Good Timing

A common question I get these days is about how I'm feeling. This move will happen very quickly, and seems quite sudden to most people. I think they're expecting me to answer with overwhelmed, shocked or stressed. I'm really not.

I'm feeling nothing but excitement.

We've been planning this move for the past year now. This time last year, I expected a move to DC over the summer and began my research. I already know all of the details about our future housing, the process for shipping, and the various school options. And I had a certain faith that we were following the right course.

So, when we moved to Shenzhen over the summer rather than to D.C., my faith shook a bit. Moving was simple - none of us really expected to face another fall in Shanghai anyway. But moving inside China? Missing the chance on the Foreign Service?

It is strange to me that I will have only lived in Shenzhen for 7 months, because I came to feel at home here very quickly. I have many close friends and a strong support system, which established itself amazingly fast. A number of friends of strong Christian faith have walked alongside us, having only met me in this journey a few months ago. So, I will remember Shenzhen as a hot and welcoming place, where I questioned God's plan.

People constantly had to remind me that God has a plan for each of our lives, and that if we are diligently trying to follow that plan than we can't be straying too far from it. When I felt as if we were chasing a pipe dream and God had no plans for us whatsoever, people would remind me of Bible verses and bring me back in. Most recently, Ryan spoke about God's perfect timing in his sermon on Sunday. He talked about Judas handing Christ over for judgment and eventual death, and how this was no "gotcha" moment. God hadn't been suckered into this Everything - the good and the bad - falls into His plan. If I can believe that for something so horrible, I can believe it for a few months in southern China.

A few months where a number of good things have happened. I've helped begin a Bible study which clearly met the needs of a growing number of women. Lilly joined a kindergarten classroom with a wonderful group of children and a truly amazing teacher. Amanda's class has been the perfect place for our kindergartener this year. Dave stepped into a role outside of Uncle H--, as he consulted full-time for one client. As such, submitting his resignation has no real impact on many people inside his organization.

And our timing continues to be neat and tidy. My parents happen to be arriving here in a few weeks, and leaving a few days before we plan to take off. They will be a tremendous help, and I'm already thankful they will come. We hope to leave on the first day of Spring Break, making a nice clean break for both of the girls. We will arrive in D.C. just as one family of good friends will move away, but we will still live close to many other friends. Openings have just become available at an amazing preschool nearby, and a large enough apartment may be a possibility in the housing we have selected.

I must admit, the timing seems perfect.

Answers to Your Questions

Now that we've let the big news settle a bit, allow me to share a bit more information with you.

Q: Did Dave get in on the Economic or Political track?
A: Dave was invited in the Economic track, making him slightly less likely to eventually become an Ambassador in the future. But only slightly. Don't worry - this will be a good fit for him, and many jobs are cross-posted. That is, many positions posted for Political Officers are also listed for Economic Officers.

Q: With Mandarin points, will you be returning to China?
A: Dave did not pass the Mandarin phone test, and so we are under no contractual obligation to ever return to China. However, as Dave does have a base in Mandarin, State may still choose to place us in China sometime soon.

Q: When will you leave?
A: This is still in flux, relying on coordination with a number of people. But at this point, we expect to leave China for Chicago around March 19th. After spending about a week in Chicago, Dave will go to D.C. and the girls and I will drive to St. Louis. I'll settle a bunch of business in St. Louis while Dave gets us settled into D.C., and then the girls and I will join him soon after.

Q: Where will you go?
A: Every Foreign Service Officer begins their job undergoing training in Washington, D.C.; so that's where we will head initially. Dave will receive a Bid List during the first week of training, essentially a list of all Entry Level Positions worldwide. We will pore over the list, do loads of quick research, and rank each post on the list. After 5 weeks of training, we'll learn where we're going for our first post - so check back at the beginning of May. Language training will follow in D.C., so we expect to be there for about 6 months in all.

Q: Will they move the family for you?
A: Yes, to a reasonable level. That is, they'll pay to fly us all to DC. If we choose to fly to Chicago instead, the rest of the travel will be on our dime. They will also pack two houses for us - so we'll get one shipment from St. Louis, and another shipment from Shenzhen. It will be on us to get all of our stuff to one of those two cities, though.

Interestingly, they will send the Shenzhen shipment in two packages. One will go via air - in government-ese this is called UAB. The UAB will meet us in D.C., and is limited to about 500 pounds for the whole family. The other shipment will go via boat - the government calls this one HHE. The weight limit is high on this one, but we don't get to access it until we're in our first post. So, we won't have The Red Chair until we're moving into our first post.

Needless to say, packing the UAB is full of big choices. How many toys and books are necessary for 3-15 months? Do we pack the clothes Annika has already outgrown, knowing that we may or may not receive Mei Mei while we're in D.C.? What pieces of our household can we live without for up to 18 months? And if we can live without them for so long, do we really need them in the first place?

Q: Where will you live?
A: While the State Department does not pay particularly well, they do take care of their officers and families. While on training, they provide a per diem that covers housing and food. They have contracted with a serviced apartment company called Oakwood to direct bill that housing. This not only saves the employee and their family loads of trouble with leases and expense reports, but also creates an immediate community within this one housing complex. So, assuming they have space available, we expect to be living in a Temporary Furnished Apartment in Falls Church, Virginia.

Q: Will the girls go to school in D.C.?
A: We're still thinking this one through. One option is to soak them in family in the Midwest for a few weeks before they even arrive in D.C., and then to keep them busy with libraries, parks and the Smithsonian for a few months. But we are also connected to two amazing early childhood programs in Northern Virginia. They each come with a steep price tag, but would help the girls transition tremendously.

We have friends who moved to Shanghai from only March through July, and they put their kids into school with Lilly and Sophia. Their kids adjusted quickly to Shanghai and had a really great experience. This anecdote makes me think the girls will transition a lot better if we enroll them immediately into school. And I sure do love the two options we're looking into. Stay posted.

Q: How long is your To Do List these days?
A: Growing at an astounding rate - and I've got no complaints.

Guest Blog: A Day at Disneyland

My name is Lilly. We went to Disneyland on Friday. My favorite place is Sleeping Beauty's palace. We went to take a picture at Sleeping Beauty's castle. It was really beautiful. I wish I lived in it.

It was fun meeting the princesses. They were Cinderella and Snow White. They were so beautiful. We wish you were here to see them!


Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and Cinderella were also in the parade (Sophia "and even Belle, Lilly!"). A Toy Story float was also there. Winnie the Pooh, too.


There was a Winne the Pooh ride too, even though there wasn't any pictures that we took. That was also really fun. And a little bit scary. When we saw the rain, it was a little scary. That's when!

We rode on a ride called Space Mountain that was also pretty scary. It went really fast. It was a roller coaster but it went faster than any other roller coaster.

We're going back to the Winnie the Pooh ride now. It bounced when we met Tigger. It was windy when there was a storm. There was rain hanging up there but we didn't get any rain falling on us. We saw Winne the Pooh's dream. I can't remember what it was about. So I can't tell you!

Mickey and Minnie were really fun too. We took a picture with them. If you ask you can see it.

The End.

We're In!!!

Dave received an official invitation to the March 28th class for the Foreign Service.

He has, of course, accepted.

Let the adventure begin!

The Expat Kitchen

Living abroad has forced me to learn how to cook. In the states, one of our favorite healthy meals was a bag of salad, some canned corn and a rotisserie chicken. Yum! Pictured above is Lilly's and my new favorite healthy lunch: homemade bread, homemade yogurt and homemade jelly. Unfortunately, I can't take any credit for the jelly - it was jarred by someone in Shanghai, so I will soon finish the jar and be done with this particular flavor. But substitute chopped strawberries or pureed blueberries, and its just as tasty.

I don't usually post my recipes, because I am far from being a food blogger. Plus, most of my recipes come from one of a few online sources anyway. For those who are interested, my favorite sources are Cooks Illustrated, Pioneer Woman, and older recipes on Simply Recipes. I also pull a lot out of Rachel Ray magazine, although very rarely do I use anything from her website.

But I am so proud of these two that I thought I ought to share. Thanks to Morgan for inspiring me to make bread a few years ago - this Honey Wheat Bread has been on regular weekly baking cycle in our house for a few years now. And thanks to Chana for getting me started on the yogurt - this one's new. Yogurt is so simple that I don't really have a recipe to share, but I will refer you to the link that got me cooking. SeriousEats.com seems to be a great foodie website, along the lines of Cooks Illustrated but taking itself much less seriously. They posted this fantastic yogurt-making tutorial. I add 2 t. milk powder and 1 t. almond extract (although we're still figuring the flavoring out - I'm trying a teaspoon of vanilla next time).

Honey Wheat Bread:
Makes 2 loaves, with about 12 slices each

Combine:
1/4 cup 105-115F water
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast

Allow to dissolve 3-5 min.

Combine:
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup melted butter
2 1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
yeast mixture above

Add:
4 cups wheat flour
up to 4 cups flour

Knead 10 minutes.
Allow to rise until doubled - I let it rise 1.5 to 2 hours

Split into 2 equal sections - rest 10 minutes.
Form into 2 loaves and rise in pans - I give it another hour or so

Bake 45 minutes at 350F - this varies dramatically by oven; at our last house, it baked for 50 minutes, and at this house it bakes for about 35.

Speculating on the Uncertain Future

Everyone we speak with asks one of these questions every few weeks or so. To keep y'all in the loop, here is the Current Speculation.

Foreign Service

Remember that the U.S. government hires its diplomats from five lists. Dave currently sits on two lists - Political and Economic. He has good (not great, but good) standing on each list. He has been on the Political list for about 10 months, with another 10 months to go. His position dropped dramatically on that list, but has been steadily creeping up again over the last few months. He has been on the Economic list for about 1 month, with another 17 months to go. His position is pretty good. Good, but not great.

Were the Foreign Service still hiring at last year's rates, I would feel confident of an invitation to one of this year's classes. However, the U.S. government's 2011 fiscal year continues to operate under a Continuing Resolution rather than a budget. The prevailing wisdom says that we will probably go the entire year without a budget, waiting to approve the 2012 budget instead. Speculation says that they will continue to hire diplomats, but that the hiring will slow.

Dave's good, but not great position on each list means that he is a viable contender for any class, but not a shoe-in. The next class begins in mid-May, and we're hoping for an invitation. The girls would move near the end of their school year, and potentially begin the next year in their new home. We could fly home for the summer, and on someone else's dime. We could attend Matt's wedding. And we could get started on the next phase of our lives!

Job Prospects

But, the current political climate leaves no guarantees on hiring anywhere in the federal government. Had we waited this long and still not learned it, we know now that there is no sure thing in the foreign service until your start date. Dave is now looking into Plan's B and C.

Plan B is to stay with Uncle H-- for the near future. He enjoys the work and the travel right now (although not so much the Living Apart From His Family). And he will transition this summer into a position he's excited about. That transition would pull us out of Shenzhen, either back into Shanghai or on to Singapore. At this point, it seems that we can choose between the two. Any votes?

Plan C is to make a more radical change in about a year, and so it includes staying with Uncle H-- for a while. Under this plan, Dave will begin checking out graduate programs and dream jobs to learn what would get him there. Does an economist for the Brookings Institute need a PhD in economics? Then we'd better get started on that. Currently, this plan includes lots of dreaming and research. Then it includes beefing up the resume, sending in applications, and then going broke for a few years.

Adoption

This is why Plan C must wait a year or so.

The Adoption is still on hold until Annika's 1st birthday, on May 5th. I am still hoping to push off receiving our match until the fall, when Annika would be at least 15 months old. I do not know how much control we have over this. It is possible we will receive our match in the middle of May, in which case we would need an awful lot of prayer.

Picking up Mei Mei this year would be a good reason to stay in China, either waiting out the Foreign Service or focusing more on other career options. Also, the adoption requires a certain amount of income and a certain amount of savings. Best not to cease the income and begin depletion of the savings until after Mei Mei arrives.


So, there's our uncertainty in a rather wordy nutshell. Either way, we will be leaving Shenzhen this summer. Whether to the states and a brand new career, or to Big City, Asia and excitement in the corporate world is yet to be seen. March should be our next step. I expect to know by mid-March whether or not we will move to D.C., and Dave expects to solidify our moving plans with Uncle H-- at about that time. So, look for more updates in about 1 month's time.

Showing Appreciation

Uncle H-- has a hard time telling us that he loves us.

He does provide for everything that we need, and certainly never allows us to freeze or go hungry. But he's just not very touch-feely.

For those who have not yet figured it out, Uncle H-- is this blog's moniker for Dave's employer. As expatriates, they are involved in much of the minutiae of our lives. They hold the lease to our home. They purchase our plane tickets back to the states. They pay the tuition for our childrens' school. They decide when we will have dinner together, and control when we go on vacations. And, like everyone else, they provide the wherewithal to pay our bills, insure our health, and all that normal employment jazz

And Uncle H-- handles this stuff, not smoothly, but well enough. We have what we need. In fact, we have more than we need. When we feel we need something, Uncle H-- tends to listen and then ponies up. But this uncle offers no snuggles or fuzzy feelings. Like a good Jewish mother, most things are offered with a sigh and a handful of guilt. A handful of guilt and a side of trouble. Raises have been bungled. Leases have been left unpaid. I could go on, but it would just come across as whining. My goal here is not to expose that Uncle H--'s skill in Human Resources may leave something to be desired, but to express hope and thankfulness.

After a major shake-up within the company, Dave's got a relatively new boss. This guy's got a relatively new boss, too. Apparently, they spent some time today talking about how hard Dave has been working. They came to the conclusion that he deserved a little something special, and so they're sending our family to Disneyland later this week.

Okay, maybe I'm bragging a little bit. He has been working hard, and he does deserve a Pat On The Back from Uncle H--. But more than that, it bodes well for the future (however long that may be). Current talk is to localize us in the near future - that is, to remove our expatriate compensation package. We would become responsible for rent, tuition, and annual trips to the states. If bungled, this could mean a very serious reduction in pay. But with two bosses discussing what a hard worker Dave is, I feel a little bit better about our future with this company.