Okay, so it’s not quite Thanksgiving yet, but it’s getting close! Our training has started taking a turn towards the technical side of things – which is an enjoyable change for us. Of course, we’ve also “enjoyed” some schedule revisions that make it seem like we’re constantly trying to hit a moving target too. Like any other organization, the State Department wants to make the most efficient use of time when getting new hires up to speed. As such, it’s constantly evaluating and assessing the training mechanisms and requirements of lengthy onboarding processes. In some cases where content has been deemed lacking, entire courses have been built up to address the deficit; while they’ve shortened others that may not provide as much value or return on investment for the time allotted. This process is a necessary part of ensuring that we receive the required training in an appropriate timeframe.
Unfortunately, this means trainees may find themselves under-instructed in some categories and over-prepared in others as the training officers pursue an appropriate balance. This balance can be further upset when other factors impose their will.
In this particular instance, we’ve been enjoying some off-site technical training. This had previously been a weeklong course, but we’re getting an express 3-day version. By sheer coincidence, mother nature has been threatening the area with snow and has over-delivered today(as she is keen to do as of late). This results in the closure of the facility, which sends us home short a few more hours of training while being expected to take a proficiency test the following day. I’m confident that this won’t create a significant knowledge gap in our case, but compound this with larger class sizes, varied levels of trainee experiences, tight schedules, etc. and the problems start presenting themselves.
Unfortunately, I don’t see any easy solutions for this. It’s a product of trying to find the aforementioned balance, the solution to which is constantly changing as the needs of the department evolve. I have some trust that the feedback cycles in place will allow our voices to be heard in order to strike that balance.
So, onto the real meat of this entry. Turkey!
As luck would have it, the facility we’re training at has a genuinely good cafeteria! That’s not to say that the cafeteria at FSI or HST is bad, but I don’t expect them to have the spread that accompanied the above image. We’re talking about a mouthwatering combination of turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, butternut squash soup, and a fine selection of pies. That’s not even the whole of it, but with a heaping plate of the delicious items listed above, I simply didn’t have room for anything else. It was all good, but the butternut squash soup was superb (I don’t even like squash and I’m a fan). I was also particularly impressed by the pumpkin pie, they did it the appropriate justice in the spice department, which the baker in me appreciated. Top it off with a warm hot cocoa to go as the snow came down outside and it was a remarkable and memorable meal – as far as cafeteria meals go. (My colleagues claim it was freezing hail coming down, not snow. I’ll prefer to remember it as snow and tease them for being big babies).
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so we’ll see how our Foreign Service Friendsgiving goes!
