Career Change

Behold, the Ameri-cake, which Sarah and I made for a Fourth of July BBQ last weekend.  I suppose it's kind of ironic that it's actually a Mexican Tres Leches cake, but it was delicious nonetheless.  It even has its own theme song, "Proud to Eat an Ameri-Cake," sung to the tune of Lee Greenwood's "Proud to Be an American."  I won't repeat all the lyrics here, however, as Sarah says it wasn't my strongest effort.  Regardless, the cake was delicious.

I suppose it's appropriate that the cake is American with an international flair given the exciting news that Sarah and I received earlier this week.  As you may recall, we have been contemplating the idea of me joining the U.S. Foreign Service over the last year.  I wrote about it once before here.  The process is incredibly competitive, and only a few hundred join every year out of the thousands that apply.  I made it through all the various tests and interviews, but still wasn't sure if my collective score on all the tests was enough to warrant an invitation.

Amazingly, we got an offer to join the next Foreign Service class starting September 10th!  Sarah and I have been pondering this decision for some time, but this week in particular involved a lot of fasting and prayer.  We decided that this was the right path for us and our future family, and are incredibly excited.

So what's next for the Petersons?  I'll be starting an orientation course for all new diplomats on September 10th.  This class, known colloquially as "A-100" based on the room it used to be held in, last six weeks.  At some point during that period, we will be given a list of job openings at embassies around the world.  We rank these possibilities into three categories: high, medium, and low.  My understanding is that most people receive a posting that was on their high list.

The last day of the A-100 course is "Flag Day," wherein you all meet together with family and friends to find out where you will be posted for your first two-year assignment.  You can read more about all the possible locations here.  Obviously, Flag Day will determine how much longer we will remain in the States.  If our first assignment is Washington, DC, or New York City, we'll be here for a few more years.  If our first assignment is Romania, we'll be shipping out in early 2013 since I already speak the language.  If our first assignment is China, we'll be in DC for at least another year while I attempt to learn Mandarin.

So that's the big new for the Petersons!  We appreciate all those who have fasted and prayed on our behalf as we made this decision.  We are so excited to be starting out on this new career path.  And, I hope this goes without saying, you all have a place to stay if you ever want to come visit us.