Nighttime at Tahoe

It's late at night and 30 degrees F here at Tahoe. The insides of the windows are covered in steam from the heater that has been going full blast. We took the dogs on a midnight walk down the street a little while ago. It was pitch black (no streetlights here) and we saw a million stars. I heard coyotes howling for the first time ever, and it made me shiver--a very plaintive sound. Now I'm cuddled up in the cabin with three blankets and my computer. Too bad the bed isn't big enough for the addition of a dog or two for extra warmth!

A New State

Proof that we were actually at Lake Tahoe: the lake!



Also, proof that we drove into Nevada to check out Carson City: the cool tunnel through a mountain!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The last two days have been lovely and peaceful. Tuesday we took the pooches for another hike through more golden meadows and snow-tipped mountains.

On Wednesday we woke up to drizzly rain, so spent the day inside watching movies and playing board games.

Tomorrow we plan to cook and eat!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello from Tahoe!

Hello from South Lake Tahoe!

The boyfriend and I (and the two German Shepherds) are staying in a rented cabin for the week. Although we're very close to Lake Tahoe and the accompanying casinos/resorts/rich people, our cabin is located in the middle of the National Forest, so we're surrounded by wilderness, hiking trails, and hippies.

Here is the cabin and a shot of the cozy interior (with cute puppy accessories):

Today we went for a hike through this amazing countryside:

The dogs enjoying being off-leash:

And we ended the day by playing in the beautiful river:

More tomorrow!

Foreign Service--Where to Go?

I've been thinking about what countries I would prefer to live in if I get into the Foreign Service. My official answer to this is that I'd love to go anywhere new and interesting.

But there's something to be said for having some previous experience in a language. So, a list (from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute website for some reason) of countries where French is the national language (or one of the national languages):

Belgium
Benin (Africa)
Burkina-Faso (Africa)
Burundi
Cameroon
Canada
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros (Indian Ocean island east of Africa)
Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti (Africa)
France
Gabon (Africa)
Guinea
Haiti
Ivory Coast
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Mali
Monaco
Niger
Republic of Congo
Rwanda
Senegal
Seychelles (Indian Ocean island east of Africa)
Switzerland
Togo
Vanuatu (in the South Pacific)

And there are other countries where French is commonly spoken, even though it's not a national language.

So I could just become fluent in French and live in at least 27 different countries!

Foreign Service Stats (from 2004)

I finally found a website that talked about how difficult it is to get into the Foreign Service. These numbers are from 2004, but I imagine they aren't too different today.

People taking the written exam: 19,100

People passing the written exam: 4,400

People taking the oral exam: 3,900

People passing the oral exam: 700

People passing the medical/security clearances: 450

The entire class of officers ranged in age from 22 to 56, and the average age was 30. So although I am a little young, the real reason I might not make it into the Foreign Service is because only 2% of people pass!

Foreign Service Test: FINITO

MY ANTICIPATED GRADE: A/B+

Of course, the test isn't really graded. But I think I aced 5 sections and only dismally failed one. I hope this is enough to pass!

ACED

-Job skills
-Character traits (if one can ace such a thing....)
-Reading comprehension
-Reading analysis
-Essay

FAILED

-Trivia (who really remembers what the Monroe Doctrine said...)

I'll let you all know my actual results in 10-12 weeks.

Career Update

I'm taking the Foreign Service exam tomorrow! So from 9 am to noon, I will once again be sitting in a class room taking a test. I thought my test-taking days were over after graduation, but I should have known better. Scantrons and earplugs will likely haunt me for the rest of my life.

My opinions about this whole Foreign Service thing change daily. So I have started a pro/con list:

PROS

-Live overseas/in D.C.
-Travel opportunities
-Interesting international career
-Loan repayment
-20 year retirement
-Government benefits/free housing
-Lots of vacation time to visit the US

CONS

-Live far away from family/friends
-Miss out on being a "lawyer"
-Accept a lower salary than being a lawyer
-Might have to learn a foreign language (could also be a pro)
-Might have to live somewhere boring/dangerous
-Might live somewhere with bad weather/accommodations

That's it so far. Let me know if you have anything to add!