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They used to have a few months out west a bit but it's all at FSI now. It's a lot better that way. No need to rent a car, better per diem, and the Arlington area just has more stuff.
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May 13, 2011 22:54
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AKA Pseudonym posted:They used to have a few months out west a bit but it's all at FSI now. It's a lot better that way. No need to rent a car, better per diem, and the Arlington area just has more stuff. Whew! I was about to crap myself over the possible drive everyday. Thanks for the info. BTW, do most people stay at Oakwood? I am debating between Oakwood Clarendon, Crystal City, and Falls Church. Any advice on choosing between the three?
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May 13, 2011 23:01
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Skandiaavity posted:Did they tell you to stop any proceeding on the OA? When I passed my OA, BEX told me not to go any further with any other generalist OA's for the time being in order to prevent confusion. Thanks! No, in fact the DSS who processed my SF-86 and fingerprints wished me luck with my next OA. I also happened to come upon this exchange on the official State careers message board while looking for registry information (http://careers.state.gov/engage/forums/careers-state-gov/clearances-transfering-from-fss-to-fso-). Caitlin posted:Okay, I'm back with a follow-up question: A State Message Board Moderator posted:As soon as you accept an offer of employment in the Foreign Service, regardless of which career track or as a specialist, all other candidacies on the Register of Cleared Candidates are cancelled as is an Oral Assessment. Please keep in mind that there is no guarantee you will pass the OA or that your score will be high enough to earn you an offer of employment as an FSO. Our hiring numbers are falling due to our decreased budget. If you do wish to join the Foreign Service, the offer to join as a specialist is a sure thing, whereas joining as a generalist is not. followed by this: Caitlin posted:Okay, it's me again. The Same State Message Board Moderator posted:Caitlin, Cryptic? Dunno, but I plan on going to the FSO OA since I don't have poo poo else to do. Plus I have yet to receive anything other than the conditional offer. v  v
HOORAY fucked around with this message at 23:15 on May 13, 2011 |
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May 13, 2011 23:10
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Funny, that's almost exactly what they told me re: conditional offer (that the other OA is now cancelled out). Guess HR is even contradictory at times. Oh well, best of luck! (edit: and I think Caitlin answered her own question, if she accepted the specialist job (especially given a May post, means she's probably talking about the formal offer?), then she would have to MUSTANG over?) Also: I think I passed my medical clearance, doc told me thumbs up, pretty much. But I have not heard anything other than that.  Asuran: oakwoods falls church is pretty nice, it has a shuttle to east falls church metro (orange line). but you'd probably want a car if you lived there. Falls Church/Vienna is pretty spaced out. If you have a car, go for it, there's a ton of good restaurants, malls, etc in the area.
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May 13, 2011 23:26
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Thanks Skandiaavity!
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May 13, 2011 23:43
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fair warning, I haven't lived in any of them, just going by location. Clarendon's also a good spot and likely closest to the FSI campus. Dunno about Crystal City but I presume it's closest to D.C./near pentagon city.
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May 14, 2011 00:12
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asuran posted:Whew! I was about to crap myself over the possible drive everyday. Thanks for the info. I know the areas but not really the Oakwood places themselves. I'd go with Clarendon myself (I think that's the one in the Rosslyn neighborhood, that's where I always stay). It's well located near lots of cool stuff and the shuttle to FSI is close by. I'm not sure which Oakwoods have their own shuttles though, if any. Falls Church is further out than I like to be but a good option if you have family. Crystal City is sort of the same deal I guess but probably closer to the Metro. I like to stay at Mariott and build up reward points, but that means I'm out of pocket until I turn in my voucher. So whatever floats your boat.
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May 14, 2011 00:30
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Thanks! No family here. Guess I will go with whatever is available at either Rosslyn or Crystal City. Skandiaavity, did they schedule a security interview for you yet? We may be heading towards the same orientation.
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May 14, 2011 01:11
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asuran posted:Quick question: Does IMS training occur at FSI? I have heard something about training at another location. The info on this page matches the schedule I was given (all but 1 week @ FSI) http://careers.state.gov/engage/forums/information-management-specialists/falls-church-to-warrenton asuran posted:Whew! I was about to crap myself over the possible drive everyday. Thanks for the info. Most non-local hires seem to live in an Oakwood. They pretty much all have a shuttle I believe. I live in Ballston which is the closest to FSI and has quite a few restaurants, a mall, and the metro all within a block or 2. I think I've seen shuttles leaving FSI heading to Falls Church, Ballston, Courthouse, Virginia Square, Rosslyn, & Crystal City.
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May 14, 2011 03:37
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Falls Church is terrible. Unless you have kids, and want to be in a family environment, and can deal with being away from anything else fun. Crystal City Oakwood is OK. It's near the mall, the building is decent (it's a midrise -- maybe 20 something floors?), compared to FC which is a lowrise. It's near Pentagon City mall, and actually is fairly convenient to Pentagon City shopping, moreso than I think it really is for Crystal City shopping. (For reference, the Crystal City shopping area is centered around 23rd St and US-1; Oakwood is up around 17th St. and Eads, further north.) It's easy access to FSI (Glebe road takes you almost all the way up to the main entrance) but it's kind of isolated. There's not a whole lot to do without leaving the area, and EVERYTHING closes early except a few restaurants. Traffic in that area gets awful as it is a confluence for traffic involving the Pentagon, US-1 (14th St. Bridge), 395, GW Parkway, DCA, etc. Clarendon has a much nicer nightlife, traffic is still bad but not as bad as near Crystal City, more things to do, etc. You won't really regret it at all. I'd rank them best to worst, Clarendon, CC, FC. As far as I know you can substitute the Oakwoods in Clarendon/Courthouse/Ballston for each other as they're apparently quite similar.
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May 14, 2011 03:59
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Also who do I need to update in the OP?
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May 14, 2011 04:00
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Nah, I haven't heard about an interview yet but they did call to follow up on something. It'll be cool to have the same orientation!
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May 14, 2011 12:53
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Thanks Diplomaticus. Makes the decision easier. Hope so Skandiaavity!
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May 14, 2011 13:17
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What a week. Saw mountain gorillas in the wild including 2 month old twins... At 10 feet distance. Participated on a fullbright review board/ interview and hopefully (budget) gave 5 masters to host country nationals at US universities. Gave a speech on behalf of the Embassy in front of 75 people including a district governor. In the translation to the local language I was referred to as Ambassador of the US Embassy, but our actual Ambassador didn't care, and just wanted a business card I picked up. Now to get tenured for Mustang.
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May 14, 2011 19:54
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TCD posted:What a week. Holy poo poo. You got that close to gorillas? I'd be terrified of coming anywhere near babies. Also congrats on going Mustang!
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May 14, 2011 20:53
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Diplomaticus posted:Also who do I need to update in the OP? You can list me as QEP Process if you want though they are about to announce within a week or two (by no later than end of May) who in the February FSOT group will advance to the FSOA so you'll be needing to update the OP again shortly anyways.
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May 14, 2011 23:43
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Ditto. You got that close to Gorillas? Including babies? When you're in D.C. i'm buying you beers for that story.
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May 15, 2011 00:34
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I stayed at Oakwood Falls Church. It is next to a gym which is great but the neighborhood has nothing in it except lots of Vietnamese restaurants and gridlock traffic. It's a mile from the nearest metro stop and Oakwood runs a shuttle there. I did not have a car when I went through so I was not in love with the location and would have preferred Ballston, which is a little more lively and pedestrian-friendly. You can get a shuttle to FSI no matter which one you are at so I wouldn't make that a major consideration if you have a choice.
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May 15, 2011 20:41
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Footitch posted:I stayed at Oakwood Falls Church. It is next to a gym which is great but the neighborhood has nothing in it except lots of Vietnamese restaurants and gridlock traffic. It's a mile from the nearest metro stop and Oakwood runs a shuttle there. I did not have a car when I went through so I was not in love with the location and would have preferred Ballston, which is a little more lively and pedestrian-friendly. You can get a shuttle to FSI no matter which one you are at so I wouldn't make that a major consideration if you have a choice. Falls church has a restaurant called "Pho Sizzle" .
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May 15, 2011 21:35
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Footitch posted:I stayed at Oakwood Falls Church. It is next to a gym which is great but the neighborhood has nothing in it except lots of Vietnamese restaurants and gridlock traffic. It's a mile from the nearest metro stop and Oakwood runs a shuttle there. I did not have a car when I went through so I was not in love with the location and would have preferred Ballston, which is a little more lively and pedestrian-friendly. You can get a shuttle to FSI no matter which one you are at so I wouldn't make that a major consideration if you have a choice. Isnt there a Chipotle near the grocery store there? I mean I actually cooked most of my food when I stayed at falls church but I remember a Chipotle over there as well as another sit down restaurant. It could be worse.
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May 15, 2011 21:39
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Footitch posted:the neighborhood has nothing in it except lots of Vietnamese restaurants and gridlock traffic.
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May 15, 2011 21:47
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Footitch posted:I stayed at Oakwood Falls Church. It is next to a gym which is great but the neighborhood has nothing in it except lots of Vietnamese restaurants and gridlock traffic. It's a mile from the nearest metro stop and Oakwood runs a shuttle there. I did not have a car when I went through so I was not in love with the location and would have preferred Ballston, which is a little more lively and pedestrian-friendly. You can get a shuttle to FSI no matter which one you are at so I wouldn't make that a major consideration if you have a choice. Stayed at Oakwood FC while in training. If lots of kids dont bother you ... imagine yelling and laughter ... then FC is nice. While there are not a lot of restaurants and bars in the area, the ability to to go for a walk and get away for the traffic and people was very nice. FC has a shuttle in evenings to get to the Metro station, so getting to any part of the DC metro area is fairly simple. Disclaimer ... I did have a vehicle ... that does make a difference at FC.
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May 16, 2011 09:45
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TCD posted:What a week. Did mountain gorillas in Rwanda prior to joining the FS. TCD's description is the same as my experience. It is amazing to be so close to huge but gentle animals. Hope to go back and do it again some day!
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May 16, 2011 09:50
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Invites to FSOA went out today. I'm going through the process again next year it seems. Ah well, I was having second thoughts about having picked consular over political and this will give me a chance to build up proficiency in a super critical needs language or something. Was already starting to work on Mandarin so there is that I guess.
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May 16, 2011 18:22
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How much does critical-needs language ability pigeonhole an FSO? I was once functional in Arabic, but am not particularly interested in living in the Middle East.
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May 16, 2011 19:07
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Macunaima posted:How much does critical-needs language ability pigeonhole an FSO? I was once functional in Arabic, but am not particularly interested in living in the Middle East. If you accept points for a super critical needs language during the hiring process you have to serve at least two tours in a country that uses that language. Once I believe pre-tenure and once mid-career or so. I don't think you get any points for critical needs languages or (for sure) below.
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May 16, 2011 19:20
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Also didn't pass QEP. It was my first time and I fully expected to fail - it's good to have the experience (though I really wish I had gotten some OA experience to go with it) Ah well, I definitely learned some things that will help me improve my chances for next year.
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May 16, 2011 19:23
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Asuran, I think we just may be heading into the same class!
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May 16, 2011 23:07
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Skandiaavity posted:Asuran, I think we just may be heading into the same class! Nice! Mine took place a week after my OA. Have you lived abroad? That may be the only thing that takes a bit of time for verification.
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May 16, 2011 23:40
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Yeah, mine was about a month after my OA. Mine's later this week, but it's gonna be a little awkward as I've not yet broken it to my boss. Who just left out of town for a week. I know, gonna have to bite the bullet.
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May 17, 2011 16:40
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Iraq. Been there, done that. I'm glad that's over!
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May 17, 2011 16:56
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Business of Ferrets posted:Iraq. Stuck in the Green Zone?
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May 17, 2011 16:59
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Business of Ferrets posted:Iraq. Never again! Still miss the food.
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May 17, 2011 17:11
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C'mon, don't be so taciturn. I'd love to hear what it was like working in Baghdad.
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May 17, 2011 17:16
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Business of Ferrets posted:Iraq.
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May 17, 2011 19:47
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Macunaima posted:C'mon, don't be so taciturn. I'd love to hear what it was like working in Baghdad. Apparently the food is good.
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May 18, 2011 01:01
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I've heard they serve Soylent Green in the 'zone
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May 18, 2011 06:39
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I followed this thread for a long while but admittedly skipped a dew hundred posts so forgive me if this has been addressed. When an FSO is married, and the spouse has a career in the States that allows frequent sabbaticals and lots of time off--think university faculty--how are living arrangements sorted out? Like say the spouse plans to spend six months out of the year stateside and six at whatever post (probably more if it's a nice post). Is this possible? Does DoS treat this couple the same as a married couple that is 100% deployed? Seems there are lots of couples, especially at the higher levels, where both are professionals.
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May 18, 2011 18:54
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I'll defer that one to someone who knows better. In other news, don't get pumped full of vaccinations and immunizations the day after you've called in sick. I am the walking dead right now. I have no idea how I made it through my demarche exercise today.
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May 18, 2011 23:48
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I followed this thread for a long while but admittedly skipped a dew hundred posts so forgive me if this has been addressed. My understanding is that this would be treated like a couple who is 100% deployed. To simplify the process of her coming out and living with you even 6 months out of the year, you'd want her on your travel orders, and my understanding is that anyone who's on your travel orders is presumed to be living with you, at least for housing placement purposes. I think people might run into this kind of thing not only with spouses, but also with, say, high school age children who are in boarding school but spend vacations and holidays with their deployed parents. I'm kind of talking out my rear end because I'm single, so definitely anyone correct me if I'm wrong.
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May 19, 2011 11:15
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