The Foreign Service Timeline

Hey folks, it’s another busy week here in Arlington, but Sarah and I are doing our best to stay on top of things, including watching our quota of 12 hours of Olympics coverage per day.  I’m also trying to stay ahead of the summer movie schedule in anticipation of my annual summer movie roundup (SPOILER: The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises are in a race for first place).  So, obviously, we have our priorities in place.

Lately, Sarah and I have been perusing other Foreign Service blogs, of which there are many, and noticed a common attribute.  Everyone seems to take the time to explain the entire timeline of the Foreign Service (FS) hiring process.  Since it is somewhat exhaustive and some of you may be interested, I thought I would provide a breakdown as well.  The hiring process can take up to three years, so we are pleasantly surprised at how quickly we made it through all of the steps.

The process consists of three exams: (1) the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT), a multiple-choice exam; (2) the Essay Exam, submitted online; and (2) the Oral Assessment, a grueling full-day interview at the State Department with various activities and writing assignments sprinkled throughout.  If you fail any one of these steps, you have to go back to the very beginning and start over.  The FSOT is perhaps the greatest barrier to entry, with a passage rate of about 20%.  From start to finish, only about 3-6% of applicants ever receive an offer to join the Foreign Service.

So here’s what our timeline looks like:

JUNE 2011                    TEST 1: Foreign Service Officer Test

SEPTEMBER 2011       TEST 2: Essay Exam

JANUARY 2012            TEST 3: Oral Assessment (5.30)

FEBRUARY 2012         Medical Clearance

APRIL 2012                   Security Clearance (Register)

APRIL 2012                   Language Testing (PASS – 5.47)

JULY 2012                     OFFER TO JOIN!

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012  Entrance into 168^th A-100 Class

 Alright, let’s take a look at that a bit more in depth.  If you pass the first two exams, you are invited to take the Oral Assessment, where you are given a score on a scale of 0 to 7.  The cutoff score is 5.25.  If you score lower than that, you have to go all the way back to the beginning.  As you can see, I scored a 5.30, meaning I just barely passed.

After that, you must go through a somewhat rigorous medical and security clearance process, which involved visits to the doctor, chest x-rays, and visits at home and work from State Department investigators.  To give you an idea of how exhaustive this process is, I got a call from an investigator in Provo, UT, who was on his way to Brick Oven Restaurant to check on my employment records from five years ago! 

We received our clearances surprisingly quickly, and were placed on the “Register.”  The Register is the list of all eligible FS candidates, ranked by Oral Assessment score.  Needless to say, Sarah and I were pretty excited about this development, until I called to find out my ranking, only to discover of all the Consular candidates, I was ranked #78 out of 78 people.  Perhaps I would have to go back through the entire process again. 

My only real chance at improvement was to get a bonus added to my raw score based on language testing.  After some deliberation, I decided to test in Romanian instead of Spanish.  I performed horribly, or so I thought, as I found out a couple weeks later that I actually passed.  My new score was a 5.47, and my new ranking was #13!

After that, we spent a few anxious weeks waiting for the next class to be called, praying to make sure we were doing the right thing, and watching in agony as my ranking slowly slipped from #13 down into the twenties.  Amazingly, I received an offer to join the September class, and the rest of the story I suppose you already know.  We are still just as excited as ever to be joining the Foreign Service, and can’t wait until we find out about our first post (probably mid-October).  And, of course, we will be sure to keep you all posted.     

In Praise of the BBC: Thanks for Saving My Summer

Summer is a great time of year, and there is no shortage of pastimes of which you can take advantage.  You can go to the pool, get caught up on your reading, go to baseball games, or fire up the grill.  Sarah and I have been trying to make the most of it, but let’s be honest, summer is also hot.  And if you live in DC, it’s also really, really humid.  Seriously, sometimes when you walk outside it feels like you just stepped into a gigantic mouth.  On those days, you just want to sit on your couch in the A/C and watch TV.

 

That’s a problem during the summer, because everything is in reruns.  I recognize that a lot of people reading this probably already have Netflix, but Sarah and I are apparently too cheap to jump into the 2010s (How do you even shorten that? 10s?).  Which is why I’m grateful for the close proximity of the library and for the BBC.

 

The BBC puts out some great programming, most of which doesn’t get much notice this side of the pond. When you hear about a BBC show you want to watch, it’s like discovering a rare British gem.  Plus, the seasons are usually relatively brief (3-8 episodes a season) and self-contained, thus making them perfect for summer viewing.  So thanks to the BBC for creating the following two programs and giving me a reason to shout, “Don’t go in there!” at my television screen during the summer months.

 

SHERLOCK

 

 For fans of: CSI, Law & Order, scarves, fancy accents

 

Sherlock is the same literary character we know and love, brought into the 21^st century.  He’s mean, brilliant, and wears a scarf like nobody’s business.  Watson, on the other hand, is an Iraq War veteran with slight PTSD, but is longsuffering and loyal to a fault.  The writing is great, the characters are well-cast, and they do a great job of bringing the iconic Sherlock Holmes stories (such as “The Hound of the Baskervilles”) into the modern age.  Each episode plays out like its own 90-minute film, but with a lot of elements spilling over into a season-long story arc.  I highly recommend this one.

 

LUTHER

 

For fans of: The Shield, Justified, 24, doom, gloom

 

Luther stars Idris Elba, who owns the role as the biggest, smartest, angriest cop in London.  The entire premise of the show is that he always tries to do what he thinks is the right thing, even if that means breaking the law to do it.  As a result, each season follows Luther as he attempts to solve crimes while also covering up all of the illegal things he’s done to help others out.  It’s a bit over-the-top, since every episode seems to feature a different serial killer on the loose, but it’s worth it just to watch Luther skulk around angrily and bash some heads.  This one is a bit dark, and downright gruesome at times, but it’s also a lot of fun.

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.

Mitt & Me

Following is a letter I intend to send to Mitt Romney relating a dream I had last night.  Let me know if you think I should send it.

Dear Mr. Romney:

Hope the campaign's going well.  I had an interesting dream last night, that I figured I should share with you.  In the dream, you were coming to Arlington, VA, for a campaign event, and asked that the Arlington 2nd Ward help put together a BBQ for you.  Since I'm in the Elders' Quorum Presidency, that meant that I had to go out and help you round up supplies.  So we hopped in my car and drove out to some local farms to pick up everything.

We managed to gather all the meat and vegetables we needed, and had a rather amazing experience at the last farm.  I noticed that a chicken egg was about to hatch, so we gathered together to watch it happen.  There we were, on all fours, me in my jeans, and you in your suit, as we peered into the nest to watch the miracle of life.  The baby chicken burst out, turned into a tiny rabbit, and then we helped him find his mother.  What a great experience.

After that, we made it back to Arlington in time for the potluck dinner at the church.  For some reason you and I decided to buy about three tons of neapolitan ice cream, so we had trouble convincing people they needed to keep eating it so it wouldn't all melt.  Good times.  Anyway, you seemed pretty cool in my dream last night, so I wish you the best on the campaign.

Sincerely,

Ryan Peterson 

Summer in DC

Over the last couple weeks, we have been trying to take advantage of all the events going on around DC in the summer.  We kicked it off by going to the Annual DC BBQ Festival, with our friends the Nielsens.

I had the rib tips, which were pretty tasty, and Sarah got an amazing pulled pork sandwich.

I was a bit distraught I had already eaten before I came across this guy's setup, however.

We also went to the Congressional Baseball Game, where members of the Democrats and Republicans slug it out on the baseball diamond.  As you can see, it's not the most well-attended event, but we had a good time.

We had a great time, great seats, and I got a chili dog from Ben's Chili Bowl, so I had fun even though the Republicans got completely trounced.  That's Nancy Pelosi gloating down in the bottom right corner.

We had to sit in the Democrat section, which made me a little nervous, but fortunately, I had Sarah with me.

The shirts we were wearing seemed to help as well. 

A Couple of Weeks in Arlington

Hey everyone!  Sorry I haven't been able to post in a while.  As a result, here is a week in review to go over some of the stuff we have been up to here in Arlington.  A Peterson potpurri, if you will.  Also, be sure to check out Sarah's travelogue of her adventures further below.

 

First off, it's become a tradition in our household for me to make some sort of baked good whenever Sarah comes home from a work trip.  This time it was chocolate coca-cola cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  Sounds odd, but they were pretty tasty.

A week after Sarah's trip to the high altitudes of Bolivia, she was still able to run with me in the Lawyers Have Heart 10K Race in Georgetown.  Sorry I don't have better pictures than these shots in the parking garage.  You'll just have to take my word for it that we actually ran in the race.

We finished in 1 hour, 4 minutes, which isn't too shabby for 6.2 miles.

We also had a Mexican food night last week, where we made roasted corn, guacamole, and deep-fried chicken flautas.

They actually weren't as complicated as I thought, and frying stuff is always an adventure.  

For dessert, we whipped up a tres leches cake.  Look at how moist and delicious it is.  I assure you that Sarah and I stick to a pretty rigorous no-carb diet during the week, so we manage to eat this stuff on the weekends without getting (too) fat. 

Speaking of carbs, a few nights ago we also made our way to a D.C. favorite, Amsterdam Falafel.  Falafel is essentially fried chickpea balls stuffed in a pita with all sorts of toppings.  It's exactly as amazing as it sounds. 

Pictured above: awesomeness.

Finally, the garden I planted on the balcony a few weeks ago, is looking pretty good.  I've got rosemary, parsley, basil, and cilantro, along with some flowers.  So there you have it, a random sampling of our quaint little lives.  Hope you're all doing well.

Sarah's Goes Tripping !?!

Hey everyone!  We interrupt our regularly scheduled boring blog post by Ryan to bring you a special report from the front lines.  This is Sarah Peterson reporting, with more of her amazing adventures around the globe.  First stop, the majestic City by the Bay, San Francisco.

  

I had a great time in San Francisco even though I had to be there for a work conference.  This was my first time to San Fran and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. 

I spent part of my time hanging out with the sea lions at Pier 39.  I am not ashamed to say that this picture is one of about thirty that I took of these cute little guys.

My friend and I decided the best way to see the bay was to bike from Fisherman's Wharf across the bridge and back.  I know I look particularly fetching in my awesome bike helmet. I am proud to have done my part to demonstrate that bike helmets are a necessary and vital accessory that one should always wear when riding a bike. 

 Back at the Wharf we decided to try some of the city's famous sourdough bread at Boudin Bakery.  I can always appreciate a bakery that decides to make loaves that look like crocodiles, bears, and crabs (?).

During the weekend I got to head over to Treasure Island for a flea market.  The market was awesome and the view of the city from the 'island' was fantastic.  My friend joked that she could never lose me while I was wearing my canary yellow pea coat. 

If you thought to yourself "What is that? That does not look like San Francisco", then you would be right.  I got a rare opportunity to head down to La Paz, Bolivia immediately after I got home from San Francisco.  La Paz was a fascinating city.  It has the rare distinction of being above 13000 ft!  I had to take some awful medicine (called Diamox) to help adjust to the altitude but it was such an awesome experience.  This picture (I apologize for the blurriness) is of a traditional Bolivian 'Chola,' a Bolivian woman wearing a bowler hat, shawl, and full length skirt.

I got to spend a day up on Tiahuanaco, an ancient Incan ruin about two hours outside of La Paz.  The site is above 14000 ft!  The sky at the ruins was so bright and so close it felt like I was on top of the world.

One of the strangest parts of the ruins was a giant pit that was surrounded by a wall full of these carved faces.  It kind of reminded me of the plot of that latest Indiana Jones movie....

This guy definitely looks like an alien....

No trip to the Andes would be complete without a llama sighting!  My companions and I were most enthralled to find these guys up on the Altiplano.  They were a bit startled by our enthusiasm and I admit I was concerned that they would love an excuse to spit at us. (Yes, llamas, like camels, love to spit at people.)

During our excursion we also got the opportunity to make it up to Lake Titicaca   The lake is absolutely beautiful.  I am sad to report that I did not see any of the famous straw boats, or the floating village islands of straw, but I was happy enough to see the lake.

So after many adventures, many fun treats, and way too much shopping (sorry Ryan!) I finally came home.