2010 (so far) in pictures, abridged

Costa Rica

Flag Day!

Louis

…and there you have it. I went to Costa Rica, where I got a kidney infection, learned to surf (kind of) and met some weirdly conservative Canadians. I started and finished A-100 (the fighting 151st!), went to a lot of very happy hours, was pronounced proficient in Turkish, and then got assigned to Panama (go figure). I got a baby french bulldawg, named him Louis (pronounced Louie), and spent a lot of time playing with his giant ears.  It’s been a very eventful few months, and I’m glad to settle into my new routine of full-time Spanish training at FSI.

I’ve written a lot on this blog about my journey into the Foreign Service, and absolutely nothing since I actually started training. Partly because I’ve been busy, partly because I’ve been lazy, and partly because the State Department is generally terrified of blogging and I don’t want to eff up before I even make it to post. I’ll try to be better about it – I am SUPER excited about my two years in Panama and will look forward to returning One Ticket to Adventure to its travel blog roots.

Taking Action

It’s January 5th, and that means that most people are very busy breaking their resolutions for the new year. I decided to do the opposite, and get busy achieving them… so I plunked down a significant chunk of change to reserve a spot at an all-female surf camp in Costa Rica. No, really. Learning to surf has been high on my list of goals ever since my housemate came home all bruised and scabby, raving about her experience with Pura Vida Adventures. Given the possibility that I might have NO vacation time for up to a year after I start my new job, I figured there’s no time like the present!

My resolutions are usually of the nebulous “live life to the fullest” sort, which are impossible to quantify at the end of the year and basically leave me feeling like a failure. But for the first time in a long time, I’m actually in the position (emotionally, financially…) to take action on all those things – great and small – that get pushed to the back burner year after year. No more treading water.

Beginnings & Endings

Goodbye 2009!

After a year of travel, unemployment, study and bureaucracy, I am pleased (more like REALLY REALLY STOKED!) to announce that I have accepted an offer to join the U.S. Foreign Service. My life is going to see some dramatic changes in 2010, beginning with my move back to DC in mid-February to start orientation, known in State Department circles as A-100.

Before you ask, I don’t know yet where I’ll be posted. That will be announced at the big “Flag Day” ceremony at the end of my initial 5-week training course. If my assignment doesn’t require language training, I’ll probably be overseas before July… but if I need to learn a super-hard language like Chinese or Arabic, I won’t get out of town until sometime in 2011.