I feel like if there is any word I overuse, it is probably exciting. But there are just so many exciting things going on and that have been going on for over a year. I am constantly excited about the future, so I just keep expressing it with the same word! Perhaps I need to invest in a thesaurus.
Anyway, things have been exciting! Non-stop, as always.
With work: I sent out my first cable today! Like, the first cable that has my name as the drafter. And people actually have to read it and carry out some meetings based on it. Thats exciting.
With home: Scott has finally moved here! I walk around all day every day with a silly smile on my face because I know that when I go home the house won't be empty. And for the next few weeks we have the same schedule, which is so exciting.
With the future: We are headed to Hong Kong! I didn't think we were going to get our first choice (again) but we did. I am thrilled. We are thrilled. But honestly, I would be excited to be going almost anywhere. The world is a fascinating place and I can't wait to experience all of it.
In short: life is exciting.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Silly Dogs
One of the joys of owning animals is when they things they do make you laugh.
Lately, MeiLi gets stuck in the bathtub. It's a shallow tub and both dogs used to jump in and out at will. But last week I heard whining coming from the bathroom and there was MeiLi, in the tub, little dog prints around the edge where she'd tried to get out but hadn't been able to. Since then she's been stuck a half dozen more times and I've had to help her out. I don't know if this happens when I'm not home and she just sucks it up and jumps out or what. I might be enabling her by helping her out when I'm home.
Funnier than this, however, is when the dogs put themselves to bed. During the week I go to bed pretty early and they either get in their kennel or on the bed (if Scott is not here) and we go to sleep. On the weekend I stay up considerably later, but the dogs expect their schedule. I go in and find MeiLi already in her kennel, settled down for the night. There is rarely any fuss about getting in bed, but it makes me laugh when they just do it themselves.
Even as I write this...
Lately, MeiLi gets stuck in the bathtub. It's a shallow tub and both dogs used to jump in and out at will. But last week I heard whining coming from the bathroom and there was MeiLi, in the tub, little dog prints around the edge where she'd tried to get out but hadn't been able to. Since then she's been stuck a half dozen more times and I've had to help her out. I don't know if this happens when I'm not home and she just sucks it up and jumps out or what. I might be enabling her by helping her out when I'm home.
Funnier than this, however, is when the dogs put themselves to bed. During the week I go to bed pretty early and they either get in their kennel or on the bed (if Scott is not here) and we go to sleep. On the weekend I stay up considerably later, but the dogs expect their schedule. I go in and find MeiLi already in her kennel, settled down for the night. There is rarely any fuss about getting in bed, but it makes me laugh when they just do it themselves.
Even as I write this...
 |
| Stuck in the tub....again... |
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Breaking News
On the "where are we going next" front, we have news. Well, a little news. So Wuhan, China is not our destination for sure. I found out last week officially that my assignment was broken. I had heard of this happening to other people before and in the back of my mind I felt like until we arrived I wouldn't feel like it was for sure. Clearly I was spot on with that one.
So after I found out the assignment was broken, as I mentioned before, I didn't have a lot of information about what comes next. I talked to my Career Development Officer and she said that they could offer me a full list of all the positions available in the world (yeah, the WORLD. This is the kind of awesomeness I get to choose from) but after looking at my preferences from the last time I bid she guessed I would end up bidding on all China posts high. I told her she was right and could save us both the time; her searching to see what was available and me feeling like I needed to look into all the places on the list.
So here was my list: Hong Kong, Beijing, or Guangzhou. Not a bad option among them. We get to go to China and we get to go in 2014. We talked debated and submitted our preferences for which one we would prefer over the others. This coming week we should find out where we are headed.
While this may not seem like a big deal ("you're still headed to China, how different are the cities?"), its a pretty big adjustment when thinking about our future. Wuhan was more "rural"than these three cities. While it still has a population larger than most major American cities, it is very non-Western. So non-Western that we would have been able to bring a shipment of consumables (any non-perishable foods and other items that we wanted to bring with us). Now we won't get that. Honestly, we were really excited about living in one of the most non-Western options when it comes to the locations of the U.S. consulates in China. Now we will be living in a place where there is a fair chance people speak English, or in the case of Hong Kong, everyone does. Either way, we are thrilled to be going back to China, but now we have to readjust our thinking on what life will be like there.
But hopefully, come Tuesday, we can start looking planning on life in a new locale!
So after I found out the assignment was broken, as I mentioned before, I didn't have a lot of information about what comes next. I talked to my Career Development Officer and she said that they could offer me a full list of all the positions available in the world (yeah, the WORLD. This is the kind of awesomeness I get to choose from) but after looking at my preferences from the last time I bid she guessed I would end up bidding on all China posts high. I told her she was right and could save us both the time; her searching to see what was available and me feeling like I needed to look into all the places on the list.
So here was my list: Hong Kong, Beijing, or Guangzhou. Not a bad option among them. We get to go to China and we get to go in 2014. We talked debated and submitted our preferences for which one we would prefer over the others. This coming week we should find out where we are headed.
While this may not seem like a big deal ("you're still headed to China, how different are the cities?"), its a pretty big adjustment when thinking about our future. Wuhan was more "rural"than these three cities. While it still has a population larger than most major American cities, it is very non-Western. So non-Western that we would have been able to bring a shipment of consumables (any non-perishable foods and other items that we wanted to bring with us). Now we won't get that. Honestly, we were really excited about living in one of the most non-Western options when it comes to the locations of the U.S. consulates in China. Now we will be living in a place where there is a fair chance people speak English, or in the case of Hong Kong, everyone does. Either way, we are thrilled to be going back to China, but now we have to readjust our thinking on what life will be like there.
But hopefully, come Tuesday, we can start looking planning on life in a new locale!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Love
Sometimes I am absolutely overwhelmed by the love I feel for my husband. Like how am I even capable of feeling that kind of love for someone is beyond me. And then to imagine that God loves us even more than that? It's unfathomable.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Silliness of the day
6 1/2 years later, we are finally using the last of the leftover napkins from our wedding. This is what happens when your in-law's family owns a print shop.
In other news, work in DC has been amazing. I've been able to work on interesting projects and meet fascinating people. I can't go into all of it, but eventually I'll get into some of it.
I don't think I ever mentioned where I was headed after my DC tour was over. I bid again last October and was assigned to Wuhan, China. I was supposed to be headed there in summer 2014. If the past tense of this paragraph hasn't tipped you off then let me make it clear: I am no longer going to Wuhan. I found out accidentally on Monday and officially today. No word yet on what the future holds for us, but it's not Wuhan, China.
 |
| The very last Wedding napkin...I can't bring myself to just clean up a mess with it.... |
I don't think I ever mentioned where I was headed after my DC tour was over. I bid again last October and was assigned to Wuhan, China. I was supposed to be headed there in summer 2014. If the past tense of this paragraph hasn't tipped you off then let me make it clear: I am no longer going to Wuhan. I found out accidentally on Monday and officially today. No word yet on what the future holds for us, but it's not Wuhan, China.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Christmastime is here
A year ago...
I was preparing for my husband to come home to Denver for a three-day break from training in Oklahoma City. It was the only time he was flying home during the three months so we were praying for good weather.
I was living in my parents basement so there was no planning when it came to spending time with the family over the holidays. My parents and I were heading to Ohio in two weeks to look for a house in the Mansfield/Ashland area. Scott and I were moving there in a month and I had no idea where we were going to live but I was really looking forward to exploring the new city and countryside. We were expecting to live there for the next three to five years, so I knew I had to pick a pretty decent place.
This year...
I just left DC for Ohio and in two days we'll be heading back to celebrate Christmas. We prayed for good weather for the drive here and we are praying for the same on the way back.
We were able to go home to Denver to see the family over Thanksgiving but we couldn't do it again so soon. Instead of our presence we sent presents in packages to our families. Hopefully we will Skype on Christmas Day and be able to see everyone.
I am living in a place in DC and Scott is still living in our place in Ohio. We are doing all we can to be reunited but we will close out 2012 the way we closed 2011, apart. Although physically we will probably ring in the new year together, a day later we will spend the night alone because this is our reality right now.
As somber as this may sound, we have a wonderful life. Our jobs are fascinating and we love the work we are blessed to do. Every few days we are overjoyed to be in one another's presence, how many couples entering their seventh year of marriage can say the same? I know we will look back at this time as one of our least favorite, but we will also look back on it with a little fondness as a time when we overcame challenges and were happy.
Merry Christmas
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Timor-Leste Continued
Back to where we were. Timor-Leste was a great experience.
Every day I took meetings the Embassy had arranged for me and every evening I was left to explore the city and get to know the people and their existence.
I was impressed by how overwhelming friendly people were. For the most part, people would smile at me as I walked by and I would smile back. Men would say, "hello! where are you going?" which I imagine, for many of them, might have been the extent of their English-speaking ability.
I had the opportunity to visit a coffee cooperative high in the mountainous jungle and a police station in the valley below.
(I tried to upload pictures but failed. Technology has outsmarted me again).
I was in Dili for just under a week when I had to move on to Jakarta, Indonesia. What a different place it was in comparison.
My arrival in Jakarta was difficult. I planned to withdraw money from an ATM so when I left the airport arrivals area I went straight for the bank machines. Not a single one would recognize my card (although I realized for a time I was putting in the wrong code with the wrong card...oops) and I started to be concerned the machines would keep my card since I kept entering wrong numbers. I asked where a money exchange desk was and the person indicated it was up one floor and outside.
I exited the arrivals area looking for the exchange desks and they were nowhere to be found. At this point I am on the curb with no rupiah, the name of my hotel, and that is it. I beg my way back into the airport (something that would probably never happen in the US, they would not let someone back into the secure area through the exit door). I found a single money exchange desk open and exchanged what few U.S. dollars I had for rupiah.
Now here is where I had not done my homework. I knew that U.S. dollars were the currency in Timor-Leste but I had never looked up the currency of Indonesia. I had no idea about exchange rates or anything. When I exchanged $60 and received 540,000 rupiah, I barely knew how to compute such large numbers. I was afraid I would not have enough money for my few days there so I found a taxi desk that would let me pay with a credit card. I am sure I paid too much for a taxi to the hotel but I was just so pleased to have money and a taxi that knew where I was going, I just didn't care.
It was 11pm (but I thought it was midnight, silly time changes I do not keep track of) and there were people everywhere. There was so much traffic it took me an unreasonably long time to get to the hotel (I know because it took less than half the time for me to get back). There were street vendors out serving food, a horde of motorbikes weaving in and out of traffic. It seemed like daytime except for the absence of the sun.
I finally arrived at the hotel and it was an incredible place. The receptionist escorted me to my room and showed me all its features (including a toilet that had its own remote - fancy stuff) and every time I picked up the phone or approached the desk they all knew my surname and used it in greeting me. It was a relaxing couple days after the busy pace of meetings in Dili.
I spent my Friday at the Embassy in Jakarta, taking more meetings and meeting my colleagues there. The Embassy is huge compared to the facility in Dili. It was interesting to consider the different presences the United States has in different countries. I took a taxi from the hotel to the Embassy and had the great fortune of having an honest taxi driver. Since I was not used to dealing in thousands and hundreds of thousands when paying for items I almost paid the taxi driver $30 for a $3 tax ride. He was a very kind man and said, "Oh Miss, be careful with your money!" He handed all my bills back to me and explained how much I needed to give him. I was glad he was an honest man and the first person I tried to pay. Haha.
My last day was spent visiting a couple malls in Jakarta. I would have liked to get outside the city, but since my flight was that evening I was afraid I did not have enough time. I visited @america, an youth-engagement place run by the Embassy and located in the Pacific Place mall, and spent a great deal of time wandering through the Grand Indonesia Mall. Finally, at 8pm, I got my luggage, got a taxi and headed back to the airport for my flight home.
The flight was long and I was not as fortunate as I was with my flights to the East. I was given a middle seat for the flight home because there was no way for me to check-in in advance. However, once I got on the long flight home a young boy and his father offered to trade their seats with my so I was against the window. Turned out the man had once worked for the Department so we bonded over our work in the 13 hours we were together on the plane.
I arrived back in D.C. in the afternoon, took a long taxi ride home, and arrived to my empty apartment. I showed up bright and early for work the next morning and my understanding of my job has been so much better for it!
Things have been great since my trip. It has been almost two months now and every day is better than the last. I get to do exciting things and learn new things I did not know the day before.
Every day I took meetings the Embassy had arranged for me and every evening I was left to explore the city and get to know the people and their existence.
I was impressed by how overwhelming friendly people were. For the most part, people would smile at me as I walked by and I would smile back. Men would say, "hello! where are you going?" which I imagine, for many of them, might have been the extent of their English-speaking ability.
I had the opportunity to visit a coffee cooperative high in the mountainous jungle and a police station in the valley below.
(I tried to upload pictures but failed. Technology has outsmarted me again).
I was in Dili for just under a week when I had to move on to Jakarta, Indonesia. What a different place it was in comparison.
My arrival in Jakarta was difficult. I planned to withdraw money from an ATM so when I left the airport arrivals area I went straight for the bank machines. Not a single one would recognize my card (although I realized for a time I was putting in the wrong code with the wrong card...oops) and I started to be concerned the machines would keep my card since I kept entering wrong numbers. I asked where a money exchange desk was and the person indicated it was up one floor and outside.
I exited the arrivals area looking for the exchange desks and they were nowhere to be found. At this point I am on the curb with no rupiah, the name of my hotel, and that is it. I beg my way back into the airport (something that would probably never happen in the US, they would not let someone back into the secure area through the exit door). I found a single money exchange desk open and exchanged what few U.S. dollars I had for rupiah.
Now here is where I had not done my homework. I knew that U.S. dollars were the currency in Timor-Leste but I had never looked up the currency of Indonesia. I had no idea about exchange rates or anything. When I exchanged $60 and received 540,000 rupiah, I barely knew how to compute such large numbers. I was afraid I would not have enough money for my few days there so I found a taxi desk that would let me pay with a credit card. I am sure I paid too much for a taxi to the hotel but I was just so pleased to have money and a taxi that knew where I was going, I just didn't care.
It was 11pm (but I thought it was midnight, silly time changes I do not keep track of) and there were people everywhere. There was so much traffic it took me an unreasonably long time to get to the hotel (I know because it took less than half the time for me to get back). There were street vendors out serving food, a horde of motorbikes weaving in and out of traffic. It seemed like daytime except for the absence of the sun.
I finally arrived at the hotel and it was an incredible place. The receptionist escorted me to my room and showed me all its features (including a toilet that had its own remote - fancy stuff) and every time I picked up the phone or approached the desk they all knew my surname and used it in greeting me. It was a relaxing couple days after the busy pace of meetings in Dili.
I spent my Friday at the Embassy in Jakarta, taking more meetings and meeting my colleagues there. The Embassy is huge compared to the facility in Dili. It was interesting to consider the different presences the United States has in different countries. I took a taxi from the hotel to the Embassy and had the great fortune of having an honest taxi driver. Since I was not used to dealing in thousands and hundreds of thousands when paying for items I almost paid the taxi driver $30 for a $3 tax ride. He was a very kind man and said, "Oh Miss, be careful with your money!" He handed all my bills back to me and explained how much I needed to give him. I was glad he was an honest man and the first person I tried to pay. Haha.
My last day was spent visiting a couple malls in Jakarta. I would have liked to get outside the city, but since my flight was that evening I was afraid I did not have enough time. I visited @america, an youth-engagement place run by the Embassy and located in the Pacific Place mall, and spent a great deal of time wandering through the Grand Indonesia Mall. Finally, at 8pm, I got my luggage, got a taxi and headed back to the airport for my flight home.
The flight was long and I was not as fortunate as I was with my flights to the East. I was given a middle seat for the flight home because there was no way for me to check-in in advance. However, once I got on the long flight home a young boy and his father offered to trade their seats with my so I was against the window. Turned out the man had once worked for the Department so we bonded over our work in the 13 hours we were together on the plane.
I arrived back in D.C. in the afternoon, took a long taxi ride home, and arrived to my empty apartment. I showed up bright and early for work the next morning and my understanding of my job has been so much better for it!
Things have been great since my trip. It has been almost two months now and every day is better than the last. I get to do exciting things and learn new things I did not know the day before.
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