Air Shipment

Yikes! Our air shipment survey came up twice the authorized weight which is currently 600 pounds with three family members. I have to re-think the children's furniture and the toys. Not a big deal. We signed up for this lifestyle knowing that we would not always have access to our belongings. It reminds me of my minimalist days teaching in Eastern Europe after college on $40 a month. I love a challenge!

In other news, we went to see the Wiggles yesterday which was such a treat for our son. He and I leave for Romania on Tuesday. I can't believe it's late August already. I also virtually met another IRO candidate starting in October and she's a tandem!

Household Survey

Things are moving so quickly. Today a representative from the moving company is coming over to survey our belongings for pack out in October. The house is a mess and I'm blogging. Not sure I have my priorities straight!

Hodgepodge

There is a lot on my mind today. I have been combing through the various Foreign Service related yahoo groups for information about the Oakwood apartments, daycare options, residency, pack out, and so on. I thought I would compile a list of the groups I'm currently subscribed to:
Foreign Service Specialists (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Foreign_Service_Specialists/)
FSSCareers (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSSCareers/)
fsoa (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fsoa)
FSparent (http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/FSparent)
FS_FallsChurch (http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/FS_FallsChurch)
livelines (http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/livelines)
statetandems (http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/statetandems)

These lists are jam packed with resources and interesting tidbits about all things Foreign Service. For many of the groups, you do need to provide your full name and an explanation of your interest in the group.

Since my future position will involve the management of information resource centers, I have been reading Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman's First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. The book is based on results of a gigantic study of 80,000 managers conducted by the Gallup Organization. Its insights make sense for any organization and any level of supervision, whether in a classroom or in a large, hierarchical organization. My favorite quote is from page 184 "create heroes in every role." I'm also re-reading Robert Stueart and Barbara Moran's Library and Information Center Management. I have taught lessons on leadership with this book and have found it to be a good overall resource. The online resources that accompany the text are helpful in their practical application of some of the theory.


Finally, I have been re-visiting my interest in essential oils. Lately, I've been hearing about bedbugs a lot. On NPR, in the New York Times, for example. I had a nasty encounter with these parasites in a Prague hostel many years ago. On top of that, I had an allergic reaction to the bites - not fun. Essential oils can be a terrific, natural defense against any of these critters. I use a home-made bug repellant based on lemongrass, lavender, and thyme from Valerie Ann Worwood's fantastic resource The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy. Essential oils, however, are not limited to bug repellants. I use them to deter me from biting my nails (a nervous, life-long habit) and simultaneously help them grow strong and lengthy. I have been using organic personal care products that contain lavender and find that geranium oil is great in the bath after a long day. I use them for cleaning and mix them with water in spray bottles to freshen up a room in no time. Many of the oils (like lavender) have antiseptic and antibacterial qualities so you protect yourself from germs and pests rather easily. I'm not sure of their availability oversees so I will have to stock up before we leave the States. I think that's enough of my ramblings for today.

It's Official

After all the waiting and the uncomfortable conversations last week, I received an email invitation to join the October 25 Foreign Service Specialist orientation class. We haven't really celebrated yet. Seems to be there is too much to think of, too many to do lists, and some worrying about my husband's position on the Consular Register (that darn German test - I wish he had a different language). Today I made our reservation with Oakwood - a process that went very smoothly and pleasantly. I also learned that there are no more spots at the FSI childcare facility which is worrying me. My husband may have to commute to Baltimore if his transfer doesn't go smoothly. But we are hoping for the best.

There is so much to do.
1) Run around the condo taking pictures of our belongings and creating an inventory. Luckily we don't have anything valuable - just my dad's paintings and I'm not sure what I will do with those yet since they're so fragile.
2) Weed through more of our stuff. We started that process a year ago when our basement flooded so it shouldn't be too difficult. I admire the effort that the B Files has taken to de-clutter.
3) Buy a new suit. The student lifestyle has meant that I haven't updated my wardrobe in a while.
4) Make appointments with our doctors/dentists and obtain medical records.
5) Make copies of our most important records and notarize them.
6) Settle things with the bank.
7) Fill out all the DS paperwork when it comes. Figure out how I'm going to do that while out of the country in September.
8) Sell our second car.
9) Finish up my work at the library and tie any loose ends at school.
10) Figure out what I'm going to do about the SAA working group I'm supposed to sit on next year.

I am sure I am forgetting something.

The Academic Path

Something I think a lot about these days is academia. That is....leaving it, being done with school forever. At least for a while. Most people assume that if you get a Ph.D. you will become a professor. However, I knew from the moment I applied to doctoral programs that I wanted to expand my options and make myself more marketable for the kind of international job I dreamed of. But once I started, I quickly learned that I was being apprenticed for a research position. As I began to feel more and more like a fish out of water, I stumbled upon some things that helped me feel better: (1) the book Mama, PhD is an anthology of personal stories from women who have experienced academia and motherhood and the inherent tension between the two spheres; (2) the blog Leaving Academia is full of insights about the turbulent emotions doctoral students and faculty face when considering employment outside of the academy; (3) the fact that my husband is ABD and I feel such a kinship with a history Ph.D. studying to become a digital archivist.

So, as expected, at the Society of American Archivists meeting everyone wanted to know what I am up to, including the dean of my school and my advisor. I shrugged and told them what I have been saying for a year and then cursed the fact that I still do not know anything which makes me look so darn unprofessional. Oh well...*sigh*... at least I am learning that my self worth is not based on my education or job status!

Raising a child in the Foreign Service

I'm currently reading through the Department of State's Education Options for Foreign Service Family Members and thinking about all that is involved with raising "third culture kids." One of the motivating factors for joining the FS has been the opportunities my son will be exposed to, from learning new languages to making meaningful contacts around the world. My husband and I view this a bit differently due to our own backgrounds. As a naturalized citizen, I grew up far away from extended family, have lived in a variety of places within the U.S. and have worked abroad. Moving is not a big deal for me and being far from my parents and friends is a normal way of life. My husband, on the other hand, really cherishes his home town (it's where we met...at the public library) and the community he grew up in. He doesn't have any trouble answering the question "where are you from?" There are benefits and disadvantages to both lifestyles and lots of lessons to learn.

Of course, things will be more complicated as a tandem couple in the FS. Particularly since my position will be regional and will, most likely, require me to travel 60% of the time. There will be lots of things to iron out such as childcare, schooling, help at home. Perhaps I am an optimist, but I think we will make it work!

Resources

There are lots of books and online resources about the Foreign Service. I think the current two most comprehensive ones (besides the Department of State's website) are Peter Kennett's The DipNotes and Melissa VonHinken's Foreign Service Links. They mention books, other FS related blogs, Yahoo and Wiki groups, etc. There are also groups on Facebook like Foreign Service Specialists and Foreign Service Tandem Couples.

However, there is not all that much information about information resource officers. Besides the job posting, one has to search pretty hard to find out what a day in the life of an IRO is really like. Here are a handful of resources I have found on the Web. Please feel free to include additional resources in the comments.

• For information about the public events that IROs engage in (such as presentations and activities in embassy information resource centers), look at the websites of various embassies by going to: countryname.usembassy.gov
• Current IRO Wendy Simmons wrote an article tracing the recent history of embassy libraries. The citation is: Simmons, W. A. (2005). Three decades of challenges and changes in US embassy libraries around the world. Advances in Librarianship, 29, 99-132. An abridged version of Wendy's paper is available in PDF format here.
• Ruth Mara and Cynthia Borys wrote a brief article about IROs in the September 2003 issue of the Foreign Service Journal entitled IROs: Into the cyber age. It's available here.