I wish I had better news

I failed. Yup, I did not pass the Oral Assessment. I passed the Structured Interview but not the Group discussion and not the Case Management section. They say you should know what you messed up on if you reflect upon it and I do. I know what I should have done. Doesn't make this any easier. I feel a little bad because I didn't stay to see if the other 5 in my group passed. I couldn't be happy for them at that moment, I needed to be sad. I hope they contact me and let me know.I hope they all did well. The accessors were very nice to me, very encouraging about my score. They asked me if I would do it again. I will. But tonight, I need a hug.

Here I go

Tomorrow I'll be flying out to Washington DC for the Oral Assessment on Wednesday. Am I still a little freaked out? Yup. Am I excited? Most definitely. More importantly, I'm ready to go. A lot of time, energy, and effort has brought me to this point so I'm going to have to keep doing my best. See you on the other side.

Haiti

The earthquake that hit Haiti was devastating. So many dead, hurt, missing. My heart goes out to all those who are struggling through the destruction. It's hard to think of it without wishing I could do more to help. It makes me wish I was in the foreign service, on-site, there to help the Americans living abroad and all the locals. A close friend told me that watching coverage of Haiti makes him nervous of me joining the Foreign Service. Many Embassy staffers are hurt and many more are missing. It's scary to think that if I join that someday I may be one of those hurt or missing. And I can't go into the Foreign Service with my eyes closed to the possibility that I could be hurt or killed. But as scary as it is, it isn't scaring me away. I am more resolved than ever to keep going. If you can, please help the people of Haiti and donate to a reputable non-profit such as the Red Cross or Doctor without Borders.

Oral Assessment prep session

I'm here in Chicago, happy to watch the cold snowy weather from inside my warm hotel room. On Wednesday I arrived in Chicago and went straight to my Oral Assessment prep session. I'm really glad I went. It was great meeting others who are preparing and I really enjoyed meeting the Ambassador in residence. I do have to say, I feel both better informed and more intimidated. I feel confident I now know what I need to do to prepare effectively, which is a good thing too because my assessment is less than 3 weeks away! But at the same time, I feel a little intimidated. The Foreign Service has high standards, rightly so, and that means some additional pressure to do my best. Additionally, I think it's really hitting me that I might get in. And that thought is both exciting and scary. So needless to say, I have a lot on my mind. But at times like this, the best thing to do is to focus on what I need to do and on doing my best. See you next in DC!