Yes I'm Still Here and Garrulous as Ever!

It's Saturday. I'm home and Chels is at work. The sky is gray-clad and rain falls in sporadic bursts. In other words: just another day. So here's an update.

These last weeks have been interesting, we've been hashing with the Hash House Harriers, we've been going to MST, lamenting about our computer and fridge (but not too extreme; see Chelsea's previous posts.), and working.

The other day I decided I wanted to try and take the Foreign Service Officer's Exam (FSOT) and become a diplomat. I signed up, gave all my information, and tried to register for the test that's occurring today at the US Embassy. But since I am home and not in G-Town, it didn't quite work out. My name is in the system, though, and they will let me know when the next one occurs (should be around December time).

How did I come to decision from education track to diplomacy?

It was a process. Back when we taught at HSHMC one of the teacher's brothers was a Foreign Service Officer in Asia. He gave a few talks to the students and it sounded pretty neat. However, I didn't think diplomacy was in my cards. I did think that Chelsea would be a better candidate, though, being wayyyyyy more tactful than me (I?). (I have this habit of just saying what's on my mind...not the best skill for a diplomat talking to world leaders and all). She really didn't express a desire to become one so we thought nothing of it.

Time passed and our Country Director sent out an e-mail saying the embassy was offering the FSOT exam free of charge in June. I didn't have an immediate desire to take it, but Chels suggested I should, since I know all sorts of random things from government to economics to popular culture (which the exam tests) and probably would be good at it. This took me aback. Me? Good at diplomacy, politics? I thought about it and I did some research on the Foreign Service and the State Department. The more I read the more I became intrigued.

I realized being a foreign service officer was similar to my Peace Corps experience: meeting people, talking about the US mission, analysis, and need's assessment; feeling people out to see how they will react to certain suggestions, being political (which happens in my office daily), being tactful (yes I have learned 'tact' these last 16 months); knowing when to stay silent and when to offer opinions, how to lead, manage, facilitate and organize and how to integrate into a completely different culture (with respect and cultural sensitivity.) After this realization I signed up and registered, but I signed up too late and missed the international deadline. It's okay, though, I am not too attached to the idea, but I wouldn't discredit it as an option. I will probably take it in December if they offer it here, and if they don't then the Universe had other plans I will go along my merry way.

Besides FSOT stuff I'd been busy working with the remedial teachers for the 6-year transitional programme I talked about ages ago. My REDO left and our secondary officer is acting in his place, so she has given me the mission of supervising the 6-year teachers all through June. I have a set visitation schedule and plan on hitting up each teacher at least 3 times this month. I've got plenty more to go. It's a lot of field work and travel, but it keeps me busy and if I can make a difference I'd be super stoked. I am also working on organizing a professional development program for teachers who are teaching summer school. I've chosen four schools and two teachers from each school to visit at least once a week during the six or four week summer term. I will be making copies of my booklet and distributing them to the teachers and working with the teachers on using the booklet to improve their teaching. I am writing a proposal to my region and with luck we will get the program off the ground.

Onto more fun stuff, these last few days Chels, Sara, Tony, and I have been traveling around Linden to look for Hash trails. We volunteered to Hare a Hash on June 18^th. It's been really fun traveling all around Linden looking for tracks and “shiggy” trails. It's stunning around here. I never knew Linden had such beauty. I have been taking pictures, but until our computer is fixed I'm hesitant to upload them onto our temporary hard drive. But words are worth a thousand pictures, right?

There are red sand hills that circle around the old aluminum plant, there are savannahs and flood plains that creeks cut through. Trees grow in all shapes, twisting around each other, creating both dense and sparse jungly areas; sometimes growing from the creek other times from the creek's banks. White sand hills emerge from jungle-like plains and small horse trails lead from populous places to more remote areas. Roads that were used before the highway was built come into focus, in use still, but rarely. It's surely a treat. I am excited for our trail and I hope all who participate can appreciate it as much as we do.