shadow the foreground to capture the light and detail from the background.
ISO 100, 65mm, f/10, 1/320

Refocused: the hill and cows in the foreground.
I lost detail in the mountains by focusing on the cows, but the camera is able to make both visible.
ISO 100, 65mm, f/7.1, 1/160

This is certainly not an exclusive tutorial for photography, by any means at all. But for those of you who have asked me about my camera and my photos, here's an insight in how to get started taking the same kind of pictures! I have found the best way to get good shots is to take a lot of them, and then be very critical of yourself... keep changing settings and perspective until you get the shot you want. Branch out of Auto mode and dive into Manual, or Av (aperture-priority) or Tv (shutter-priority) to have some assistance in choosing the right settings. Read your manual and learn the camera menus so you get faster at changing settings on the fly. Bring your camera with you when you go, because you'll never get "that shot" if you don't have your camera. Charge your batteries and bring an extra memory card, because you never want to have to delete a photo you haven't seen on the computer screen. And take some time to compose the shot!

Happy snapping!

Reading the Signs

When I started studying Chinese in college, I found the written language supremely fascinating. With no alphabet building blocks and no instructions on how to pronounce a word if you didn't already know it, written Chinese can be quite intimidating. Most characters have multiple components that should be written in a specific order, top to bottom, left to right, outside to inside. The components might give you a clue about what that word meant, but it could be as vague as "three dots water" to indicate a word has something to do with liquid (i.e. 海 means sea). Combine two generic characters that mean something on their own to make a completely different word (i.e. 口水 or "mouth + water" means saliva, or 水手 "water + hand" means sailor).

As I continued learning the language, I focused hard core on learning as many characters as I could, meticulously focusing on writing them, filling notebooks with hundreds of characters. My professor warned me early on that I was on the track to becoming mute: someone who could read and write but not speak. He was right. I was less interested in speaking; I had difficulty hearing the tones and translating to respond quick enough. Granted, our language lab classes were based on rote repetitions and memorizing silly dialogues. I could write an essay no problem, but ask me to come up with the essay on the fly and I was lost. Grammar was easy enough (there basically isn't much) but the memorization of the pronunciation got me cold. pinyin is based on 21 possible starting letters, and 39 possible endings, making some 411 possible pronunciations of words in the entire language. Add to that the four tones, with some words having the same exact tone and pronunciation, and you've just gotta know by context which one is right. The possibilities become almost endless, in my opinion.

Needless to say, I have the utmost respect for people who have a grasp of the spoken Chinese language. It is no easy feat to become fluent. I spent 4 years studying in college, and one summer semester in Beijing, but it is merely a drop in the bucket on the path to becoming fluent. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, I hadn't studied Chinese in 2 years, and the amount of mental bulimia was huge. My character knowledge had gone out the window and goodness my tones were as awful as they ever were. But, within a few months on board, I was on a plane back to China to live and work in a city that had little to no English. Brushing off those textbooks and starting to get back into the study mode, I was prepared to a bite of humble pie while my language got back to a point where I could communicate and get around.

Thankfully, my knowledge of Chinese characters helped me greatly in feeling comfortable getting around town. I could read general ingredients in menus, I could recognize street signs, I could feel comfortable shopping. I took this picture at an common intersection in downtown:

There's no English here. But I know what all the signs say for the most part, there's a grocery store, a motel, a hospital that specializes in... ahem... colonoscopies, etc. I can read the street signs, and generally have an easy time figuring things out if I don't know how to say them. I'm okay with instructing directions, ordering food, daily basic conversation. My listening comprehension has gotten worlds better since moving here full time. But ask me to talk about migrant worker issues or nuclear non-proliferation and you're not getting a word from me.

On a different note, one of the things I notice immediately when I fly back home to the US is that I can read, hear, speak almost anything, and comprehend completely. It's a great feeling to not have to worry about misunderstanding something. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that.

To get a head start on my next language, and to be more prepared for full immersion than I was when I came to China, I started self-studying Italian. Getting back onto the grammar bus has been challenging, but also fun (notecards, check!). I enjoy being a student (actually, I absolutely love school) so I'm also looking forward to going back to FSI and starting language training full time. The inner (and possibly outer) nerd in me can't wait to be back in study mode. And who knows? Maybe my brain is better organized for a Western, romance language than an Eastern character-based language. Here's hoping!

Et cetera - "On the meaning of home, the joy of traveling and the serenity of standing still"

In continuation of my earlier discussion about home leave, I want you to watch this TEDtalk video of Pico Iyer. Pico Iyer is a well-known author who writes about travel and culture and has himself traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the world as a man from many backgrounds. As a foreign service person, I can relate to his sentimets in this video about what home is. Many times I've thought while traveling, "Ah, this is nice, but I can't wait to be home (in my apartment)." And then there's times where I'm in my apartment in Shenyang and I go, "I miss home (Philadelphia)." And of course, there is always the feeling I get when I've been in one place for so long that I get an itchy sensation in my body to travel again, move places, and experience new things. The state of learning and exploring is also a kind of "home" for me, too.

Who knows where this wanderlust came from, but one thing remains the same: I find that the people in my life and the memories I have with them are ultimately what I call home, and those memories are kept and treasured deep inside of me.

Enjoy!

“It’s only by stopping the movement that you can see where to go. And it’s only by stepping out of your life and the world that you can see what you most deeply care about, and find a home.”

…

“Movement is a fantastic privilege and it allows us to do so much that our grandparents could never have dreamed of doing. But movement, ultimately, only has a meaning if you have a home to go back to. And home, in the end, is of course, not just a place where you sleep. It is the place where you stand.”

Summer in Shenyang and Some 'Merica Lovin'

The city of Shenyang has two major seasons: summer and winter. Most people reading into Shenyang hear a lot about the harsh winter, which lasts about 6-7 months from late October to mid April. You can look back into the archives to hear me go on about the climate during that season, but I can sum it up in one word: frigid. Spring is short, about 6 weeks in May-June, and the weather pleasantly surprises us all, especially after being frozen for so long. I missed part of it this year when I was on R&R, so it seemed even shorter for me.

Compared to the rest of China, summer in Shenyang is mild. Unlike the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shanghai that experience heavy bouts of rain and the oppressive heat & humidity, Shenyang stays fairly dry except for the intermittent thunderstorm. Even Beijing experiences temperatures in the mid-90s and exceptionally high humidity. Out of all the Chinese cities I've visited in the summer, I prefer Shenyang's climate to all of them. I often say that we see more blue-sky days here than any other city in the country (which is not to say we don't see our fair share of smoggy days, but they are interspersed with clear days more often).

The Consulate gets pretty busy during the summertime, having come unfrozen after the deep dark winter. We get more official visitors, more visa applicants, and a slew of incoming/outgoing officers. The turnover is palpable. It's also a season of events, with the annual Independence Day Celebration and this year, the upcoming Liaoning Games (China's own version of the Olympics). Needless to say, in the midst of preparation, hails and farewells, I've been busy.

America the Beautiful
Photo credit: C. Stein 2013

The July 4th Event planning starts very early, back in March, with theme-choosing, vendor solicitation, and invite-sending. Thankfully, we have a lot of hands-on officers who help coordinate different tasks. By the day of the event, almost everyone at the Consulate has contributed to the party in some way. And it truly showed this year -- we had a fabulous event.

We held the party at a recently-opened luxury hotel in Shenyang, and every element was coordinated down to the finest detail. From the food and flowers to the tourism vendors, an extreme amount of attention was paid to perfection. And as one would expect, the result was an event that went off without a hitch. Having experienced two July 4th parties in my tour here, I can say that we took all the lessons learned from last year's party and improved greatly on the outcome. If anything, I hope that we set the bar for next year's pretty high.

Incredible food spreads & flowers
Photo credit: C. Stein 2013

In addition to the official party held by the Consulate (for official contacts), the local AmCham branch held a party down in Dalian for Americans, expats, and local Chinese involved in the AmCham community. A group of us from the Consulate headed down for a night by train to attend. Although there was a good amount of travel involved for just a one-day event, I felt refreshed after heading down there. I felt the same feeling at the family party held by one of the Consulate families in the suburbs. For a few hours, we felt like we weren't in China. We were among other Americans, listening to a live American music, enjoying fresh clean air, and eating hearty American food with our friends. To end the both nights, there were even fireworks. I echo others in saying that this brought a tear to my eye.

Fireworks in Dalian
(iPhone)

I'm normally pretty sentimental about patriotic things, but this specific moment, watching fireworks and celebrating July 4th in China, was super important to me. For some background, last year, I was blessed to be able to spend July 4th with my family at home in the USA. I had the chance to watch amazing fireworks not once, but twice! First with my mom and stepdad at the Midway Fire Station in Doylestown, PA and then again with my dad, sister, brother-in-law, and extended family down at Ocean City, NJ. The whole experience of coming home after a year abroad was emotional, but being back on our nation's holiday as an employee of the US government, that filled me with a sense of pride that I hadn't experienced before.

On a daily basis, I don't actively think of myself as a representative of America abroad. I live my life as I wish, with a subtle subconscious reminder that I am a government employee. Yes, it's obvious to just about everyone in this city that I am not local. They don't know that I'm an American, though. I could just as easily be French, Canadian, German, or Russian. But when I was in America for July 4th last year, I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs: "I AM AN AMERICAN! I LOVE MY COUNTRY!" Whether it was the sense of freedom and liberty I was feeling, or the fact that I could walk into Walmart and choose from 25 different kinds of pasta sauce, I knew I loved the US.

My love of country amplified a hundred times being outside of America for its birthday. Americans can easily forget how great their country is when they live there. The convenience of everything. We truly are lucky as Americans to have what we have and access to so much more (information, goods, opportunity, you name it). I am so thankful to have the chance to come home every two years to "repatriate" and immerse myself in the good ol' American culture. During the time at home, I think we (as Foreign Service folk) come to realize how proud we are of the US and it helps us recommit to our mission to represent/protect this great country abroad. It also gives us a chance to realize what is truly important to us in life, whether it's family, friends, fresh air, or freedom.

So here's to you, America. Happy 237th. You're one classy broad.

Happy Birthday, America
from Cabby

Australia: Sydney

Iconic.

Breathtaking.

Memorable.

When you ask someone what they think of when you think of the city of Sydney, 9 times out of 10 they're going to mention the Opera House. There's no doubt why: its the focal point of the city and harbour. Understandably so, it's absolutely gorgeous. I met up with M, a colleague from The Embassy, and we explored every facet of the Opera House on a behind the scenes tour. Highly encouraged; also, we had the luck to tour it while the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra was rehearsing Camille Saint-Saëns' "Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony)" One of my favorites. My ears were in bliss. The natural acoustics of the amphitheater require no artificial projection. It's truly a masterpiece and showcases the music in all it's glory. Another highlight of my (too-short) time in Sydney was the bridge-climb. M looked this one up and so glad she did. The three-hour tour included us donning jumpsuits sans accessories (no watches, bracelets, cameras, or anything that could fall off) and climbing through the inner structure of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, all the way to the top. The panoramic views of the skyline, harbour, and opera house were breathtaking. It's moments like the one we had on the top of the bridge when I realize how lucky I am to be in the Foreign Service. I'd never get this experience otherwise. Certainly such a realization required celebration, so we headed to The Rocks area for a bite to eat and some liquid nourishment. My only wish for Sydney was that I had longer to spend there. 

Great Wall Marathon 2013

Beijing at 3:00am still swarms with taxis, shuttling rowdy expats from bars in Sanlitun home to their apartments in the Guluo hutongs. So I didn't worry about finding a taxi at 2:50am, when the BFF and two more of my colleagues joined me on the way to the Beijing International Business Hotel. I had brought them with me on my second journey to the Huangyaguan section of the Great Wall. Whether I had accurately advertised running the Great Wall Marathon to them or swindled them into signing up for a crazy, difficult race was yet to be determined. But when we arrived at the hotel to meet the buses, my group of faithful followers was in high spirits and excited to get started. Seven joined me on the bus, while the CG and his wife met us at the start of the race. All together, Team Shenyang was made of NINE intrepid runners who would all face the Wall and its 5,164 steps of history.

The marathon weekend had started the day prior, when a group of us departed the 'Yang by train and made our way to Beijing. Thanks to the BFF's incredible amount of hotel points, I shared a room with her at the Crowne Plaza Chaoyang U-Town. To whittle away the time before we had to head to an early bed (given the early start!), we made our way over to Sanlitun to shop and eat. We stopped at the Bookworm, a real book store, to quench our thirst for the written word in physical form. Watching the two of them at home among the many pages was like watching two kids come home to the welcoming arms of their parents. Nothing is more normal than those two enjoying a good book. So glad we got to stop there. After a tasty Persian meal at Rumi, we caught the Metro home and made our way to bed.

So there we were, riding the early morning bus to the base of the Great Wall in heightened anticipation of what's to come. I was feeling very nervous. I felt I hadn't prepared enough this time around. Last year, I had gotten to about 11-12 miles in my long training runs. I had logged significantly more miles in total, as well. This year, I had been focusing much more on strength training, with a concerted effort to improve my leg strength and glute strength. My mileage was much lower and I had fewer opportunities to get outside due to both a busier schedule and poorer air quality. With all that on my mind (plus the stress of hoping everyone was having a good time), I didn't really notice that all of a sudden I was at the start line and we were running.

The course is difficult. The first 3km are uphill, along the mountain access road that leads to the Great Wall parking lot and entrance. Very early on, I lost A among the faster runners. "Godspeed and good luck!" I called out to him as he passed me out of the entryway. As I climbed the hill, I felt a difference from last year. This wasn't so tough, these hills seemed steeper last year. Sooner rather than later, I got to the top of the hill and made my way to the Wall. The next 3km are up and down the steps of the Wall. After the heavy incline, the steps actually helped loosen my calves. Now it was my quads and glutes on fire. Jog jog jog, and wait; jog jog jog, and wait. That's the tempo on the wall because of the bottlenecks. It's not a particularly wide section of the wall, so people are forced to take their time down the stairs as they come. But eventually I rounded the final corner of the wall and saw the Yin Yang Square below me. Halfway there, I thought, and I don't event feel tired?! This feels great!

By the time I made my way through the Square and onward to the village, I had found my true running stride and I was truckin'. The asphalt road to the village has an ever so slight downgrade, so I let the wind push me and gravity pull me through to the village entrance. Right around the time I was stopping at drink station 9 to get my snacks, I saw A coming toward me, having just finished the village himself. "Almost there!" Seeing him come through that connection gave me inspiration to keep going, along with the realization I knew my legs were solid. I had such better muscle strength than this time last year. I remember the agony of running the back stretch and feeling the strain in my legs and knees as I struggled to finish. This year, I kept a steady pace, cruised to my music, and just let my feet go. And go they did!

Finishing 17 minutes faster than last year, I made it through the finish line with more energy, more strength, and more emotion than last year. What a great feeling! And guess who was there to see me cross? Everyone who had finished already from my group! A cheering squad of colleagues and a round of hugs. Nothing could have been better.

I want to take a minute to thank everyone who came to participate in Team Shenyang this year. Your finishing stories were amazing to hear and I'm so happy to have been able to share this wonderful experience with you. I'm proud that you were able to trust me and believe in yourselves that you could do it too! The Great Wall Marathon is now ours and for once, when we say "Shenyang wins again!" we really did win!! Bravo!

Oh, it's nothing special. Just my heart.

Foreign service life can be tough.

Aside from all the obvious stresses of living away from "home," family, and friends in an environment that is not your native land, there are some very personal stresses that come along with FS life.

Shenyang is my first tour and I haven't really experienced a full transfer season yet. Last summer cycle, I was home in Philadelphia on my first R&R and didn't have to witness the teary good-byes of the departing officers. Now, after a year and half at post, people who have become the foundation of my daily life are planning to leave. And it is truly leaving me sad.

I know that the Foreign Service is the right decision for me. The work, the life, the travel, the extraordinary people. But this having your best friends leave as soon as you get close to them thing is something I'm never going to get used to. I suppose if I got used to it, I would be emotionless, and that would be a bad thing. However, as I'm coming to realize day by day, I am feeling the pain of loss quite deeply.

My coworkers in Shenyang are more than just people I see in the office. They are my friends, there to share wonderful memories with. They are my floor mates, there to hang out and play MarioKart with. They are my dinner companions, to cook, drink, and laugh with over good food. They are my travel buddies, exploring the world with me one visa stamp at a time. They are my confidants, to lend an ear when I'm filled with questions. They are my mentors, providing sage advice to a newbie with a black passport. They have become an indispensable part of my being. And especially of my being happy.

The community at the Consulate is small, and therefore it lends itself to these homegrown, genuine relationships building out of necessity. The cold, long winter inspires people to be creative in finding fun, and over time our people have grown very close. I have heard other FS officers mention that you can never beat your first post. I say, amen to that. I can't imagine that I could make such great friends at every post I travel to. And if I do, then this saying goodbye thing is going to get old. Real fast.

David Does Shenyang! Day 2: "A Perspective"

Shenyang: In a word ~ busy, colorful, cold, snowy, bustling, open and friendly.

Following a very long flight from Detroit to Beijing and then to Shenyang, Deb and I were at the baggage claim carousel merely looking to grab our stuff and head out to the wilds of Shenyang.
Instantly, it all became more than worthwhile when we saw beautiful Ca, a big bouquet of flowers and an even bigger smile welcoming us to Shenyang.  Tears, laughter, hugs, kisses and smiles ensued.

We were carried away to her home at The Somerset. Following more tears, laughter, hugs and kisses, we settled in for a well-deserved coma at her lovely apartment.

Easter Sunday morning greeted us with snow.  Perhaps a more accurate description would be slush, followed by puddles. Undaunted, we went for shopping, snacking, exploring and getting a feel for the city.  Larger than one would imagine. Much.  It's a city certainly "under construction" with cranes and new buildings at every turn.  Ca explains that some of it is due to China's Olympic games held here later this summer. Other 20+ story buildings are what we'd all call "spec."  Great looking, full-service, modern places, all looking for tenants.  My guess is that it's a case of "If you build it, they will come."

The folks in Shenyang are very open, pleasant, helpful and friendly.  Ca's command of Chinese, however, was essential throughout our sightseeing, food ordering and getting around.

We had dinner with no less than a dozen State co-workers last night.  It could best be described as Sichuan ~ again, lots of great food shared by all.  Spicy, varied and delicious.  Great company of friends.

We lunched today at (believe it or not) at a Korean shop that Ca had recommended highly ~ even before we left for China. Korean bibimbap is an absolutely delicious culinary treasure. Simultaneously simple and complex, it's a combination of vegetables, bean sprouts, carrots and many other ingredients placed over rice in a HOT ceramic pot and an egg is cracked over the concoction.  The heat of the food and the pot itself cook the egg which is then mixed into other the yummy ingredients. Comfort food extraordinaire!

Our visit to the U. S. Consulate today will surely be remembered as a highlight of the trip that we're only half-way through.  We met privately with the Consul General and were then introduced to most of the staff. We're certainly proud of Ca; she and her co-workers do good things.

Deb and I went out afterward, locally, to explore on our own and had a very nice eight-story department store in mind ~ perhaps a city block away.  Who knew the store we actually wanted was right next door to the store we entered?  A half hour of looking for an exit and finding the entrance with very few English signs and international symbols, we found our way into the right store.  Here too, very friendly, helpful folks assisting two clearly lost window-shoppers were nearly everywhere.

A KFC across the street beckoned Deb and I (believe it or not).  They had coffee, fries and best of all, pictures of food! Lots of nodding, smiling, and charade-like movements, and we were happily back at Ca's who (typically polite) was very understanding of our "adventures in misadventures" this evening.

Back tonight for a delicious hot shower and (no doubt) another excellent and well-earned coma. Photos of all of the above ~ and then some ~ are sure to follow.

Mom Does Shenyang! Day 1:

Written by Mom:

What is your first impression of Shenyang?

Wow...when you leave the airport in Shenyang, it feels slightly like a war zone.  Dusty, concrete, almost like, well, a war zone or deserted apocalypse movies you've seen.  Then, as you approach the city, you see the overwhelming amount of new construction.  Huge skyscrapers, like the Miami real estate boom.  Only it's not Miami.  Ca told us about the Chinese love for festive, gaudy lighting...you have to see it to believe it!  Twinkling lights, almost like Christmas overload, are EVERYWHERE.  And it stays that way all year long.  Vibrant blues and pinks, crazy neon colors everywhere.  In the trees, on the buildings, wow.  It's a really large city, but you can not tell that by looking out the window.  I suppose it's the air that limits your view to the distance, kind of foggy all the time.

We noticed right away that we really were the oddity and that's an interesting feeling.  People do stare at you, but in a friendly way.  We had more than a few occasions when complete strangers would come over and start chatting!  No care on their part that we were staring at them like deer in the headlights.  I was mistaken for a Russian, but I suppose there are a lot of Russians here.  Having a Shenyangese man speaking Russian to you in the North Market is kind of fun!  It was good to have the knowledge to be able to answer back.

The market is something to see!  Amazing fish and aquarium supplies, then upstairs to the jewelry.  Man, if Beijing is better, you better pull out your wallet!!!  Amazing amber, jade of all colors, white, red, and of course, green.  Pink Opals.  Love, love, love. Pottery, beautiful scrolls on and on and on.  We're holding up on the shopping because a little bird told us there is MORE in Beijing.  I am loving it.

What has been your favorite dish so far?

That is hard to say...the dumpling place was amayyyzzing.  Everything there was to die for.  Probably best was this combo of eggplant wrapped around a small slice of beef and then dipped in batter and fried lightly like tempura!  (oh yeah, with the little shrimps in it too!) AND the broccoli / carrot stir fry.  Now I see what the Chinese restaurants at home are trying to represent!  and it is darn good.  Best of all, we ate like kings and spent a total of +/- $20 for everybody.  Crazy!

How does it feel to be an American in Shenyang?

I felt different, and we clearly were seen that way.  That's a new feeling for me! People were so friendly, and curious to talk to us, or try their English.  The faces were always smiling, even if not a word was understood.  For certain you realize that the high end life pictured in Shanghai or Beijing is not exactly the norm in Shenyang.  We are so fortunate to live as we do.  I think we really take our material life for granted.  The things we consider "normal" are considered luxuries in a lot of the world. Hanging out with the FS people too makes one aware of the great people, great smarts, and great ambition these folks have.  They really are the best and represent the US in such a wonderful way.  I'm proud of my country and always feel it more when I'm out of it.

Full day #1 and we are really pleased to see where Ca lives and works.  It is truly what she said - "the real China."  Wouldn't miss a minute.

Bid Day: Take Two!

Rome, Italy

June 2014

Can you believe it!?! I surely can't. Still!! And it's already been two days to let the good news sink in. Happy doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling. 

For those of you just tuning in, let me explain a little. In the Foreign Service, we bid on our future job locations. A list comes out based on our assignment cycle (mine is Winter) and the list includes positions all over the world that will become vacant just around the time when my current term ends. Shenyang, China has been my first assignment and my tour runs from Dec 2011 to Dec 2013 (or thereabouts). About a month ago, I got a bid list that included 28 awesome job posts all around the world. As a second-tour bidder, my next assignment is still "directed," a fancy term that means the State Department still has a hand in where I end up. My 28 high-middle-low bids are considered against the other 27 OMSes who submitted their bids. The CDO (career development officer) considers everyones preferences and needs and then, in conjunction with an assignment board, assigns the positions. Some preference is given to bidders coming from high hardship differential or danger posts (Shenyang is 30% hardship). Consideration is also given to families with school-age children, tandem couples, and health concerns. Requests for language are also taken into the mix as well. In the end, assignments are announced on a certain date and everyone starts to plan for their onward assignment.

Granted, I still have about 10 months or so before I depart Shenyang. But it's never too early to start planning for a two-year tour in ROME! I've already looked at potential running routes (who needs running routes when everywhere is gorgeous), housing options (apartments overlooking the Tiber River, anyone?), concert dates and dance clubs (here I come!), and motorino prices (vroom vroom!). Yes, yes, I'm getting ahead of myself. Even after I spend December 2013 at home for the required home leave (oh sure, Congress, force me to take a month off with my family repatriating myself to the US), I'll have to "torture" myself through six months of Italian at FSI. YES I GET TO LEARN ITALIAN!! It just keeps getting better and better. 

Can you imagine me taking a lunch break at 12:30 in the sunny September afternoon, walking out of the Embassy to Villa Borghese and grabbing a small loaf of fresh baked bread, freshly made mozzarella, and a ripe tomato, slicing it and assembling a delectable caprese salad while enjoying the kids frolicking through the park? Afterward, on my way back to the Embassy, I pick up an espresso and chat with the neighbors about the football game over the weekend. After work, I hop on my Vespa and scoot over to the market to pick up some fresh pollo and spices, with some handmade pasta and sauce, I walk up the wrought-iron stairs to my apartment and open the balcony windows to let the evening air rush through. Pouring a glass of wine as I prep dinner, I put on some music and watch the sun set among a sea of domes and roofs. Yes, that is a fantasy that will inspire me for the next ten months in Shenyang. Life is good.

Heading into the New Year

I'm normally not one for resolutions in the New Year. In my mind, setting a list of goals for yourself all at once is stressful! Instead, I make commitments to myself all year round, and spend a good part of my time working to achieve them. Every day is a challenge and a potential accomplishment. Baby step resolutions make for daily successes.

Right now, I'm working on worrying less and loving more. It has been my mantra lately and so far, it's been helpful to keep in mind. I have this bad habit of worrying about things beyond my capacity to change, like the weather or other people's opinions of me. Perhaps the first example is not really that great, since the weather in Shenyang is most likely always going to be "cold," in varying degrees of the word. But my overall realization has been that it takes a lot of effort to worry about the future, effort that would be better spent focusing on the now and loving it. And believe me, it feels great to live in the now.

So what's happening now in the 'Yang?

Well, the bid list is out. All 28 locations. And my choices are all AH-MAY-ZING. I couldn't be more fortunate to come out of a high differential post with so many awesome options. The list has places like Madrid, Tokyo, Istanbul, Jakarta, Cairo, Moscow, Panama, all huge hotspots and major cities. Can you believe that out of that fantastic list, I didn't even mention my top three?? In my mind, they're even better... Needless to say, I've been enjoying the research process and I'm looking forward to submitting my list in February and getting my answer in March. Surprisingly, I haven't been worrying too much about the list, probably because it's fantastic. What happens will happen and I'm happy knowing that I'll probably get one of my top 5 bids coming from Shenyang.

In other news: I just came back from an awesome ski trip to Beidahu in Jilin with "Bill" and "Ted" from the CONS section. So many times this weekend I thought about Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and how we were kind of on our own China adventure. Hope to write an entry about that this weekend. Coming up, we have the Chinese New Year (Feb 9-13) and I'm planning a trip to Burma with some consulate folk. I'll write a full post about that as it gets closer (wait, it's only two weeks away!) with more details. Looking WAY down the road, Mom & David are planning on visiting in late March/early April after my birthday, which gives me GREAT excitement to begin to plan. Mom: I'm already lining up the restaurants we're going to eat at! You will LURVE it here. Can't wait to have you <3

Waiting for the Bid List

The bid list is the key to your future. No words could be more true. And here I sit, anxiously waiting for the knowledge it contains, much to no avail.

Sometime in November, my career development officer (CDO) informed the OMSes of the 124th Specialist class that the bid list would be coming out in December. Well, December passed and no bid list. We finally heard from the CDO that the list would come out on January 7 (EST) and bids would be due February 15. Huzzah!! Knowing the time difference, I prepared in advance and came in early this morning only to find an email from the CDO saying:

It appears that there are problems in FSBid with the EL Specialist Winter Bid List.  Hopefully, it will be functioning tomorrow morning. 

Hopefully. With over one hundred anxious OMSes waiting for this list, you'd think that they could give us something more than "hopefully." 

Either way, I have my dream list of places I'd love to go. But in reality, the things that top my priority list are:

• Close in proximity to Front Office (if not working directly for a DCM [ie deputy chief of mission], I'd like to work in POL or ECON)
• Bigger post (Embasssy vs Consulate)
• Warmer weather (I'm hoping WHA or EUR)

The first two items will set me up for my third tour, which "hopefully" will be with the Executive Secretariat (ie The Secretary of State). Fingers crossed.

More update tomorrow, "hopefully" with more information.