Blog-o-Rama

Lately, I have been blogging regularly. However, I have still managed to accumulate a backload of blogs-I-want-to-post.* I'm going to attempt to post these blogs and simultaneously empty my backlog in one sitting,** wish me luck.***

First of all, I HAVE to post about The Office Convention.****

It was very cool.

I was expecting it to be a geek convention, full of nerds. While it was, by definition, a geek convention. There were a lot of cool people there. Namely, THE CAST. I HIGH-FIVED AT LEAST HALF A DOZEN OF THEM.

The whole town of Scranton, PA got in on the action. In fact, a funeral home even participated!

As has been my tradition over the last several months, I slept in late that Saturday(October 27). Unfortunately, this included hitting the snooze bar and sleeping a couple hours past my alarm. Which, consequently, resulted in me arriving late to the Cast Q&A.

Luckily, I didn't really miss any of the Q&A. I just didn't have a very good vantage point. It was cool to see the actors as themselves, rather than their characters. Andy isn't an idiot, Angela isn't mean, Kevin sounds nothing like his character, and Stanley smiles. Some of my favorite parts of the Q&A were when Andy (Ed Helms) had to sing his response. There were several of these. Some of them practically required an answer in the form of a song, for example, one question was, "Can you finish this sentence, 'Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that...?" To which, Andy/Ed's resposne was, of course, "football cream!"****** He was a good sport, and over the course of the Q&A sang, "Take a Chance on Me," and "Rainbow Connection." Very entertaining.

After the Q&A, there was a Look-Alike Contest. There were some great costumes. This vending machine, complete with "Dwight K. Schrute" nameplate, was clever and original.

Even from the back, you can tell that this couple is a good Jim & Pam. If I recall correctly, they both won.

Jim:

Dwight: The guy at the mike did a pretty good Dwight impersonation. Can you tell from the photo?

Angela: Look closely, there's a dead ringer.

Cast members/contest judges:

Meredith:

Mose. Again - look for the candidate with the edge:

The Look-Alike contest was followed by a Scrantones concert. The Scrantones is the band that plays the show's theme song. But this concert also featured cast members! Yay!

Meredith started out the post-contest-concert by ROCKING THE HOUSE:

Then Meredith and Creed rocked together:

And Creed waled on the guitar:

Some chick sang a song called, "My heart belongs to Stanley":

Ed Helms sang a few different songs, including "Werewolves of Scranton."

Melora Hardin (aka Jan) can actually sing quite well and has an album out.

Darrell rocked out with Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy"

Kevin sang Roxanne.

Oscar gave the people some love. Incidentally, note how close these people are to the stage. I was there. I was that close to the stage. You know all these pictures that I've posted? My zoom is not that great - that's just how close I was. As I mentioned earlier, I high-fived quite a few of the cast members. This is because I was right next to the stage. A minute later, Oscar moves to his left and that is me high-fiving him. Oh yeah.

Then the whole gang came out on the stage to close the show with the theme song.

It was a little bit surreal being in such close proximity to actors that I watch on TV every week. It's still a little bit weird to see them on TV, now that I've seen them in person. Am I starstruck? I don't know. I realize they're ordinary people. But this was the first time that I've actually seen stars up close in person.

It was cool, too, to see how amazed they seem to be at the whole "The Office" phenomenon. They all seemed very grateful to the fans and excited to be a part of it.

So, I guess I'm going to have to pause the Blog-o-Rama. It's now 1:00 am. Oops. To be continued...


*These are blogs that I plan to post, take pictures for, promise to post, mentally compose, and/or dream up during a moment of inspiration.
**By "one sitting," I mean "one period of time in which I surf the web, watch TV, buy stuff online, balance my finances, and sit."
***I don't believe in luck. I believe in providence and the will of God. I also believe that there is such a thing as coincidence. But it's more convenient to say,"wish me luck." Is it awful to say that I believe in convenience?
****If nothing else, for the sake of Victoria, my (according to comments) only faithful reader.***** I love you, Victoria.
*****Yes, other readers, I know you are out there. I'm attempting to goad you into leaving comments. Soon I will be in Korea and will rely on comments for sustenance (in addition to food, naturally). Victoria, I still love you.
******If you don't get this joke, go watch The Office. There really isn't much point in continuing to read this blog.

Fasten your safety belts!

I love change. I love adventure and discovery and learning new things. I love moving.

Almost two months ago, I made the decision to move to South Korea for a year to teach English. But while I've spent some time researching, planning, and making arrangements, most of my energy has been devoted to gritting my teeth and making it through another day at work.

I've finally made it out of that stage of my journey and I am SO EXCITED!!! The coming months are going to be great! I feel like I've been waiting in a really long line at a rollercoaster, but now I'm getting on.

Based on my own past experiences, tentative plans, and a little help from some expat resources - this is my outline of the stages of my journey:

Stage 1:The Gritting-My-Teeth-and-Counting-the-Days Stage

This was the first stage. It's pretty much self-explantory. And over. Yay! I can tell that it's over because I'm pretty much in a constant state of excitement for my upcoming adventure. Even on bad days, I don't have to give myself a pep talk and remind myself that I'm leaving soon. My departure day is so close, that I just shrug my shoulders and go back to reading about Korea.

Stage 2:The Packing-Up-and-Making-Preparations Stage

November 17-December 14: My last 4 weeks.

Practically speaking, my main focus for the next month will be making sure I have everything packed up and all necessary plans in place. I have already gone through a lot of my stuff, throwing things away and organizing. Over the next two weeks, I hope to have most of it packed up.* I have an interview this week with the recruiters who will help me find a job in Korea. I'm reading books about Korea and books about moving overseas. I'm going to start studying Korean.

Mentally and emotionally speaking: I'M EXCITED! This month will go so fast, I just have to hang on! It will definitely be stressful at times - but still EXCITING!

Stage 3:The Visiting-DC Stage

December 14-18

FUN TIMES!

Stage 4:The Home-for-the-Holidays Stage

December 18-January 1

This stage will mainly consist of sleeping, hanging out with the fam, hanging out with friends, playing canasta, watching movies, cooking, baking, and all things fun.

Stage 5:The Back-in-NJ Stage

January 1-14

This stage may not occur, in which case, Stage 6 will just start 2 weeks earlier. Hopefully I will know for soon in the next week.

I may be coming back to work for a week and a half to train the next nanny. If I do, I will be staying with a friend for a few days to hang out after I'm done.

Stage 6:The Yes-I'm-Really-Moving-to-South-Korea Stage

January 14-February 15ish

This is me packing up, finalizing plans, getting plane tickets, and going!

Stage 7:The Hello-Korea! Stage

February 15ish-April 15ish

My first weeks in Korea will be full of excitement and wonder as I discover many new things and adjust to everyday life. I'll find certain foods and customs about Korea that I really like. I'll make some friends and find a church.

Stage 8:Culture Shock

I'm guessing this will hit around mid-April. Not sure how long it will last. I'll probably be tempted to hole myself up in my apartment and do nothing. I'll be homesick. I may ask myself and others why in the world I ever decided to come to Korea. I may question my sanity and accuse myself of being masochistic. It won't be fun, but I'll live through it.

Stage 9:The I-Live-in-Korea Stage

After successfully dealing with culture shock, I'll get back to life. I'll do more exploring, learn more Korean, make more friends, and more of a good time will be had. Not sure what will happen after this.

So you can see that the next 5 months or so are going to be chock full of adventure and excitement. Yay! I'm in a state of euphoria right now :) And I'm going to see Dane Cook at Madison Square Garden tonight!**

*To be completely honest, this goes against my nature and really isn't very likely. But I'm optimistic anyway!
**Hmmm..I forgot to insert the Madison Square Garden Stage...

I failed the test

I'm not really surprised. A little sad and disappointed, but not surprised. I knew that my essay was incredibly short. I spent so much time studying for the rest of the test and totally neglected the essay portion. I planned to write some practice essays, but ultimately decided that it wasn't important because I can write well. But I don't write quickly and the essay was timed.

At this point, I don't actually know if that is where I failed. I've requested a breakdown of my scores and I will let you know when I know more.

It's really not that big of a deal that I failed. I mean, it is, but it isn't.

On the one hand, I spent the better part of a year studying for this test and I really, really, REALLY, want this job.

On the other hand, I am fully aware of my odds - which are not good.

There are a lot of positive things about me failing this test. The next few months will probably be a bit stressful (but exciting!), and if I had passed this test, it would actually just add to the stress.

I'm moving on December 14th. I'm packing up all of my stuff and going to DC with my family (minus my dad) for a few days, then the fam is going to help me get all my junk back home. There is a possibility that I will not be coming back here for a week and a half in January, as we originally planned. If that's the case, then I will be training the new nanny during my last week here. That will mean that I have to have my stuff all packed up a week earlier, and I will be living out of my suitcase for the last week here. If I had passed this test, I would be taking the Oral Assessment on December 17th in DC, which would mean that I would be trying to prepare for that at the same time!

Also, I have to make a one year commitment to teach English in Korea. I've been a little concerned about what would happen if I managed to pass everything the first time around. I didn't feel good about committing to a year if I wasn't confident that I would stay the whole year. But I can now confidently make that commitment.

Lots of people take these tests for years before being hired. I feel like just taking the test has been a learning experience and I'll be better prepared to take it next year.

So, as much as I wanted to pass this test, in some ways, it is a relief that I failed. I'll try again next September...in Seoul, South Korea!

Your world. Your America. Your opportunity to make a difference.

"The United States is facing unprecedented challenges requiring the expert knowledge and vision of individuals like you. This is why there has never been a better time to transform your professional skills, education, cultural background and unique perspectives into a high-profile career working overseas.

You have the ability to affect global change and impact people's lives. You've taken the first step in becoming an agent of change and we'd like to encourage you to register for, and schedule your seat, for the upcoming December 1-8 testing window.

Become a U.S. Diplomat.

If not now, when?"


This is the email that appeared in my inbox 30 minutes ago. Despite the fact that I know I will be emailed a link to see my test results and the Oral Assessment dates are December 17-20, for a full two seconds, I thought that this was my notification that I had passed the test.

It was not.

Rather, it is an invitation to take the FSOT. Although I took it in September, I somehow managed to get myself on a list to receive this notification.

This is torture.

Why don't they just give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice in it?

Wanderlust

As of today, I am officially one month away from my next move. The plan is to move home at Christmas, then come back for a week and a half after Christmas to train the next nanny. That, however, may change, and I may end up training her before I leave for Christmas, which would result in me going to Korea in January rather than February - but that all remains to be seen.*

At any rate, my time in New Jersey is quickly coming to a close.

As I wait (somewhat impatiently) for my FSOT results, my thoughts remain in South Korea. For, as I've mentioned before, becoming a US diplomat is my dream, teaching English in Korea is my plan.

For me, one of the hardest things about moving to Spain was moving back. Culture shock wasn't too much of a problem. It was expected and planned for. Reverse culture shock, however, came from out of the blue and blindsided me.

I've been doing a lot of research (read:surfing the web) for my adventure in Korea, and as I was reading some forums (fori?) this evening, I came across a thread on reverse culture shock. As I read posts, a wave of memories washed over me. Memories of getting the urge to request movie tickets or order at a restaurant in Spanish, for example. More notably, Koreans and Spaniards appear to have something in common which is difficult for Americans to adapt to.**

Two words.

Personal space.

It's okay to run right into someone and not even acknowledge it.

I recall performing a sociological experiment in my neighborhood in Madrid. Bearing in mind that it has been more than two years since I moved back to the States from Madrid and my skills of estimation are rudimentary at best, I would estimate that Calle de las Delicias was at least 20 feet wide.**

A couple of times, I played chicken walking down that street.

I got tired of being the one to always move out of the way and wondered, if I didn't move, would the other person move to avoid running into me?

Yes, Madrid is crowded. But I lived out in the sticks (no, I'm lying. But it makes a clever pun off my metro stop).

However, even in a crowded city, there are bound to be times when you find yourself in an uncrowded situation. At certain times of the day, my neighborhood was definitively uncrowded. These were the times when I spontaneously chose to perform my sociological experiment (read:play chicken). When walking down a 20-ft-wide sidewalk, if there is only one person coming from the opposite direction, but they are directly in your path - will they move to avoid you? The answer is "No."

I'm not kidding. I ran into people this way. But only a couple of times, because I get annoyed running into people so I resumed dodging Spaniards.

This is not to say that I did not learn how to adapt to the culture. I felt a bit guilty one day when I pushed my way onto the bus (in typical Spanish fashion) and encouraged Kelly to push in with me, only for her backpack to get caught in the doors. I didn't feel guilty for too long, though, because the picture was pretty funny and that made up for it.

But back to my point (I really did have one): As I sit here and think about what was, for me, the most difficult aspect of my overseas experience, the only thing I feel is a desire to go abroad again, to have a new experience.

And I wonder, will I ever be content to remain in one place? Is Wanderlust terminal?


*That's basically all I know at this point; hopefully I will know more soon. I plan to go to Korea roughly one month after moving back to Washington.
**Arggh.. Grammar rules have changed and I know that it is now acceptable for me to leave a prepostion dangling, but it still hurts a little.
**That is, the sidewalk on the northern side of the street (if my sense of direction serves me correctly).

Cruel Tricks

I got home about an hour ago. When I walked in my room, I saw that I had a couple of new emails.

One of them was from the US Department of State.

Eyes fixed on my computer screen, I dropped my things on the floor and quickly sat down at my desk. My heart was in my mouth as I continued to read the screen.

Subject: Foreign Service Officer Test...

I gulped, and clicked on the email.

It was a list of overseas locations that will be administering the test in December.

False alarm.

And the verdict is...

Wait longer.

Someone from the FSOT Program Office said that the test results should be out early next week.

I sure hope so.

Coffee or tea?

Recent studies have revealed that individual beverage choices may actually be indicators of character.

Fancy Man Enjoys Tea

I Am a Rockstar Chapter 2: In which evidence of my rockstardom is provided.

Hey! I just realized that I never wrote this chapter. Oops!

In Chapter 1, I mentioned that if I pass the Foreign Service Officer Test, I can take the Foreign Service Oral Assessment in DC in December. However, I knew that I might not get my test results until early December and it would be tricky to plan a trip to DC during the holiday season with 3 weeks notice.

I discussed possible scenarios with my mom and she suggested that the two of us plan on spending a few days in DC in December. That way, if I pass the test, I can take the Oral Assessment while I'm in DC. But if not - neither one of us has ever been to DC, why not see the sights?

Well, one thing led to another, and Jessica, Jonathan, and Julianna decided to join us!

We tried to get my dad to join us, but he had a valid argument. If we were all in DC and noone was back at the ranch, then everything would fall apart when we segued with, "Meanwhile, back at the ranch."*

At any rate, this is where my rockstardom comes in -

I spent about two hours working out the logistics of the trip and booking all of our tickets (getting excellent ticket fares for all of us, I might add).

This is what we (mostly I)** worked out:

Friday afternoon, December 14th, I'm renting a car and picking up my mom and Jonathan at EWR (Newark International Airport), who will be flying in from Seattle.
Then we're driving five hours to DC (mini road trip - woot woot).
On our way to our hotel, we'll swing by DCA (Ronald Reagan Washington National) and pick up Jessica, who will be flying in from Tulsa.
The next morning, we'll pick up Julianna at BWI (Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport).

Then we'll all rock DC, like only the Willeys can.

On Tuesday, we'll all fly back to Seattle on the same flights (no I'm not getting carried away with pluralization - we have a layover).

I had five browsers open and I booked these flights as close to simultaneously as possible. I also selected seats for all of us, so that we're sitting together (and I get the window - shhhhhh...don't tell).

That's why I'm a rockstar.

I suppose I could have just said, "I'm a travel agent." But that's not as glamorous.

So now you know.

And knowing is half the battle.


Added bonus: By renting a car, then flying back to Seattle with four relatives, I have also effectively solved the "How-in-the-world-do-I-get-all-of-my-accumulated-belongings-home" dilemma: I simply throw all my junk in the car, then sneak it into suitcases when people aren't looking. Jackpot.

*I hope he wins the lottery while we're gone.
**What?! I'm the rockstar!

South Korea's Got Seoul!

Ahhh!! I'm so excited to go to Korea!

Incidentally, no, I have not heard back from State regarding test results. But even if I pass the test, I'm really not banking on being hired as an FSO in the next year.

But, interestingly enough, I happen to live nextdoor to a couple who spent four years in Korea. They have a little girl that is a year younger than the little girl that I take care of, so we see each other at the bus stop almost every day. I've gotten to know the mom a little bit.

When I told her I was going to Korea, she told me that she had lived there for four years and she had plenty of books that I could borrow. She gave them to me at the bus stop last week.

Cool, right?

Between this Bag 'O Books and the Amazon shipment* I got this week, it's Book-a-Palooza at Chez Marianna. Maybe I'm getting old, but spending my Saturday reading books was fun (I also had a date - does that help my case?). I was so excited about all of the books, that I piled them up on my bed and took turns reading a couple chapters out of each of them.

In other news, remember the opossum that graced our garage last winter? He has been replaced.

Now, I don't know all of the specifics. It could be that he found greener pastures (darker garages?), or maybe there were roommate conflicts (roommates can be catty...) All I know is that I haven't seen the opossum since last winter, but there have recently been multiple sightings of a raccoon.

That's right, a raccoon.

I'm going to be honest, here, I don't feel that he's going to be a good roommate. He's clearly just after the food.

But whatever. It's not my decision.

At any rate, I've decided to call him Bandit - between those black eye masks he's always wearing and the fact that he's always sneaking food, I thought it was appropriate.

Staring contest, you and me, right now...

*"Realities of Foreign Service Life," Volumes 1 & 2; "Bush Hat, Black Tie"; "The Expert Expat"

It's Official

Well, Friday is officially over. I have officially not heard from the State Department. Therefore, I am officially still waiting to find out whether or not I passed the Foreign Service Officer Test.

And now, I am officially going to bed.

THIS JUST IN!

A RELIABLE SOURCE TOLD ME THAT THE TEST RESULTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE OUT THIS WEEK. AS IN TOMORROW! I CAN'T STOP SHOUTING! AHHHHHHH!!!

I'M FREAKING OUT!!!

There are a ton of pictures I need to post and things I need to blog about, but right now I'm freaking out because I just heard that the FSOT results will be emailed out within two weeks! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! And a couple people have said that their references have gotten calls about them. It's so close! I'm pretty sure I failed, but I really have no way of knowing. So right now I'm just trying to hang on to the tiny bit of hope I have left and remember to breathe.