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Thought of y'all at noon today. I miss Sean.
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May 4, 2018 18:04
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Y'all. I ID'd a (former) Goon in the wild today - Embassy hail/farewell happy hour, and I was talking to a consular officer with questionable facial hair who mentioned his love of early 2000s anime. I asked if he had stairs in his house, and apparently he is an inactive Goon... I can't believe this poo poo actually worked, in Turkey no less!
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May 18, 2018 19:59
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the_chavi posted:Y'all. I ID'd a (former) Goon in the wild today - Embassy hail/farewell happy hour, and I was talking to a consular officer with questionable facial hair who mentioned his love of early 2000s anime. I asked if he had stairs in his house, and apparently he is an inactive Goon... I can't believe this poo poo actually worked, in Turkey no less! A former goon lived above me at my last post (also with the emb). We ended up doing some trips with them and hitting the bars all the time.
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May 19, 2018 01:11
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Hey has anyone heard about changing regs on what we can ship via DPO? I got a garbled update from my section chief on Friday that liquids, pastes, and tea (??) will be banned soon, but no timeline on implementation or actual notice of what has changed.
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May 19, 2018 21:22
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the_chavi posted:Hey has anyone heard about changing regs on what we can ship via DPO? I got a garbled update from my section chief on Friday that liquids, pastes, and tea (??) will be banned soon, but no timeline on implementation or actual notice of what has changed. That's the first I've heard of it and I hope it isn't true.
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May 20, 2018 22:21
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Hey guys. Do any of you serve in a country that technically...doesn't have an ambassador yet? Does that change your workstyle or lifestyle significantly?
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May 21, 2018 05:17
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Billzasilver posted:Hey guys. Do any of you serve in a country that technically...doesn't have an ambassador yet? Does that change your workstyle or lifestyle significantly? Well, you should have a DCM or Charge d'Affairs who assumes responsibility in the absence of an ambassador. If you're low on the totem pole, it probably won't affect you at all. I think of DCMs and CDAs as placeholders when the ambassador's position is vacant. The DCM/DCA will keep the trains running on time, but they usually won't implement anything new.
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May 21, 2018 13:31
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zzonkmiles posted:Well, you should have a DCM or Charge d'Affairs who assumes responsibility in the absence of an ambassador. If you're low on the totem pole, it probably won't affect you at all. I think of DCMs and CDAs as placeholders when the ambassador's position is vacant. The DCM/DCA will keep the trains running on time, but they usually won't implement anything new. This is mostly true, but depends heavily on how long a post goes without an ambassador. After a few months it becomes basically impossible not to form new initiatives, unless the front office is strictly committed to inaction.
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May 22, 2018 15:34
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I hear Pompeo ended the hiring freeze. I won't be applying until 2020 (or so ...doing Peace Corps, and then whenever my DIR says pull the trigger) but seems like a positive sign.
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May 22, 2018 16:32
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You can often get the process started before finishing your peace corps service. Many embassies and consulates offer the initial FSOT online test at post, and you submit the QEPs electronically. The OA is still stateside, but you can fly back to take that or put that off until after your tour. The process is long and can take multiple attempts so no harm in trying earlier if you can.
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May 23, 2018 04:16
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Yeah, I definetly hear you on all that. I’m just beginning service in Fall so i will have some more time. I will also probably try for PMF/ Rangel / Pickering edit: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/world/asia/china-guangzhou-consulate.html Someone get a hold of Blofeld and tell him to slow his roll. wetdela fucked around with this message at 21:37 on May 23, 2018 |
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May 23, 2018 14:35
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Gonna be at FSI learning how to be a leader, apparently, from 25-29 June. Anyone around?
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Jun 2, 2018 11:15
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I've been trying to register for that class sometime this year, but it's all full. Oh well no rush I don't actually need it until after my next promotion. And I'm not expecting that any time soon. As usual I have no idea what my schedule will be like. I'm so looking forward to starting training for my onward...
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Jun 2, 2018 12:25
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the_chavi posted:Gonna be at FSI learning how to be a leader, apparently, from 25-29 June. Anyone around? I'm here til 2020. Anyone who's around feel free to PM me.
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Jun 3, 2018 07:56
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the_chavi posted:Gonna be at FSI learning how to be a leader, apparently, from 25-29 June. Anyone around? Im at FSI until end of June.
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Jun 3, 2018 13:21
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SCRwM posted:Im at FSI until end of June. Cool, what's your state ID? I can't message you.
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Jun 3, 2018 19:40
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July 1-10 here. Not at FSI, just in town for consultations and to hopefully get a visa.
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Jun 4, 2018 15:36
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1of7 posted:July 1-10 here. Not at FSI, just in town for consultations and to hopefully get a visa. I'll be at HST 2-6 July if you want to do a GoonMeet (tm).
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Jun 4, 2018 17:50
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the_chavi posted:Cool, what's your state ID? I can't message you. 1of7 and TCD know it if you want to get it from them (don't want to Post publicly). I'm in basic leadership this week (IRM tradecraft next) so I'm not online that much. Best bet is to shoot me an email and I can reply when I sit down at a terminal. SCRwM fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Jun 5, 2018 |
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Jun 5, 2018 00:23
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I've picked up a few names of goons over the years but have lost track of who is who. I'd like to try again to connect via work; it's feels kind of like Eyes Wide Shut in that I know that I know some of you but I don't know who you are here. 1of7 is the only person I've met and I know TCD well; advance apologies for not being able to keep the rest of y'all in my head.
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Jun 5, 2018 14:44
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Haha.  but I'm kind of in the same boat. I was about to say that TCD can pass you my contact info, but now I'm not sure if the person I think is TCD is actually TCD. I think I've met 4 or 5 of you in person but most of that was a few years back.
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Jun 5, 2018 14:58
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the_chavi posted:I'll be at HST 2-6 July if you want to do a GoonMeet (tm). Sure. You can be one of my consultations. :P 1of7 fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Jun 5, 2018 |
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Jun 5, 2018 15:22
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Tyro posted:Haha.  I think I have everybody but chavi added to lync. I can try and send a group email tomorrow just so we can make sure we are who we say we are...
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Jun 6, 2018 03:01
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Nutrimentia posted:I've picked up a few names of goons over the years but have lost track of who is who. I'd like to try again to connect via work; it's feels kind of like Eyes Wide Shut in that I know that I know some of you but I don't know who you are here. 1of7 is the only person I've met and I know TCD well; advance apologies for not being able to keep the rest of y'all in my head. I was in your A-100.
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Jun 6, 2018 08:20
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TCD posted:
I hate lync. I have it turned off because like three people in the embassy use it to message me and every time they do it’s like having someone walk into my office without knocking. “Oh, yeah, let me just drop everything and do that random unimportant thing you want me to right now.”
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Jun 6, 2018 14:52
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Business of Ferrets posted:I hate lync. I have it turned off because like three people in the embassy use it to message me and every time they do it’s like having someone walk into my office without knocking. “Oh, yeah, let me just drop everything and do that random unimportant thing you want me to right now.” Huh. I'm the exact opposite. I love it because I feel it's less intrusive and less important than an e-mail and if I'm in the middle of something else I can just ignore it and it will be there later. If it's an e-mail I stress out and feel I have to drop everything and do it right away because once it's marked read the probability of me remembering it later drops exponentially.
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Jun 6, 2018 15:31
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1of7 posted:Huh. I'm the exact opposite. I love it because I feel it's less intrusive and less important than an e-mail and if I'm in the middle of something else I can just ignore it and it will be there later. If it's an e-mail I stress out and feel I have to drop everything and do it right away because once it's marked read the probability of me remembering it later drops exponentially. I live and die by the “remind me later” bell with emails.
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Jun 6, 2018 17:17
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Leif. posted:I was in your A-100.
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Jun 8, 2018 11:19
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zzonkmiles posted:Do you think you'll ever want to become reinstated or are you content with leaving the FS behind? I'm content with it 90% of the time, and 10% of the time I really miss it and want back in. It lasts for a day or two and then something or another happens that will make me realize how much happier I am doing other things.
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Jun 8, 2018 14:08
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Leif. posted:I was in your A-100. Yeah, mon, I know. You were the first one to leave too, I think.
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Jun 23, 2018 17:31
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Nutrimentia posted:Yeah, mon, I know. You were the first one to leave too, I think. Ah ok, wasn't sure if you remembered through the name changes who I was. Second to leave, I think, after Bob.
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Jun 25, 2018 03:25
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Is there some kind of thinking in the back of everyone's mind about who the first person in their A-100 to leave the FS will be? Is there some sort of pressure not to be the first?
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Jun 26, 2018 08:29
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I never thought about who would be the first to leave and I was surprised at how quickly some people got out. I think people may secretly wonder about who won't get tenured though.
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Jun 27, 2018 14:42
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I think the first from my class to leave got wacky-vacuated sometime in their first year at their first post. I think 20-30% of my class has resigned/retired/left by now, almost 17 years on.
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Jun 27, 2018 14:58
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Business of Ferrets posted:I think the first from my class to leave got wacky-vacuated sometime in their first year at their first post. I think 20-30% of my class has resigned/retired/left by now, almost 17 years on. Hmm, I should do the math on my class. I bet we are above 40% have left in the last 10.8 years, but a lot of people weren’t going to stay for the long haul anyway - they had to do a tour or two as condition of their graduate program.
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Jun 29, 2018 17:36
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Passed the FSOT!  The situational judgment section was definitely my weakest, but fortunately I did well enough on the other sections to make up for it. Now to get to work on the PN...
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Jun 29, 2018 18:03
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How does the overall scoring work? If you pass all 3 tests and the OA do you get an aggregate score of all 3 tests+OA as your "register score" or whatever? I always see people posting like "I'm on the register with a 5.7" or something like that.
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Jun 29, 2018 19:27
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Yorkshire Pudding posted:How does the overall scoring work? If you pass all 3 tests and the OA do you get an aggregate score of all 3 tests+OA as your "register score" or whatever? I always see people posting like "I'm on the register with a 5.7" or something like that. They're referring to their final OA score, which is an aggregate of the scores you get during the OA on your interview, group exercise, and memo. The scores prior to that point don't matter for the register. Below a 5.3 is an auto-fail and you're not even placed on the register. Everything above that point gets placed on that register in rank/date order, and hiring selections are made from the top down (meaning it's very likely candidates on the low end of "passing" will never be hired if their scores aren't competitive enough and will expire off the register after 18 months).
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Jun 30, 2018 17:44
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Spoderman posted:Passed the FSOT! Congrats!
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Jul 1, 2018 23:09
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Here we go again... 2011: FSOT - Passed; QEP - Passed; OA - Failed 2014: FSOT - Failed (Essay) 2016: FSOT - Passed; QEP - Failed 2018: FSOT - Passed!; QEP - Submitted I'm definitely hopeful, but I can say it gets easier to "fire-and-forget" the more times you been through the process. I'm pretty sure diplomacy is what I was meant to do, so i'll keep trying no matter how many times it takes. Congrats to everyone else who's passed the FSOT this time around, and for those that haven't, keep trying!
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Jul 5, 2018 19:01
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