A Distinct Lack of Resolution

Dave stood for his Oral Interview yesterday. He received a 5.6, and will soon be placed on the Economic register.

This puts us essentially where we have been for the past year and a half - in entirely uncertain territory. When he received a 5.6 in Political just over a year ago, it was a good score nearly guaranteeing a call to the next class. And then his security clearance took over 9 months, by which time 5.6 no longer guaranteed a call. In fact, 5.6 was a pretty risky score - risky enough to start the whole process over again in a new track.

Within the Economic track, 5.6 has guaranteed a call for the last year or so. Invitations have already been extended for the March class, and so we stand a good chance of being extended an invitation to the May class. Except...

Except that they apparently need to reopen Dave's security clearance, to update all foreign travel. There has been notable foreign travel, as well as a foreign move and plenty of new foreign contacts. This could take some time.

Except that Republicans promise budget cuts across the board, and make no exceptions for diplomats and the State Department. Should hiring slow, or even freeze, a 5.6 will cease to be such a good score.

This leaves us in essentially the same murky water we bathed in last spring. We would love an offer to the May class - free flights home for the summer, appropriate timing to plan school for the following year, enough time to gracefully bow out of the project with Uncle H-- and easily avoid taking on something new, a nearly full year in a wonderful classroom for Lilly this year.

But what if we don't get a call to the May class, missing it by just a few folks? That makes the July class seem likely. Do we buy tickets to ship our whole family home for the summer, if we could be moving home on someone else's dime in July? Uncle H-- expects to move us out of Shenzhen this summer - how do we play this contingency? The uncertainty is annoying in the abstract, but costly in its difficulty when it informs major decisions.

At this point, the girls and I still plan to be home for the summer.
At this point, our family still expects to adopt Mei Mei, likely receiving her this fall.
At this point, I still expect that Dave will be hired into the foreign service within the next year.

All these things could change.