It Starts

I had a wonderful, relaxing stay with family in Virginia, then moved into my studio apartment for the duration of training yesterday. My aunt and a cousin helped me move in, stock up with food essentials, and topped it all off with a "girls' night out" for dinner. I hadn't expected to see my cousin this last week--she made a last minute drive up this week for other reasons. I regret the circumstances behind her visit, but I'm glad she could come and that we got to spend time together. It's been close to 10 years since I last saw her. I'm looking forward to seeing her whole family next month when they come for another cousin's wedding.

Moving in wasn't so bad. Two suitcases, a backpack, and a weekend bag. The studio has two TVs. Yes, two. One to view from the couch, one to view from the (Murphy) bed. I haven't had regular access to one TV (with decent reception) in five years. Since I'll spend the bulk of my time here in training, sleeping, or visiting with people, I don't see myself getting much use out of either TV. Nonetheless, we were terribly amused by the setup when we first saw the place.

There's some sort of informal gathering this afternoon. It's an opportunity to meet fellow 141st A-100 members before we start tomorrow morning. There are supposed to be 90 of us in the class, so there's sure to be plenty of variety this afternoon. One of the greatest benefits in this line of work to me is the caliber and diversity my colleagues bring to the Service. So I'm obviously looking forward to this afternoon.

As far as training goes, don't expect any substantive information from me. I will not discuss the content or nature of training here, or much in person, for that matter. To help preserve some semblance of sanity, I prefer to keep my work and personal lives separate. The purpose of this blog is to give friends and family a way to determine that I am still alive if they don't here from me on a regular basis. That said, friends and family (and interested strangers looking into the Foreign Service) seeking more detailed, specific, or personal information than what is found here should get in contact with me directly. Please note that even then I will remain tight lipped about my actual job.