ABC Tickets

This is completely unrelated to travel or the Foreign Service, but I find it kind of fascinating. It also makes me wonder if the players in professional sports are aware of all this information, especially when they decide to strike. Just look at the price of tickets! Also, it seems like the NFL might be the ones getting it really right... and maybe MLB...

Anyway, I'm just sharing the info because I thought it was a good infographic.

ABC Tickets:

'via Blog this'

Flag Day

Yesterday was Flag Day at A-100.  If you haven't heard about this before, Flag Day is the day when we all find out where we're going next.  I had all these mixed feelings about Flag Day.  I kept hearing how exciting it all was, but in all honesty I wasn't feeling super excited.  Or anxious for that matter.  I don't know why.  I wanted to know where I was going, but maybe not with as much... I dunno.... fervor as others in my class.  I've gotten so used to instability in my life that the idea of getting some stability is more foreign to me than the idea of living in a foreign country.  So I didn't know what to think.


Let's just say everyone was right.  Flag Day was SO much fun!  Everyone in the class was energized and cheering and yelling.  Every time a flag went up on the screen, we yelled out the name of the country.  We played games and took pictures.  It was like a big pep rally where everyone walks away with a prize: a flag and an assignment!  I loved seeing where everyone was going next.  And I've already started thinking about little vacations to visit some of my classmates.


And so begins the rest of our lives!


Also, in case you were wondering, I'll be going to....

Image Courtesy of 4 International Flags

NEW DELHI!  Yes, I'll be back in India and I can't wait!  I head over there in August 2012 after I learn me some more Hindi and get a bit more job training.  All in all, I couldn't be happier.


PS - Fair warning: this may mean a long hiatus in blogging for me.  But rest assured, I'll be updating again when I get closer to packing out and leaving.

Welcome to A-100

I know.  I know.  It’s been a while.  I’ve been absent.

(Photo courtesy Rishi Bagga)

Two weeks ago, after a little trip to Orlando (I had to see Harry Potter World before I traveled the rest of the world), I joined the 92 other members of the 163^rd A-100 class at the Foreign Service Institute.  Oh man it’s happening!!  I’m for reals a Foreign Service Officer!  Crazy!

It’s been insanity ever since.  I never thought I would be so busy while only working from 8am to 5pm.  Yes, only.  I’ve been working 12 hour days for the past few months, so a 9 hour day seems like a luxury.  And it is.  I have time for the gym!  I have time for happy hours!  But I’m also exhausted!  It’s really a lot of work trying to absorb all this information.  It’s also exhilarating.  I’m so excited and overwhelmed and energized.  This is truly a new chapter for me.  As they tell us constantly in A-100, it’s not just a job.

I won’t bore anyone with the details of training.  The exciting thing that’s happening now is that we’re in the process of bidding for our first posts.  Last week we received a list of about 95 available positions all over the world.  Now we’re in the process of researching the different jobs and countries, imagining ourselves all over the world.  It’s exciting!

Everybody has a bidding strategy that depends on what’s happening in their lives and the skills that they bring to the table.  It’s so interesting to me to hear how everyone has different preferences that I would never have considered.  I think because I’m single with no children or pets, I found it difficult to come up with a strategy for bidding.  I have only me to worry about right now.  It’s sort of liberating, but doesn’t really lend itself to developing a strategy.  I think I’m sort of the definition of worldwide available… send me wherever and I’ll be happy!

In the end, we find out where we will go on our “flag day”, which is on October 14.  I kind of can’t wait!  And, if the past two weeks of busy-ness is any indication of the coming weeks, I might not post again until that day.  Don’t despair!  I have not forgotten about this little blog and I do hope to keep it going as I follow this new path in front of me.

At Long Last

I'm happy to report (if you're interested and don't already know somehow) that last week I was offered a spot in the September A-100 class... and I oh so happily accepted! My dream of being a Foreign Service Officer is about to come true!

For those who know me, you know that it's been a very long process. It started with passing the written examination in November 2008. I took and passed the oral assessment in April 2009. My security clearance went through in February 2010. I passed the Hindi language examination in May 2011. And, almost 2.5 years after starting it all, I got my offer! And I'm thrilled!

In anticipation of some new questions that may come up about "what's next for Tracy", I'm going to try to do a little explaining here. So below are some FAQs with their answers as I understand them. Please note that I by no means fully understand the details. I haven't lived through this experience yet, so I only have that information that I've read on other blogs or heard from colleagues and friends. I apologize in advance for any wrong answers.

Ok, here goes:

What is A-100?

A-100 is the basic training course for new Foreign Service Officers (FSOs). The name comes from the room where the class used to be held (Room A-100). The class is now held at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in Arlington, VA.

What comes after A-100?

A lot of that will depend on where I get posted. I'll probably have at least another month or so of job/location-specific training. I may have language training as well, which could last months.

After all that training, I'll go to my first post and start working for really real.

Where will you be posted?

I don't know yet. I could end up quite literally anywhere in the world where the State Department has an office, including Washington, DC.

Won't you most likely be sent to India, since you know Hindi?

Maybe. I hope so. It all depends on whether there is an entry-level opening at an office in India and how many people want that opening. When I took the Hindi language test, I agreed to take a post in a Hindi-speaking country (India, Nepal, or Mauritius) during one of my first 2 overseas postings. That is, of course, assuming one is available. So although there is absolutely no guarantee that I'll go to India, there is a decent chance that I'll get to go there within my first 4 years as an FSO.

When will you know where you're going?

In October.

During the first week of A-100, we receive a bid list. This is a list of all open entry-level positions and where they're located. From this list, we bid on those posts we're interested in. The State Department people then try to match you up with a desired post, if possible. It's not always possible to match everyone up with where they want to go. Language skills do factor into the decision, but they certainly aren't the only factor. A few weeks into training, I will find out my future post during the Flag Day ceremony (where we get little flags representing the countries that we're posted to).

How long will you be overseas? When do you come home?

Each post is about 2-3 years long. Every third post is spent in Washington, DC. So essentially it's 2 years in country A, 2 years in country B, 2 years in DC. Those three could go in any order (i.e. DC could come first, or second).

Between 2 posts overseas, there is this thing called Home Leave, where FSOs are required to spend some time in the US. This is on top of the normal vacation time that we accrue. After about 2 years abroad, you accumulate about 4-6 weeks of Home Leave, which you have to spend in the US. It's supposed to help us stay connected to America. God knows I'll be grateful for it! I'm already starting to miss my family and I haven't even left yet!

Where do you want to go?

This is always a tough question for me to answer. The short answer is: anywhere.  The longer answer is that, at this point in my life, I would like to take a hardship post. I'm young, healthy, and single. I don't have children. My family is in good health. Hardship posts pay more and I could even be eligible for student loan repayment assistance. Also, I want to go somewhere that challenges me. Yes, the job will be a challenge in and of itself. But I also like the idea of stepping further and further out of my comfort zone.  I figure there will be plenty of time later in life to step back into it and take a cushy post in Rome.

When will you leave?

Again, I don't know yet. I won't know until I find out where I'm going. I could leave as early as November or as late as next summer. If DC is my first post, I won't leave for 2 years! I just don't know.

Will you keep blogging?

Absolutely! I'm not sure if it'll be anything that's interesting to anyone other than family or friends. But as I see it, India was just one adventure among many. And I like writing, so this is a nice outlet for me as well as a good way to keep people updated.  A win-win situation, if you will.


That's all the Q&A I can think of right now. Please feel free to leave comments with other questions and I'll do my best to answer!

Reverse Culture Shock

I’m back in America.  And it’s weird.  Just… weird.

My can of Diet Coke is so big.

There’s grass.  And a backyard.  And sprinklers.

It’s cold outside.  The air is clear.  There aren’t any dust storms.

People drive on the right side of the road.  And where are all the cows?

I’m so confused!

I’ve been back in the US for a week and I’m slowly adjusting to life stateside.  Just like you can’t fully prepare for the quirks and challenges of daily life in another country, you can’t really prepare for the feeling of coming back home.  I think this is especially true for those of us who travel to places where daily life is so different from the US.  It’s disorienting.  I think that’s the best word I can come up with to describe it.  What makes it especially disorienting is that you don’t expect it to feel that way.  I’ve lived here my entire life.  Why should it be disorienting to be home?  But it is.

It certainly doesn’t help that I’m missing Delhi quite a bit.  I long for my commute to school or a quick trip to the market.  Please don’t misunderstand.  I love my home and I missed it like crazy when I was in India.  It’s unfortunate that we can’t live in two places at the same time.  Get the best of both worlds.  Yes, the world is small.  But it still takes 15 hours and quite a but of money to fly half way around it.  Not exactly a feat to be accomplished every few days or even months.

I’ll have to settle for memories and start making plans for my next trip.  In the meantime, though, I have to adjust to daily life with big cars, orderly traffic, and coffee instead of chai.  So how do I get Delhi out of my system enough to start living life again in the US?

I was lucky enough to get to spend a few days at my family’s cabin (a.k.a. “the camp”) on Loon Lake in Chestertown, NY.  Being so far away from cities and traffic allowed me to hit the reset button in a big way.  I don’t know why.  Maybe because it’s so quiet here.  Or maybe it’s because the camp is my absolute favorite place on Earth and always will be.  A combination of home and escape, the house is almost like a family member itself.  The perfect place to get excited about the next adventure while still reflecting on the last one.  It’s also a not a bad place to sleep away the jet lag.

So my advice for the world traveler returning home is this: I think the best way to re-orient yourself to life back home is simply to get in touch with all those things that keep you grounded.  Family.  Friends.  Home.  Routine.  For me, the time in Delhi was a different reality.  A different (and amazing) time in my life that I’ll never forget.  But now I need my grounding forces to guide me and bring me back to my current reality.

Though my can of Diet Coke still seems too big.

Saying Farewell to Delhi

After four crazy and amazing months, today was my last day in Delhi.  For now.  Because you’d better believe I’ll be back.

But this is likely to by my last blog post for a little bit and I wanted to do things a little differently.  I made two lists.  One is of those things I’m going to miss most in Delhi.  The other is of the things that I’m excited to go home to (which I mostly made to remind myself that it's not all goodbyes).  

Things I’m Going To Miss:

• My friends!  I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been to meet such wonderful people in Delhi and make some truly wonderful friends.  When I think about the circumstances that brought me to India and how I got in touch with these people, I’m overwhelmed by how close I came to never knowing any of them.  And if it weren’t for them, I don’t know if I could have survived here.  I’m also pretty darn sure that listening to them joking and talking with each other was a big part of the reason I was able to pass my Hindi exam.  It’s rare that you meet people who impact your life in such a short amount of time, but I have and it’s such a blessing.  I will miss them so much.

• The food.  I know the Indian food I make or buy at home will never compare to what I’ve had here.  I’m mentally preparing myself for that disappointment. 

• The way I feel here.  This is one of those things that I just don’t know how to describe.  This place has changed me.  I don’t think I’ll know all the ways it’s changed me until I’m back in the US and can reflect on it from there.  I’ve just felt different here.  About myself.  About my life and where I am.  Words are failing me, but that’s the best way I can describe it.  I don’t know if that feeling will end when I get on the plane or not.  But I think I’ll miss it if it does.

• Studying Hindi full time.  It’s not a bad gig if you can do it.  It’s a lot of work, of course.  But I’ve really enjoyed it. 

• The sights and sounds and smells of Delhi.  I’ve written about these before, so I won’t bore you too much with the details.  The haze in the air, the sabzi-walla yelling, the chaukidar blowing his whistle, the traffic, the colorful clothes... These things have become part of my every day life and I’ll miss them.

Things I’m Excited To Go Home To:

• My family and friends.  My family is amazing and I miss my parents so much.  As much as I love to go to new places, home will always be where my family is.   And while I’ve made some amazing friends here, there’s nothing quite like the people who’ve known you for years and still put up with your quirks and craziness.  I miss those people a lot and I can’t wait to be reunited with them. 

• The three s’s: salad, sandwiches, and sushi.  I managed to not get tired of Indian food for the better part of 4 months.  As I understand it, this is rare for Westerners in India.  While Indian food is fantastic (see above), most Americans aren’t used to eating it every day for months on end.  So I think it’s fair to say that I kind of can’t wait to go have some of my favorites at home, especially some nice uncooked foods since most meals I’ve had here are cooked. 

• Baking.  I really love to bake.  It’s sort of a stress reliever for me.  And while I’ve had access to an oven here (a rare thing in Delhi), my baking experiments have met mixed success.  The reality is, I just don’t have the ingredients and supplies that I’m used to having at home.  That first batch of cookies or cupcakes or whatever it is that I decide to make once I dig out my stand mixer and hit the grocery store will be kind of awesome.

• Hulu and Netflix .  The seemingly endless supply of mindless entertainment…. America at it’s finest.

• Fixed prices on everything.  I’m done bargaining.  At times it can be like a little adventure.  But most of the time, I just get annoyed or feel like I’m being ripped off.  Not fun.

• A new future.  I know that I’m standing on the edge of some major changes in my life.  I’m scared, of course.  But I’m so excited too.  And those things won’t begin until I’m back stateside.

I’m really going to miss Delhi.  I’ve fallen in love with this city and I’m so sad to leave it.  But I will take with me some wonderful wonderful memories of people and places that I will never forget.  I’m so grateful for the experiences I’ve had here.

Now… on to the next adventure!

Wrapping It Up

Knowing that my time left in Delhi was limited, I’ve been doing all those little things that I put off doing until after my exam.  I’ve also been in what I call “absorption mode.”  I get this way at the end of any trip.  I like to walk around and absorb what I can.  Soak in all the details of where I am.  Unfortunately for you and this blog, that means not a lot of pictures and a lot of blah blah blah from me.

Among other places, I visited Akshardham Temple and the National Museum.  While I would have happily taken pics in both places, photography wasn’t allowed.  Akshardham Temple in particular was breathtaking.  It’s the largest Hindu temple in the world.  The intricate carvings throughout the temple were unbelievable in both their scale and detail.  There’s also a series of exhibitions, including a boat ride that is basically a pro-Indian Pirates of the Caribbean ride, except significantly more wholesome.  I wish wish wish I could have taken some pictures.  It was totally awesome.  Also, I did the boat ride with one other American and no one else on the boat because we were the only non-Indians there.  Needless to say, we became travel buddies for the day.

The other highlight of this week was a visit with Mohit’s family.  They were kind enough to welcome me into their home and share dinner with me.  I always think it’s special to meet the family of a good friend and even more special to visit their home.  You get to see where they come from and, in so doing, know them that much better.  I’m thankful that I’ve had friends like Mohit who are willing to welcome me into their homes to break bread.

Otherwise, these couple of weeks have been filled with shopping, a little studying here and there, and lots of goodbyes.  Or maybe I should call them “see you laters.”  Not just to people, but to Delhi in general.  I’ve walked around my neighborhood, gotten mehndi done on my hands in celebration for passing my exam, eaten pakora in Sarojini Market, spent some time with friends, tried to get a baby chipkali out of my kitchen, and stood on the balcony watching the street below.  Tonight is my final class at Zabaan.  And tomorrow I get on a flight to go back to America.