...2000 point score at ski-ball!!
(at Boston Bowl.)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Beni's first...
In what is sure to be the first in a long line of firsts for Beni, here is her first...
Picture taken with a seal!
(At the Boston Aquarium)
Picture taken with a seal!
(At the Boston Aquarium)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Minor Update and, What it Takes
So yesterday I got a call from Beni and she said that someone from the US Embassy in Praia would be flying out to Cha de Igreja to interview her for a security clearance in relation to my potential FSO job. (All spouses and significant others of potential officers go through this.) Although I've been trying not to get too excited about the chances of all of this actually working out, I'm taking this as a good sign. Hopefully the government is efficient enough not to spend the money to do all that if they weren't reasonably sure that I would, in the end, get the job...but who knows.
Although she knows this interview is in relation to my job, she is VERY nervous about talking to a US Goverment official, and finds it difficult to believe that something as large and complex as the US government wants to take any time to talk to her about anything. Thus the idea of an Embassy security officer taking the requisite time, planes, boats, buses and hikes to get to Cha de Igreja from Praia...just to talk to a kindergarten teacher in the middle of nowhere...is more or less incomprehensible to her. It's a little hard for me to believe as well, but I think it demonstrates the seriousness and thoroughness with which the US takes security issues.
Aside from the personal interviews, the amount of information that they (The State Department) have already solicited from us is voluminous to say the least. The computer generated document that I formally submitted to the Diplomatic Security Service the day I passed the oral interviews was a staggering 78 pages long (Beni's a mere 56) and included a minimum of ten years worth of information ranging from educational background to questions about sexual conduct (although not sexual orientation). They asked for and got the names, numbers and addresses of all past and present bosses, neighbors, friends, relatives and foreign contacts, and personally interviewed many of them. They review bank statements, tax returns, credit reports, transcripts, and court papers. It's my entire life under a microscope. (I wonder what would happen if this process was a prerequisite for running for public office?)
And let's not forget the medical background stuff as well. I sent (and Beni will send once she's here) blood, urine, x-rays, and medical records to Washington and spent hours being poked, prodded fondled, measured and weighed. I was tested for AIDS, cancer, TB, diabetes, malaria and various other parasites...all in the name of employment...and I don't even have the job yet. The process is truly not for the feint of heart or poorly-motivated. By the time I hear one way or the other, I'll have spent a few thousand dollars (some of which is reimbursable) and over a year of my life in pursuit of my dream job.
Anyways, about Beni and her interview. It turns out maybe I'll get some bonus points, as Beni has made arrangements to conduct her interview in Praia, during her 8-hour layover there in transit to the States next week...thus saving someone at the Embassy a lot of time and money. They told her to expect to be there an hour, which is surprising, since we spent a grand total of about 10 minutes in the Embassy getting her VISA.
So, that's where we stand for now. T minus 6 days and counting until Beni gets here and I can't wait!
Although she knows this interview is in relation to my job, she is VERY nervous about talking to a US Goverment official, and finds it difficult to believe that something as large and complex as the US government wants to take any time to talk to her about anything. Thus the idea of an Embassy security officer taking the requisite time, planes, boats, buses and hikes to get to Cha de Igreja from Praia...just to talk to a kindergarten teacher in the middle of nowhere...is more or less incomprehensible to her. It's a little hard for me to believe as well, but I think it demonstrates the seriousness and thoroughness with which the US takes security issues.
Aside from the personal interviews, the amount of information that they (The State Department) have already solicited from us is voluminous to say the least. The computer generated document that I formally submitted to the Diplomatic Security Service the day I passed the oral interviews was a staggering 78 pages long (Beni's a mere 56) and included a minimum of ten years worth of information ranging from educational background to questions about sexual conduct (although not sexual orientation). They asked for and got the names, numbers and addresses of all past and present bosses, neighbors, friends, relatives and foreign contacts, and personally interviewed many of them. They review bank statements, tax returns, credit reports, transcripts, and court papers. It's my entire life under a microscope. (I wonder what would happen if this process was a prerequisite for running for public office?)
And let's not forget the medical background stuff as well. I sent (and Beni will send once she's here) blood, urine, x-rays, and medical records to Washington and spent hours being poked, prodded fondled, measured and weighed. I was tested for AIDS, cancer, TB, diabetes, malaria and various other parasites...all in the name of employment...and I don't even have the job yet. The process is truly not for the feint of heart or poorly-motivated. By the time I hear one way or the other, I'll have spent a few thousand dollars (some of which is reimbursable) and over a year of my life in pursuit of my dream job.
Anyways, about Beni and her interview. It turns out maybe I'll get some bonus points, as Beni has made arrangements to conduct her interview in Praia, during her 8-hour layover there in transit to the States next week...thus saving someone at the Embassy a lot of time and money. They told her to expect to be there an hour, which is surprising, since we spent a grand total of about 10 minutes in the Embassy getting her VISA.
So, that's where we stand for now. T minus 6 days and counting until Beni gets here and I can't wait!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
New Blog, Purpose of...
So it's been a while since I've written anything, but considering some impending major life changes, I figured I'd start again.
Beni's imminent arrival from Cape Verde and our new married life together, as well as the possibility of employment with the State Department, leads me to believe that there may soon be opportunity for adventure, amusement, hilarity and hijinx in our lives, and I thought the process might be worth chronicling.
Over the next few months Beni will be learning English and adjusting to a new life in Texas, away from her family, friends, culture and countrymen. It's an experience I went through as I adjusted to life in the Peace Corps, but something tells me it's going to be harder on her than it was on me. For one thing it's a lot harder to learn English than it is Kriolu. Also, I had an entire town teaching me the culture, customs, language and layout in Cape Verde. Beni is going to have...me. (And the support of my tiny circle of family and friends.) Aside from that, there's the fact that she has spent the entirety of her 29 years on a desert island the size of Travis County, with one paved road. Everyone in her village knew her and she them. Soon she'll arrive in America where she knows...me...and I don't even know my neighbors. Although our "trial run" in January went well, I imagine she'll be suffering from a little culture shock when she gets here for good. In any event, I'm going to do everything I can to ease her transition, and I'm confident she's got it in her to be a happy, healthy, successful Texan...er...American.
Concurrently, I've got the next few months to fret and obsess about my chances for a career as a United States Foreign Service Officer. (If you're not sure what that is you can look here.) I'm already about 90% of the way there. To get to this point I passed (last November) the written test and a series of submitted essays, passed (in January) a qualifications review panel, flew to Washington and (in March) went through an excruciating day-long oral exam and panel interview, and was ultimately made a "conditional offer of employment." Conditional being the operative word there...on my successfully passing an extensive medical and security background investigation, receiving a top-secret government clearance and ultimately passing something called the "Final Suitability Review Panel." Last month I received my Worldwide Medical Clearance from State and I, along with about 50 friends, neighbors, former-employers and other people from my past and present, were recently interviewed by a member of the Diplomatic Security Service concerning my top-secret security clearance. At this point, it's out of my hands and I can only sit, wait, and hope that any past sins in my life will be forgiven. (And let me just say this about that...It is a very strange and discomforting thing indeed to sit with an FBI agent and account for every indiscretion in your lifetime.) Anyway, given the length of time I lived abroad and the fact that I married a foreign citizen, this stage of the hiring process is likely to take months, and it could easily be December or later before I hear anything, one way or the other.
So it is in this state of limbo and the unknown that I fly to Boston next week to pick up Beni and begin my married life at last. It's been a LONG nine months apart from her, and with the exception of the day I first set foot in Cape Verde, it'll be the most exciting, life-changing day of my life. (Although we've been hitched since last July, this will be the first time we've gotten to live together as a couple, and I'm kinda freaking out from the excitement of it all). My sister has graciously allowed us to stay with her until December, so Beni and I have a cushion for a few months while we sort out what we'll do if I don't get the job with State. It's an awful feeling to have so many eggs in such a tiny, precarious basket, but it is what it is.
So, TXCALVIN is, obviously, a combination of Texas and our names. It's common custom in Cape Verde for parents to divine names for their first child using parts of their own, thus an ELENA and a JORGE are almost assured of christening their firstborn as ELORGE. (You can read more about this here.) In a long-ago conversation between the two of us, Beni said that if we ever had a son it must be called CALVIN, and that's something I just can't abide...so I'm using it here to prevent her from seriously considering it.
Anyways, if you are ever very, very bored, and if our adventures in Americanization, the English language and/or possibly international travel interest you, this is where you can come to hear about it. Also, there will be pictures.
Beni's imminent arrival from Cape Verde and our new married life together, as well as the possibility of employment with the State Department, leads me to believe that there may soon be opportunity for adventure, amusement, hilarity and hijinx in our lives, and I thought the process might be worth chronicling.
Over the next few months Beni will be learning English and adjusting to a new life in Texas, away from her family, friends, culture and countrymen. It's an experience I went through as I adjusted to life in the Peace Corps, but something tells me it's going to be harder on her than it was on me. For one thing it's a lot harder to learn English than it is Kriolu. Also, I had an entire town teaching me the culture, customs, language and layout in Cape Verde. Beni is going to have...me. (And the support of my tiny circle of family and friends.) Aside from that, there's the fact that she has spent the entirety of her 29 years on a desert island the size of Travis County, with one paved road. Everyone in her village knew her and she them. Soon she'll arrive in America where she knows...me...and I don't even know my neighbors. Although our "trial run" in January went well, I imagine she'll be suffering from a little culture shock when she gets here for good. In any event, I'm going to do everything I can to ease her transition, and I'm confident she's got it in her to be a happy, healthy, successful Texan...er...American.
Concurrently, I've got the next few months to fret and obsess about my chances for a career as a United States Foreign Service Officer. (If you're not sure what that is you can look here.) I'm already about 90% of the way there. To get to this point I passed (last November) the written test and a series of submitted essays, passed (in January) a qualifications review panel, flew to Washington and (in March) went through an excruciating day-long oral exam and panel interview, and was ultimately made a "conditional offer of employment." Conditional being the operative word there...on my successfully passing an extensive medical and security background investigation, receiving a top-secret government clearance and ultimately passing something called the "Final Suitability Review Panel." Last month I received my Worldwide Medical Clearance from State and I, along with about 50 friends, neighbors, former-employers and other people from my past and present, were recently interviewed by a member of the Diplomatic Security Service concerning my top-secret security clearance. At this point, it's out of my hands and I can only sit, wait, and hope that any past sins in my life will be forgiven. (And let me just say this about that...It is a very strange and discomforting thing indeed to sit with an FBI agent and account for every indiscretion in your lifetime.) Anyway, given the length of time I lived abroad and the fact that I married a foreign citizen, this stage of the hiring process is likely to take months, and it could easily be December or later before I hear anything, one way or the other.
So it is in this state of limbo and the unknown that I fly to Boston next week to pick up Beni and begin my married life at last. It's been a LONG nine months apart from her, and with the exception of the day I first set foot in Cape Verde, it'll be the most exciting, life-changing day of my life. (Although we've been hitched since last July, this will be the first time we've gotten to live together as a couple, and I'm kinda freaking out from the excitement of it all). My sister has graciously allowed us to stay with her until December, so Beni and I have a cushion for a few months while we sort out what we'll do if I don't get the job with State. It's an awful feeling to have so many eggs in such a tiny, precarious basket, but it is what it is.
So, TXCALVIN is, obviously, a combination of Texas and our names. It's common custom in Cape Verde for parents to divine names for their first child using parts of their own, thus an ELENA and a JORGE are almost assured of christening their firstborn as ELORGE. (You can read more about this here.) In a long-ago conversation between the two of us, Beni said that if we ever had a son it must be called CALVIN, and that's something I just can't abide...so I'm using it here to prevent her from seriously considering it.
Anyways, if you are ever very, very bored, and if our adventures in Americanization, the English language and/or possibly international travel interest you, this is where you can come to hear about it. Also, there will be pictures.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)