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Skandiaavity posted:yeah, seconding your kids will love the FS. They might not like it in the short term, but kids aren't short term at all. IMO it's far better to be able to go and show them someplace like the great wall of china, or the pyramids, or even moroccan palaces, than just reading about it in a history book. It might not come immediately, but it's definitely a better education. I think it's easier for younger kids. I know lots of well-adjusted FS brats who are adults now and who have profited from their upbringing... I also know a few who are in therapy from a few evacuations (and, to be fair, their insane parents dragging them to near-war zones). Just listen to your kids. I'm planning on staying in the Service after I have a crotchling or two, but if s/he turns out to have special needs or plain hates the life, then we'll reconsider.
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Jun 8, 2012 16:32
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TCD posted:Is that a diplomatic assignment? One of our RSO staff in Riyadh worked there as a contractor for 5 years. I think it's only contractors and DOD people, no State folks. You'd have to be seriously insane to go there. She loved it, and she is certifiably nuts. (Lovely - but nuts.)
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Jun 12, 2012 21:33
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Skandiaavity posted:What is curious: there is LQA of $15,900 for group 3. Hmmmm. Who do you rent from?!
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Jun 12, 2012 21:34
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Skandiaavity posted:i guess rent from the Navy, as they own the base? or just $15,900 to buy supplies.. I don't even know, it's odd enough that you'd get LQA and education at all. Maybe you rent from the penguins. There are penguins there, right? Someone has to give them visas!
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Jun 17, 2012 18:49
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hitension posted:I have yet another diplomacy related query. Not really. In some countries, we have tons of consulates for historical reasons - Germany is one example, where there were consulates near many military bases. Japan's another. There also are consulates where there were big business hubs with people who couldn't travel easily to the embassy - Izmir, Turkey is one such former example. A lot of these smaller consulates are being closed down now, to cut costs in an era when people can travel far more cheaply than they could in the past. Historically we had consulates in important towns (Trabzon, Ottoman empire or Salzburg, Austria), but in a lot of cases there's no sensible reason to keep those posts open anymore. Conversely, in some cases we can't close consulates because of particular political interests in the States - say a large immigrant population in the US has a kinship tie to the city with a consulate, in some cases they might lobby against closing the post. It's happened fairly often. In some cases we have consulates simply because of need - the nature of our relationship with Mexico is that we have to have a bunch of consulates there to handle bilateral issues and massive demand for visas, but that's not so much a reflection of relations as it is a reflection of geography and socioeconomic pressures. It's a lot harder to open a new Consulate than it is to close an old one. The sheer amount of research and resources needed to open a new facility now - security, funding, negotiating diplomatic privileges - means that it's difficult for us to pivot our resources quickly to where they're needed. Generally, we accommodate these shifts by removing positions in areas of relatively less importance and adding them to extant embassies and consulates elsewhere (shifting away from western Europe to east Asia, for example).
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Jun 18, 2012 19:45
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hitension posted:Thanks for the information! Yeah, generally the Belgians are pretty safe in a place like Louisville.  Mexico has something like 40 consulates in the US, IIRC...
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Jun 18, 2012 21:32
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TCD posted:Visas are another reason for Consulates. I am at a Mission right now that's received final approval to open 2 new Consulates. Makes sense where you are - part of rebalancing away from W. Europe. Where will they go, or is that SBU?
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Jun 19, 2012 17:22
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Miscreant Fromage posted:My friend (currently in Iraq) said that as an incentive they're trying to secure your follow on assignment before you even start your AIP tour. She's part of a tandem couple and they both knew where they were going after Iraq at least 2 months before they got to Iraq. It's been like this for a while, I think. I'll hold my grumbles about serving in unaccompanied posts (two out of three so far) that aren't AIP, which means no linked assignments after the fact...
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Jun 21, 2012 23:58
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Vasudus posted:What the gently caress are your credentials because 4 years of military, another 3 of generic job experience and a semester of graduate school hasn't gotten me a callback. Either that or they haven't gotten to my application yet *hugs* Sorry, dear...
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Jun 22, 2012 19:06
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mtreecorner posted:
The deputy pol chief who'll get there next summer is one of my closest friends and one of the sweetest, most genuine, hardest working people you'll ever meet. There is nothing else good about Yemen.
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Jul 25, 2012 19:01
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Zoots posted:Bidding instructions out today. Anybody on this cycle? First time ML for me. Will prob just go back to DC to simplify things med clearance-wise. I'm trying to organize an extension in Tripoli, otherwise I'd be bidding with/against you. Any ideas about what you're looking for? Any interest in going back to NEA positions? I'm looking at D(B)/MET or NEA/FO when I go back, probably aiming to arrive in 2014. Alternately a nice desk job...
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Jul 25, 2012 20:06
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Zoots posted:I'm open to staying overseas but given my current med clearance I will likely go domestic. Pipe dream postings include USUN press and Ops. If I go back to NEA I would like to try for Oman or Israel. Something a little more low key, y'know? Legit. You know Erin P from Riyadh is the spokesperson now at USUN, right? And I don't think Israel qualifies as low key... Joe T (also from Riyadh, now TDY in Tripoli) spent six months there after he left Saudi. He's got some interesting stories about PD work there, not all pleasant. A good friend of mine from Turkey is going to the R front office - I'll put you in touch with her if you'd like once bidding rolls around.
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Jul 28, 2012 00:00
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Business of Ferrets posted:ALERT! ALERT! THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ARE OVER////PARTIALLY CLDY DAYS AHEAD//// My favorites are the unclass (not even SBU) NIACTS. Pick up the phone and call if you must wake up a person, or just wait until daybreak! HOLY poo poo Y'ALL THE SECRETARY'S GONNA GIVE A SPEECH ON NET FREEDOM NEXT WEEK, Y'ALL TUNE IN NOW, Y'HEAR? I do not envy you those jobs.
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Jul 29, 2012 21:48
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Business of Ferrets posted:Yes. Seconded, with the caveat that you either have way better sources (govt contacts) who don't trust you because of Wikileaks, or your have civil society contacts who beg you for funding for their programs. I learned how to say no very effectively while still getting info I needed...
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Jul 30, 2012 23:55
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TCD posted:Never, ever be President of your Employee Association. This is so completely true. Hell, don't even serve on the board. (And don't bitch about your Employee Association board!) the_chavi fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Aug 2, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 19:27
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mtreecorner posted:
Send me an email at draperha and I'll introduce you to my friend who's going out there. It'll be good for you to meet her before you fly. Also, seconds on spending vacation time in Addis. There's a direct Ethiopian Airways flight that's pretty cheap.
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Aug 3, 2012 11:03
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Vilerat posted:Can't you find a better vacation spot than Addis? It's the closest source of above-the-table beer to Sanaa. Don't knock that.
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Aug 3, 2012 18:16
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Saho posted:I've heard this before advise before and I know this is kind of a dumb question, but I've never really been in a position where networking is a 'thing'... It's a bitch in your first tour, because you don't know how to go about meeting these magical people who you're told will MAKE OR BREAK your career. Relax: it's easier than you think (if you're not a lazy git). 1. Don't be an rear end in a top hat. Nothing spoils your ability to network like the rumor that you're an rear end in a top hat. 2. Get out of your section and meet people in other sections. Volunteer for after-hours projects to help other offices. Sponsor newcomers, go out of your way to be friendly to TDYers. All of these are ways to get to know people. 3. Be really good at your job. Let your bosses and coworkers tell others about how good of a job you're doing, not you. 4. Try not to gossip about your coworkers. It's hard, and to a certain extent unavoidable, but really - do it as little as possible. (Caveat: if your coworkers are trying to decide on a position, and you know one of the applicants is an absolute terror to work with, state your case _diplomatically_.) 5. Play the eternal FS game of figuring out when and where you've served with mutual friends. Example: last night I talked to one of our A/RSOs at the chow hall, and I realized that I served in Saudi with the DS agent who is his son's godmother. Boom, instant connection. 6. Don't be an rear end in a top hat. Don't be that person no one wants to serve with. DON'T BE AN rear end in a top hat.
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Aug 6, 2012 10:27
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Business of Ferrets posted:Oh come on, a body weighs more than that. And how finely you chop it.
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Aug 6, 2012 10:28
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Diplomaticus posted:For some reason, the section of the pouch instructions that we have inside the mail room has the parts about "no human remains/crematory ashes" and "no weapons" bolded. Which is probably why we can't pouch ourselves new livers, no matter how badly we all need them...
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Aug 6, 2012 11:16
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TCD posted:Also, try to TDY. You meet more contacts and network better that way ( be a low maintenance tdyer. Don't be one of those whiners about the room, taxis, etc. It goes back to not being an rear end in a top hat) Very true. After staffing I don't know how many visits, from policy analyst on up, PLEASE be kind to your control officer/responsible person. We share war stories, and if you're a dick the word WILL get around. Examples of things not to do as a visitor to any post: check your Blackberry during official meetings, make local staff buy you a new curling iron because yours fried out at your last stop and refuse to pay the "inflated" price for it, cancel a key meeting we worked on for weeks to get because you would rather go shopping, get drunk at dinner with contacts. All of these have happened on visits I've staffed.
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Aug 6, 2012 13:21
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Omits-Bagels posted:All these comments about not being an rear end in a top hat leads me to believe the foreign service is full of assholes. You try serving in a forty-person post where you're on lockdown 23 hours a day. You identify that one rear end in a top hat reeeeally quickly. Kidding (mostly), but being overseas and working in a diplomatic bubble magnifies character flaws and quirks. If you're easy going and can find your happy place easily, it's manageable. Otherwise, you need a weekend away to recover your cool.
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Aug 7, 2012 21:44
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So today over office communicator Zoots and I were discussing the possibility of an all-FS Goon gathering. I heartily support this endeavor, as there is much fun to be had... and I also nominate his post to host, as Libya's not exactly on the top 100 of places to go have fun in the world. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my plan.
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Aug 9, 2012 21:04
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Zoots posted:The folks in Riyadh would have even funnier stuff - usually from the support staff for royals. Oh god yes. I met people whose job titles were wallet-carrier, dancing midget (part of a troupe), midget tosser, 24/7 videographer, and a professional basketball team - all of whom worked for one high-ranking prince. I interviewed a team of herd managers from the Arabian Peninsula's largest dairy company, who wanted to go to a conference in Oklahoma on new techniques in artificial insemination. That was a fun discussion. I also interviewed a Saudi olympic athlete (apparently at least one Saudi does work), an Arab rapper with several sponsorship deals and several more drug-related ineligibilities, 4 members of Osama bin Laden's extended family (there are hundreds of them), and one guy who described himself as a professional erector.
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Aug 10, 2012 17:47
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Closet Nerd posted:I would also like to add, don't have a spouse who is an rear end or high maintenance. Whether they work as an EFM or are staying, how they treat others who work at/for the Embassy (such as Facilities and Housing) will get around and it won't be appreciated Very good points! I've seen too many people join because this is their Dream Job without actually considering the family/spouse ramifications. Sounds like you're married to a GSO or someone in FM. ;-)
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Aug 14, 2012 21:56
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Business of Ferrets posted:360s tend to be in questionnaire format, and each job you bid might request different information on different schedules, so it is common to have to ask references to resend their comments several times. More significantly, though, the final arbiters never see the 360s. DASs get a vetted short list (good 360s might get you on the short list, and bad ones will keep you off), but they don't read most 360s. A well-timed email or call from their SFS friend, though, they'll pay attention to. Why fight it out in the trenches when you can make the decision quick and easy for them? Exactly. With just a year's more knowledge over my first midlevel bids last year, it's incredible how much more I know about bidding this time around. The best person to serve as a 360 for you is someone who has asked you to 360 for them - virtuous cycle of love. For 03 and 02 positions, you rarely have anyone higher than the deputy office director looking at your applications. In A-100 you're told that "let's talk about it over the phone" is the secret code phrase for a bad 360, in case you don't want to put anything bad in writing. That is not completely true - I had to be a 360 reference for my supervisor last year (I wasn't in a position where I could say no without retaliation), and my pleas for phone conversations actually led to incredibly awkward phone calls with four or five offices - only one office took the hint and said thanks but no thanks.
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Aug 16, 2012 19:44
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TCD posted:Right. Often, you have to pick one person's career to take precedence - say one person gets the sweet assignment, and if the priority is family > career, the second person will have to take a less exciting position, leave without pay, or a downgrade position in order to make it work. Conversely, if you are both too far apart in seniority, you eventually get to the point where the more senior partner will be in a supervisory role over the other partner, which requires some creative bureaucratic workarounds to avoid, and not every post/boss is willing to work with you on that. My husband's trying to join State too, and a lot of people end up marrying another FSO once they're in the system. (I swear, I think every A-100 class has a lasting romance!) Everyone has to pick their priorities and go from there. As long as you're both flexible (which you should be in this job anyway) you can make it work.
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Aug 23, 2012 19:33
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Skandiaavity posted:heh, in Triage class. It is certainly an interesting... duty Is this part of Crash and Bang? Or is this another class?
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Aug 23, 2012 19:34
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Vilerat posted:Hey Chavi, are you in Tripoli? Yes indeedy, completing the paperwork to extend a year. Sorry boys, this job's off the market! (For all zero of the people out there interested.) What's up?
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Aug 23, 2012 21:02
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Vilerat posted:You guys really wait till the last moment to get visa referral numbers for visitors You're going out to Benghazi, right? When did you submit your paperwork? Drop me a line at work (draperha) and I'll follow up on it tomorrow. Unfortunately we were at half-strength during Ramadan, and the whole government is closed down this week because of Eid. When are you supposed to fly?
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Aug 23, 2012 23:55
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Business of Ferrets posted:Hahahahahahaha! Yes, I thought of you when I saw that. Best time to be at a post; you'll look back on it fondly! Man, you got the Patriarch AND the President - lucky you. I have a friend who was the CAO in Warsaw when half of the Polish government was killed in a plane crash, and boy howdy was that a busy week for Mission Poland.
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Aug 24, 2012 17:19
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Business of Ferrets posted:It would be seen as something positive, but I don't think we have a good feel for what kind of relative weight the panel gives to overseas experience versus, say, graduate education or full-time work experience. I don't think time spent abroad is one of the secret codes that automatically unlocks a job offer from State. I know plenty of people who joined without any significant living or work experience abroad. (I'm one, in fact - six weeks in Spain as a college freshman hardly counts.) With that being said, living and working abroad as a professional is very different from vacationing, backpacking, and being an exchange student - some recent grads or RPCVs have difficulty making that transition once they're in State. BoF's comments about the summer abroad program - especially B - are spot-on. I'd suggest that you do the program only if it contributes to your larger job marketability, especially outside of federal service.
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Aug 25, 2012 14:45
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Diplomaticus posted:It's almost like the Patriarch was a bigger thing for 99% of people. It's fascinating, for certain politically active and devout Orthodox, it's like they lost their family. Yeah I'm sure. What's the reaction been from Asmara? And where is the palace - I don't remember seeing it when I was in Addis in 2008. That's AWESOME about the top chef party. What type of contacts are cooking? I did something similar with contacts in Istanbul - bring a few over every few weeks, cook them stew and feed them wine, then sit back and gossip. I'm sure the Turkish government loved the conversations they heard in my apartment!
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Aug 25, 2012 14:49
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Today's awesome feeling: being the first person to break the news that a key government minister resigned. I even beat Ops by three hours. 
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Aug 26, 2012 20:40
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Business of Ferrets posted:Small post, minimal visitors, beautiful place, cold winters. Minimal visitors... it sounds like heaven.
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Sep 1, 2012 21:12
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On our Embassy Facebook page, there's a picture of me and the Ambassador hosted at a traditional Libyan meal last week. Because I didn't know I'd be going to this event, I mistakenly wore a skirt suit, so in the picture I'm trying not to look awkward because we're all sitting on the floor eating with our hands. Most fabulous comment from the Libyan public so far (after 400+ positive comments): "shameless American lady with naked thighs." Love my job.
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Sep 3, 2012 20:37
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Smerdyakov posted:Just registered to take the exam in Kiev on the 29th of September. Anyone else have experience taking the test at an embassy vs stateside? Specifically, it says not to bring bags, cell phones, watches, etc. to the embassy which kind of implies they don't have storage or it's gonna be a pain somehow. I've heard some horror stories from people applying for visas to the US about having to literally leave their bag in the bushes outside, but... yeah. I'm heading up in the morning and was planning on making it a day trip only. I could theoretically find some ramshackle storage at the train/bus station or leave it with hostel scum, but it would be somewhat out of my way and a big part of my test taking strategy is not being an exhausted zombie or anything other than well-rested and totally relaxed. I've proctored it 6 times at post. The accommodations will vary slightly from post to post, but the proctor instructions allow examinees to bring in a bottle of water and a jacket or scarf. Technically, all other things (pens, bags, phones, whatever) must be stored away from you during the test, and you can't access them until the end of the test. If you need lady goods during the exam, better keep them in your pocket. Whether you stash that stuff at check in or at the testing room depends on the post.
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Sep 4, 2012 19:51
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TCD posted:edit: while my day may have been bad, it's been a lot worse for a few of my friends around the world. I just got to the States on leave. I've spoken to the Ops center about what happened in Benghazi, but they aren't releasing names yet. Needless to say, I know the folks out in Benghazi (most are based in/cycled through Tripoli), and this is beyond horrifying...
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Sep 12, 2012 01:48
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Digital Ebola posted:If someone can pull strings to get a status on Vile Rat, a bunch of Goons will owe you a favor. Call the Ops center and ask about it. I pushed hard about that an hour or so ago, and got a bit of info, but I can't go into it here until the family of the deceased is notified.
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Sep 12, 2012 02:18
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Skandiaavity posted:I'm on good terms with two people currently working in Ops. If there's anything you want me to ask in the immediate future, send me a IM/e-mail. Yeah, it's a little different if you work in the Mission and know everyone there. I spoke to our Desk officer, who's staffing the crisis center right now. We both had a good cry over it.
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Sep 12, 2012 03:39
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