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 :)