5 days!

In 5 days I will be getting on a plane to head to mi patria! I find it funny/telling that I felt an urgent need to pack last night (since I practically NEVER pack prior to the night before my trips). It could be that I'm very anxious to get there, or it could just be that I'm not anticipating a lot of free time this week and don't want to be scrambling at the last minute ;)

Yesterday I went with a group of co-workers to see the Nutcracker, which was a lot of fun. It was a large production with stellar sets and costumes. The orchestra and dancers both were pretty good (enough to make it very enjoyable). It was a good push toward getting some Christmas spirit (hard to do when it's 85 degrees and sunny outside and there's not Christmas carols on the radio!). I came home, wrapped presents while watching Elf, and then got all packed for my trip home this week.

I made it through my week of traveling to prisons around the country and my cold is getting better. Tonight I'm going to do a "yankee swap" gift exchange with some friends, which should be fun. I'm looking forward to 1 week of the cold weather I've been seeing on the news in the states (yeah, just 1 week, then back to the beautiful weather here). I hope you're all having a good Christmas season!

10 day countdown!

Holla Peeps,
Sorry it's been a little while since I've posted. I had a busy week last week, with the Embassy holiday party on Thursday starting immediately after work (attendance strongly suggested, and you better stay till it's over), then got sick the following day, and barely got out of bed over the weekend. I was determined to be better by Monday, since I am scheduled through Thursday to be traveling for prison visits.

So, I'm probably about 70% now, but it's good enough. Tomorrow will mark my 4th prison visit, and Thursday will be my 5th. So far so good. Today we did a 7 hour drive, will do a 20-minute visit tomorrow, and then will drive 7 hours back to Caracas. It seems a little excessive, but there are no flights from Caracas to the town we're in, so it's pretty much a necessity. The comfort you can take in this is that if you're ever imprisoned abroad, the US Embassy will send a Consular Officer to visit you approximately once a month until you receive a sentence, then once every 6 months until your sentence is served, whether you're guilty or not!

It's neat to get outside of Caracas and see a whole different side of Venezuela. Driving along the highway, I'd almost believe I was in Illinois due to the flat lands and trees along the side of the road. The quality of the roads, though, is another story. And speeding along a highway full of speedbumps, potholes, and completely missing the surfacing at many points in a (Heavy!) armored vehicle does not make for a comfortable ride! But worth it.

Hearing about the blizzards and cold snaps back in the States, I am grateful for the nice warm weather here. I even heard that Guadalajara had a high of 4 degrees earlier this week! It's a nice pleasant 70 or so on a daily basis. Where I am today it's about 91 I think. But I look forward to the cold for one week when I go home at the end of this month!

4th place is the 3rd loser

Hi all, the good news today is that it didn't rain! In fact, it hasn't rained enough in the past couple days to make things a lot worse in regard to the mudslides in Venezuela. The roads are in horrible shape right now (including some gaping holes so big that cars get stuck in them if they go in).

This afternoon team USA played in the Friendly Cup tournament (thefriendlycup.org) for 3rd place, but alas we did not win, so we settled for 4th. We still were lucky enough to get medals for it :) It's been a lot of fun playing soccer with the team, and I look forward to many more tournaments. We were so glad for the sunny day today too.

I'm looking forward to my trip home for Christmas coming up before too long! While I am very much enjoying the great weather here, I am up for about a week of the snowy weather :) I look forward to seeing family and friends, and going to bridal showers for Joanna, and just enjoying being able to let my guard down when I'm out of the house. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my hammock whenever I have a spare moment!

rain, rain, go away

As I am watching the reports of the snowstorms and cold fronts sweeping across the US, we are fighting rain and landslides here in Venezuela. Due to the poor construction of many "homes" many peoples homes are completely destroyed and many people have died as well. We're grateful today that the embassy has insisted on such high security for our homes, which allows us to enjoy little to no effect from the mudslides and flooding that is going on in much of the city and country. Because we live so close to the embassy, those of us who are in town haven't had any trouble getting in to work like some of our locally employed co-workers.

One of my coworkers that lives about 15 miles outside of town usually takes 1.5 hours to get in to work. Yesterday, he left home at 4:30 am, and 2 hours later had only moved 4 kilometers. He took another 2 hours to get home after deciding it wasn't going to work to come in.

Schools have been closed in many states for the rest of the week, partly to keep people off the roads, of which many are blocked by mud, rocks, debris, and tree branches. Airports are closed, and a few of my co-workers were stranded out of town yesterday. We're hoping they're able to make it back into Caracas today.

The following link has pictures sent in by people in different parts of Venezuela showing the flooding and the problems it's causing: http://picfog.com/search/lluviasve

Official reports only tell of casualties in the low teens, but unofficial reports have cited many more (in the low hundreds in just one area). The landslides are supposed to be the worst in 10 years. Thankfully, embassy staff have not been effected very much by it, but it is definitely all around us. It's hard not to think about how the lack of decent housing is a major contributor to the mass casualties resulting from the rain.

feels like home

Wow, so I've had a lot of changes in the last week and a half. Sorry to have waited so long to post. I had very limited access to internet over the last week, as I had a house guest and only a one-computer device for internet use. About 10 days ago I was as stressed out as I have been since I got here. I was frustrated about waiting 3 weeks and my internet STILL not working (and no plan for how to get it working). To add to it, my home phone line was suspended due to no good reason, but I was not allowed to restart it. I had a friend coming whose week I had to make plans for, but I would not have any vacation time while he was here, and I still had no way to get around other than taxis and asking friends for rides.

Thankfully, things have slowly come together, and just in the last three days I feel like I've gotten solutions to a lot of things. On Wednesday I was reunited with the CR-V I bought back in June! It had no trouble with the battery or tires, so I was able to put on my dip(lomatic) plates start driving! The tank was empty, so I had to drive to the nearest gas station (about 1 mile from my apartment) to fill up. The line was out into the street for gas, and when I finally reached the front after waiting about 15 minutes they announced they were out of gas and we had to leave. I drove to the next nearest station, about 2-3 miles from there (or a 30 minute drive), and sat again in line for another 10 minutes before filling my 13 gallon tank for the equivalent of about $.70! So, there are plusses and minuses.

I was also told last week that there has been a problem with my shipment of household effects, and even though it's been in Venezuela for 4 weeks, they will be sending it back to Miami, redo the bill of lading, re-ship to Venezuela, and wait the obligatory 3-4 weeks again before trying to bring it through customs. So what I have now is what I've got until next year most likely. Hello Amazon Prime. The sheets that come in our welcome kit are about 150-thread count, so I've been doing some ordering on Amazon. There is no comforter at all, so even though I'm more settled in, some things are make-shift at this point, and will be until my HHE shipment arrives.

Chris, a friend from Washington who did me the favor of keeping my car for me in Washington until my shipping company would take possession of it (on Sept 30), came to visit the Friday before Thanksgiving, to stay a week. It was nice to have company again, but a little difficult to know what to offer him to do, since I didn't have vacation time to take, and Caracas is not a place that has touristy things to do, or the safety on the streets to send a newcomer out on his own. I was able to set up some day tours for him with a man who owns a taxi service that's heavily utilized by the embassy. Overall he had a good time.

Thursday I invited over several coworkers, most of whom are new, for a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. We had a great time. I roasted the turkey and made the sweet potato casserole and muffins. We also had veggies, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a traditional latin-american holiday bread, Panetone. It was nice to be able to use my dining table and enjoy my balcony and new hammock with friends! We played a couple games and had coffee, and that part was really fun and relaxing.

Chris and I woke up early for his 5:00 taxi yesterday, then I cleaned up the kitchen from Thanksgiving before I had to be at work. I had a full day of work, then came back home to find my internet signal on! I was able to finish the installation that hasn't worked for the last 3 weeks and finally get Vonage up and running!!! Now anyone can call me on a 217 area code number and it rings here in my apartment! My phone number is 217-239-2363. I've already been using it a ton to catch up with my family and Wayne.

I'm headed off to play in the semi-final of the soccer league I'm in, then plan to enjoy the rest of my weekend resting up. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

you win some, you lose some...

Hi all, I've had trouble staying on top of everything lately, so I have not kept my blog up to date the way I'd like. I'm hoping that sometime this week or next I'll be able to get my permanent internet connection set up, and at that time I'm hoping I'll get better at writing.

I have had some ups and downs lately, been a bit frustrated by how difficult it is to get things done, both within the embassy and outside. I did finally get a shipment, which included the things I had with me in Washington and the consumables I bought there. It has been great to get those things and feel a little more settled. Unfortunately, yesterday I received notice that they messed up the bill of lading when my things were sent from Illinois, so even though they've been sitting in Venezuela for 4 weeks now, they will be shipped back to Miami so they can prepare a new bill of lading, and will have to sit in customs another 3 weeks after it arrives back in Venezuela. So if I am lucky (which I probably won't be) I could see my books, kitchen items, furniture, TV, etc. before Christmas.

I have a friend from Washington coming in next week. I wasn't able to take any time off work, since I'm so new and haven't accumulated much vacation time yet. So I've been working to try to arrange things for him to do while I'm working next week. He'll arrive Friday and stay for a week, so he'll be here for Thanksgiving.

I've invited several new single officers over for Thanksgiving dinner, so we'll be working creatively with limited kitchen stuff, but I think it will be fun. I am also hoping to get my car before too long, or at the very least be allowed to borrow one of the limited vehicles available to officers who haven't received theirs yet (I've been on the waiting list since September 20).

I'm feeling better today than I was a few days ago, and I hope to try to maintain a positive attitude through the frustrations.

a whole new world

I feel like I've been adjusting to an entirely new life this week! Not only am I back at work, departing from my new apartment (which means I don't take the motorpool shuttle to work anymore, but instead walk), but I also started in a new section this week. I'll be doing a 6 month rotation in ACS (American Citizen Services), which I just started on Tuesday.

I have a temporary fix for internet at home while I keep waiting for the government-run company to respond to my requests for technical support...

It was so nice to have Wayne visit. We did some of the typical tourist (which is not very big here) activities that exist here. One is el Teleférico, a cable car that goes all the way up the mountain called el Ávila, which separates Caracas from the coast. It is about a 20 minute ride to get to the top, and the view is amazing. There are a few restaurants and places to walk around at the top. That was a fun trip.

We also went to the tiny area of the city that could be considered colonial, called el Hatillo. There is a great chocolate shop there as well as a large craft store where typical Venezuelan things can be bought. We visited a couple of the many malls of Caracas, in search of the modem I needed in order to contract internet service. We sampled a few different restaurants, making sure that Wayne got to sample the most typical Venezuelan foods: arepas, cachapas, and pabellon.

Arepas are corn cakes, about the size of an english muffin. They're cut in half, but not all the way through, and the filling of your choice is put inside the arepa. They're usually filled with different kinds of beef, chicken, pork, or even eggs. Cachapas are like a large sweet corn pancake. They are filled with anything from cheese to meat to just plain butter. Pabellon is a plate full of shredded seasoned beef, fried sweet plantains, black beans, rice, and fried Venezuelan cheese. This is one of my favorites, though the plate always has about twice as much food on it as I can finish in one sitting.

I ended up with a bad cold, and by today I had no voice at all. I couldn't do any interviews, but mostly did observing, since I'm still training in ACS. Tomorrow there is a Marine Ball, which is sponsored by the Marine Guard that works at the embassy. It is a formal event which some people refer to as the event of the year. I asked my sponsor to get me a ticket before I got to post since they went on sale back in July. I'm hoping to be able to go and to be able to talk!

back to reality

Hi everyone, sorry it's been so long since I've posted. As I wrote over a week ago, I was able to move in to my permanent housing on Wednesday (not last, but the one before). I've thoroughly gotten used to sleeping in my new bedroom now :)

I had a great visit from Wayne over the past 9 days. He just left at 5:00 this morning, and I'm back at work. I have been trying unsuccessfully to get the internet connected in my apartment. Unfortunately, the sense of urgency is not great on the part of the government-run telephone and internet company here, so I'm not sure when I'll be back online at home. I'm back at work, though, so I can now use the internet here when I get a spare chance.

I'll write more about what's been going on a little later, but just wanted to say hi after such a long time of being out of touch!

Movin' on up...

I'm in the midst of packing up all my current belongings, because I am going to move into my permanent housing tomorrow! It is official (I wasn't believing it until the day ended and they hadn't cancelled on me) finally. I had dinner outside with my two best hotel friends, other embassy employees who are also staying here. It'll be a pretty sudden change of pace not to be around them all the time, so we've made a pact to make sure we get together outside of work. It's really been nice to have the opportunity to get to know them so well right off the bat.

Now, sentimentality aside, I can't wait to have my apartment! It will be nice to know that I don't have to pack up and move again for the next year and 10 months now, after having moved 3 times in the last 5 months. My first shipment of things (sent from Washington) has arrived in Venezuela. We are required to send an official request from the embassy asking that our things be given to us before they will consider giving them to us, then letting them sit in customs for 3 weeks, and then finally let someone from the embassy pick them up for us. So, I'll be enjoying the welcome kit for the next few weeks, which includes all the essentials. I've heard the welcome kits here in Caracas are some of the best in the state department (probably due to the fact that we are without our own things for longer than anyone else).

Wayne will be coming next weekend, so the timing on things is good. I don't know how long it will be until I have an internet connection in my apartment, but my location will be within walking distance from the embassy, so if push comes to shove I can stay late at work to use the internet there.

Long Short week

Wow, this past week was the longest 3-day week I think I've ever worked! The NIV consular workday usually goes 8-5, and we're usually "on the line" from approximately 8:15-3:30 or 4:00 with a lunch break at 12 or 1. When we're on the line, we are not at our desks, but at the interview window, interviewing non-immigrant visa applicants one after another.

The Wednesday we returned from vacation, we started the day with a staff meeting, not allowing us to even sit down at our desks at all before getting on the line. For whatever reason, our interviews lasted clear up until after 5:00, when I had to race up to catch my shuttle home. Thursday was also completely full, and ended with hurrying to finish the last interview in time to run up to the shuttle. Friday we had a little respite, finishing by 4:30 and having a few minutes to try to catch up on the important e-mails from the rest of the week.

During the course of the business of the week, I did get the great news that I should be able to move into my new apartment next week, hopefully on Wednesday. My household effects have arrived in Venezuela, but I will most likely still have to wait a few weeks before they're allowed into the country. As our move-out dates from the hotel draw near, we decided we needed to try the 5-star restaurant here before moving out. So, Friday night we changed out of our casual Friday duds and put on our jacket-only attire, and had a truly gourmet meal.

One of my new friends and coworkers had a birthday yesterday, the same day as her boss, so they had a joint birthday party at his house, with a bunch of people from the embassy and the international expat community. Several of our soccer playing friends were there. It was a lot of fun to get together away from the work environment. I'm looking forward to church this afternoon, as I missed last week, being in PR.

4 day weekend

Wow, it's been too long since I've written--sorry to anyone who's checking often and I haven't been updating the blog! It's been a busy life lately, but these last 4 days have been a nice chance to relax. Besides Columbus day, today is a Venezuelan holiday. It used to be called "dia de todas las razas," celebrating unity of races. Post-Chavez, it is now officially called "dia de la resistencia indigena," or day of indigenous resistance. Most people I've heard from don't exactly agree that it was a good idea to change it. They've pointed out that the indigenous population did not resist at all when Columbus came to Venezuela. The change is just another part of Chavez' efforts to inculcate the population with his way of thinking.

I got away with 2 co-workers to San Juan, PR, which has a direct flight from Caracas. The Caracas airport always provides an interesting traveling experience, but we were fortunate to have relatively uneventful flights both ways.

We had a lot of good food, both Puertorican and traditional "american" food (ie. Cheeseburgers, fries, breakfast buffets, steaks, Coldstone, and Burger King for breakfast one day!). One of the best things was being able to walk through the city at night without feeling any threat of danger. We also really enjoyed the Walgreen's, the fully-stocked grocery store, and the mall Plaza de Las Americas. It was great to use credit cards and debit cards with no fear of them being copied and used after we were gone.

Additionally, we spent one afternoon walking through Old San Juan and up to El Morro, which is an old Spanish fort on the northeast coast of the island, still mostly in its original form. It is 5 stories high, and was originally started in the 1500s, though construction on it lasted over 250 years. Another small highlight was that we rented a car, so we were able drive around in some random neighborhoods and out to see a few different areas. It was my first time driving since August 15th!

Coming back, I'm hoping that I'll get some good news this week regarding my housing situation. My shipment of belongings was supposed to arrive at the port here in Venezuela on the 10th. The average time that people are waiting these days for their things to be allowed through the port is 3 weeks, so my wait time is slowly ticking down. It'll be nice to have just a 3-day week! This vacation was truly relaxing, and helped give us a much needed break from the harshness of Caracas. Now I'm recharged and ready to go again :)

October

It's so hard to believe it's October already! For one thing, the weather here seems more like May. Also, it's hard to believe I've already been here for a month and a half. I called Mom and Dad yesterday on Mom's birthday, and it was great to talk to them. Today I finally got to talk to Joanna on skype for the first time since she got engaged 2 weeks ago! It's fun to talk wedding plans and catch up.

I finally got around to posting some pics I've taken over the past few weeks on my picasa web album. I'm posting the link, so feel free to take a look. Today I went up into the Avila with about 9 co-workers, the mountain that separates Caracas from the coast. We hired drivers to drive us up about 30 minutes to where there is a Mexican restaurant and posada. We called in advance and they had the meal just about ready when we got there. There are beautifuls views of the city and of the ocean, plus of farther up the mountain. I got several good pics up there, which I'll post sometime in the future.

It was such a relaxing day today, great to discover a quiet respite not far from the city. I'm slowly discovering more things to do and places to go around the city. I'm really ready to get my car so I can get out and do these things a little more independently. It's great, though, to have a couple of friends staying at the hotel at the same time, so we can get out and eat together in the evenings and explore the area on the weekends.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sarah.cranston/Caracas#

interesting link for you Spanish speakers out there...

here's an interesting clip of a question to Chavez about gerrymandering and his non-answer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh5qxnOzi0U&feature=player_embedded

Elections

Yesterday was election day for Venezuela. It was not a presidential election, but a parliamentary one. The best way to sum it up is by putting this link here:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/09/27/venezuela.elections/index.html

The culture around it has been interesting to see. Many more people than average were expected to come out to vote. After voting, voters had to dip their pinkies in indelible ink, so today we were seeing lots of visa applciants and coworkers with purple pinkies :) Chavez was on TV tonight, as he is just about every night, talking about his party and how they were winners.

Without saying too much, I can definitely say that I'm more thankful than even for the freedoms we have and take for granted in the USA. It will be interesting to see how things change over the next weeks. The fact that the opposition won enough seats to prevent the socialist party from having a 2/3 majority could at the very least have a psychological impact on society. But only time will tell.

One interesting cultural note with the elections is something called "ley seca," which means a ban on selling/serving alcohol anywhere in public starting at 6:00 pm on the Friday before the elections and lasting through 6:00 the Monday after. They do not enforce the rule in private homes/property, though, so of course this was a great excuse for a Friday night happy hour after work.

I expect things to mostly go on as usual at this point, but it has been interesting to be surrounded by and to see a little bit of the electoral process here in Venezuela.

some things I like about living in Caracas

fresh pineapple every morning with fresh key lime juice squeezed on it
prescription meds available without prescriptions
beautiful mountains all around
yuca chips and plantain chips (tostones)
common courtesies of the culture (saying "buenos dias, tardes, noches," etc. to everyone)
mid-seventies EVERY DAY
cafe marron
good new friends
futsol
chocolate
very affordable mani/pedis
learning a new Spanish accent
fresh squeezed juices
great sushi and fresh fish
Zara
Blackberry service for cheap
VIP movie theater
Skype, Facebook, and internet in general :)

Elections in the air

Hi All, it's been a pretty interesting week! I had a nice time joining the FM house church for their service and fellowship on Sunday. It'll be a little more accommodating to have a vehicle (hopefully in early November!), because when you get a ride with the pastor you arrive extremely early and stay until everyone else goes home. That said, it was so great to get out and meet some like-minded people and feel like I'm part of a church again.

I got to play soccer again last night, which is one of the highlights of my week. It's so fun to play and again, have a change of scenery/pace. Unfortunately, I pulled my hip flexor pretty badly, so I'm really hobbling around today.

The huge news around here are the parlaimentiary elections coming up on Saturday. It will be a really exciting process to see, as the opposition will most definitely be winning some seats in parlaiment. I'll try to write more about the elections in the next couple of days, but it's impossible to be in this city and not know they're going on.

Happy Thursday everyone!

One Month in Caracas

Sorry I haven't stayed up with my blog this past week. I feel like I haven't had time to catch my breath! I really enjoyed the extra day off last week for Labor Day, though I'd been feeling a bit sick, so I mostly enjoyed the extra time to sleep and lounge by the pool. The pool is one of the best perks of being in the hotel for this long. Since it gets dark so early here, we can't really enjoy it on weekdays, so the weekends are always used for multiple visits to the pool.

Several good things have happened in the past week. One of the most notable is that I received my accrediation from the Venezuelan government yesterday! I'm not officially recognized as a diplomat here, and was able to initate the shipment of my things from the US. Since it's a notorioiusly slow process, shipping companies will not send anything until that accreditation is received. This being the case, we wait an additional 3 weeks (give or take) after receiving it for the belongings to arrive at the port in Venezuela. They sit there for another 3 weeks or so before they're then allowed to enter the country and arrive at our homes.

I've been notified that I should be tentatively moving out of the hotel by the first or second week of October, so the timing should work out pretty well. I'm getting more and more used to the daily work. We really see a variety of people at the window, and I'm not bored yet! There are generally 10 or 11 officers adjudicating non-immigrant visas on any given day, and we do an average of 1120 appointments per day. Today I adjudicated the most yet that I've done in one day: 110! Most people can average around 130-150 a day once they've been here for a couple months or so.

Yesterday I met some new friends from the Free Methodist church here in Caracas. Acutally, I met the pastor and his wife, who I've been corresponding with by phone and by email, but it was great to finally meet them. I joined them for a small group meeting and dinner, and had a really wonderful time. Almost immediately, I felt at home with them. I really look forward to joining them for church in the future.

Tonight was my first experience with a representational event sponsored by the embassy. There was a newcomers' reception at the ambassador's residence, to which many contacts of the embassy were invited. We had the opportunity to meet high-ranking officers from other nations' embassies here in Caracas as well as other local contacts, such as people from airlines, hotels, etc. that we have reason to interact with throughout the year. It was a nice setting; although we don't currently have an ambassador here, the residence is kept up and used for hosting different events periodically.

Some very happy news is that Wayne got a plane ticket to come down and visit next month, hopefully after I'm moved into my permanent housing and have room to host :) It'll be great to see him and have my first visitor!

link to one person's impressions of places I've visited in Caracas

This is a link to a random blog that one of my coworkers found while searching the internet for info about the restaurant we ate at that night: http://fredferg.blogs.com/travelog/2008/12/20081205-caracas.html

The restaurant is called Maute Grill and the hotel he references is my home sweet home for my first two months or so in Caracas :) (not much has changed since 2008)

cat story

Fear not, Tuckers, my cat-sitting skills are being kept in practice here in Caracas! Since several of my coworkers and I are here at the hotel for long-term stays, I recently agreed to feed one of their cats while he went out of town for work. He gave me a key card to his room and showed me where the food was, etc. before leaving.

The first day I went to feed him, the key card did not work. Sheepishly, I went to the front desk and told my story to the lady working at the desk. After looking at me kind of funny (I mean, who goes to a hotel, leaves their cat, and goes out of town for a few days??), she called over one of the bellmen to assist me. We re-told me story to him so that he could escort me to the room. He let me in and stood guard as I fed the cat and emptied the litterbox. He said each time I wanted in I'd need to ask for an escort. Great.

The second day, I was chagrinned to see yet another new person I would have to tell my story to and request permission to get into the cat's room. He began to greet me in English (a lot of the staff here have varying levels of English ability). So as not to offend, I tried to tell my story, as simply as possible, in English. Several times I tried, and several times he did not quite understand what I was saying, so I clarified in Spanish, and this time was awarded my very own replacement key card to my coworker's room. I was able to feed the cat and spend some qt scratching his head and petting him.

Day Three: I attempted to gain access to the room with my new keycard, but was met with a red light that refused to turn green. A final time, I approached the desk to tell my sad story. All I had to do was mention a cat, and the man behind the desk, who I had not seen before, named my coworker's last name. I jokingly asked if he had already heard the story from his coworkers and he said "yes, more than once" as he chuckled. He explained that the card would probably reset itself if it got too close to a cell phone or anything, which is probably what was happening to me.

Now that I got my problem figured out, my coworker is coming back tomorrow from his trip. But I will be sure to let him know I'm available for cat-sitting for the next six weeks, or until I am allowed to move into my permanent housing :)

3 weeks

Today marked my 3 week anniversary at the embassy here in Caracas! It's hard to believe things already seem so familiar after such a short time. I've been on the line full time on my own for several days now, and I'm getting a lot more comfortable with adjudicating, though I have a LOT more to learn! The denials are getting just a little easier, but overall the work is still enjoyable.

From the start, the embassy community as a whole has been incredibly welcoming and helpful. That fact has remained the same. I have a nice group of people to work with, and a nice little community that's living at the same hotel, so we get together sometimes for dinner or at the pool on weekends, plus we see each other every morning on our ride to work in the motor pool van from the embassy.

I've been glad for the ability to stay in touch with loved ones, especially my parents this past week or so, as I've been able to stay caught up on mom's condition and progress. I was able to call their house and talk to them at home this week, which was an answer to prayer!

I still don't have any word on when I'll be able to move in to my apartment. I also don't have my carnet (accreditation from the gov't of Venezuela) which will allow me to get started on shipping my things down from Washington. Little by little...those are some of the more frustrating things about post, but I guess it'll help me to appreciate my home and belongings that much more when the arrive :)

Impressions

Hi all, it's about time I wrote again, I know! It's been a great couple of weeks as I've been getting settled in and acclimated to things here. I'm still living in a hotel, which isn't ideal, but it could be a lot worse. I've found out that I am assigned permanent housing now, but once permission is granted from Washington to sign the lease, the landlord will have to do several upgrades, so I can expect to remain in hotel status for another 6 weeks or so.

I am a step closer to be accredited, which is good news. My application has been sent out, so I expect within a week or so I should receive my carnet (accreditation from the Venezuelan government). It'll be great to start the process of having my things sent from Washington! Maybe my housing will come out to have perfect timing with my things arriving from Washington :) I'm in a bit of a holding pattern right now. It's a bit difficult to be too independent with no car and not being within walking distance of many things, but I'm taking advantage of everyone's offers to do different kinds of things, so it's not getting old yet. I joined some other employees in a league of pick-up soccer this week, which was VERY fun. I look forward to doing that again.

I'm also taking good advantage of the hotel pool when I get the chance (on weekends since they close at 6:00 pm on weekdays), which is great. I love the fact that the weather is so nice here. It's generally in the low to mid 80s. It does rain in the afternoons quite often, but not for long. And once it rains and stops the weather goes back to being nice again.

I'm enjoying the work too so far. It's fun to finally feel like I'm contributing to the department a bit after being new and in training for so long (not that I've learned it all by any means, but I am able to help cover some of the load of the visa interviews). Hopefully I'll be up to speed within a month or so!

Visas!

Hi everyone, this has certainly been a week of ups and downs. I was so sad to hear that my mom's cancer has progressed much more quickly than anticipated and than we'd hoped. It's hard to be so far away from her right now. At the same time, I know she's in God's hands and that she is surrounded by people who are there to help her in any way they can. I'm so thankful for everyone who's praying for us.

On a positive note, I spent my first day on "the line" today, which means I sat at a window and interviewed people applying for visas. It's very interesting to see the variety of people, and I like having the opportunity to speak Spanish more often. I'm told that after three months I won't be as excited about it all, and that by 6 months I'll become cynnical, but for now I'm happy :) I'm not up to speed in any way shape or form, but it feels good to begin to be a contributor rather than to be unable to do anything helpful at work!

One Week down, 103 to go! :) I'm not really counting though...

Hi Everyone! I have made it through a week at my new post, and I'm liking it more every day. The past week has felt like it's flown by, but I also feel in many ways like I've been here for a lot more than a week. I've gotten through just about all of my check-in procedures. I found out that my permanent housing assignment should be approved tomorrow, but I will likely be in the hotel for another month to six weeks due to necessary upgrades in my permanent housing. There are pluses and minuses, but overall I can't complain because I know the reasoning behind waiting is good (security mostly).

I'm here with another new young single employee, so we've been able to eat and explore the neighborhood together a bit, which has made it seem less isolated. We've gotten a couple offers to do laundry at coworkers' houses, which is great, because we can have laundry done by the hotel, but we would pay by the piece and the going rate to wash one pair of underwear is about $3.00 USD! Of course, that would be reimbursable, but payment would be received probably in a couple months, and it really seems senseless to make anyone pay that much when the offer for free laundry is available from a coworker.

As far as work goes, it seems it will be challenging but interesting. Unfortunately I won't be able to share a ton of details in e-mail or on my blog, but I keep hearing that I'll have a ton of stories to share after being on the visa line for a while, so I'm sure I'll be glad to tell you them in person next time I'm visiting the states.

There had been some issues with our DPO address getting through, but they've been resolved for the time being. So, my mailing address for speed is Sarah Cranston, Unit 3140 Box 055, DPO AA 34037-0055. That mail is delivered daily and doesn't have a huge lag (unless we have contract negotiation issues again like we did recently). It's notorious in the past for getting things of value stolen, so when people order things online and such, they ship it through the pouch address, which comes directly from the State Dept. in Washington (doesn't go through any commercial carriers) and usually takes around 4 weeks to arrive at post. That address is 3140 Caracas Place, Dulles VA, 20189-3140. I sent a few things through the official mail before I left Washington (this is yet another address intended only for "official" or work-related mail). I was allowed to send personal items about 2 weeks ago from Washington, and all 4 of my boxes arrived today, so I have a few more of my household things to make me feel at home here in the hotel :) I got my first letter yesterday (a letter dictated by Grandma Cranston to mom, so it was nice to hear from them both).

I have been staying plenty busy and I have been sleeping very soundly at night. I think the fact of being new to everything just kind of wears me out. It's a good kind of tired though. I hope you're all doing well!

some pics of my hotel

These are a couple pics from my hotel. It's definitely a beautiful place!
I was able to go to church with someone this morning, which was really nice. It's a nondenominational church with both English- and Spanish-speakers. I'm looking forward to my first full week, and hopefully some job-specific training. Everyone talks about how demanding the work is, so it does feel good to know I'll be helping people with the workload once I get up to speed. I also realize that I'll probably wish I hadn't been so eager to get started, but at this point I can't help but feel eager :) It gets old after a while feeling like you're not contributing to the team. I realize the training is all very necessary though.

market day

After three days at work, it felt like an entire week! I'm glad to have a weekend so soon. I was skyping with Joanna last night, and we couldn't believe it had been less than a week since we saw each other. A group of veteran ELOs (entry level officers) introduced a group of us newer ones to their favorite market today, where produce is actually of good quality (unlike the grocery stores) and prices are reasonable. We didn't buy a whole lot since we're still in a hotel, but it'll be a great place to shop once we're settled in.

Debbie asked some good clarifying questions after my last post that I will now answer :) Anytime someone checks out at any store or pays at a restaurant they have to give their cédula number, which I guess is comparable to an government ID. At some places (like my hotel) where they know a lot of foreigners are staying they don´t require it. Otherwise, I can either tell them I don't have one or else give them my passport number. Some people care more than others. Once I get my accreditation, and officially become recognized by the government here, I can give that number instead.

When I first arrived, I felt like I didn't know the language, since the accent and a lot of vocabulary is very different than the Mexican Spanish I'm most used to. I'm starting to get a little more accustomed to it, and I'm sure that once I start interviewing at the visa window I'll get used to it very quickly. It's comforting to hear other good Spanish speakers say that the Spanish here is very unique.

My sponsor is someone who's been here for over a year and a half in the same position I'm starting now. She corresponded with me before arriving and answered a bunch of questions for me as I tried to prepare for coming. She's the one who is helping me get money that I can use here and who is helping me get rides and other things I need before I have all my own things here. She's been very helpful and generous with everything.

I'd read a lot about the very high cost and low availability of different consumable items as I prepared to go, so I've been pleasantly surprised at the availability and cost of things like toiletries and food. I even found almond milk and gluten-free cereal. It will be nice to set up my home once I get one!

I'm enjoying the availability of internet, cable, and a workout room in the hotel AND the abundance of sugar-free chocolate that tastes great :) It's been nice to be able to stay in touch with family and Wayne through skype so far, and by e-mail, this blog, and facebook with everyone.

1st day

Hi everyone, today was my first official day in the embassy. I had a good experience; everyone there was very helpful and friendly. There were some friendly faces from when I was in DC, which was nice. My sponsor has also been really great.

For the first few days I'm in the check-in process, which means getting registered on several different things and meeting a bunch of the principal officers at the embassy.

There are some great views of the city. The embassy is located in the Valle Arriba neighborhood, which pretty much means high valley, so it's not too hilly, but you can see down on some beautiful views. I took a couple of pics on my blackberry, which I'm attaching.

Everything you do here is based on your accreditation, so I'm really not able to do much yet. I'm applying for it as quickly as possible, but have to wait on things outside of my control. To buy something at any store, you are asked for your credential number. If you're a foreign diplomat, you're allowed to give your Carnet number instead. Until then, you can use your passport number, but you can't use that to sign up for internet or cable or cell phone service. So it'll be exciting when that comes through. Until then, it's kind of nice to be staying in a hotel until I get housing, since here I do have internet and cable tv :) I'm spoiled right now compared to a couple new people who got into their permanent housing right away.

arrived in Caracas

Hi All! I'm writing a quick note from Caracas to say I arrived with no problems and have gotten somewhat settled in to my temporary quarters (a nice hotel not too far from the embassy). I start tomorrow morning bright and early, so I need to get some sleep now, but I'll try to give a better update sometime tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers and well-wishes :)

ing now! I'll write more when I can :)

post it tonight if I can, plus an update about how my trip went. Thanks for all your prayers and warm wishes. I'm excited to arrive and jump into everyth

Writing from the plane, I had a big blog post written last night, and the internet connection failed just as I was getting ready to send it. I'll try to

bienvenida a Miami ( written yesterday posted today)

I made it to Miami this morning without a hitch! I had a good day observing CBP process fliers coming off international flights. It was really interesting; I would have enjoyed staying for more than one day. I think 85% of the employees I met were of Hispanic heritage and bilingual, and probably 95% had some amount of Spanish that they use for their jobs on a regular basis.

I had a full weekend leading up to today. I got packed up on Friday by movers, then had some things left that I decided to ship to myself via the APO address. Since my shipment will take so long to arrive, I sent myself some things that were too much to fit in my luggage but that I'll likely want sooner. My friends from church cooked a dinner Friday night that was "Sarah's food allergy-friendly" and we played games afterward. Joanna (yay!) flew in bright and early on Saturday morning, and we both crashed for a couple hours when we got to my apartment since it was a late night for both of us.

We had a late breakfast at the Original Pancake House, which we had thought was a local chain in Illinois, but it seems there are a lot more of them than we realized. They had a gluten-free pancake option, which I thought was delicious! Dan came up after lunch, and hung out through that evening, when we met up with some of my friends to see some of the DC sights at night.

Sunday was an emotional day, as I said good-bye to the new friends that I've become so close to in such a short time, then to my dear sister (it was great to see her, but the time was too short!), and even to my parents over Skype. I was in a cab at 5:00 this morning on my way to the airport, and here I am! I got a great little hotel just a block from Ocean Drive/South Beach in Miami, so it was fun to get out and walk after finishing work today.

packing day!

Today is the big day. Thanks to Mariola, my suitcases are super-organized and all packed. My items to be packed are organized and set out for the packers' convenience. All the items that belong at Oakwood are tucked away in the cabinets so they don't get packed by mistake.

Packers are supposed to come between 8-10 sometime. It's already 9, so I guess they're not coming in the first hour. I don't expect it'll take too long, but you never know. I had to turn in my remote access fob to access the intranet for work from home, so I need to go in one more time to take care of a few things this afternoon, so I'm really really hoping I have ample time to do so.

I'm attaching a couple pictures of the beginning of the packing process on Monday, and I'll put one of the nice empty apartment afterward. I occasionally send out group e-mails with different information about my FS process, so if you're not on that list and would like to be, please post your e-mail address to me on here and I'll add you to the list!

Whirlwind

I haven't forgotten about updating my blog...I keep thinking about it, just never find the time to do it!

After a week of getting a lot of the necessary boring stuff done, I went for a very short weekend trip to New York with a group of 4 friends from church. We drove up late Friday night, spent the night in Newark, then took the train in to the city on Saturday morning. We left at about 11 pm on Saturday night, getting us in bed in DC by 5:00 am, but we all still made it to church on Sunday! It was a great trip and we saw a ton for the short amount of time we were there. I will put the link to my picasa web album up when I have all the pictures there.

Since we got back, I've been in a whirlwind of trying to do everything that needs to be done before I leave. I recently found out I can mail boxes of things to myself that I'll want sooner than my household shipment will arrive in Caracas, so last night a friend came over to help me organize and pack 4 small-medium sized boxes, which I mailed this morning. I should get them within a couple weeks, as opposed to the couple months or so for my household shipment. Next on tap will be packing my suitcases, so that I know what to keep out when the movers come on Friday. I've been copying important documents, trying to sort what can be shipped by what means (aerosol, liquids, etc. have restrictions).

Another friend from church has agreed to store my car until it can be shipped, which is a huge blessing/relief. The moving company says they can't ship it until I am accredited after arriving in Venezuela, so it will likely be a couple to a few months before I have it at post. I am not too worried about that at this point, though, since I will be glad to learn about driving from the marines until I can drive my own car.

I have been in general security briefings yesterday and today, and tomorrow will have a country-specific one. I am still waiting to be able to pick up my visa. It has supposedly been issued and sent back from the Venezuelan Embassy to the State Department, but no one in the visa office has seen it. I have a feeling it will all get resolved at the last minute (sometime this week), but there's always the chance I'll have to push back my departure by a day or two (or several).

I just found out that Joanna received the pass she applied for a few weeks ago to come and visit me this weekend! We're so excited to get a chance to see each other once more before I leave the country. Dan will plan to come up sometime on Saturday to visit as well, so I'm sure we'll have a nice time together.

Cautious Optimism

Hi all,
I got a call today from an admin officer at post in Caracas who said my visa application has been approved by the minister of foreign affairs in Venezuela. Now, it just has to be issued. Hopefully, though, this is an indication that I'll have my visa in time to stick to my original travel plans.

My apartment is really filling up now with items for my consumables shipment. I got out a suitcase to put aside the items I want to make sure to take with me when I fly to post. I have to make sure to have all the necessities, since I can't expect my things to arrive for approximately 3 months after I get to post.

Today I got the last of my vaccines, the third rabies shot and typhoid. The days are really flying by now! It's hard to believe how soon I'll be leaving!

my life

here's the link to my ongoing picture album, newer ones are at the end

Under Two Weeks

Well if all goes according to plan, I have less than two weeks before I leave! My visa hasn't come yet, so things are kind of up in the air. Regardless, things are moving forward. I graduated from consular training last week (pictures of the jail on my last day can be seen in my picasa album: http://picasaweb.google.com/sarah.cranston/MyLife?authkey=Gv1sRgCIjihLC-zqzKRA#)

I've been continuing to make arrangements for my move and all the details that go with that. I was able to see Wayne one last time this past weekend, which was great. We had a lot of fun, including him teaching me how to buy, kill, and cook lobster (pictures also included). Besides that, he helped me download the Venezuela map for my Garmin. For my birthday, he gave me cheaper versions of the watch and necklaces he's given me over the past year, so that I don't get robbed and lose them while I'm overseas. He did a great job of finding lookalikes! I gave the real ones to him to keep safe for me until I return.

All I have left to do in the next couple weeks is some more logistics and paperwork, meeting with a few people here in Washington who I'll colaborate with from Caracas once I get there, three days of security briefings (one is country specific), my pack-out, and getting my visa! My future boss is doing what he can from his end to get it to go through. My sponsor at post has been extremely helpful in giving me advice on how to prepare for my move. I was glad to learn last week that I'll be able to take and use my blackberry in Venezuela. There is blackberry messenger service available, through which I can send messages without having any kind of international charges, and service there is considerably cheaper than it is here. I'll work on getting a Vonage account, so I can make calls through the internet and it will act as a US phone number.

Countdown begins

I'm down to three more weeks before I'm supposed to leave. Still no sign of a visa, but I'm still hopeful. I had a great weekend hanging out with friends, having dinner, playing games, seeing movies, etc. I had a second birthday celebration on Sunday afternoon when one couple invited all the 20-somethings group over for lunch and games.

This afternoon I decided to use money that my parents and grandparents sent me for my birthday to get a pedicure and massage at a spa in the shopping center connected to my building. It was very relaxing and well worth it!

I also spent a good deal of time today scanning documents for the moving company, trying to get all ready for my move and to legally import my vehicle to Venezuela. It seems like the process has only just begun, so I'm sure there's much more fun to come before I get it done.

happy birthday to me :)

Thanks everyone who wished me a happy birthday or somehow participated in making my day special today! I really had a great birthday, starting with opening a bunch of cards from Grandma and Grandpa Finger, Grandma Cranston, Mom & Dad, and Wayne (plus the package that Joanna sent earlier in the week) and a gift from my coworker.

We had a pretty interesting day, including some briefings from different offices that explained our interagency relationships and our role as consular officers. Tonight was the last night of VBS, and afterward several people from church got together at one couple's house, where they presented me with a cake and sang Happy Birthday to me! We played games and had a fun time. It was so sweet of them to go to such effort to do that for me. I really feel blessed by the fast friendships I've been able to make here.

more shopping...

Last night I got the picnic table/cargo lid that goes in the back of my CR-V. I put it in today and it fit perfectly! When I got the car, I noticed it didn't have it, but the price was so good I decided it was okay. I didn't think I cared about having it, but it is supposed to go over a large cargo storage space in the back, which is also covered by a carpet. Without the tray, the carpet was sliding down into the space and it wasn't convenient to put anything in the back. I found this one on ebay for a reasonable price, so I was happy.

I've also been ordering sheets, bedspreads, towels, and other needed household items as I find them at good prices on my favorite websites. It's pretty standard to get an advance of pay, which I'll probably do.

I have just over a week left of ConGen training, then some miscellaneous courses and safety training. I'll do a bunch of things like getting a vonage account, downloading the Venezuela map for my garmin, deciding when to cancel my cell phone, changing my address on everything, etc.

I've been getting birthday cards in the mail, and so far I only opened Joanna's present (thanks Jo!). I'm saving the rest for Friday. A coworker who's in training with me brought me a present, which she said I should wait to open until Friday. She also brought me my favorite rice chips, which are gluten free. She's always a bright spot in my day :)

immigrants and diplomats and cadavers, oh my!

It's been a busy few days! On Saturday and Sunday I was able to do some fun stuf with friends from church, including the Cheesecake Factory and the movie Inception. This week has been a fuller schedule at work so far, with field trips to Dulles Airport and today to the Office of the Medical Examiner of DC (ie. the city morgue).

Yesterday we were observing CBP agents (Customs and Border Protection) stamp people in as they came off of international flights. These included Green Card holders who had been out of the country, US Citizens, people coming on tourist visas, people coming on short-term work visas, student visas, etc. It was interesting to see the things we've been learning put into practice. It was also to show us that those agents have very limited time and information available for decision-making, which means that as consular officers we have to make sure we're checking everything out carefully.

Today we went to the morgue, as something of an introduction to our ACS (American Citizen Services) module. One of our duties in ACS is to identify Americans who die overseas and notify their next of kin. We had a presentation all morning, and then saw a movie about external autopsies before actually seeing one of the bodies there in the morgue. We talked to a grief counselor who walks families through the ID process there at their office. It is a useful exercise to get people familiar with being in that sort of setting before they're actually confronted with it in real life, possibly in a crisis situation.

To top off the busy-ness this week, it's been VBS week at church. I wanted to help, but didn't feel like I could commit to being there every night of the week. It runs from 6-9 each night. So I was assigned to help with registration yesterday and today. I'll try to go back on Friday too. It's been fun, but I'm beat! Luckily this pace will slow down a bit tomorrow.

Good Week

Preparations to move are coming right along. I have scheduled my pack out, got my car shipment reserved, reserved my plane tickets, etc. Now everything hinges on that visa coming! I got my second rabies shot yesterday. Now I just have a couple more to go.

I'm stil enjoying muay thai classes and activities with the 20-somethings from church. We back into heat-advisory temperature ranges this weekend. I hope I get a chance to go down to the pool tomorrow or Sunday. The big news today was an earthquake at 5:06 am. Apparently, the 3.6 earthquake was the strongest recorded in this area since 1974 (I think), when they started measuring and keeping track the way we do today. I didn't feel it, and I'm glad it didn't wake me up. I got my fill a couple years ago when we felt that 7.-something one in Illinois.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Dip Passport!!

I had the distinct pleasure of holding my newly issued diplomatic passport (that's the one with the black cover) for about 1 minute today. Just long enough to sign it before handing it over with my visa application to go to Venezuela. Unfortunately, the "Venezuela Visa Specialist" is out of the office for a month, but the employee working there today did his best to help me figure out the application. One of the advantages of getting a diplomatic visa instead of a regular non-immigrant visa is that the interview and fingerprinting is waived. We're just learning about this in my class, so the timing is helpful for me to understand how these things work in the real world.

When diplomats from other countries apply for their visas to come work in their missions here in Washington or other cities in the US, they have fewer restrictions and requirements than the average Joe applying for almost any other kind of non-immigrant visa (tourist, business, student, exchange program, etc.). A lot of our standard operating procedures are based on reicprocity, so it follows that Venezuela gives the same consideration to diplomats going to work there. (I highly doubt, though, that we have such an iffy schedule for issuing to them as they do to us).

So, the Venezuela visas are on a "will call" timeframe, which sounds nice at first; it's rare that the office would call the applicant to advise that the visa has been issued--usually they'd tell you to check back in a certain amount of time. But further consideration of the practice led me to the realization that they can't give any kind of idea of how long we should wait before checking back, so the will call policy makes more sense for Venezuela.

I did make travel reservations for my flight, which will remain valid for 1 month, so I'm really hoping I get the visa back before then. Also, I'm leaving (if the visa comes) just over a month from today, so if I don't have it by then, I'll be trying to find out about a temporary duty assignment to keep me busy until it comes.

Today we learned about detecting fraud--in falsified documents such as passports and visas--and in people who apply with false identities. I'm not at all convinced of my ability to do either yet, so I'm glad I'll get a lot more help and training in that at post before being left to my own abilities.

la copa mundial

Here are a few pictures from Sunday. (click on the picture and it should take you to a few more on picasa).


I passed my Non-Immigrant Visa exam today (woo hoo!) Now we have American Citizen Services left, which I think will be interesting. I had a chance to take my car in to be looked at yesterday, so I found a place that was recommended online for their integrity and good service. I was feeling like my brakes were not very sensitive and had figured they probably needed the pads replaced. I also wasn't sure about the transmission (the lag time for shifting between gears). After checking it out, the manager told me that the brake pads looked brand new and that they're in really good condition. They also checked the transmission and said it was in great condition. The only thing I ended up getting done was new windshield wipers! I finally concluded that I'm just not used to the feel of an automatic transmission, since all I've driven for the last 6 years was an automatic. I imagine the brakes seem less sensitive to me because it's a larger vehicle than I'm used to driving also.

I'll find out tomorrow whether my "expedited" diplomatic passport has come through or not, and if so, will apply for my visa. Our heat wave has died down a little, but it feels like the humidity has jumped about 30%. I'm not looking forward to the 1/2 mile walk in my suit from main state to the metro, but I'm sure I'll survive :)

catching up

I haven't been good a staying on top of my blog this week!

During the day on Friday, I had a gap in my course schedule enough to make it over to Main State (which is what the DoS main building downtown is called). They take passport pictures there for free. I got those and applied for my diplomatic passport. They're going to expedite it for me so I can apply for my visa as soon as possible. Hopefully, it'll be ready by Wednesday.

On Friday evening I had a really nice time having dinner and catching up with some relatives: my mom's cousin Sharon has lived here for a long time, and we've been in touch by e-mail. Her parents were in town visiting, so we, along with Sharon's daugher, got together at the Doubletree hotel near my apartment, which has a rotating restaurant at the top. It gives a great view of the city. It was a really nice time of getting reacquainted. Hopefully we'll find a time to get together again before I leave, and when the rest of Sharon's family is in town.

On Saturday I slept in and barely woke up in time to get to boxing class. It was pretty fun, though a good hard workout. I watched a Venezuelan movie last night all about the infamous Express Kidnappings that they're so famous for, which was pretty eye-opening and a bit disturbing. It was also some good information to learn about why they happen and the huge disparities in the distribution of wealth there.

There's a recent university graduate from Spain here for a few weeks to improve her English, staying with a family at my church, so several of us are going to go out to watch the Spain/Netherlands game this afternoon.

Short Week

I've had a good week so far since returning. The first day back in training (Tuesday) seemed never-ending, but I'm getting back into the swing of things. We have had record high temperatures (104 and 102) the last two days with moderate humidity. It's supposed to be a little cooler (mid-90s) today, but higher humidity. Yesterday was a great day to take advantage of the pool, which was very relaxing, but the water was actually almost warm.

Last night I finally made it back to muay thai class. It was a really good workout. There were also several first-timers, so it was kind of nice not to be the newest person there. We do a set of 10 jumping lunges and push-ups for each person in the class, and last night's class was the biggest yet, so I was literally collapsing on the push-ups by the end (I think there were about 15 there last night). I could barely walk up the stairs when I got home!

Today we begin our role-plays for Non Immigrant Visas (NIVs). It is a bit scary, but also one of the best ways to learn. In a few minutes I'm headed to the medical center to see what vaccines I need to get for Venezuela. Hopefully not too many!

back home

Hi all, just a quick note to say I'm home after a quick weekend in Champaign. It was really nice to see my family and Wayne, and so many dear friends at church. The time went really quickly, but it was well worth it. Coming home, it was really easy to catch the metro directly to my apartment. Tomorrow I'm back in the swing of things with my regular classes.

I have 3 weeks of consular training left--so I guess that means I'm half-way through. This week I'm supposed to go in and get my vaccinations for Venezuela. I'll also be trying to apply for my visa and diplomatic passport. That may turn into a waiting game, but I'll find out what I can get done right away.

I hope you all had a great 4th weekend!

on the waterfront

Buenas noches amigos! So yesterday I got the long-awaited TMONE (that's pronounced T-M-1), which is basically my official appointment/approval to Caracas. So I was then assigned a sponsor at post and able to contact my future supervisor. My start/arrival date in Caracas will be August 17th. Now I just have to get a lot of administrative things done in the meantime (to get my move, travel authorization, visa, diplomatic passport, etc. lined up in time).

Not to forget about ConGen--today I aced my Immigrant Visa exam. Yes folks, that's a 100%! While the exams are open-book, it's still not all that easy, considering the multiple sources we have to consult for answers, one of them being the 1000+-page Immigration and Nationality Act "Pamphlet". It's actually called a pamphlet, but it's a very thick bound book with thin pages :)

Tonight I went out with a group from church. There's a recent university graduate from Madrid who, through the Free Methodist missionaries in Spain got connected with the FM church here. She wanted to come to the U.S. to improve her English, so they found one of the church members who could host her for a few weeks. She arrived last night, and a group went out for dinner and ice cream tonight. We walked down by the waterfront after dinner, which was a pretty cool setting. We came across a guy who had 28 glasses of different sizes with water in them, and played an array of songs from "ode to Joy" to "The Star Spangled Banner" to "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring". He could play up to six notes at a time with two hands. It was pretty amazing.

It's pretty cool how quickly I've been able to make friends at this church. They're a great group of people, whom I'll really miss. I hope to meet a similar group once I arrive in Caracas! I'm looking forward to seeing my parents and Dan in just over a day, and Wayne the day after that!

same old, same old

Not a lot of exciting news to report today. I'm continuing my Immigrant Visa training at work, which is more interesting than it sounds. Today we did some role plays about determining whether someone is eligible to petition for a family member to apply for an immigrant visa. There are a lot of computer systems to learn, but in many ways they're not very different from what I used at Carle. I often feel like I understand the bureaucracy and confidentiality rules better than most of my class because of my experience in health care.

I heard from my Career Development Officer today that I should be receiving my travel authorization on Wednesday. That's good news, since it will allow me to begin applying for necessary travel documents. It also means I'll have a lot of work ahead of me, but that's necessary.

We're finally supposed to get some relief from the heat tomorrow! It'll be nice to be able to breath outside :)

Sunday Sunday...

Today has literally been a day of rest. Yesterday I went rafting with a group of people from church on the Shenandoah (think I spelled that wrong) River. Unfortunately the water was unusually low, and we had to get out and drag our raft several times. We did a 7.5 mile run, and took about 4 hours to do it (including stopping for lunch and an ongoing water fight). Despite the low water, we really enjoyed the recreation and fellowship. It was a fun distraction from work!

I felt pretty sore when I got up this morning. It turns out everyone else from the trip felt the same; we compared notes at church this morning. Also, despite my avid use of sunscreen, I had a few missed spots and the tops of my thighs got a bit red. So I've been taking it easy this afternoon. I do still have to look at some case studies for class tomorrow.

The forecast is looking good for Champaign next weekend! It looks like it'll be cooler there than here in Virginia.

heat wave!

There's been a heat wave here all this week. Temps were around 97-98 yesterday and today with high-ish humidity, making it just delightful to walk around outside. We get notices about Gold Day Alerts at work, which is when the facilities are maintained using less energy where possible (raising the temperature a few degrees, turning off monitors and computers where possible, etc.). Personally, I think they could raise the temperature inside by several degrees every day and save a lot of energy.

I passed my Nationality and Passports exam yesterday, and today we started in on Immigrant Visas. There's a really cool simulation area where there are several consular windows set up in a room to mimic the consular section of an embassy. We used them yesterday to practice some of the software applications. Further down that hall there's a simulated jail cell that we'll use later when we do the ACS (American Citizen Services) module of the course.

Last night I tried out kickboxing instead of Thai boxing. It was a challenging workout. I am so thankful that I'm feeling well enough to take part. I could tell I was a bit out of shape, but I'm working my way back. I also need to learn to wrap my own wrists/hands better. By the end of the class one of my wraps was coming loose. It was my first time trying to wrap them myself.

Time is flying these days. I have my routine down and feel like I'm involved enough at work and church that I have a "place" here finally. I know time will fly even more once I get really close to leaving. There is so much to do, but I can't work ahead, since I have to wait on receiving my travel authorization before I'm allowed to contact anyone at post or apply for my visa or diplomatic passport. Good thing I've been working on learning patience! :)

This week I got a plane ticket to go to Champaign over the 4th of July weekend. We have Monday off, so it'll be a short weekend, but will be nice to see the family (minus Joanna) one last time before leaving the country. It'll also be nice to make it to the 4th of July potluck at Mattis Ave. I'm generally a strong contender in the watermelon seed spitting contest!

happy belated birthday to dad (and others)!

I failed to write yesterday and wish dad a happy birthday! I hope it was great. (Same to you Sarah T). It's definitely summer here in Washington. We're in the mid-90s all week and though humidity is low (50-60%) it still feels sticky!

Yesterday I got together with a friend from college was in town for work. We went to Morton's, a nice steakhouse I'd read about but hadn't tried yet. It was really good food and it was great catching up with her and sharing stories about God's faithfulness in each of our lives.

This week has been interesting subject matter--determining citizenship for children of one or two US citizens abroad, in or out of wedlock. We're learning about reviewing passport applications, detecting fraud, and some of the computer systems we use for documenting and issuing different things. It's great to be learning very practical stuff. Tomorrow is our first test, on Passports and Nationality.

I also started my Spanish maintenance class today, which was very fun (in my opinion). A small group of students (5) meets with one professor to have informal discussions. I think they try to keep the topic somewhat on politics/government/culture/international relations. So it's helpful vocab to be using, but it's not like you have to be extremely informed about current events to take part. I enjoyed being able to speak Spanish again!

Happy Father's Day!

First and foremost, I'd like to say happy father's day to my wonderful dad (I love you!) and all other dads :)

I am also happy to share that I was able to purchase CR-V yesterday and trade in my beloved Civic Hybrid. I didn't ever think I'd see the day that I'd buy an SUV, but if I'm going to have one, this is the one to have. It's small, reliable, nice-looking, and supposed to be one of the better ones for fuel economy. That said, gas is ridiculously cheap in Caracas, so gas guzzling isn't as big of a concern as it once was. After a good amount of looking and driving around, I was so please to find this one 10 minutes before the dealership closed for the evening.

Wayne gave me a good tip: not to buy a used Honda from a Honda dealership because they won't give you as good of a deal. It turned out to be true. I purchased from a VW dealership who had gotten it as a trade in and didn't know a thing about it (I had to show him where the spare tire was) or my car (he took my first offer on my trade-in price, which was at the high end of the black book value). In the end, they sold it to me for about $3,000 less than others in the area are going for and gave me the good deal on my trade. Best of all, I got to drive home with it right away! I was so thankful to find it and not to have to spend more time looking. Wayne was a good coach via blackberry messenger and a couple of phone calls.

That is one task down that I'm glad to have out of the way. The good news is that when I leave Caracas, I'll probably leave the CRV there for the same price I paid for it, and hopefully a Civic will be practical for the next country I live in :)

Busy Week!

I finished up my first three days of ConGen. I'm still enjoying it pretty much. This first module is about passport and visa adjudication, so we have a ton of case studies. They're all interesting, and a good way to learn, and will be consuming a good deal of my time this weekend :)

I've also been looking into the car exchange. Today I test drove a CR-V, which I liked pretty well. It doesn't feel too big, like vans and other SUVs I've been in, but it is big enough and raised off the ground enough for my purposes. The 4WD and automatic transmission will also come in handy on the mountainous terrain and heavy traffic of Caracas. I also found out that an auto loan from USAA (of which I'm now a member) allows me to take a financed vehicle out of the country before it's paid off, unlike many other lenders. I'll be looking some more this weekend.

Today there was a dedication of a new wing at the Foreign Service Institute, and Sec. of State Clinton came to cut the ribbon and say a few words. A big crowd gathered outside around the door where the ribbon was going to be cut about 30 minutes before she arrived. It was pretty cool to see her up close and personal! I took several pictures on my blackberry.

so much for Wal-mart...

It's late, but I wanted to quickly share about my day. Today I started general consular training, better known as ConGen. From what we went over today, I think I'm really going to enjoy it. It's all about the practical skills of adjudicating visas (immigrant and non-immigrant). Since all entry level officers are required to do a consular rotation of at least one year during their first two tours, there are many in the class who are not specializing in Consular Services as their professional career tracks. So, part of the day was spent attempting to convince these people who only are interested in creating foreign policy how exciting and important the consular functions are. They don't have to convince me--this is what I've been wanting to do all along! Besides visas and passports, we'll also learn about American Citizen Services, which includes anything from visiting Americans who are in jail abroad, assisting when an American dies overseas, when one is born overseas, when there are natural disasters, etc. There is a test at the end of each module; yay! (Call me crazy, but I enjoy taking tests :)

So after that great day at work, I came home to fun mail (a sweet card from Wayne) and got ready for my first Muay Thai (that's Thai Boxing) class. I got a taste of it in the self defense seminar I went to on Sunday, and it's rather addictive. I got my wraps (gray camo) and my pink gloves and was off and running. It turned out to be a really user-friendly environment with quality instruction. There is one other girl in the class who has been going for a couple years, but was really helpful in telling me what to expect next/encouraging me. It was also the most intense workout I think I've had since I played soccer in college. It was great, and I felt good afterward.

So, what could make the day any better but a trip to Wal-mart? In my efforts to stock up on toiletries and household products before leaving for Caracas, I've discovered that there aren't a lot of discount stores or even good sales at any of the places around here. From muay thai, my GPS told me the nearest Wal-mart was 7.4 miles away. I headed out, since I'm actually experiencing a little withdrawal, to see what deals I could find. I missed my exit twice due to the poorly lit roads and construction, and finally pulled into the driveway Jack (my GPS) was leading me to. It was an ING office building. So I looked up Wal-mart on my blackberry and punched in that address to my GPS. It took me to the empty (dark) lot across the street. Conclusion: maybe there was a Wal-mart suite in one of these highrise office buldings...or maybe there used to be a Wal-mart somewhere nearby. By this time it was after 10, so I opted for a 24-hour CVS on my way home. I guess I'll do better to save Wal-mart for a Saturday when I have time to drive out of town. They're just lucky the rest of my day was so good (or else I am), because it didn't get me too upset overall :)

Post A-100

Hi all! Just an update on what I've been doing since graduating last Friday.

First, though, one last thing from Friday. I met up with two ladies over at the Main State building who I got connected with by a friend of Aunt Naomi's, who's been in the department for several years. They're both Christians and in Washington assignments this round, so we were able to meet in the main cafeteria for lunch. It was nice to talk to some new people for a change, but also people with whom I have more in common.

On Sunday afternoon, one of the girls in my class had organized a self-defense class for women. I didn't have much of an idea of what to expect, but it was pretty practical practice of what to do if you get physically attacked. It took place at a boxing studio. I really enjoyed it, so much that I am interested in looking for some lessons somewhere nearby for the next few weeks. The place we went was about 20 miles out of town.

Yesterday and today are down as admin days for me. I spent a good deal of the day yesterday reading up about Caracas and reading the post reports to figure out how best to be preparing. We're allowed 2.500 lbs of consumables to ship over. In reading the post reports, it sounds like the country goes through shortages of different foods and household goods at different times. When products are available, they are really expensive. So I started out by ordering some of my "can't live without" cooking items, vitamins, toiletries, etc. online. I guess my apartment will slowly fill up over the next several weeks!

Tomorrow I will start general consular training, which has a lighter schedule (9-4) to accommodate the need to be working on other things at home. Looking forward to it!

Swearing In

Well, I made it through the first five weeks! On the first day, it seemed like it would never end; now it seems like it's been a short while. Either way, it has been a valuable training time and I'm glad it's over :) We had a short ceremony this afternoon at Main State (that's the official building, not the training center where we are most of the time). One of the Deputy Secretaries of State gave a short address and administered the swearing in. We stood, raised our right hands, and repeated the oath after him en masse. It was a nice ceremony. We had a group picture afterwords, then we were done for the day (around 3:45)!

I've been enjoying resting this evening and forcing myself not to work on anything related to work. I have Monday and Tuesday to do post research next week, so I'll take full advantage of those days and use the weekend to catch up on organizing at home, shopping, cooking, relaxing, etc. I'm really looking forward to ConGen next week.

a fond farewell to A-100

Well, this is it! Tomorrow will be my last day of A-100. We close the class with a fancy swearing-in ceremony (though we were actually sworn in just under 5 weeks ago on our first day--otherwise we weren't officially employees). Tomorrow is kind of like a graduation ceremony. Families are invited and we'll stand and pledge allegiance to the constitution and there will be an address from one of the undersecretaries.

Today we finally got our training schedules for Monday. I actually have a couple of admin days at the beginning of the week, which is great, since I have so much to do to get ready for leaving for post. Those days can be used for post research and any other planning/arrangements that need to be made before leaving. On Wednesday, I'll start general consular training. Many from my A-100 class will take that course, but not nearly as many as the 95 in A-100. Then I'll have a few more gap days before taking a Security Overseas Seminar. The gap days are supposed to be used for consultation (meeting people who work here in DC with whom I'll be interacting from Caracas) and for getting ready for my pack out.

I'm allowed a certain amount of poundage to ship consumable goods that aren't available in Caracas, so I need to see about what I should have shipped there. I also need to see if my car is one that will be compatible with the environment there. Most likely, it will be in my best interest to sell my current car and get some kind of SUV (the price of gas is a non-issue in Venezuela). There is a diplomatic passport to obtain, as well as a visa, travel orders, etc.

I have to wait a week or so before contacting my future supervisor to determine my exact arrival date, but it's looking to be somewhere early- to mid-August. I'm having fun reading about what life is like there and starting to get excited!

I'm posting a few pictures from last weekend with Wayne, and the video of getting my assignment on flag day.

Caracas Embassy home page

http://caracas.usembassy.gov/?lang=en

Caracas!

Hi all, I got my assignment today--Caracas, Venezuela. I think it'll be a great post and am looking forward to learning all about it in the coming days. We didn't get our continuing training schedules today as hoped, but will get them by the end of the week. If I had to guess, I think I'll be here in Virginia for another two months or so before shipping out. I'll find out about the chance for a visit home before leaving and everything in the next couple of weeks I think. I'll put up more details later, just wanted to give an update.

It was great to have Wayne here as moral support and to give me flowers, plus introduce me to Korean barbecue to celebrate. He leaves early (I mean EARLY) tomorrow morning. More details to come :)

Flag Day's tomorrow :)

I have been having a great time with Wayne visiting--doing all the tourist stuff I haven't done yet. We've fit a ton into the two days so fary. I'll post more details later this coming week. Tomorrow morning we have a field trip for A-100, then in the afternoon is our flag day ceremony, when we'll find out our assignments, so I'll also post more details about that, probably Tuesday evening, since Wayne leaves Tuesday. Needless to say, I'm anxious to find out. I'll post pics and info later!

Core Skills Week

This has been a good week. Odly enough, it was the week that we've had the most work to do so far. I think that's kind of what made it so good. We actually got relevant assignments and got to practice some of the things we've been learning about. We've also been in smaller groups, so participation has been easier.

Tuesday we had long-ish sessions to learn about composure under fire (responding to the difficult questions as representatives of U.S. foreign policy) and public speaking. We got our schedules for the rest of the week on Tuesday afternoon, and I was scheduled to give my speech on Tuesday afternoon. We had to come up with a 5-6 minute speech related to our cone. I decided to speak to a group of hypothetical Mexican grad students about to leave to study International Relations in the US for a year, specifically regarding the drug-related violence along the border. We were video taped and critiqued. Despite the nerve-inducing circumstances, the whole experience was really pretty positive.

Today I had my Composure Under Fire session. We were each assigned a country and a short scenario. We each had to take a turn sitting or standing at the front of the room for 5 minutes. The rest of the room played the role of the questioners in our scenarios. We were given a page-worth of hard questions to ask related to each person's country and were also told to ad-lib. The foreign service officer was supposed to use this as practice at identifying questions based on false pretenses, analogies that are incongruent, etc, and learn how to get our message out despite the attitudes of our audiences.

This was also not as bad as I expected :) It was definitely nervewracking, but good experience. I was assigned Colombia and had to speak to a pretend group of protestors from outside of the embassy who were angry about the U.S.'s financial support of the Colombian government. I just felt lucky I didn't have to speak to the nuances of foreign policy in Iraq or China...that would've been harder for me.

I've been feeling a little better, so I think that's another reason this week has been a better one for me. I'm also looking forward to seeing Wayne this weekend and doing some sightseeing, then finding out my assignment on Monday!