So, I received my invitation to orientation/training for the US Dept of State Foreign Service today! I am really excited about it, but haven't really had the chance to process what everything means. I've known ever since I took the Russian language test and was bumped from #37 to #5 (yes, it affected my ranking that much!) a couple weeks ago that this was coming. So, that means that I've been preparing in all the ways that I could.
First, I've been trying to get my stuff in order (after all, I came back to Bismarck to go through my stuff, and I succeeded in doing just that!). Next I've been trying to figure out the logistics of moving with my cat, Gizmo. I learned recently that depending on where I go (even to just travel through certain countries on my way to another location) I would need to have an ISO compatible microchip in Gizmo. In addition, I need health vaccinations! I took Gizmo to the vet this morning and got all of that done. When it gets closer to the time to travel I will actually have to get a health certificate to take with me. I got him a microchip which was injected with a large needle (though surprisingly he seemed to feel one of his vaccination shots more than that one). More or less, I have everything in order to travel with Gizmo.
Now comes the more difficult stuff that I couldn't even begin to touch until after I received my invitation. Since I am moving to Washington DC, I have to figure out lodging (though luckily the State Dept has a contract with a company that provides temporary housing so I will not have to pay anything out of pocket for rent/utilities, and the housing is pet-friendly), I have to figure out travel arrangements, including transporting my things, and most difficult, I have to figure out when I'm going to leave Bismarck.
I told my boss today that I got my offer, and she told me that she cried after she got my message. Everyone keeps saying that they're going to miss me, and that makes me feel good and sad at the same time.
My class begins September 13. That gives me just over 2 months to get everything prepared. I don't have a lot of information/specifics on how A-100 goes (that's what they call the training class), but I've heard that it will take about 4 months. Then, depending on where I go, I may have language training that could result in my being in DC for up to a year. That's about all that I know, but I will definitely keep everyone posted when I know more!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Birthday Fun
I had a great birthday this year, I must say. I began the day by traveling with a couple friends (Becky and Karla) to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the western part of North Dakota (near the Montana border). We went to go hiking. The weather was beautiful, not too hot, but still sunny. We hiked the back country, so there wasn't really a trail. We also had to wade across the Little Missouri River. It was great! We headed back after a few hours because we saw storm clouds coming in and didn't want to cross back over the river in a rain/thunder storm.
After finishing our hike, we got ice cream in Medora. Ice cream is great no matter what the occasion.
Then we headed back to Bismarck. When I got back, I met up with another friend, Colette, and she took me shooting. I shot a shotgun for the first time. We used a 12 gauge automatic shotgun and shot skeet. I must say that I really sucked, but I was happy to hit a couple, especially considering it was my first time. Colette did a lot better than me, but considering how long she's been shooting, that's not a surprise.
After shooting, we came back to my place for my birthday dinner: BBQ! That is my favorite. Unfortunately, I don't have a grill, so I used my griddle instead. It was yummy. My sister, Elizabeth, spent time while I was gone to make the sides: a cherry version of Clarence's salad and potato salad. In addition to that and the main dishes of hotdogs (all beef of course) and hamburgers, we had olives, green beans, and baked beans. It was a good meal, and I found myself getting full quickly. For dessert we had home-made pistachio ice cream. Yum!
But besides all that, it was nice to have so many people remember my birthday, so thanks to everyone who did!
After finishing our hike, we got ice cream in Medora. Ice cream is great no matter what the occasion.
Then we headed back to Bismarck. When I got back, I met up with another friend, Colette, and she took me shooting. I shot a shotgun for the first time. We used a 12 gauge automatic shotgun and shot skeet. I must say that I really sucked, but I was happy to hit a couple, especially considering it was my first time. Colette did a lot better than me, but considering how long she's been shooting, that's not a surprise.
After shooting, we came back to my place for my birthday dinner: BBQ! That is my favorite. Unfortunately, I don't have a grill, so I used my griddle instead. It was yummy. My sister, Elizabeth, spent time while I was gone to make the sides: a cherry version of Clarence's salad and potato salad. In addition to that and the main dishes of hotdogs (all beef of course) and hamburgers, we had olives, green beans, and baked beans. It was a good meal, and I found myself getting full quickly. For dessert we had home-made pistachio ice cream. Yum!
But besides all that, it was nice to have so many people remember my birthday, so thanks to everyone who did!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
My cat is huge!
I've been told for a while by people that I have a big cat. He's been a little overweight for most of his adult life, but that is only a part of his size. In fact, I don't even think he is that much overweight. He is just HUGE! I looked up average cat sizes because I was curious, and this is what wikipedia says:Height: 9-10 in
Head/body length: 18.1 in
Tail: 11.8 in
Well, knowing that didn't tell me much, so naturally I had to measure Gizmo. These are his dimensions:
Height: 12 in (maybe taller, he scrunched down because he didn't like me measuring him)
Head/body length: 24 in
Tail: 13 in
With that, you can see that my cat is nearly 6 inches longer than the average cat, 7 if you include his tail. I wonder if he's part maine coon . . .
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Only in North Dakota . . .
Only in North Dakota can you go through 4 seasons in one day! Ok, it wasn’t really that extreme today, but it was crazy and bipolar. 
This morning was just overcast, then right before I was to leave for lunch from work, it started pouring. (Left - If you look closely at this picture, you can see the puddles that are remnant from the pouring rain) And I mean pouring! If I had gone outside at that time, I think I would have been drenched by the time I got to my car. As it was, I waited 10 minutes, and even with the rain lighter, I still was nearly soaked by the time that I got to my car.
By the time I got home, it was no longer raining. By the time I was headed back to work, not only was the sun shining, but the skies were blue. It looked like a completely different day! Not long after, it got stormy again. I’ve been convinced for a while that the weather up here just can’t make up its mind, but I’ve never seen anything like that before.
So, in other news . . . I passed my Russian test! That means I should be moving up the register . . . and hopefully that means I will have a place in the next orientation/training class! Woo hoo! I sure hope I hear something soon!
This morning was just overcast, then right before I was to leave for lunch from work, it started pouring. (Left - If you look closely at this picture, you can see the puddles that are remnant from the pouring rain) And I mean pouring! If I had gone outside at that time, I think I would have been drenched by the time I got to my car. As it was, I waited 10 minutes, and even with the rain lighter, I still was nearly soaked by the time that I got to my car.By the time I got home, it was no longer raining. By the time I was headed back to work, not only was the sun shining, but the skies were blue. It looked like a completely different day! Not long after, it got stormy again. I’ve been convinced for a while that the weather up here just can’t make up its mind, but I’ve never seen anything like that before.
So, in other news . . . I passed my Russian test! That means I should be moving up the register . . . and hopefully that means I will have a place in the next orientation/training class! Woo hoo! I sure hope I hear something soon!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A Conference Weekend
I just got back from a YSA Conference in Rochester, MN. It was good, and I’m glad I went, even though it wasn’t great.
Friday, Colette and I left early in the morning.
We both wanted to stop at the Mall of America (see Right) because we had never been there before. We found our way there (though it was a lot more difficult than anyone let on) and went inside. I was shocked and amazed to see a Ferris Wheel inside the mall. I had no idea that there was an amusement park in the center. We walked around, went into some stores . . . were tempted by cute shoes, but restrained from buying anything. Then we went to walk around the Nikelodeon Universe (apparently it used to be Camp Snoopy, but not anymore). We found out that we could get a ticket just to ride one of the roller coasters, so we decided to do that. We chose Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Drop. It was a good choice. It was quite thrilling, 
especially for a roller coaster inside a mall. (Left - Colette in front of the ferris wheel, to the right, the bluish green track is the roller coaster we went on, obviously you can only see part of it) I think the girl sitting next to us had a lot of fun because of it. I was a little surprised that people were so quiet on the roller coaster. For some reason, screaming makes it so much more exhilarating . . .
When we got off the roller coaster, I felt something slipping out of my pocket. I tried to grab it, but I couldn’t and dropped my phone. To my surprise and great disdain, it broke! I guess it must have hit in just the right spot to break like that. The girl directing us off the ride said that if I went into the Verizon store, they would fix it for free. Since I was in a mall, I decided to check. Well,
they didn’t.
Colette and I walked around a little more. We went to the Lego store, which was pretty cool. (Right - traveling with our torches) We also traveled all the way to the top, and as far down as we could go without going into the Aquarium. Then we left.
We made it to Rochester early, so we decided to get some food. We saw a Fazoli’s right off the interstate and since it had been several years since either of us had eaten at a Fazoli’s, we decided to stop. It was pretty good.
Next we went to the church where the conference was to begin. We were a little early still, so we sat in the grass and laughed (yes, we really did laugh pretty much the whole time, but I guess we were a little tired and easily amused). Finally it came time to register.
First on the conference agenda
was get to know you games. (Left - me with my torch) We used a combination of a fruit basket game and conversation circles to get people to talk to someone new. We had pie, and then went out to a different location for a bonfire. That was pretty cool because we all carried torches. If we would have had pitchforks, we could have been in an angry mob, storming a castle. Or, as someone else suggest, just been going through a dungeon in the Lord of the Rings.
Saturday, we had workshops right after breakfast. They were really enlightening. Then, following lunch we had one last speaker who talked about service. I guess that was fitting since we had our service project directly after. We actually had three service projects going on: writing
letters to soldiers overseas, quilts, & puzzle blocks. I wrote a couple letters and then worked on a puzzle block. (Above - me, Heather, Amanda, Chris, and Jacob in front of the wall) That was pretty cool.
After service, we had free time before dinner. I wanted to do something in town, so I asked a new friend, Amanda, what there was to do. She suggested we could go to the nature center if it wasn’t raining. We checked, and even though it was cloudy, it wasn’t raining. We got a few other people (Chris, Heather, and Jacob) to go with us. As we were leaving the church, it was sprinkling. We decided to go anyway. I’m glad we did. There was a little building there that we went in to at first, but we only had 15 minutes before they closed. For what it was, it was good.
We went outside, and it was only misty, so we walked around a little. It was really pretty, and they had limestone walls
that were used as retaining walls when the area was a quarry. (Left - me climbing the rock wall . . . in sandles . . . yes, I AM that good) Now they are used for students to practice rock climbing. So, naturally, we climbed them ourselves.
After dinner, we had a dance. The dance was alright, but definitely not great. The music selection wasn't very good, and the guys only danced with girls that they already knew. Still, I had fun because I like to dance.
Today, after church, Colette and I ended up meeting a friend at Cabella's. Those two are both in to guns, so I got a short lesson on guns & ammo. We also looked at the animals that had been stuffed and placed around the store. We had lunch at Famous Dave's before heading back to Bismarck. It was a good weekend, and I don't regret going.
Friday, Colette and I left early in the morning.
We both wanted to stop at the Mall of America (see Right) because we had never been there before. We found our way there (though it was a lot more difficult than anyone let on) and went inside. I was shocked and amazed to see a Ferris Wheel inside the mall. I had no idea that there was an amusement park in the center. We walked around, went into some stores . . . were tempted by cute shoes, but restrained from buying anything. Then we went to walk around the Nikelodeon Universe (apparently it used to be Camp Snoopy, but not anymore). We found out that we could get a ticket just to ride one of the roller coasters, so we decided to do that. We chose Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Drop. It was a good choice. It was quite thrilling, 
especially for a roller coaster inside a mall. (Left - Colette in front of the ferris wheel, to the right, the bluish green track is the roller coaster we went on, obviously you can only see part of it) I think the girl sitting next to us had a lot of fun because of it. I was a little surprised that people were so quiet on the roller coaster. For some reason, screaming makes it so much more exhilarating . . .When we got off the roller coaster, I felt something slipping out of my pocket. I tried to grab it, but I couldn’t and dropped my phone. To my surprise and great disdain, it broke! I guess it must have hit in just the right spot to break like that. The girl directing us off the ride said that if I went into the Verizon store, they would fix it for free. Since I was in a mall, I decided to check. Well,
they didn’t.Colette and I walked around a little more. We went to the Lego store, which was pretty cool. (Right - traveling with our torches) We also traveled all the way to the top, and as far down as we could go without going into the Aquarium. Then we left.
We made it to Rochester early, so we decided to get some food. We saw a Fazoli’s right off the interstate and since it had been several years since either of us had eaten at a Fazoli’s, we decided to stop. It was pretty good.
Next we went to the church where the conference was to begin. We were a little early still, so we sat in the grass and laughed (yes, we really did laugh pretty much the whole time, but I guess we were a little tired and easily amused). Finally it came time to register.
First on the conference agenda
was get to know you games. (Left - me with my torch) We used a combination of a fruit basket game and conversation circles to get people to talk to someone new. We had pie, and then went out to a different location for a bonfire. That was pretty cool because we all carried torches. If we would have had pitchforks, we could have been in an angry mob, storming a castle. Or, as someone else suggest, just been going through a dungeon in the Lord of the Rings.Saturday, we had workshops right after breakfast. They were really enlightening. Then, following lunch we had one last speaker who talked about service. I guess that was fitting since we had our service project directly after. We actually had three service projects going on: writing
letters to soldiers overseas, quilts, & puzzle blocks. I wrote a couple letters and then worked on a puzzle block. (Above - me, Heather, Amanda, Chris, and Jacob in front of the wall) That was pretty cool.After service, we had free time before dinner. I wanted to do something in town, so I asked a new friend, Amanda, what there was to do. She suggested we could go to the nature center if it wasn’t raining. We checked, and even though it was cloudy, it wasn’t raining. We got a few other people (Chris, Heather, and Jacob) to go with us. As we were leaving the church, it was sprinkling. We decided to go anyway. I’m glad we did. There was a little building there that we went in to at first, but we only had 15 minutes before they closed. For what it was, it was good.
We went outside, and it was only misty, so we walked around a little. It was really pretty, and they had limestone walls
that were used as retaining walls when the area was a quarry. (Left - me climbing the rock wall . . . in sandles . . . yes, I AM that good) Now they are used for students to practice rock climbing. So, naturally, we climbed them ourselves.After dinner, we had a dance. The dance was alright, but definitely not great. The music selection wasn't very good, and the guys only danced with girls that they already knew. Still, I had fun because I like to dance.
Today, after church, Colette and I ended up meeting a friend at Cabella's. Those two are both in to guns, so I got a short lesson on guns & ammo. We also looked at the animals that had been stuffed and placed around the store. We had lunch at Famous Dave's before heading back to Bismarck. It was a good weekend, and I don't regret going.
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