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problematique posted:I don't know of many places where wiping your rear end with poison ivy leaves could come up as a question in the hiring process. In AF, bowel movements were a normal house party conversation.
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Jan 13, 2013 19:39
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TCD posted:In AF, bowel movements were a normal house party conversation. I've yet to have a day here where bowel movements didn't come up at some point, even at formal dinners.
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Jan 13, 2013 21:44
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Diplomaticus posted:I've yet to have a day here where bowel movements didn't come up at some point, even at formal dinners. One time in July about 1/3 of our compound got Tripoli Tummy from the chow hall. Since we all live in shared housing, with (I would guess) 1 toilet for every 4 people on compound, it got complicated fast.
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Jan 13, 2013 22:08
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Diplomaticus posted:I've yet to have a day here where bowel movements didn't come up at some point, even at formal dinners. Haha, I love Africa. Edit: Dip, if there's room in the OP, that should go there, because EL and all  Edit: Particularly funny poop story via our good friends. Living in Africa for two years, it's not uncommon to get parasites. To find out if you have parasites you get to do a stool sample. Anyways, she collected the sample at the hotel, but didn't have a bag to take it to the clinic so they used the previous nights McDonald's bag. Well, they were in the taxi and got out to walk to the clinic when they realized they left the McDs bag in the taxi. I'm sure the taxi driver was in for a shock when he opened the bag expecting a big mac. TCD fucked around with this message at 00:11 on Jan 14, 2013 |
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Jan 13, 2013 23:52
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Diplomaticus posted:I've yet to have a day here where bowel movements didn't come up at some point, even at formal dinners. Glad to see that's one thing State and DoD have in common. TCD posted:Living in Africa for two years, it's not uncommon to get parasites. To find out if you have parasites you get to do a stool sample. Anyways, she collected the sample at the hotel, but didn't have a bag to take it to the clinic so they used the previous nights McDonald's bag. Well, they were in the taxi and got out to walk to the clinic when they realized they left the McDs bag in the taxi. I'm sure the taxi driver was in for a shock when he opened the bag expecting a big mac. Insert *Obligatory "how would you tell the difference" joke* here.
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Jan 14, 2013 04:47
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So it seems like FS goons are either married or in a LTR before getting in the Service. I don't have any problems dating locally here in DC but as a probably-will-be-single hopeful IMS, how hosed am going to be going aboard and meeting locals/expats? I can only imagine the opsec problems involved meeting anyone locally (don't need to get into here). I'm assuming like everything FS this is a "it depends" thing -- but do you guys have any insight from how you've seen others roll? TCD, side question from earlier in thread - what kind of motorcycle do you ride? Is it locally bought or did you import from US?
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Jan 14, 2013 04:49
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problematique posted:So it seems like FS goons are either married or in a LTR before getting in the Service. I don't have any problems dating locally here in DC but as a probably-will-be-single hopeful IMS, how hosed am going to be going aboard and meeting locals/expats? I can only imagine the opsec problems involved meeting anyone locally (don't need to get into here). I'm assuming like everything FS this is a "it depends" thing -- but do you guys have any insight from how you've seen others roll? From my observations of my single male coworkers, dating as a single male seems pretty easy. I'll leave the female perspective for some of our colleagues. I bought a 1990 yamaha radian from an outgoing officer. I ended up almost rebuilding the bike totally by myself save the engine. Never buy something that old in a country especially in central Africa. All my motorcycle riding buddies bought local 125cc Indian motorcycles and that was the smart thing to do. E: I also learned to ride the motorcycle in the Embassy parking lot from a friend who also learned how to ride a motorcycle in the parking lot. Good times... TCD fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Jan 14, 2013 |
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Jan 14, 2013 05:12
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males shouldn't have a problem as long as you're not frequenting the seedier parts of town. There's no "do's/dont's" for locals aside from a word of caution; echoing again, is just FS is a very small world, and your reputation will often precede you. So if you have 8 girlfriends, and brag about it, it doesn't exactly make you the kind of 'decent' person that folks would want to hang out with. It's true whether you're a diplomat, expat, or backpacker; all of them usually avoid the 'sexpat' stereotype if they can. That said a lot of people go out and meet other ex/diplo-mats from other countries; I haven't seen anyone talk shop, it's more like along the current conversation (bowel movements) or fun places in the area.
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Jan 14, 2013 05:45
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Skandiaavity posted:So if you have 8 girlfriends, and brag about it, it doesn't exactly make you the kind of 'decent' person that folks would want to hang out with. I would totally hang out with this person.
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Jan 14, 2013 07:32
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Business of Ferrets posted:I would totally hang out with this person. Haha. BoF, we need to catch a beer sometime.
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Jan 14, 2013 09:22
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Business of Ferrets posted:I would totally hang out with this person. I.. don't think so. Come to Manila, will show you a good time if that's what you want (pretty much everyone here at post didn't like that guy, AMB included. But especially our department.He did not nothing BUT talk about his latest sexcapades and it was pretty  )
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Jan 14, 2013 11:34
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No OA for me this time. Back to having nothing but finishing grad school on my mind.
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Jan 14, 2013 16:50
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US Foreign Service & FSOT Megathread: Everybody poops. Welcome to AF.Skandiaavity posted:I.. don't think so. Come to Manila, will show you a good time if that's what you want The funny thing is that I only know one other person in Manila besides you, and if this were him I'd be scarred for life.
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Jan 14, 2013 17:02
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Not sure what result I was hoping for, but either way I got my QEP email tonight inviting me in for the interview phase. As I'm already living in Nepal, I have no idea whether I'll actually be able to make it or if I even want to. But I guess it's good(?) to have the option in the back of my mind as I plan out my year. I probably should have jumped into this thread a long time ago, but I'm getting caught up now. My basic conflict results from already working in development/public affairs (albeit on a small scale), kind of loving what I do, and being both terrified and intrigued with the prospect of having the full force of the U.S. State Dept behind me. Many of my friends and colleagues have told me I'd be making a huge mistake by giving all this autonomy/flexibility up to join the Service. And I can't say my experiences with veteran officers have given me confidence to believe otherwise. But I'm trying to keep an open mind. And with the posts I've been reading in this thread, and the huge amount of respect I have for you lot, it's made me think that there might actually be a happy middle ground between the kind of on-the-ground efforts I'm making now, and the massively disconnected, unaware, ineffective career bureaucrat boogie monster I've built up in my head. So thanks for the 148 pages and I'll try to keep updated for now on.
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Jan 14, 2013 17:10
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Welp, rejected again. I was really hoping I would at least get to the OA this time around. Third time's the charm?
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Jan 14, 2013 17:39
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I said I'd post my result, so here I am-- I didn't pass on to the OA either. I expected as much, as I'm still a college senior and I applied for the Political Cone. Thankfully I've got a few other fellowships/career opportunities to look forward to. Thank you to everyone who helped me edit my PNQ responses, regardless. Your input is really valuable to me and perhaps when I have more experience I'll tackle the FSOT again. hitension fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Jan 14, 2013 |
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Jan 14, 2013 17:56
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I just got my letter, and I made it through the QEP! It was gut-wrenching opening the letter, but fortune smiled upon me this time. Thanks to all the goons for helping me get through this process!
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Jan 14, 2013 18:34
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As an FYI to any other DS hopefuls, DS Recruitment stated on the State career forums that as of 31 December 2012, the DS SA and STS application periods will not open for another 6-9 months, depending on needs. A little bit of a downer, because I was hoping I'd be able to apply in March-ish. Last year the application period was open March 15-31th, but at least now I know when to expect it for real.
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Jan 14, 2013 20:32
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My R&R in the States got extended by a week!!! Because of the flu 
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Jan 14, 2013 20:39
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Congrats and condolences to everyone on their QEPs, and to TCD on catching Museveni's revenge.
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Jan 14, 2013 21:19
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problematique posted:So it seems like FS goons are either married or in a LTR before getting in the Service. I don't have any problems dating locally here in DC but as a probably-will-be-single hopeful IMS, how hosed am going to be going aboard and meeting locals/expats? I can only imagine the opsec problems involved meeting anyone locally (don't need to get into here). I'm assuming like everything FS this is a "it depends" thing -- but do you guys have any insight from how you've seen others roll? It depends, of course. I came in single, dated a USAF officer for a few months in Riyadh (everyone makes mistakes), then an FSN for several months. Cleared it through RSO so it was all good. In my second tour I started dating an expat American right after I arrived, and we rushed up the wedding before we PCS'd so we could get him an EFM job in Tripoli. (He was supposed to start at the end of September... needless to say he's not here.) I guess it just depends on your nature - are you the type of person who can start over in a new city every few years? In Istanbul it was pretty easy - I connected with the non-diplomatic expat crowd and stayed with them. It helped me to avoid the fishbowl effect. But YMMV in other cities, with other personality types, and in security environments. I think the smartest advice I ever heard was to rate yourself honestly on a scale of 1-10 of attractiveness. In most cases, overseas you will rate 2 points higher. You didn't get cuter when you went overseas, so don't let it go to either head. There was a moment in my A100 class retreat when all the single ladies crowded around the head of CDA/EL, who had come into the FS single and finally got married a few tours later. We were all terrified then that we'd die old maids - and I can say that of that group of five in 2007, four are happily married or en route to being so. the_chavi fucked around with this message at 22:17 on Jan 14, 2013 |
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Jan 14, 2013 22:12
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Skandiaavity posted:There's no "do's/dont's" for locals aside from a word of caution; echoing again, is just FS is a very small world, and your reputation will often precede you. So if you have 8 girlfriends, and brag about it, it doesn't exactly make you the kind of 'decent' person that folks would want to hang out with. It's true whether you're a diplomat, expat, or backpacker; all of them usually avoid the 'sexpat' stereotype if they can. This also applies to sexcapades that happen within the Department. What happens in Baghdad/Kabul/Tripoli/Sanaa definitely does not stay in Baghdad/Kabul/Tripoli/Sanaa... people know if you gently caress around while you're deployed, and word travels. In conclusion: don't be a skeezebag.
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Jan 14, 2013 22:16
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HiroProtagonist posted:As an FYI to any other DS hopefuls, DS Recruitment stated on the State career forums that as of 31 December 2012, the DS SA and STS application periods will not open for another 6-9 months, depending on needs. People who applied a couple years ago are getting calls back though. It's peculiar actually.
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Jan 15, 2013 00:43
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My wife just got on the register. Does anyone know odds on the March A-100 class happening or not?
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Jan 15, 2013 03:30
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Strudelmeyer posted:My wife just got on the register. Does anyone know odds on the March A-100 class happening or not? I read on another board that a March class has happened every year for the last 8 years, so pretty likely. That said, you never know with this congress...
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Jan 15, 2013 03:43
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Continuous posted:I read on another board that a March class has happened every year for the last 8 years, so pretty likely. OPM guidance I haven't seen anything DoS specific, but it could be a difficult year. What impact this will have on hire classes remains to be seen.
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Jan 15, 2013 21:41
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The private sector suddenly seems attractive once more.
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Jan 15, 2013 22:01
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psydude posted:The private sector suddenly seems attractive once more. And not the contractor seen either. OPM posted:Agencies should consider... cutting contract employees as ways to reduce workforce costs if across-the-board spending cuts begin March 1
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Jan 15, 2013 22:05
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Well, that's the tradeoff in the contracting world: job security for higher pay and quicker hiring.
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Jan 15, 2013 22:10
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Anyone have an idea how potential budget cuts might effect FS numbers; or at least, historically, how has FS fared with budget cut? It seems to me that the FS is part of the "core mission" of the Department and would be *slightly* less effected by cuts.
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Jan 16, 2013 00:40
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Since this thread has lots of people interested in working overseas for the government, thought I'd mention that USCIS is hiring for refugee officers. Applications are due tomorrow. There's an announcement for spanish speakers and one for everyone else. I assume you can apply for both. In one sentence, the job basically involves going overseas and interviewing/investigating refugees to determine if they really are refugees and make sure they aren't terrorists or criminals and determine if they can come to the U.S.. Travel is 6 months of the year, otherwise you're based in DC. I know a few people who do it and they're pretty happy, though the travel can eventually burn you out and there are the usual government bureaucracy/lazy worker complaints. It's something like one month overseas, then back in the states, then heading out for another month elsewhere. Or maybe longer than a month. Apparently they're trying to limit Spanish speakers to the Caribbean/Central America/S. America. It's something of an issue, since Spanish speaking officers are feeling that they are getting screwed out of going to other parts of the world. My friends have been to Africa, Nepal, Thailand, the Mideast, as well as Caribbean and Central/South America.
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Jan 16, 2013 00:44
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There will be a 'diet plan' as per OMB/GAO but from my understanding it's not personnel. Several older or soon-to-be-retiring may be offered early packages though. For hiring, it's perpetually up in the air. Clinton may be on her way out, so the next Secretary would have to determine paths moving forward.
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Jan 16, 2013 01:25
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Skandiaavity posted:Clinton may be on her way out, so the next Secretary would have to determine paths moving forward. I thought she had publicly stated that she was retiring at some near point after the inauguration? Or is this not confirmed? I'll be sad to see her go. Hillary wouldn't be my choice for President, but (in my personal, unqualified opinion) she's been an excellent SECSTATE and I wouldn't mind to see her continue her role there. e: I'm aware this can be a controversial topic, but let's not bring it up--just stating my personal opinion.
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Jan 16, 2013 03:23
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HiroProtagonist posted:I thought she had publicly stated that she was retiring at some near point after the inauguration? Or is this not confirmed? Depends if/when Kerry is confirmed by the Senate.
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Jan 16, 2013 05:00
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She said she's 'done with it' (politics), kinda like Colin Powell, if I'm remembering right. You can see it's taken a toll on her. Personal opinion, but if/when Kerry gets the job, there's a good chance of a slight dip in hiring (from historical levels). But man, the parties will be very good.
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Jan 16, 2013 08:39
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Kase Im Licht posted:Since this thread has lots of people interested in working overseas for the government, thought I'd mention that USCIS is hiring for refugee officers. Applications are due tomorrow. There's an announcement for spanish speakers and one for everyone else. I assume you can apply for both. +1ing this post - I worked with the refugee circuit riders who came to Istanbul once every few months. Great people, fascinating (if depressing) job. But you get to bring people to America, yay! That's one of the best parts of this job - saying yes to people who genuinely want to come to the US. 
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Jan 16, 2013 19:27
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Skandiaavity posted:I think it's offered in most U.S. states or within "a reasonable distance" ..not sure on territories such as P.R., Guam, Virgin/Marshall Islands, etc. Logically, should have some there at the embassies. Guam's test is in Japan, I believe.
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Jan 17, 2013 06:16
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Skandiaavity posted:She said she's 'done with it' (politics), kinda like Colin Powell, if I'm remembering right. I got the impression from somewhere that generally speaking State is undermanned and that was something Clinton was pushing to change. Is that a pretty accurate summation?
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Jan 17, 2013 07:39
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It depends on one's interpretation, but I'll defer that to someone like BoF who has been around a while.
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Jan 17, 2013 09:48
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got held up at the QEPs once more  ah well, I'll try again in a year or two. once again, you FS/DOS/IMS goons are great people, stay safe out there.
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