Category: Life

I’m fairly unfamiliar with the natural beauty of the East coast. I simply haven’t spent enough time in that area to familiarize myself with much of it. So I didn’t really have a ton of expectations when a few of us decided to make a day trip out to Shenandoah Park. As per my habit, I looked at the area maps ahead of time to get a feel for what was there and what to do.

Before we got too invested in the park itself, we spotted some advertisements for cavern tours once we got close to the park. Since some of my companions had never been through a proper cave, it seemed like the natural thing to stop for. So, we took a tour of the Skyline Caverns, which had some pretty spectacular formations. The caves I have been through previously were formed by lava tubes and other geological activity, whereas this one appeared to be formed from water flow over vast amounts of time, leaving quite a different set of formations than ones I had seen before.

Our guided tour introduced us to the usual stalactites and stalagmites, the columns that eventually form, flowstone, and other underground features; shallow ponds and lakes, that were perfectly calm and still, entirely mirror like, all of it existing naturally in these caves. The tour was aided in many spots by colorful LED lights, which made for spectacular underground displays. Of particular significance was the flowstone formation which looks like a phoenix with distinct plumage, which is quite a spectacle.

Further in the caverns are some very rare formations of pure calcite crystals called anthodites. These were created over many years in a natural vacuum that formed in parts of the cave, which aided in the creation of these remarkable crystal formations. There are only a handful of formations like these in the world, and there was evidence that people had previously tried to take samples of it with them on their visits to the cave. Now the area that these crystals occupy protected by state laws and various physical protections on site. It’s unfortunate that this is necessary, it does not seem like a high moral bar to leave a place of natural beauty in the same condition that you found it in, so that others may enjoy it.

One other thing of note about the Skyline Caverns is the rare (and presumably extinct) cave beetle that was discovered there. As the story goes, the expedition responsible for the discovery found specimens of cave beetle when surveying the cave, and removed them for study. These specimens died, and on many return visits over the years, the living specimens have not been rediscovered. Some think them to now be extinct. Perhaps it will serve as a reminder of just how fragile ecosystems can be, and how our presence and activities can affect them.

Onward to Shenandoah park proper. Apparently Skyline drive is the signature drive of the park, which is heavily trafficked during the summer months when the greenery is in full bloom. It’s one of those long, windy, scenic roads that car commercials would feature to evoke an emotion about their product, rather than actually telling you anything about it. The vistas from the top of the ridge that the road runs along are spectacular out to the valleys on both sides.

Paying the park entrance fee and starting the initial climb up onto the ridge in our rental vehicle rewarded us with several grand vistas and other viewpoints. We stopped for photo opportunities at many of them, but the exposure to the cold and windy (albeit clear) weather soon quelled us of our desire to exit the vehicle.

At one point at large plateau, we made a rest stop at the visitor center and were treated to a meadow with a herd of deer grazing through it. It was a pretty spectacular sight to see, and quite different from the other views we had been treated to that day.

As I drove through the area I could help but also think about how it compares to the scenery and geology back home. The highest point of the drive we took was just over 4000 feet in elevation. In the corner of the Pacific Northwest that I’m from, that’s still lower than our mountain passes – you know, the low saddles in the mountains where we build highways through to facilitate movement through the mountain ranges. The surrounding mountains are also an order of magnitude taller. So it this excursion really amplified the difference in geological age difference of the coastal regions on each side of the continent.

Mulling these and other thoughts over, the senice road provided a great opportunity to relax and reflect. All in all, while the drive was generally enjoyable and sightlines were improved by the lack of foliage on the winter drive, we all were loudly wondering just how much more gorgeous the park would look in the spring, summer, or fall. Maybe I’ll have to return and find out.

It seemed that many of my furloughed colleagues took advantage of the shutdown to visit family, sight see, and generally take an impromptu vacation. I wasn’t much different, aside from being limited in the forms of transportation I had available to me. Of course, there was at least one place where the absence of a car would make little difference, and so myself and a few colleagues grabbed some train tickets and headed to New York for the long weekend.

I’ve been to New York once before on a business trip, but it was during a time where I wasn’t as adventurous, and was tethered to our small office in Melville. Suffice to say, I really didn’t get to see the big apple that time around. This time it would be different!

We departed early on a snowy morning from Washington Union Station on a comfortable three-hour train ride across the frosted landscape of Maryland and Philadelphia. It would have been easy to sit back and drift off into a light sleep, aided by the gentle rocking of the train, and interrupted only by the soft clacking and other noises trains make – of course, I had earbuds for the latter. In any event, the landscape was far too enthralling to pay much attention to the backside of my eyelids. It almost felt like a scene out of The Polar Express. Frozen countryside, ice-crusted lakes and marshes, snow-covered trees and houses. It was all fairly majestic, especially given when you see this much countryside enveloped in snow, you’re usually attempting to drive through it.

Of course, by the time we got to New York city, the snow was scant and scarce. It was still before noon, so we left our bags in Amtrak’s keeping and decided to visit the American Museum of Natural History. Of course, we first had to navigate the New York city subway system (they oppose to calling it the Metro, as it’s called in DC). Only a couple mistakes were made in our first foray into the tubes, and we arrived at the museum only twenty minutes later than we had anticipated.

We made our rounds through the exhibits – Scales of the Universe, Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, Vertebrate Origins, Mammoths, Mammals, and other fossil remains. I especially enjoyed the Scales of the Universe, although much of it was information I already knew – it was good to see that displayed in such an easily understood and enlightening manner – though I don’t think everyone got the same sense of awe from it that I did.

Proceeding onward, I was looking forward to the Hall of Northwest Coast Indians, the native cultures from my own geographical backyard – unfortunately this exhibit was closed for renovation. This was a real setback, given how much floor space they had dedicated to it – but there was plenty more to see, so we didn’t let it delay us. Progressing through the Hall of Human Origins and Hall of Meteorites were both enjoyable and hearkened back to some of the anthropology courses I attended in college.

We visited the Halls of South American Peoples, of Mexico and Central America, and others. The hall of African Mammals was also quite enjoyable, although none of them appeared to inhabit any of the areas near Cairo, where I would be staying. I guess that means I’ll have to go on a safari. We hadn’t finished getting through everything when closing time rolled around, but that’s the nature of trying to explore a big city in a few days.

One of the folks that we were traveling with had some relatives that lived in Brooklyn, and were accommodating enough to allow us to stay with them for the weekend. Navigating the subway to the closest stop was a good exercise – but was accomplished with all bags and persons accounted for. With the temperature dropping to uncomfortable cold levels, we were all eager to get into our accommodations. I was expecting a fairly tight living situation in the domicile, and I wasn’t to be disappointed – although it was a tad bit roomier than expected. I believe this was because it was actually two flats combined into one – the layout certainly lended to that. After meeting, supping and drinking with our hosts, we planned for another big day and turned in.

The next morning, our group walked to Bergen Bagels, where we tried a good selection of their bagel offerings, and even a little dessert. I distinctly remember the salmon, cream cheese, onion and chive bagel that I treated myself to, being quite delicious. We parted from our hosts after this point, and took the subway back into lower Manhattan.

Once in Manhattan we walked the streets and sidewalks, from Madison Square Park, up through Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. At every step of the way we took pictures, ducked into stores that interested us, remarked upon the sights, and generally enjoyed the experience. The sights and sounds of Time Square was otherworldly to behold, but still had that distinctly “American” feel I knew that I’d soon be without. After much walking, we rested our feet while watching skaters on the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, one of which was clearly a professional. Once we were ready to go again, we awed at the architecture and magnificence of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was definitely worth the stop.

Finally, we made our way up through Central Park, enjoying the walk despite the protests from our feet. We managed to get about halfway through it before heading off down 74th street to Levain Bakery. The wait to even get inside was quite long, but we were treated to some amazing smells and bought several cookies, which would turn out to be hands down the best cookies I’ve ever had, once we got them home and had them for dessert. Definitely worth a stop.

The next day we visited the 9/11 Memorial, which was a moving and emotional tribute to the tragedy which occurred there. It was definitely worth going through the museum there, built into the foundation of these buildings, offering onlookers and those to young to have experienced it – firsthand accounts and the experiences that people that were there went through at the time. It was past lunchtime by the time we got out, and we were all looking for something to lift our spirits.

New York style pizza seemed like just the thing to do it, so we stopped and enjoyed some, then continued on, visiting the Federal Hall, New York Stock Exchange, as well as the statues of the girl and the giant bull nearby. Most shockingly, were the still-working payphones that we found along Broadway street!

We arrived at Battery Park just in time to miss the last trip to Liberty Island and visit the Statue of Liberty. That was a bit of a bummer, as I had really been looking forward to it. It was a perfect day to see it, though the wind was really picking up, which made it pretty cold outside. As our fallback, we instead hopped on the Staten Island Ferry, which gave us a good view of New York from the water, including the Statue of Liberty, and provided a nice warm place to watch the sunset from as we simply rode to Staten Island and back.

By the time we returned, the sun had set and we were all fairly tired, so we retired for the day – knowing we’d be up early to catch the train back to DC tomorrow. At this point, we were experts with the subway system and didn’t have any problem navigating back. All in all it was a pretty phenomenal trip which I’ll remember for years to come – and there’s still more in New York that I haven’t done, so perhaps the opportunity to make a return trip will be somewhere in my future. I can’t imagine living there though – which is a bit strange given that I’m about to head off to another giant city to live in. It’s evident that space is at a premium though, and I like to have my space. I don’t like feeling cramped and enclosed in a small space (not to be confused with claustrophobia or anything). Inner city life hasn’t found a lot of appeal in me, but I found it a nice enough place to visit.

I was tuned into the Chimay Trappist Beer Dinner by would-be in-laws.  I’m more of a traditional Northwestern Beer drinker.  I like my hoppy IPA’s and other craft beers.  Still, there was no way I was going to turn up my nose at an opportunity to try some renown Chimay Trappist beers, so I found an interested friend in the area and made our reservations for this event.

Trappist beers have their roots in Europe, traditionally being brewed by Monks for both consumption and sale to support the monastery.  They’re notable for their flavor and quality, which generally improves with age.  I’m not terribly familiar with them, but I was excited to give each of these selections a try alongside some carefully prepared companion dishes.  

The selection of beers we enjoyed are as follows:

• Chimay Cinq Cent
• The Chimay Doree (Gold)
• Chimay Premiere (Red)
• The Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue)
• The Chimay Grand Reserve Vintage 2012
• The Chimay Grand Reserve Vintage 2014 Jeroboam

Lacking a sophisticated beer-tasting palate, I’ve provided the appropriate links to Beer Advocate to share the reflections of those with far more discrimination and scrutiny in the realm of beer-tasting than I can provide.  The last two on this list are simply alternate vintages of the previously listed Grand Reserve.  The Blue and the 2012 vintage were served side-by-side, allowing us to taste the difference in taste and flavor that age brings these brews.  The flavors definitely seemed to get more confident and bold as the age of the brew increased.  Despite this, I found myself savoring the Premiere Red the most, perhaps because of the stronger bitter tones that I usually enjoy.  Surprisingly, the fruity and strong dark malt flavors of the Grand Reserve didn’t bother me – I’m usually not fan of strong dark ales, but these were an exception.  The Cinq Cent and Gold were light and flavorful, but their unique characteristics didn’t stick with me throughout the evening nearly as well as the subsequent beers did.  Maybe it was the alcohol?

The food pairings were excellent, and I thought the slow roasted lamb shoulder was exquisite, but the beers really stole the show – as they ought to for a beer tasting!  At the end of the night, we were told that we could take home any of the Chimay beer chalices – these were acquired for the event and the restaurant had no need or use for them.  Score!   I took a pair of both the large and small glasses.  I figure that one of these pairs would make an appropriate give to the folks whom I consider family that tuned me into this event in the first place.

Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to try a wide variety of beers in my travels, and maybe even be so lucky to partake in some more of these beers directly from their source!

The Oral Assessment is about the closest thing to a traditional interview that an applicant can expect to encounter when applying for the Foreign Service.  Upon being invited to take the oral assessment, the applicant must determine an appropriate date (usually within the next year or so) and location for the interview.  I was only given the choice between two locations for my interview; San Francisco and (shockingly) Washington D.C.

Having resided in the Pacific Northwest for all of my life, I’ve had the opportunity to visit San Francisco, but I’d never been to Washington D.C.  So despite the increase in airfare (which applicants are expected to arrange and cover) I opted to have my interview at the nation’s capitol, where I could easily segue the trip into a vacation and visit the many world-class Museums and monuments in the area.

I scheduled the interview six months out from the date of my invitation.  I was expecting to study quite a bit to prepare myself for it, but was already neck-deep in the last two quarters of my second BAS degree, so I valued the little free time I had.  It wasn’t until a week or two before the interview when my last final had winded down that I returned to preparation for the looming assessment. Foreign Service Specialists have a different assessment than the Generalists do, so the panic and preparation regarding the group assessment that Generalists go through wasn’t on my mind.  However, the specifics of what these assessments entail and consist of are tightly guarded, so I didn’t have much to go on and simply tried my best to prepare for what I thought I could expect.

The day before the oral assessment I took a red-eye from Seattle to Baltimore.  I was running on fumes by the time I found my way down the Marc and back up the Red line to a friend of a friends I was staying with.  I told myself I would study for the Oral Assessment more when I got situated, but fatigue caught up to me and I found myself taking a nap for a few hours to take the edge off.

As tired as I was, sleep did not come easily.  Nervousness and anxiety for the coming examination crept in to my mind and I was up again to study some more before the evening was out.  I hadn’t spent as much time as I would have liked in the last few days going over this. I was too busy celebrating my recent graduation, birthday and the freedom that accompanied it.  To say I was “celebrating” was a bit of an overstatement. I don’t really celebrate such things to any great extent, but rather enjoy the additional time spent doing my normal time-wasting activities without the additional responsibilities.

I took some time to familiarize myself with the process.  Really, all you need to know about that to expect is included in the candidate guide.  Knowing the content and what you will be tested upon is a bit harder to put a finger on, but the guide itself will outline the day pretty well and provides you a good deal of what to expect.  Focus on that and the 12-13 dimensions. Be your best self.  Appear confident.  Every specialty will focus on different things, that’s up for you to know.  I went over the dimensions over and over until I had them memorized, but ultimately the preparation that helped the most was to reflect and catalog my own experiences and keep them fresh in my mind so I could refer to them when needed.

I turned in early, dreading the day ahead of me, but filled with anxiety and excitement.  I woke up repeatedly through the night, and rested as one might expect when confined to an air mattress.  It wasn’t my own bed, that was for sure. Every time I woke, I’d check the time and count the hours before I’d have to face the day while slipping back into a fitful sleep.

At last, I woke around half past 5, and decided that now was as good as any time.  I bathed, trimmed and dressed, getting out the door around 6:30. On my walk down the the red line I tried my best to exhibit a display of confidence as I reviewed the purpose of the State Department and the Foreign Service in my mind, along with the 13 dimensions.  There was a pit in my stomach as I rode the metro and my anxiety reached unprecedented levels as I deboarded at the Farragut north station.

Being more than a little early, I went to the nearby Filter house and got a mocha, with extra chocolate.  Despite being from Seattle, I had never developed a liking for coffee, but I did enjoy the kick it provided and found it an effective way to jump-start the day when I needed it.  Today, I definitely felt like I needed it. I ordered a croissant along with my coffee and continued to do some last minute review. I still had more than an hour before the scheduled time for the assessment, so I took a walk, found a peaceful place to sit and tried to collect myself as best as I could for the coming experience.

Finally, at a around 8, I decided I’d walk the remaining block and a half to the designated building and was the first of the candidates to arrive.  It wasn’t long before I was joined by another applicant from California – who was taking the assessment for a consular position. We chatted for a bit and shared our experiences so far and tried our best to curb the mounting tension we both surely felt.  No one else joined us and we were waved in a few minutes before the given start time.

The process of what happened next is already detailed in the guide to the process for applicants, and is fairly accurate.  Aside from the frequent rest room breaks, it was pretty much on point. Another consular applicant joined us before the first exercise and during the downtime we attempted to bolster each others spirits, and wish the others luck. We individually completed our assigned exercises and regrouped afterwards each time as the results were evaluated.  Up to this point it had simply been my goal to complete the ordeal, do the best I could and let whatever was going to happen, happen.  Upon the completion of final exercise I felt a great weight lift from my shoulders, knowing that whatever the outcome, the trials of the day were over.  I was genuinely curious as to how my compatriots had performed, but as it was to happen, I was the first to be called to receive my own results and was separated from my newfound companions.

I was taken into a room with the same people who conducted the interview with me and took a seat.  I wasn’t seated for more than a second before the door was closed behind us and I was told to stand again in order to be offered congratulations on successfully completing the oral assessment.  At that point, I was simply happy that it was over, but I also felt like I had accomplished something significant and incredible – but the weight that had been lifted from my shoulders had now returned with a distant promise of future trials and sacrifices that would now be my burden to carry.  While I basked in the accomplishment, I knew that this was now real, that it wasn’t something that was going to slip away into my past, that it could forever change the course of my life and take a turn for the unknown and well out of my comfort zone.

But hey, that’s what I had wanted, right?

The rest of my time in D.C. was a blur.  Monuments, museums, restaurants, blisters.  I was simply enjoying myself and paying no mind to the next steps in the application, no, candidate process, that I was now enmeshed in.  For the sake of informing readers though, the next steps in this process in order of timeliness is:

• Filling out the e-qip to start ones’ security clearance screening
• Returning the health evaluation to determine fitness for worldwide service
• Follow-up interviews with security clearance investigators

Once all those hoops have been cleared, you’ll be placed on the register and the real waiting begins.