tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25232509257273906672024-03-24T02:21:08.601-07:00Consular WorldConsular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-222886958348746122013-07-02T09:43:00.000-07:002013-07-02T09:43:02.965-07:00Ugh!Round 3 is a no go. I am so surprised to get these results, but it goes to show that this process is so difficult to figure out. I received my highest score yet on the three test sections, but didn't pass the essay. Oddly enough, I personally thought I wrote my best essay on this last round. This is so frustrating!!<br />
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I need some more self-reflection about next steps for me and my family. I really thought this was the direction for me. We will see if I am up for another round next year! <br />
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Until then...Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-13133235071854739612013-06-18T15:20:00.000-07:002013-06-18T15:20:37.490-07:00FSOT #3Test #3 is in the history books. Not only was the commute less convenient this time around, the test was (seemed) tougher too. Mainly the JK section. It has been two years since I took the test, so maybe I just forgot the randomness of the test, or it was truly more difficult. Either way, glad it is over. I do think I did better on the EE, Bio and Essay. Time will tell if my suspicions are correct! <br />
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I have been doing lots of reflecting on the FS life and am very hopeful it all works out. I am a "sign" guy and tend to look for signs in the world pointing me one direction or another. At the time of my previous A-100 offer, all signs were pointing away from the FS. I really feel like I am sensing something very different this time around. Again, time will tell if I am correct or not. <br />
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All other things in life are progressing well. Our house renovation (of sorts) is coming along well. We LOVE the house and our neighborhood. We are right in the middle of some updates to our kitchen. Not a total gut/remodel, but new counters, updating cabinets, new lights, new backsplash. It is cool to see it all come together. We are having a great summer with the kids and looking forward to our annual beach trip. Summers go by too quickly! I love having the kids home and less overall activities. We have a great sitter who comes to the house, so the kids are enjoying the luxury of sleeping in daily and afternoons at the pool! What a life!<br />
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Hopefully the next few weeks go by quickly. I am anxious for the test results! Until then...Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-21062932973532609252013-05-17T16:06:00.000-07:002013-05-17T16:06:19.469-07:00Here we go again...I have bitten the bullet and am taking the FSOT again in June. I actually signed up to take the exam in Feb/March, but never got around to registering for a date. I kind of forgot about it, then got an e-mail from the website letting me know I was eligible to register for the June date. It also came at a time that I was particularly regretful about not accepting my previous A-100 spot--funny how the universe throws something your way just when you need it. Anyway, I am ready to start this process all over again. <br />
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For whatever reason, the test is not being offered in my local city this time (I live in a decent metro of ~2 million people) so I am surprised that I have to drive 3 hours to a much smaller town in order to test. Oh well, maybe that is the universe testing me and my true intentions on starting over. Whatever the case, I am ready to give it my all. Mrs. Consular Hopeful and I have had many a conversation lately about the FS lifestyle and we both feel this is the right time. I sure hope it works out again. Only time will tell. Unfortunately I am horrible at waiting, which isn't a good characteristic to have when entering the FS process. <br />
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Here goes nothing!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-68636274550193265812012-07-24T19:59:00.000-07:002012-07-24T19:59:40.207-07:00I can't believe it...Hello World!<br />
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Well, life sure is funny sometimes. Just when you think everything is cruising along, the unpredictable smacks you in the face!<br />
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So I have been traveling this "consular hopeful" road for some while now...I think it started in November 2009. After the passing the OA I though, "This might really happen." Then things just seemed more and more impossible. I started to realize that the FS thing just wasn't in the cards for me. My family also moved on. This past winter/spring was an incredibly busy time for us. I got a new job/promotion (one that I love) and my wife took a leap in her career and landed a dream job of hers. We also decided to add a 5th child to our crazy family and started an international adoption. In the middle of all this, we found a dream house (107 years old and needs a major facelift...but unbelievable!). We bought it and played the housing market game to sell our current home. Life was crazy, but fun. We were starting to get a little nervous as we took possession of the new home, but our old one wasn't selling. We had lots of interest, but no bites. We were buckling down and preparing for two house payments. We also had some fees due on the adoption and everything felt extremely tight (like I-think-I-am-going-to-suffocate tight!). <br />
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In the middle of all this...I got an offer for A-100. It's okay...I fell out of my chair too! I couldn't believe it. My head was spinning. I felt like I worked so hard to get to this point, but now we had moved on from the FS dream. Life was moving in a different direction and we were okay with that. The A-100 offer brought back all of those dreams and lead to some very difficult days of decision making. In the end, I had to turn down the offer. To say I was devastated was an understatement. The timing just couldn't have been worse--two new jobs (one a dream job for my wife), a pending adoption, two mortgages--one of which is a money pit and couldn't be flipped without a major loss of funds!<br />
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I know it was the right decision for us and we are happy. Now that a few months has passed...and I am officially off the register (boo!), I am finally able to talk about it. We have sold the old house and are working slowing to fix up our new home. The adoption is moving along well. There are times though that I can't help but feel like I made a mistake, yet knowing it was the only decision we could make given the circumstances. <br />
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It has given me re-newed belief that I may one day join the FS ranks. Life just needs to calm down a bit for us! Once our adoption is completed I think I will start the process over again (yuck!) and see what happens. Until then, we are happy. The kids are healthy and life is awesome. <br />
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I just laugh at how things work out sometimes!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-36217212252195649612011-08-08T16:05:00.000-07:002011-08-08T16:05:52.747-07:00Summer Time!Hello again! I hope everyone has been enjoying a nice summer. We have had a great one! We went on several trips...the largest was spending a week on Hilton Head Island. Now summer is winding down and the kids start school again in one week. I hate to see the summer end, but I am excited for the new school year and getting back into a routine.<br />
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Nothing (obviously!) to report on the FS front. I haven't thought much about it over the summer, which is a good thing. With the little thinking I did, I have decided to take the test again next Fen/March. I think this is something I will always keep on the back burner. It was a hard pill to swallow (not getting through the PNQ's), but everything about this process is such a mystery. I'm not really sure where this road will lead, but part of me just enjoys the fact that I do have something working on the back burner. It makes the sometimes mundane things about the front burners more tolerable!<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-76274857051637665012011-05-16T18:39:00.000-07:002011-05-16T18:39:08.432-07:00It's a NoWell it looks like my second shot at this crazy life wasn't meant to be. I was dissed at the QEP. I can't say I am completely shocked, though I was shocked at my reaction. I was pretty disappointed this morning! I turned in the same PNQ's that I used last year and I wasn't really comfortable with that approached. I knew it was risky, but I didn't put forth any effort to change my essays. I rolled the dice and it didn't work in my favor. I felt like I had been punched in the gut.<br />
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In the end, it is all okay. I wish I was heading back to DC for the orals, but that is not in the plans for me right now. I am reviewing my language options (though I don't think I can commit to anything that will get me to a passing score by next June when my current candidacy expires) and will see if I can start something that might pay off if I decide to retest next year. Who knows, maybe the FS will start a crazy hiring spree and I will get called up! HA!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-11365405854318151702011-04-03T11:16:00.000-07:002011-04-03T11:16:20.544-07:00A fork in the roadI have been on the register for 3 months now. I haven't asked for an updated placement and I know it doesn't really matter. I don't think (or haven't heard) of any classes called after March, but I also haven't been following the A-100 group. It just got to be too much and super negative. I also stopped meeting with my French tutor in February. She was great, but I was not putting in the effort to progress. Unfortunately our schedules didn't match up well and she was only available during the evenings. We were trying to meet two nights per week, but it proved to be too much for my family. Between basketball, violin lessons, cub scouts, homework and everything else...something had to give. <br />
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Now I am at a fork and not sure where to go. I could look for another tutor that would be available during the week. I could make something work early in the mornings. The other option I am considering is learning Arabic. It sounds crazy (I didn't have the time for French, but would have the time for Arabic?) I know. I am thinking it may be more realistic to get to a level 2 in Arabic over the next year than a level 3 in French. Who knows. I have a couple options that may work. <br />
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At the same time I am ready to throw in the towel so to speak. I would like to continue the pursuit of this career, but I am not sure learning a language on a part time basis is realistic for me. If I can't make it "in" on my own merits, is this worth it?? <br />
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The results of the QEP will make all the difference. If I don't make it (and I am not sure I will...just by the sound of things on A-100) then the pressure is on to move forward with a language, if this is going to happen at all. Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-87671368581548255372011-03-26T12:40:00.000-07:002011-03-26T12:40:21.439-07:00PNQ'sMy latest PNQ's are submitted. They were slightly different this year than last year. Hopefully I am deemed worthy to continue. This is such a time consuming process. It is so frustrating to be so close to this happening and yet, so, so far away. Only time will tell, I guess. Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-8329422912644319832011-03-03T20:30:00.000-08:002011-03-03T20:30:31.792-08:00PassedI passed the FSOT and am onto the next round. I don't know why I was more surprised this time around than last time, but I didn't think this one went well. I am glad it did! Now onto refining my PNQ's. Always fun!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-52801472195210554622011-02-12T14:17:00.000-08:002011-02-12T14:17:02.766-08:00FSOTI took the FSOT (again!) today. I felt a lot better about it last year. I did absolutely nothing to prepare this year and I think my JK score will reflect that. I felt like the other sections flowed pretty well. I have a strangely peaceful feeling that I didn't pass. I am kind of okay with it. I don't know where this journey is going to lead me, but I do feel like I am finding out more about myself along the way. Everything is going really well right now, so life is good! Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-8518779354767474132011-01-05T11:02:00.000-08:002011-01-05T11:02:16.949-08:00VomitSo I registered for the FSOT today. I feel like I vomited in my mouth a little bit. I HATE this test! It is impossible to study for it, as the saying goes, "it is a mile wide and an inch deep." Last year I did a lot of studying by reading The Ec0nomist and some other books. I'm not sure how much it helped. I don't have a lot of time to do that now, but I will try to squeeze something in. I did okay on the test last time, but I could work on my essay writing. All of it sounds like loads of fun, so you can imagine my excitement! I am ready to have it over with yesterday! Wish me luck!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-73422495350043874512011-01-04T18:53:00.000-08:002011-01-04T18:53:08.828-08:00Happy 2011Happy 2011 to everyone out there! I really enjoy reading everyone's stories throughout the year and I hope 2011 takes everyone to exciting places and I get to live vicariously through their adventures. I soooo hope I am on the other side come this time next year. I really want this, but I am losing my motivation with French. I do feel that I am making some progress, but it is sooooo time consuming. Working and the kids and pets and coaching 1st grade basketball and cub scouts etc, etc, etc. It is all exhausting and it makes it hard to not collapse every night. I know there is no hope of me making it to A-100 without the language points (even then it is a stretch) so I am continuing, but it is not easy! I think I am going to take the FSOT again and start this process all over. Who knows how it will go this time around, but I feel like I have to try it.<br />
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Hopefully 2011 will be a good one. If anything, it will be busy! Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-28217503251622216802010-12-21T20:34:00.000-08:002010-12-21T20:34:38.671-08:00#104That's me! Come on French, get me outta here!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-51037111949515645392010-12-20T20:31:00.000-08:002010-12-20T20:31:43.858-08:00On the RegisterI received my letter today informing me that I am officially on the consular register. I will call tomorrow and find out where I am ranked. I know it doesn't really matter--as far as getting called at this point, but I do have a sense of pride for making it this far. I never thought this was possible and it still may not be, but I will proudly sit in line and see what happens!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-53370619746657566772010-12-03T15:21:00.000-08:002010-12-03T15:21:22.144-08:00Decisions, decisionsI had my yearly evaluation recently at work and my boss made some interesting comments to me. While she is a very supportive person, I wasn't sure what she thought about the whole FS thing. She had made some previous comments that made me think my options for promotions at this organization were over since they "knew" I was interested in other lines of work. This was frustrating to me since I kept explaining the whole register process and how I may never end of getting an opportunity to join the FS. Well during my evaluation she asked again if I had any news about the FS. I again explained the situation, hoping it might actually make sense this time. Then she told me I "have a bright future" with this organization and if I choose to stay around, she sees me rising up in the organization and even having her position one day. (Though I report to her, it would not be the next step for me to even think of "getting" her position.) This was really quite a compliment and one I didn't know how to take. Was she serious or just trying to get me to stay without actually offering anything. <br />
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I don't know about anyone else, but for me this process causes constant reflection/evaluation of one's life. We love our life. Our kids are happy. My wife is happy and we have great friends. Is this enough? Will we be happy/fulfilled in this FS life? Could things be better? I just don't know and it is difficult to even think about when I have no idea if it will even happen. <br />
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I know many of pondered these questions before us and many will ponder after us. Nothing about this process is easy and maybe that is the true reward in the end. Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-19736029267619710362010-11-25T12:13:00.000-08:002010-11-25T12:13:41.373-08:00Happy ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving to all those who are serving our country at home and around the world! We are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving Day in a very chilly Dallas. We went to an amazing buffet at the Gaylord Texan hotel and then made our way through ICE! which was Peanuts themed this year. It was a great day. Now we are settling in to watch some football as the kids watch Marmaduke.<br />
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It is weird to say, but we hope this is our last Thanksgiving in the States. We are sooo ready to start our new life being world wide available. Until then, we will enjoy our time visiting family and soaking up every minute of fun we can. Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-68135965071162460602010-11-22T16:45:00.000-08:002010-11-22T16:45:15.582-08:00A new TutorSo my French class and my private tutor have both wrapped up and I am feeling okay about my progress. I would say I am probably a solid 1+/2 at this point. My private tutor was really doing nothing for me, so I am cutting my ties with her. I approached the teacher of the class I was taking and she has come up with a private tutor plan that I think will really work. She is really going to challenge me and focus on international news events. Hopefully it will help. We are going to meet twice per week via Skype so I will be forced to keep up daily and get the work done! There are many days I feel like I am not going anywhere with this language, but then I watch a TV show and I can actually make out some of what they are saying. I could never have done that 2 months ago. I need to keep powering thru, but it gets difficult with a full time job, four kids, a wife and a very old house that continues to ruin every free weekend we have :)Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-85161131504382826552010-11-09T18:08:00.000-08:002010-11-09T18:08:57.090-08:00Problems SolvedSo it only took a few more days of ridiculous e-mails, but it seems all my kids now exist in the eyes of DoS and they all have their names spelled correctly. In addition to all that, they have all been cleared to travel the world, medically speaking.<br />
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I have no idea where things are in my security clearance. My boss has brought it up three times which is really frustrating because I keep telling her that this may not even happen (at this rate it won't) and I fear that the security process may have hurt my future promotion possibilities. I'm sure this is something everyone who has entered the FS has experienced. Maybe it won't. I just don't know.<br />
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Everything else is going well. French is moving along s.l.o.w.l.y. I am trying to measure it by weeks. Tonight I couldn't attend my class because my family has one-by-one dropped with an obnoxious stomach flu (I had the pleasure of it last week) and my wife is off to bed early after a long night of vomiting. Anyway, I wrote my teacher (in French) and told her I wouldn't make it. My e-mails are always one or two sentences. She writes back a lengthy note, but I could read and understand the whole thing. That is good. I'm afraid my hearing comprehension is not as good as my reading comprehension though. This is probably normal, but I wish the hearing would catch up. I need to get into some conversational groups, but haven't had any luck finding any. <br />
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Oh well, I will keep pushing on.Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-62521370196229695122010-11-02T20:01:00.000-07:002010-11-02T20:05:45.875-07:00What's in a Name?So the past week I have gotten a taste of what life might be like working for the government and it is very interesting. The first issue surrounds the spelling of my daughter's name, oddly enough. Everything we have submitted on my daughter and received from DOS on my daughter has had her name spelled a specific way. The correct, specific way. Last week I submitted her medical clearance paperwork. Yesterday I received an e-mail stating that her paperwork was received and her medical clearance is in process. The only glitch was that I noticed her name had been misspelled. She has a "v" in her name and for whatever reason, it had been changed in the MED e-mail to an "r." I, kindly, send an e-mail back thanking them for the information and letting them know that they misspelled her name in the e-mail (several times). This seems straight forward enought, right? NO! Two days and a total of nine (I think) e-mails later and I am no closer to having her name changed to the correct spelling. The HR side of the house has her name spelled correctly. The MED side of the house says that HR has the name spelled incorrectly and they cannot change it in the MED world until HR updates it. HR again states that it is correct (and it is!) on their end. As of right now, I am at a loss of what to do because the problem remains "unsolved" at this point. I feel a bit like a ping pong ball back and forth and I just want to say "CHANGE IT ALREADY!" This really isn't that difficult. <br />
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Onto problem #2. I have four kids. 3 boys and 1 girl. I submitted the medical clearance paperwork on all the kids last week (which started problem #1). In addition to the e-mail with my daughters name spelled incorrectly, I also received an e-mail stating that nothing could be done with my sons' paperwork because they are not listed as dependents (EFM's) in the HR database. I should speak with my HR rep to correct the problem. Easy enough, right? I speak with my HR rep who informs me that all of my children are listed in the HR database. She responds via e-mail to me and the MED world with a picture of the database showing all the kids listed (also showing my daughter's name spelled correctly, but these are just details, right). MED world responds to me that they cannot seem to pull up that information so it must be wrong on the HR side. I should speak with my HR rep again. Okay?? I again speak with my HR rep who states AGAIN, that everything is correct on the HR side (which it is!) and this is a MED problem. So here I am again with the ping pong feeling and at a loss of what to do. We are five days (3 business days) into this issue with no solution in sight.<br />
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So I might have four kids or maybe just one. The one kid I definately have may have one name or maybe it is another. So far everything for my wife is in order and she has received medical clearance. I guess she gets to come along and keep her name. <br />
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Is life in government really this difficult? Je ne sais pas!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-76210340493196476892010-10-20T10:41:00.000-07:002010-10-20T10:41:20.622-07:00The Interviews BeginI had my first security interview today. It was pretty anticlimactic and over in about 45 min. A couple of my friends have been contacted about information on me. It is a little weird knowing people are going around and asking EVERYONE about you. The good news is I have nothing to hide, but the whole process is still kinda creepy weird. I assume this process will take a few more months. I received word yesterday that I have been cleared for worldwide availability from a medical stand point, so that is good! I am probably in a different boat than everyone else in that I am not feeling that rush to get to the register. Without language points I know this process is going nowhere for the time being, so I am okay hanging out in clearances world for awhile.Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-16866836947849401192010-10-05T15:05:00.000-07:002010-10-05T15:05:55.542-07:00The problems never endWe officially hate our new cable company! I had a feeling this would happen and it was the reason we didn't want to leave our other (local, wonderful) company. The large, "I don't care about the customer" company has had us on the phone for 1+ hours each day and at least once per day since last Friday. It is so frustrating. The good news is that after 5 days, TV5 is finally coming in, which is why this whole process started in the first place. <br />
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It looks like offers for the January A-100 started going out last night. Congrats to everyone who is receiving an offer. I have followed a couple of people's blogs for awhile now and it is awesome to see them succeed!! Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-30358800563233205722010-09-29T12:31:00.000-07:002010-09-29T12:31:27.310-07:00TV5I just changed our cable company in order to get access to French TV5. Our bill ended up going up ~$20/month. We will also get faster Internet service and additional HDTV boxes so that is good. I consider myself a pretty loyal customer so it did bother me to drop our current cable provider. As far as companies go, they have been excellent and they are a local company so I like the idea of supporting them. Unfortunately they don't offer TV5 and after a few calls to inquire about it, there is no chance of them getting it. $20 per month doesn't seem like much, but we bundle it all together and it ends up being a pretty expensive bill, so increasing it doesn't sit well with me, but I have heard TV5 is excellent and a must for language training. Hopefully it is all worth it. <br />
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I am months away from getting on the register, but the current talk of life on the register is so dismal right now. At this point, I don't know that the 0.17 points I will (might) get from French will help me anyway. I just don't think I have the means to study a SCNL right now. One consistent theme I have heard about language training (and the FS in general) is to pick something that might be useful to you anyway. I really enjoy French and might be able to use it professionally in other ways in the future, so I don't think it will be a total loss should this all not work out. At this point I will just push forward!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-38687141795127764262010-09-24T06:54:00.000-07:002010-09-24T06:54:16.796-07:00A new classI started a new French class this week. I think it will be good. The originally class I was going to take was cancelled, so I was put in another one. At first I didn't think it would be helpful, but after attending I think it will actually challenge me more than the original one. I am getting a little frustrated with my current tutor. I just don't feel she is really pushing me to do anything and we are moving soooooo slow. I keep telling her I am "getting" it all and we can move on, but I am just not sure how much experience she has doing this. She teaches AP French at the high school level and I think she is treating this like "extra help" tutoring she might provide one of her students vs. actual teaching me. Kind of difficult to explain, but at this point I don't think I will continue working with her once this session ends. I am hoping that one of the teachers at the local school does some tutoring on the side. They are all native speakers and seem to be a little more forceful.<br />
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On the medical front, I am hoping to have all my medical information back today. I believe we have 30 days to get this all turned in and that deadline is next week. I would like to get it wrapped up soon! I haven't heard anything from my security investigator, but have heard that it sometimes takes over a month, so I am not worried yet. Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-63147429106793252552010-09-18T07:30:00.000-07:002010-09-18T07:30:28.256-07:00A challengeI met with my French tutor yesterday and in our conversation I asked her how long she thought it would take for me to be fluent. She stated that depending on my dedication and progress, she thought one year was reasonable. I think this sounds fair, but of course the competitor inside of me has been challenged to prove her wrong. Bon chance!Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523250925727390667.post-32568995798720806982010-09-15T10:55:00.000-07:002010-09-15T10:55:55.078-07:00Whose Kids are TheseSo all the boys had their medical screenings done this week. My five year old also had to get 4 immunizations for Kindergarten next year. They all did great! No tears. There was an almost tear from my 6 y/o as he watched the 8 y/o get his labs drawn (not my choice to have him go second, but whatever), but he held it together. This has never happened before! The yearly flu shots tend to throw everyone into hysteria, so we were prepared for the worst. I have been most worried about this medical stuff, not because anyone is remotely ill or anything like that, but because it is pain the kids have to endure for my potential job. Anyway, hopefully we are done with this! Consular Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205605247681660564noreply@blogger.com0