Another bout of writers-block. Or rather, writers-messy-disorganized-brain-jam. Lots of things, swirling about me and yet nothing happening. How do I prioritize and order the chaos into something legible and coherent?
The weekend came and went. It ended up being a four day weekend due to the snow days. We shoveled, sledded, shoveled, played in the snow, then shoveled some more. The boys worked on science fair projects. The kids had friends over to play, then went to friends' houses to play. The laundry got done and undone, the bathrooms cleaned and messed up again. Many books were read. We love the library.
It is so strange to be in "limbo-land" waiting for "the call" from the FS. The PD register has swelled to 101. There are usually 18 people taken every 6 weeks or so, meaning that we could be waiting until who-knows-when, since the Hubbster is about halfway down the PD list and new people are getting added every damn day. But he's studying his German. Last night he went to meet with the old Fraus and talk about whatever eighty-year-old German women discuss with a young guy. Fiber? Bad hips? Gardening? Blue hair dye? WWI, WWII? The invention of das Auto? Funny. Two hours of German practice. When he got home he looked spent. I'm not sure if it was the language or the subject matter that was so tiring.
I hope that we end up getting "called" eventually. It sure seems like a lot of effort. I know the FS is all about waiting, uncertainty, going with the flow, "being like a duck and let the water roll off", etc. But it would be nice to know IF this is or is not going to happen. Hubbster's actually going to retake the written test and have another candidacy going to increase his chances. It's crazy. Meanwhile, I wait in the wings. Ready to spring into sorting and packing action...
I've been thinking about the earthquake in Chile. I was an exchange student there in 1988, in Concepcion. I have lost touch with my host parents and 4 sisters as of a few years ago when my Christmas card was returned as undeliverable. So I am thinking about them and hoping they are okay. I tried googling their names, but got nothing. I'm not sure how one would search out somebody so far away. They were so kind to me. So patient with my struggling Castellano.
Oddly enough, our next door neighbors are a former Diplomatic Security family. The wife was in DS and the husband was the EFM. They have 2 young kids. They left the FS after 3 posts. They seem reluctantly enthusiastic about what we are pursuing. I get the sense they think we're nuts. Especially since they tried the FS life and decided it's not for them. But the weird thing is that the husband joined the Army Reserves, got a big cash signing bonus, and is now likely being deployed in June. For a year. To Afghanistan. Go figure.
It's interesting, the paths we all choose for ourselves. For our families.
4 comments:
That story about your neighbors is very interesting indeed! Isn't life funny sometimes?!
And how funny to have them as neighbors! What a small world it is, sometimes...
A Daring Adventure is right, it is a small world, just wait until you get overseas. We are going to Malawi soon (I can't seem to stop saying that!) and my husband (an IMS) will be in a two man shop. The other person? Turns out to be someone we knew in Jakarta, she was a trailing spouse then but now they are a tandem. Weird.
Even weirder. When I bought my first real ball gown I went to Nordstom's in SA while on RR. The woman helping me asked what the occasion was that I needed a dress. I mumbled, "Embassy Ball" because you know there is just no way to say this without sounding pretentious or like you are bragging. Her face just lit up. Her dad was senior FS and she grew up overseas and had gone to several balls herself. She set me up with just the perfect dress!
No the service isn't for everyone. My husband dragged me kicking and screaming to Jakarta. I was not a happy camper. My motto was I will give one tour and then I am DONE! Guess what? I fell in love with it.
Oh and a final note--German UGH! It is driving me nuts. Thank God you don't need much to get around Frankfurt or I would be screwed. What a confusing language!
Not having answers is tough. We were between posts in a long limbo this summer. Would we be in the US for weeks? Or months?? How do you plan for that?? Answer: you don't, you just go with it... We survived, had a good time, but I hardly blogged the whole time! We were doing a lot, traveling, etc. I even have a post saved up about the temp apartment we had while we were there, but the chaos of the unknown severely impacted my ability to gather my thoughts and write them down. My husband and I are both former active duty military... oddly enough, when we chose to end our service and adopt a 'stable civilian lifestyle', we chose the embassy route... snicker snort! :D
We waiting 17 months for our "call" which came in the form of an email. But at the time, they were only doing 20 people classes. This last year, they've been accepting 80+ per class so your chances of getting the "call" are great! And if he takes his language test before A100, your chances go up big time!! I'll bet in 6 months you will be on this adventure!
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