life goes on...

Hi from rainy Suva. It's been a busy month, getting a little bit settled in and hitting the ground running at work. Alex arrived on a Saturday, we got to move into our house on Monday, and all my household effects and consumables were delivered on Tuesday. I got a day and a half off from work to unpack, and then it was back to business as usual. Work is never dull--I am continuing to learn something new every day, and I don't expect that to change any time soon. This week I was in charge of coordinating the US Embassy's booth at the annual Hibiscus Festival, a week-long event with carnival rides, talent shows, food stands, beauty pageants, etc. We had a tent for just one day, promoting some of the USAID projects, educational programs and scholarships in the US, the Embassy's facebook page, and, of course, visa information! The local staff did a really good job of pulling everything together and prepping me for my first ever TV interview.

We've done a lot to start feeling at home, but it feels like there's always something else to do. Right now we're still waiting to get tv and internet hooked up, putting in maintenance requests every day at work for small things that need to be fixed on the house, buying more electric convertors and power cords, and figuring out where things should go. We joined the best gym in town (still no air conditioning) and got to play soccer for the first time with a small group from the Embassy on Friday (yay!).  Alex got his computer set up right away and has been busy editing and cataloging photos whenever he has a spare moment. Last weekend we drove almost 3 hours to stay one night at a beach, which was more like what you think of when you hear Fiji than Suva is. It was a long drive, but nice to get to the beach finally!

Despite the many cool things about this job/lifestyle, one of the drawbacks is being far away from friends and family, especially during the rough times. I was saddened to get the news that Grandpa passed away on my birthday, less than a month after I'd arrived in Suva. I wished I could attend the funeral and be around the family, many of whom I haven't seen in quite a while. Uncle Dennis sent me the memorial video that was played at the service, which was a nice way to participate from so far away. I've also been thinking a lot about my friend Anne since arriving. We went through our arrival together at our first post, and I often find myself thinking of things I want to tell her about or wishing we were planning a trip for her to come visit me here. At work when I'm faced with challenges I think of how Anne always confronted the challenges so gracefully and handled them so adeptly, and I am inspired to do the same.

I'm really looking forward to seeing a couple of other close friends in the next couple of weeks. One is getting married in Madrid next weekend, and she asked me about a year ago if I would be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I wanted to say yes, but had to wait until I got to Suva (just 2 months before the wedding) to confirm I could get the time off. Thankfully, my boss generously gave me the time off, and to take advantage of the very long and expensive flights, we're going to stay another week and meet up with a very dear friend in Portugal (she's currently working in Germany). I wish we were more settled before taking off, but I know it will be really wonderful to be around friends who I've known for a while. I'm hoping that when we get back it won't be long before we've got everything up and running and I'll be able to stay in touch a little more easily!

Bula!

I've officially been here now for three weeks, and figured it was time for an update. I'm starting to get the hang of the job, though I believe I'll be challenged until the day I leave. Caracas was a good job for learning how to become adepts at making quick decisions and doing lots of interviews fast while still being fair. However, in Caracas there were 15 or so people just like me doing the exact same thing, and different people were assigned to handle different special types of visas, and then there was a supervisor and a two more layers of bosses on top of that, plus about 40 local staff behind the scenes preparing the cases, answering phone calls and e-mails, etc. Here, I'm all the interviewing officers, the supervisor and the boss all rolled into one. I answer to the head of the consular section, and I have three local staff doing all the background work. While the volume of interviews is obviously much lower, the variety is MUCH greater, so I am continually being challenged to look up State Department policy before making decisions on lots of things. Overall it's really great. I actually wanted to come to Fiji specifically because I knew this set up would force me to learn a lot more about processes and regulations than I'd had to know before.

Two of our local employees interpret Hindi when needed, but our office is short staffed right now, and one day during my second week I didn't have an interpreter available. I'd either have to interview in Hindi or ask this couple to sit down and wait a couple of hours until I could do their interview. So after a couple moments' hesitation I decided to give it a shot. When I started speaking Hindi, it felt like every head in the waiting room snapped around to look at me. I was rusty, having not used any Hindi in the two months since I'd finished language training, but we somewhat communicated and I completed the interview. Since that one, I've used my own Hindi probably 20 times or so on other interviews, though I like to get an interpreter, especially when a case is less straightforward, just so no one can claim later that a decision was based on a misunderstanding. Yesterday, after I finished interviewing a young Indo-fijian student (in English) he said "I just have a question; when you speak Hindi are the words on your screen? or do you actually know them?" It made me laugh, but I took it as a good sign that at least I wasn't butchering the grammar to badly. The two Hindi-speaking local staff have been encouraging, so I may be able to work on keeping up the language while I'm here.

I'm still in a temporary house for a couple more weeks. I was originally assigned to move into this house permanently, but things changed and I got reassigned to one that is just up the street from the embassy, so I'll eventually be able to walk to work every day. It's a little hard to settle in when I know I'll be moving out again shortly, but I decided 5 weeks is long enough that I do need to make myself feel as comfortable as possible here. So...I have had a couple of good shopping trips where I stocked up on the essentials--broom, soaps, clorox wipes, kitchen essentials, etc. and have done a good bit of cleaning. I was excited to receive my UAB (unaccompanied air baggage) this week, so I now have several more things to make me feel more at home (my memory foam pillow, my viola, more clothes and shoes!). My entire shipment of household effects is likely to arrive 2-3 months after I did.

As I was well aware it would, it rains a lot in Suva. Humidity is usually in the upper 90s, although it's winter right now, so it's cooler. It feels like it's been in the 70s to low 80s since I've been here, and not too unpleasant. I like hearing the rain on the roof at night, and it hasn't rained too hard during the day since I've been here. There are three large dehumidifiers in the house, provided by the embassy, and I've been emptying them about twice a day. I'll post a short video that I took through the window of my taxi yesterday, just to give a feel for what the city of Suva is like. I hope to get more soon--I think once I'm able to start driving around on my own I'll have more interesting photos to share!

The road between the embassy and one of the areas where a lot of embassy housing is located.

I'm in Fiji!

As I've once again let way too much time lapse and lots of people want an update I thought I'd take the opportunity of some down time to update my blog. Lot's has happened--good and bad--since I last wrote. In March I was able to take two days off my language training to go to a wedding in Venezuela with Alex and his family. On that trip we were robbed at gunpoint when we walked a little ways up the beach during the wedding. Luckily, our losses were covered by insurance. It wasn't fun, but it could have been a lot worse. About three weeks later, Alex made a complete surprise visit to Arlington, which I was completely amazed he was able to pull off. The fun of that trip was diminished by the sad news the next day that our close friend Anne had been killed in Afghanistan (See here for more information). I was so thankful to have Alex there as we went through initial stages of the grieving process. The next 5 weeks or so were filled with different ceremonies honoring her and giving different groups of people within the State Department the opportunity to grieve her death. It was surprisingly difficult to balance feelings of personal loss of a friend with all the activities in the State Department aimed at commemorating the loss of the young promising diplomat who so many people admired, but that didn't necessarily know her personally or very well. They had a very nice memorial service for her in DC, and it was especially meaningful to me to be able to attend her funeral and have the chance to talk with her family a bit. 4-5 other good friend from Caracas were also in DC for assignments or training at the time, so we were able to support each other through a really difficult time, and I was so grateful for that chance to share with others who could identify with the same feelings I had.

Shortly after, I went through a whirlwind of finishing language training (passed with flying colors, but I feel like I could take another 8 months before feeling adequate in the language), packing out, getting final doctor and dentist appointments, getting ready for home leave, and saying good-bye to good friends in DC. Alex joined me at the end of May, and we departed for a four-week trip covering much of the Southwest and Western parts of the US. We were able to see a lot of family and friends, visit 9 different states, see parts of 4 national parks, and drive over 3,730 miles in three different rental cars. It was a lot of fun, and we got ideas of how to make it even better next time (visit fewer places and stay longer in each one!).

The day Alex left to return to Caracas, I began my journey to Fiji, and about 40 hours after departing on Wednesday morning, I arrived in Suva, where it was about 12:30 in the afternoon on Friday. I'm staying in a hotel until my housing is ready, so I have internet and my meals prepared for me. I was able to make myself stay awake until almost bedtime on my first day here, so I've been adjusting well to the time change so far. It is very weird to realize that though it's Sunday afternoon here, Sunday hasn't even started yet for most of my friends and family. I got a sim card right away, so I can still use the internet on my iphone, though I'll probably just use my embassy-issued phone for phone calls locally. I've had a very warm welcome from so many people from the embassy community, and I'm very eager to begin working there tomorrow morning. After about 10 months of training and leave I am really ready to feel like a contributing member of a team again as soon as possible! I'm also looking forward to moving into my permanent housing (which sounds great), Alex's arrival in just over a month, and visits from friends and family over the next two years.

Here is some more information about Suva, the capitol of the Fiji Islands.

Between heats at an outrigger paddling competition the embassy team participated in yesterday, in a bay in Suva

A first view of the main island, Viti Levu, from the airplane

Spring is in the Air!

It's been too long since I last wrote! I meant to write a post before Alex arrived for a visit in February, knowing I'd be busy once he got here, but I didn't get it done. The biggest news since then has been recent--the death of Venezuelan presiden Hugo Chavez. I was completely surprised, as I didn't expect them to actually announce it. There's plenty of speculation that he's been dead for a while. The news came about 3 hours after news hit that two Air Force attaches at the Caracas embassy had been PNGed for conspiring to kill the president. PNG= persona non grata ie. "you're no longer welcome here." The US Ambassador to Venezuela was PNGed before I ever got there ( I think it was in 2009), and we never had an ambassador while I was there. The accusations against our people echoed an offhanded comment Chavez had made a few months earlier during one of his talks, suggesting that the US had come up with a way to cause cancer in people and they were aiming at South American presidents.
Venezuela is now looking at new presidential elections on April 14. The two main candidates will be Chavez's VP (and now interim president) Maduro and the previous opposition candidate, Capriles.

Alex came to visit for two weeks in February, and while I had to go to work while he was here, I did let some of my studying slide, and we had presidents day off, so we were able to do some fun stuff. I accompanied him several times on photography outings to some of the landmarks in DC and we also made a day trip to Great Falls national park where we almost froze to death, but got some good shots (I can't wait for warm weather!) We also had the chance to get together with several friends we both worked with in Caracas who have recently returned for training or jobs in DC.

I have continued to struggle with energy levels and difficulty with digestion. In January, I did a comprehensive blood tests for food intolerances, which gave me several things to focus on. After cutting out the things that were causing a reaction, I did feel some better, but not even close to normal. While maintaining that diet (my diet would seem very weird to you right now!), I have also started to look into treatment for a parasite I was diagnosed with in October 2012. It's apparently one that researchers don't know a lot about or understand very well, and there are not very effective treatments available. The best place in the world to get treatment for it is in Australia, based on their rate of success in eliminating the parasite. Find more info if you're interested here. So while I'm trying to work on in now, I just might have to take advantage of Fiji's proximity to Australia when I move in order to find relief.

It's hard to believe that Hindi training is nearing the end; I have almost two months left, but several of my classmates will be testing out this month, as they will have to start other training before leaving for their posts. It's nice that we've reached a point of not learning so much new stuff and now practicing speaking for fluency (but hard to accept that my language abilities will be limited to what I know now!). Because Hindi is classified as a "hard language" the requirement is to get to a level 2 out of 5. For world languages like Spanish and French, the requirement is a 3 out of 5. So while I've learned a lot, my abilities are still very limited, and it can be frustrating to think of how much I've worked to end up so slow and limited when I try to speak or read at a level I'm used to in English, and even in Spanish. C'est la vie in the Foreign Service though :) I'm already dreaming of what language I might get next time around.

Checking In

I wrote last week, having just returned from visiting Joanna and Matt and meeting Alexis Crossett for the first time. I was so enamored with my new niece that I overlooked what I'd been thinking about writing about--looking back on 2012 and thinking ahead to the coming year.

As I think back to last year, it's hard for me to believe how much I've had the chance to do! I've visited Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Puerto Rico and Spain (quick trip) and went to Dad and Tammy's wedding in April. I got to visit the world famous lightening in Catatumbo not once, but twice, and and I got to revisit one of the most beautiful places on earth, Los Roques with some amazing friends. I really enjoyed the proximity to all kinds of new places to visit.

I witnessed two countries' elections pretty close together and have thought about the reasons for the differences between them. I witnessed a lot of the best of Venezuela--the most beautiful places, some of the most intelligent, caring, and passionate people that I've met. Unlike many of my Foreign Service colleagues, I'm not someone who thinks about (or understands a lot of) politics that much. I was lucky to be born in a country where things work well, where there are lots of opportunities and little poverty, little crime compared to the rest of the world. Watching Venezuela's process through my friends' and colleagues' perspectives has been challenging, as I realize I don't know what I'd do to change things if I were in their shoes. (read the latest here).

Fiji also has elections scheduled for 2014, and I'll be interested to contrast that experience with what I've seen in Venezuela. I have been going back and forth between stocking up on summer shoes and clothes and trying to to buy anything more, as I feel I have enough for Fiji. I get to take a shipment of consumables (recommended items include toilet paper, any kind of paper goods, coffee, sunscreen, bug spray, etc.). It's also recommended to bring all sporting goods and shoes you expect to need, as good quality and prices are not readily available. Since I sold my TV and most electronics in Venezuela, I've been gradually replacing them. I need to find items with dual voltage plugs, as the voltage is different there than here. I'm waiting to buy a new car once I get there, since cars are driven on the left side of the street and the steering wheels are on the right side of the car.

Though I've been relying on Alex's pictures for the last year or so and haven't really taken any of my own, I broke down and decided to buy a camera. I would have loved to have one when I was visiting El Paso, and as Alex's focus is on artistic shots, I don't always the get cheesy shots I want to remember fun trips. I got a pretty simple point and shoot one, but it seems like it'll be just what I want size- and capability- wise.

The State Department recently posted a video on their careers page of the website giving an overview of the job(s) of a foreign service officer. I really enjoyed seeing it and it was a great reminder to me of why I took this job. Language training doesn't happen to be my favorite part of it, but it's a necessary part of it, and it's a pretty cool perk. The video also shows a pretty accurate glimpse into the work my colleagues and I do around the world.

Canon PowerShot A2300 16MP 5X Optical Zoom Black Digital Camera (Google Affiliate Ad)

Welcome 2013

Welcome 2013! I'm back at home after a great trip to El Paso from Christmas through New Year's to visit Joanna and Matt and meet Alexis Jean Crossett! It was really nice to see Joanna and Matt, and to meet my precious new niece Alexis. It was also really great to have a break from studying and a change of pace for a few days. I had a blast holding Alexis, changing her diapers, helping bathe her, watching her sleep, waking her up to eat, and going to a doctor appointment with her and Joanna.

I took way too many pictures of her, but I couldn't help myself. Here are a couple of her after her third bath wearing the robe Alex and I bought for her at FAO Schwartz in New York after Thanksgiving. He couldn't believe this was it, since she looks so tiny in it, and it looked pretty tiny itself. She is a precious little girl, and I can't wait to visit again this summer. It was so hard to leave on New Year's!

It was only a 3-day week coming back, but it was long enough for me! I jumped right back into Hindi the day after returning. I also had a doctor appointment to follow up on food intolerances. I'm getting a blood test from ALCAT to determine what foods are producing an immunological response when I eat them. Despite some improvement, I've been continuing to deal with a great deal of fatigue as well as some indigestion and some headaches. In a few days I'll have a list of foods that I have severe, moderate, milde, and no reactions to, and I hope to find some improvement with this.

I've also turned some attention to start planning my home leave trip this summer before leaving for Fiji. It's hard to believe I'm about half-way done with my Hindi course. In late May Alex will come back for a final visit here, and we'll do some fun traveling, hopefully to some places where he'll get some amazing pictures, and also to visit Joanna et. al. and Dad and Tammy. We're currently trying to plan the details of the trip, which is fun and challenging at the same time. We definitely want to hit the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, LA, and we're seeing what else we can do.

Dad and Tammy are at Joanna and Matt's house this week--so hopefully I'll get to see some more pictures and videos of Alexis soon! ;)

On the Right Track

I took my first diagnostic Hindi evaluation on Friday, and was pleasantly surprised and relieved to get a score of 1/1. This indicates a 1 out of 5 for speaking and 1 out of 5 for reading. I need to score a 2/2 in May in order to meet my language requirement for Fiji. For comparison, I have a 3/4 in Spanish. A challenge I've had with learning Hindi is a lack of strong interest in the culture that goes along with it. Spanish was different because I'd been exposed to it most of my life and had a lot of interaction with people from different Latin American countries. I barely considered the Hindi requirement when bidding on Fiji--I was more interested in the actual job details and the location, and was surprised when I saw the language requirement again after getting the assignment. One of my strategies has been to find a Hindi-language radio station from Fiji on the Tune in Radio app. I usually listen to it when I'm walking home from work for about 40 minutes each afternoon. It's a very cool app and very useful to me. You can check it out here: Radio Mirchi 980 from Fiji


I've talked a bit about my health and some of the struggles I've been going through in the past months. I'm glad to report that my energy levels have been greatly approved with one of the supplements I'm taking. I've been researching supplements, diets, and other ideas. I was diagnosed with a parasite, but after reading about it at home, it turns out that most people with the parasite don't have symptoms, but the ones that do are not cured by the antibiotic my doctor prescribed. So I have been frustrated with the medical experience. I've decided to do a strict paleo diet (see here) Considering how I feel, I am also leaning toward geting some kind of blood test to show which foods I'm sensitive to. I'd like to establish a good sense of that and learn how to live with it before I leave for Suva next June.

Alex came to visit for 12 days in the second half of November, and I was glad to be able to take him to Dan and Beth's wedding, where he got to meet some of my family, and I also enjoyed catching up with lots of family and spending time with 3 of mom's sisters (and my own sister and parents!). It was a lot of fun, though the time seemed very short. The following weekend, Alex and I took a bus up to New York to spend Thanksgiving. I got to build on my previous 1 and a half day trip to New York a couple years ago. This time, we visited the Empire State building, saw part of the Macy's parade, visited FAO Schwartz, Central Park, and did a LOT of walking.I'd love to post all of Alex's amazing pictures of DC and NY, but I'll wait till he uploads them to Rengel Photo and let you see them there!

Checking out an artisan booth at the Grand Central Station Christmas fair

Kung Fu Panda balloon in the Macy's Parade

Empire State Building from a tourist's view