Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, Mr. Suit - Wire

Getting an offer has been a huge relief, and has also filled up my to-do list.

Suits:  Ten years ago, I wore a suit everyday to work at the bank, but for the last five years or so, it was rare for me to go the whole work day with shoes on, forget about a suit.  Apparently, pleated pants were in style in the late 90's.  After some donations to goodwill, and some purchases, I now have three suits I'm happy with, and some new dress shirts.  I could buy a few more things, but I'll be able to fill in the gaps when I'm in DC, if necessary.  I'm still not sure if suits are the day to day outfit on the job for most FSOs, or if they are really only used for orientation in DC and special occasions elsewhere.  If I'm going to wear them all the time at post, I'll likely buy another.

Forms:  After the offer, came the forms.  Thrift Savings Plan, health insurance election, beneficiary selections for several things, life insurance options, etc., etc., and yet another occasion where I had to declare that I understand that I am at the whims of State and that I'll go wherever they decide.  My favorite was one that puts me one the hook for all costs if I leave before completing my first year at post.  With medical clearance, security clearance, training costs, per diem, and moving costs, I wonder what that would add up to.

Housing:  I've never lived in the city.  For the last 15 years, I've lived close to Boston, but never in it.  When it comes down to it, I'm too cheap to pay downtown prices.  With the per diem arrangement during training / temporary assignment to DC, I've got much more to work with than I'd ever allow myself.  So, it's now or never.

I've found a place in Chinatown.  I'll be a few minutes walk from the orange line, which will take me to the FSI shuttle.  It'll be a 45 minute commute, which sounds bad, until I remember how much I used to enjoy reading on the T on my commute to Boston.  I'm going to wear out my kindle.  It is also on the red line, which goes to the bars and restaurants of Dupont and Adams Morgan.  If only the curling club were on the Metro.  Sadly, I'll need my car for that.

Since the per diem amount shrinks over time, if I am in training for more than 8 months or so, I'll start to pay the landlord out of my own pocket in addition to the per diem.  It's hard to say how long till this happens since the rates for fiscal 2012, which starts in Oct., are not out yet.  The apartment is a gamble in comparison to Oakwood, the official housing where lots of FSOs stay and where I'd be guaranteed not to pay out of pocket, but I wanted to be downtown, and think I'll appreciate the opportunity to get some space and time to myself.

Moving:  My move date is set for the week before orientation starts.  I don't have a ton to do before then.  One of the great things about having sold my house and having gone to Guatemala to get the language bonus points last year is that I boxed up all my stuff and put it in storage.  I packed with joining the Foreign Service in mind.  I sorted out long term storage boxes, boxes I'd want shipped to post but not DC, boxes I'd want in DC, and some boxes I'd want if I didn't get the offer.  Also, since I'm driving to DC, I'll be able to bring my clothes, plants, computer, printer, bike, office supplies, and more in my car so that I'll have them immediately.

Expiration day:  This isn't on my to-do list, but is worth mentioning.  Today would have been my expiration day off the registrar's list if I hadn't gotten the offer last month.  It has been 18 months since I made the register.  Today could have been a very sad day for me.

(Wire - Mr. Suit)

Just like everything else those old crazy dreams just kinda came and went - John Mellencamp

August calls for A-100 have been extended without one showing up in my email box.  Damn.

Once again, I think I was really close.  I think I was ranked in the mid-40's at the beginning of the calls, and ended up ranked in the mid-30's.  The offers came as close as the mid-20's, so I was within 10 people of a call to the show.  I'm getting the sense that the offer will continue to be close but not close enough, so I'm looking into some Spanish schools to go for the .17 bonus points.  The extra points would move me up 15 places or so in the register rankings.

I've been looking at the following schools in affordable Guatemala:

http://www.plqe.org/  --  Five hours a day in a non-tourist destination town.
http://learncsa.com/  --  Four to eight hours a day in a tourist destination town.

I'm also considering Oaxaca, Mexico.  One positive aspect of Oaxaca is that I've been there before and loved the city.  One negative aspect is that most schools there offer classes of 2-5 people rather than one-to-one that the Guatemala schools offer. 


The State Department takes 24 weeks (600 hours of instruction) to train its employees in Spanish from zero ability to the level needed. 

I think it would take me three months to get to the level needed to pass the State Department's exam.  I put that level at being able to communicate the Wall Street Journal in Spanish.  Most recent takers of the language tests have said they were asked to speak about some current event, like the oil spill or Iranian nuclear proliferation.  I need to be able to converse on any range of topics.  I get the sense that most English speakers wouldn't be able to pass the exam in English.

I'm guessing that with my long but erratic history of Spanish study, I'm about half way there.  If I do an intensive study in Mexico or Guatemala for 6 hours a day, it will take 10 weeks to get 300 hours of instruction.  It's obviously not just a matter of studying for the designated number of hours, but a three-month timetable seems like a logical estimate.

The other major thing going on is my house sale.  I own a two-family house.  I can sell it as is, or I can convert it into two condos.  There is a current market inequity with two-family houses in the area.  If I sell it as a two-family, I'll get 15-20% less for it than if I convert to condos.  Converting has its costs for architects, town fees, registration fees, lawyers fees, but that stuff doesn't close the market inequity.  So, I'm in the process of converting to condos.  There are lots of hoops to jump through, and each of those takes time, but I'm hoping to have them on the market by Sept. at the latest.

I want it, I want it, I want it. You can't have it - The Who

June offers went out without one coming my way.  It is hard to tell how close I was to an offer, but based on shadow register that we have created over on the yahoo a-100 group, I was at most 13 spots away, but maybe as close as two spots from an offer.  It's hard to tell, because only a portion of the people on the register are members of the yahoo group, and then only some of those people post their information on the shadow register. 

I am currently ranked in the mid-30's again.

The experience is a bit like a yo-yo.  I climb in rank as people accept offers, but drop in rank in the six weeks between classes as people with higher scores join the list above me.

I sent an email to the registrar three days ago to ask my rank and whether or not all the management offers had been given for the June class.  She replied with my latest rank, and told me that there were no more offers to come for June.  It was odd to me, but I was relieved by the news.  I would have preferred an offer, but I was so pleased to actually know.  The hardest part is the lack of information given.  There isn't any real reason for most of the secrecy involved in this process.  Knowing I wasn't going to get an offer allowed me to move on to concentrate on other things, instead of constantly hitting refresh on my email in the hopes that I'd been sent an offer.

I've decided to channel my new found mental space toward selling my house. 

The standard line is to discourage any major life decisions in anticipation of an offer.  I understand the rational.  This process has taken much longer than I anticipated, and it may still never result in an offer.  So, why sell my house?  Well, I've never really liked owning a house anyway.  I bought a two-family house five years ago.  More accurately put, I've never really liked being a landlord.  My tenants have been great so far, but I think I'm more suited to owning a condo, or renting a place. 

I'd love to rent it out and keep it as an investment, but at the same time, I'd love to be done with it and not have to think about the water heater while I'm in Hyderabad or elsewhere.  If I don't get an offer, to the August or September classes, it will free me up to travel to Central America to study Spanish, which will get me some bonus points to add to my score.  With the Spanish bonus points, I'd currently rank somewhere around #16 on the list, which is a spot that is essentially guaranteed an invite.  

Now hoping for an August invite and a pain free home sale.