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!
Fiji
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, August 23, 2010
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.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
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.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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 :)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
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!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, August 6, 2010
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!
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!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
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.
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.
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