I wanted to share with our friends and family that don’t already know that our family will be moving back west, to Las Vegas on Wednesday. Rob and I have been provided an amazing opportunity to continue working with the developing world, but now in a different way. Our goal still remains the same: to impact people in the developing world in a way that first gives them basic needs, then education and useful skills and hopefully (eventually) more life purpose. So, after a series of crazy miraculous intertwined events, an unbelievable opportunity was presented to us, as far as our path towards beginning to accomplish this goal. Several months ago Rob became a partner in a mobile water treatment manufacturing company - it's currently called Storm Sharks - as the technology was originally developed to treat contaminated storm water run-off - http://www.stormsharks.com/. It will soon become watersharks.com, which will adapt the technology for safe drinking water, grey water and industrial water. The state of Nevada is offering financial incentives that the company just couldn't pass up, and thus it is moving its operations to Las Vegas. Rob (with his partners) will be setting-up these new operations and will then begin marketing the product in a wider area of industries (including the developing world) internationally. I’ll also be helping the company on the financial side, maybe some HR/recruiting and proposal/grant writing (or whatever other “hat” I need to wear to help), etc.
We are all very excited (the boys too!) about this leap of faith and to be headed back west and closer to our family and friends in California and Arizona, but are sad to be moving further away from our east coast family and friends. I want to apologize upfront, as it may get a little bit too spiritual for some of you, but I truly can’t think of another way to describe the turn of events that had to happen for us to be headed towards this goal, while at the same time having a wonderful opportunity to partner with two families that we love and have the utmost respect for. As much as we thought the Foreign Service was our path towards achieving our goal to serve and impact others, the Lord made it obvious to us that this is the path we need to be taking (not sure why it needed to be such a winding road, but who am I to question?). It’s a long story, but in short, there was a multitude of things that happened at the right times and places for this all to come together so perfectly, that ONLY the grand choreographer of life could have been the one in charge of it all! And though, yes we have some worries and fears about it all, it still seems unreal and we still keep pressing forward because we know ALL things are possible with God! So we can’t wait to get started and take this to the next level (ok yes, prayers are much needed and accepted at all times – ha!)!
The bottom line is we’ll be living in North Las Vegas (yes this is a separate incorporated city, which I had no idea), but we’ll be only 20-25 minutes from the Vegas strip, so PLEASE don’t hesitate to look us up when you’re visiting Vegas . . we’re super hopeful we’ll not only be able to visit more with our family and friends that live in Cali and Arizona, but that we’ll be able to visit with our East Coast family that doesn’t mind an occasional visit out west to Vegas (like who doesn’t?!?)! And there’s ALWAYS a free room available at Casa de Robinson! We can’t wait to see everyone in Vegas! Wish us luck (and I’m not talking about at the casinos – lol!)!!!
Monday, December 15, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Troubles Really Are Disguised as Blessings
After three weeks of French classes at FSI, with the help of my 6 year old this morning, I finally realized that going to these classes and learning this very difficult language, truly is a blessing in disguise. My lil guy asked me "do you get paid a pay check to take French" with which I answered "Yes." And then he asked "How much do you have to pay to learn the French?" With that, for some reason it hit me . . . As much as I wanted to take an easier language (Spanish), I am BEYOND blessed to not only be getting paid my normal salary, but to pay nothing out of pocket to learn another language. Most people would kill for such an amazing opportunity and for the most part all I've done is mope around about how hard French is and how I may never get it. Thank you to my lil guy for pointing out the obvious. The glass really is half full in this endeavor! As much as I've complained about the work I have to do to even stay a float in my French class, this opportunity is an amazing one and from today on (thanks to my 6 year old), I will no longer bash and complain about the French I am learning, but rather be thankful that I get another day to learn more! What an opportunity! Thank you Lord for yet another hidden blessing!
Friday, July 4, 2014
Bonjour! Comment allez-vous? Je parle francais, vous ne?
It's looking like we won't be assigned to a country this year for USAID and will most likely need to wait until the end of next year's bidding cycle (next May – July time period). However, my colleagues that already passed the test for fluency in a second language, will most likely be assigned soon (we hope - I will let you know when for sure and the exciting places they will be going – we can live vicariously through them!) and the agency has provided an exception for those of us that do not know a second language fluently, to go to language school starting in September, even without an assignment. Yippee! Yeah! This is a real win for us, because the agency policy has been that you can't go to the language school until you have an assignment and that would have put us three years in D.C. without ever going abroad (the whole reason we joined the foreign service). So, I am very thankful for this exception and the blessing of learning French over a 9-10 month period starting September 2nd (and I get to enjoy a nice summer with the family until then - yeah!).
Although my background is in Spanish, AID would like me to learn French, since there are many African French speaking nations that are recipients of AID’s funding and programming. Although, I’d be lying to say I’m not scared to death about this endeavor, as the French level needed to pass the test is very high. I will need a level 3 out of 5 in speaking and a level 3 out of 5 in reading. The five level is the equivalent of a natural born native French speaker at a college level or above, so 3 is a pretty high level. And unlike many of my Foreign Service colleagues, I am not a naturally linguistic person at all. In fact, I remember struggling hard in my first year of college Spanish to keep a “B” in the class (and I very much preferred "A"s in the first place!). This is way beyond that level and French is more difficult than Spanish. It will be a full immersion language training, so I’m hopeful miracles can (and will) happen! I look forward to the experience and see it as a real opportunity. However, any and ALL prayers are welcome and VERY MUCH needed. I’m CERTAIN I will not be able to do this on my own! I know a few people that took 40 weeks of training (the maximum the agency will pay) and still did not receive the required score. Unfortunately, it will be up to them to somehow pass through their own study during the five years allowed before tenure, or they will have to leave the agency. I DO NOT want to be in this same bucket if at all possible, as it will always be hanging over my head through the five years (well the four that are left) and who knows the financial burden it would put on our family to pay for additional training. The biggest driver to me, is to not only learn the language, but get it behind me (reminds me of that horrible CPA exam)! I’ll be approaching it like the other (what seemed to be) impossible challenges I’ve had in my life (CPA exam, ½ marathon, Foreign Service appointment, marriage, raising kids (lol!)) . . . with a diligent, full force, pro-active plan and one day at a time! If I am somehow blessed by reaching this goal in the end, I will be forever thankful and a proponent that miracles really do happen!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
USAID's Annual Bid Process
Although our first assignment abroad will be directed, I thought some of you may find it interesting to learn about the annual USAID bidding process. This is the process we will be going through after our first assignment abroad . . . quite a process . . .
How the bidding process works is a list will come out around August which contains all the open positions for the following year. The only people allowed to place bids on assignments during this first release of positions ("Priority Consideration Bidders List") is reserved for "Priority Consideration Bidders" whom are people finishing a tour in a "Critical Priority Country" (aka. CPC). These are countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan where there is substantial danger or hardship. After people leaving CPCs get to bid on the first release of positions, they will receive their assignments and then the "Major Listing" will be released. This is the updated list with positions that went to CPC bidders removed. Now everyone else gets to place their bids on positions and be assigned. There is the exception for people who want to only go to a CPC, then they can bid on the "Priority Consideration Bidders List" on just the CPC countries and get their assignment earlier. After the Major Listing, there are sometimes people who place their bids and for one reason or another, do not receive an assignment. There will then be an updated list which will come out with remaining positions and potentially any newly available positions in which they can then place bids again. Bidding Process When bidding for assignments, the list of positions will contain the position name, the position backstop (functional area), the FS grade level, a paragraph description of the position's responsibilities, and a contact person for the position. Bidders must review the list for positions they are interested in and should then begin doing their research on that position and the Mission. Research should include things such as how the management is and who other colleagues will be at the Mission, who the Mission Director is, how morale is at the Mission, the type of work, etc. People with children must also consider things such as quality of schooling and things like that. Often the best insight can be through contacts one knows at the Mission or people who have worked there before. After researching, the next step is express interest to the contact person listed for that position. This includes sending information about yourself such as your resume and references (typically must be USAID references). This will let the Mission know that you are considering the post and get your name out there. Additionally, if you contacted others currently working at that Mission, they may be able to do some additional vouching for your capabilities and character. Following all this, the Mission will often contact your references and may schedule phone interviews with short-listed candidates. Whew, definitely like applying for a job again! Toward the time when you must input your bid selections into the USAID internal bidding system, candidates generally will have discussed with the Missions individuals they are most interested in and have an understanding of what rank the bidder will put the Mission and what rank the Mission will put the candidate. The selections will then all go to Washington where HR, the person's function backstop representative, and the Mission will review the selections and make all the assignments.
How the bidding process works is a list will come out around August which contains all the open positions for the following year. The only people allowed to place bids on assignments during this first release of positions ("Priority Consideration Bidders List") is reserved for "Priority Consideration Bidders" whom are people finishing a tour in a "Critical Priority Country" (aka. CPC). These are countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan where there is substantial danger or hardship. After people leaving CPCs get to bid on the first release of positions, they will receive their assignments and then the "Major Listing" will be released. This is the updated list with positions that went to CPC bidders removed. Now everyone else gets to place their bids on positions and be assigned. There is the exception for people who want to only go to a CPC, then they can bid on the "Priority Consideration Bidders List" on just the CPC countries and get their assignment earlier. After the Major Listing, there are sometimes people who place their bids and for one reason or another, do not receive an assignment. There will then be an updated list which will come out with remaining positions and potentially any newly available positions in which they can then place bids again. Bidding Process When bidding for assignments, the list of positions will contain the position name, the position backstop (functional area), the FS grade level, a paragraph description of the position's responsibilities, and a contact person for the position. Bidders must review the list for positions they are interested in and should then begin doing their research on that position and the Mission. Research should include things such as how the management is and who other colleagues will be at the Mission, who the Mission Director is, how morale is at the Mission, the type of work, etc. People with children must also consider things such as quality of schooling and things like that. Often the best insight can be through contacts one knows at the Mission or people who have worked there before. After researching, the next step is express interest to the contact person listed for that position. This includes sending information about yourself such as your resume and references (typically must be USAID references). This will let the Mission know that you are considering the post and get your name out there. Additionally, if you contacted others currently working at that Mission, they may be able to do some additional vouching for your capabilities and character. Following all this, the Mission will often contact your references and may schedule phone interviews with short-listed candidates. Whew, definitely like applying for a job again! Toward the time when you must input your bid selections into the USAID internal bidding system, candidates generally will have discussed with the Missions individuals they are most interested in and have an understanding of what rank the bidder will put the Mission and what rank the Mission will put the candidate. The selections will then all go to Washington where HR, the person's function backstop representative, and the Mission will review the selections and make all the assignments.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Merry CHRISTmas and Happy 2014!
Once again, this year, our family is continuing its tradition of using our CHRISTmas card resources to give to children and women that don't have clean water, a chance to be educated, an experience of real love and most importantly the opportunity to know Christ Jesus. We hope our friends and family will understand and maybe even take a moment to explore Amazima Ministries (www.amazima.org) and discover ways to help make a difference.
We are posting our greeting along with a prayer for you this Christmas and ALWAYS that you may experience the eternal blessings of Christ's birth and an ongoing personal relationship with Him, our Savior and King!
We appreciate and love each of you - Merry CHRISTmas from the Robinson Family! http://blog.amazima.org/
We are posting our greeting along with a prayer for you this Christmas and ALWAYS that you may experience the eternal blessings of Christ's birth and an ongoing personal relationship with Him, our Savior and King!
We appreciate and love each of you - Merry CHRISTmas from the Robinson Family! http://blog.amazima.org/
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Grandma Rose and Papaw Mike Visit!
Grandma and Papaw visited us in D.C. for graduation and we went into D.C. for one afternoon and went to the Smithsonian Nature and Science Museum . . .lots of fun!
Two Cute Boys Turn Superheros
We had another fun, traditional Halloween with the boys going door to door for about a half hour or so and filling their pumpkin buckets almost to the top! It was a fun night for all! 
Happy Graduation DLI 2013!
It’ s been a while since I posted, but life has surely changed since I began working again and commuting almost an hour in each direction (surprise I know), but I wanted to be sure to share with everyone the DLI graduation that happened on Friday, October 24th . . . the event kicked off with the Agency Administrator welcoming the new class of DLI graduates to the agency and sharing a video about the mission of USAID and its celebration as an agency for 50 years. The video is such a great reminder of why I want to be a part of USAID and I’m so proud to be joining in helping with the mission of this agency. The video can be viewed here . . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRgzpnFE_R4
After the video, my colleagues and I each received our diploma, a hand shake and a picture with the administrator and the ceremony concluded. I was very gracious that my Mom and Step-Father attended, as well as Rob and our two boys. The boys were so excited to be going to D.C. and hanging in one of the “big” buildings where mom works and to see her graduate! And their behavior could not have been any better. Several of my colleagues commented as such, which was so great to hear and made us very proud parents! We’re all in this together, so it felt like we were off to a great start, together as a family! So, here we go . . . into the world of the unknown. .. ok well for now, that’s just the world of learning financial management for the agency until posted abroad (earliest possible date to know where is expected to be March, but I’ve also been told we could be in D.C. for up to 2 years, so we’ll be getting somewhat comfortable), but it’s still a world of unknown and continual learning . . . exactly where I like to be! Congratulations to all the graduates of DLI 2013!
Sunday, October 13, 2013
VERY Proud Member of the Development Leadership (DLI) Class of 2013
For the past three weeks I've been attending orientation for USAID. It has been such an enticing introduction to the agency and all the wonderful things it is doing for so many around the world. I don't think I've ever been more proud to be a part of something in my life! Speaking of proud, my classmates are some of the sharpest, most interesting and uniquely special individuals I've ever met in my life. I feel truly blessed to be among them and learn so much from them each day. Yes, I often have to pinch myself to make sure this is real (often it's as I salute Arlington Cemetery and pass the Pentagon on my morning commute because I never in my life expected to be working here in D.C. and it's so surreal), but it is and I am so thankful and beyond proud to call myself a member of the DLI Class of 2013 and can't wait to get started helping this astounding agency of the U.S. government in its mission of sustainable development throughout the world.
Get a load of our class profile . . .
11 women, 28 men
21 languages spoken
69 different countries previously served
3 JDs, 3 PHds, 3 CPAs, 2 Fulbright Scholars, 1 Italian Policeman, a bronze star medal recipient, an award winning salsa dancer, a reporter and more.
4 from Private Sector, 12 Peace Corp Volunteers/Staff, 4 Independent Consultants, 12 USAID contractors, 9 Other Federal Government, 2 University Professors and 2 Military
Above all, this group of individuals is genuine, authentic and willing to sacrifice their own safety and comforts to help others in sustaining life's basic needs. There are no egos, all of these folks are truly not in this career for themselves, but to help others - again I have to pinch myself it seems so unreal! These character traits encompass some truly special people that I am honored to have met and look forward to working with them in such an impactful mission!
"It's not about you." Rick Warren, A Purpose Driven Life
Get a load of our class profile . . .
11 women, 28 men
21 languages spoken
69 different countries previously served
3 JDs, 3 PHds, 3 CPAs, 2 Fulbright Scholars, 1 Italian Policeman, a bronze star medal recipient, an award winning salsa dancer, a reporter and more.
4 from Private Sector, 12 Peace Corp Volunteers/Staff, 4 Independent Consultants, 12 USAID contractors, 9 Other Federal Government, 2 University Professors and 2 Military
Above all, this group of individuals is genuine, authentic and willing to sacrifice their own safety and comforts to help others in sustaining life's basic needs. There are no egos, all of these folks are truly not in this career for themselves, but to help others - again I have to pinch myself it seems so unreal! These character traits encompass some truly special people that I am honored to have met and look forward to working with them in such an impactful mission!
"It's not about you." Rick Warren, A Purpose Driven Life
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Becoming Housing Experts
It recently occurred to me, that like it or not, we really are becoming real estate "experts" and with the new job, that experience will only broaden as we live in various homes, in differing climates and locations. Looking back, we've already made our debut as domestic nomads, living now in our 7th home in 7 years!
To break it down even more, we covered 4 different states in those 7 years - 1 home in California, 4 in Arizona, 1 in Colorado and now 1 in Virginia. The houses have varied in other ways - some located not far from the ocean, others in the dessert, the last at an altitude of 6,300 feet and now in what used to ultimately be swamp land. The houses have also varied in looks, styles and ages. We had 2 brand new homes (1 that we built and picked out every last item), 2 semi-new (5-10 years old), 1 from the 90s another from the 70s and now this one from the 60s. We’ve had 3 two story homes, 3 ranches and 1 tri-level along the way.
We’ve learned so much through all the homes and have learned to love each and every one of them, concluding all houses have their positives and negatives. For example, as much as I completely love the wide openness of our last home in Colorado (and the one we built in AZ), I have to admit that I have actually liked having closed in rooms again . . . to put it as simply as I can . . .it's kind of nice to not be a part of everyone else’s business (i.e. tv shows, video games, lunch, snack, etc.) all the time. By having the rooms more closed in and a little less openness, it actually allows (in my view) a little more privacy for us all. Also, somewhere along the line the building codes allowed for less and less water pressure in showers. Now we always "fixed" this in our newer homes after inspection, but there's just nothing like this old plumbing that barrels out water like no other and it very quickly gets hot (this was another thing that got pushed away in the recent years, most likely to save energy and make for a greener planet or something) . . . awwww makes for a nice and relaxing shower. . . the kind that I remember having as a kid (by the way I was not quite a kid yet in the 60s, but this was the plumbing I grew up with and it's been very much missed!).
So, with all this said, I had the idea that I'll post a little about each of our homes as we go through this journey of addresses unknown and maybe we can all learn a thing or two for future home purchases, as these addresses actually do become known. And maybe if you ever have a question about a thatched roof in the middle of Africa (or maybe you’d like one in middle America) one day or how a swamp cooler works on a patio in the hot desert, we would be more than happy to give our two cents worth because with all this moving and now taking our domestic nomadic nature global, we might pick up a thing or two that could be useful someday!
This is the lovely home we’re renting in Northern Virginia (OK I removed the pic for social media safety- sorry). We love it!
Besides the relaxing showers and privacy, the home is set back from the street, allowing our boys to play on the long driveway, riding on their bikes, scooters, etc. without us having to worry much about cars and traffic. Also, the house it set up under some amazingly beautiful, mature trees, not far (in Kentucky I think we would say a “stone’s throw away”) from a really nice nature trail. And speaking of nature, it’s rare to go even a day without seeing deer in our yard. Last Sunday we awoke to a family of 5 grazing in our next door neighbor’s front yard.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
And I'm Proud to Be An American, Where At Least I Know I'm Free. . .
Last week, we took the boys on a driving tour of D.C. and a walking tour of Arlington Cemetery. It was great to introduce them to the concept of freedom and all that our country stands for. Service to country will be a big part of my new job, but I generally tend to focus more on the humanitarian aspect. Needless to say, arriving in D.C., getting a look at the new building where I will be working and the essence of freedom screaming throughout the grounds of Arlington cemetery, made me never more proud in my life to be an American citizen and I'm fired up more than I could have ever imagined, to give it all I have! I can't wait to get started and have to say I'm proud to be a part of it! I have never been more honored, than to be a representative of this, THE BEST country in the world!
I mean really, how can any U.S. citizen NOT come to D.C. and NOT get fired up about the USA! It was a privilege to share such loyalty and enthusiasm with my boys! And they embraced it with all they had! I think now we're ready (well after a bit here in D.C. we will be at least) to now learn about what "true" freedom really is as we explore the world and what is so special about the U.S. compared to other countries. Just a prediction, but my guess is we will only become more and more thankful and blessed to be Americans!
GOD BLESS THE USA!!
We are VERY Happy to be here in D.C and even more happy to be Americans . . . Let the journey begin . . .we're ready!!!
I mean really, how can any U.S. citizen NOT come to D.C. and NOT get fired up about the USA! It was a privilege to share such loyalty and enthusiasm with my boys! And they embraced it with all they had! I think now we're ready (well after a bit here in D.C. we will be at least) to now learn about what "true" freedom really is as we explore the world and what is so special about the U.S. compared to other countries. Just a prediction, but my guess is we will only become more and more thankful and blessed to be Americans!
GOD BLESS THE USA!!
We are VERY Happy to be here in D.C and even more happy to be Americans . . . Let the journey begin . . .we're ready!!!
Bye Bye Colorado and Hello D.C.
Last Sunday, we left Colorado bound for D.C. Our boys were absolutely great during the adventure, loving every minute of their first airplane ride (although it was really RJ's third time and he just couldn't remember)! I took notes on what worked and didn't as far as traveling with kidos, in preparation for the much longer flights in our near future. The boys are loving D.C. and their new school (they were only 3 days late for the start!).
Just before we got on the plane . . . .
Bye Bye Colorado (for now) . . .
Just before we got on the plane . . . .
Bye Bye Colorado (for now) . . .
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Bye Bye Bashie on Mashie!
We have had THE best neighbors we could have EVER asked for while here in Colorado. On Saturday, they threw us one of their renowned parties (one last time)! We had SUCH a blast! We will miss everyone here SO much and this will ALWAYS be THE neighborhood to top ALL neighborhoods. We love you guys and will be back to visit before you know it! Wink, wink . . . more bashies on Mashie! 
Friday, August 16, 2013
Why USAID For Us?
So sorry I haven’t posted in a while, things have been a little busy getting ready for the move. So, here’s a warning, this will be a little longer post than usual, to make up for some lost time.
The two main agencies with Foreign Service are the State Department and the USAID (US Agency for International Development). I’m a proud member of the USAID with the functional role (backstop) of Financial Management Officer (a.k.a. the controller/accountant). This is the U.S. federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. USAID provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States and operates in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. When crisis strikes, rights are repressed; hunger, disease and poverty rob people of opportunity; the agency acts on behalf of the American people to help expand the reach of prosperity and dignity to the world's most vulnerable. Some examples include:
• Investing in agricultural productivity so countries can feed their people
• Combating maternal and child mortality and deadly diseases like HIV, malaria and tuberculosis
• Providing life-saving assistance in the wake of disaster
• Promoting democracy, human rights and good governance around the world
• Fostering private sector development and sustainable economic growth
• Helping communities adapt to a changing environment
• Elevating the role of women and girls throughout all our work
I believe my interest for world humanitarian efforts really began a long time ago, when I had the pleasure of working in Puerto Rico and traveling to many of their Medicaid clinics throughout the island. It was the first time I realized how happy and fulfilled people where, even though they didn’t have much (remember though, Puerto Rico is not even a third world country, but rather a U.S. territory). The mothers would sit all day in these clinics, just for the chance for their children to be seen by the doctors. And they were so polite and appreciative.
A few years later, Rob and I were married in the third world country of Belize, and as we drove through the crumbling poverty stricken villages, again I observed how joyous and simple life can be without “things.” We observed children laughing and enjoying playing ball in the street, with no gloves and a hand carved bat made from what looked like a tree limb. How could they be having so much fun without real baseball gloves and bats? This type of lesson could rarely be learned, other than by exposure to other cultures, in different socioeconomic areas of the world. There is no classroom, not even the Ivy League, where this lesson could be learned, and we knew it was something we would want to share with our kids one day.
We came home from Belize with a desire to go back or help in other third world nations one day. We knew that although Belize was considered third world, it was actually better off than many other developing nations in the world (Rob had traveled to India for work and explained conditions there were probably ten times worse). But, I could barely comprehend it, as it was the worse conditions I had ever seen. I had asked Rob one day when we were in Belize, why all the kids were hanging out in the middle of the streets (they literally had to sometimes clear the way for us to drive through). He asked me, what are they going to do, hang out in their houses and watch TV? And then he pointed to a typical house, which looked much like what many Americans would call a shed (although my guess is sheds these days are actually nicer and larger than what they were living in and sheds most likely don’t have dirt floors). Oh my gosh, if that’s not an eye opener for a typical American, I don’t know what is! How many American kids do you think could survive life these days without TV, without video games, without a floor, without “things”? But again, let’s not forget, these kids were as happy as can be, which is what really intensified our desire to go back and help make sure they (and other kids just like them) had their basic needs met.
Although we had this desire for mission work, it was really put on hold until we had kids, and then we always knew we would go back to it, some way, somehow. In the later part of 2011, Rob started having concerns that his company might have to do some layoffs (the economy was not so good) and we lived in sort of the middle of the dessert (middle of nowhere, but stunningly beautiful) Arizona (sorry Havasu, but how else do I describe it?), with not many jobs in his field (IT/Program Management), so we began once again thinking out of the box, about maybe moving abroad and then somehow Rob (being a U.S. civil servant with the Navy in his past) thought hummm . . .I wonder how you get a job as an Ambassador, which led us to the discovery of the entire foreign service concept. Soon, we were following blogs of FSOs, which led us to discover USAID and we knew right away, that it would be a perfect fit for our passions, to help in these countries, while at the same time teach our kidos these invaluable lessons, that just can’t be taught in a classroom setting. And the rest is history . . . my personal application timeline looked like this . . . .
Applied January 2012
Oral Assessment September 11, 2012 (yes when the Benghazi attack happened)
Appointment as an FSO August 2013
Our entire family is just so excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to get started! Thank goodness, (to quote a great friend of mine) “our boys take after our adventurous side” and they ask about when we’re moving to D.C. every day! RJ has already asked when he will get the opportunity to learn a new language!
First stop for this new FSO family is D.C. for orientation, then on the job training, followed by (if needed) language training. We will be leaving Colorado next Sunday and it will be very bittersweet (we love, love, love it here). We found a terrific house in the suburb of Annandale, Virginia, not far from the boy’s school. They will feel at home again this year in the Montessori environment. When we go abroad, they will attend American International Schools.
Many folks have asked when we will know what country we’ll be assigned. In a future post, I’ll outline the details of the USAID bidding process, but basically, new hires are expected to be assigned their post sometime in April.
Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
The two main agencies with Foreign Service are the State Department and the USAID (US Agency for International Development). I’m a proud member of the USAID with the functional role (backstop) of Financial Management Officer (a.k.a. the controller/accountant). This is the U.S. federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. USAID provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States and operates in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. When crisis strikes, rights are repressed; hunger, disease and poverty rob people of opportunity; the agency acts on behalf of the American people to help expand the reach of prosperity and dignity to the world's most vulnerable. Some examples include:
• Investing in agricultural productivity so countries can feed their people
• Combating maternal and child mortality and deadly diseases like HIV, malaria and tuberculosis
• Providing life-saving assistance in the wake of disaster
• Promoting democracy, human rights and good governance around the world
• Fostering private sector development and sustainable economic growth
• Helping communities adapt to a changing environment
• Elevating the role of women and girls throughout all our work
I believe my interest for world humanitarian efforts really began a long time ago, when I had the pleasure of working in Puerto Rico and traveling to many of their Medicaid clinics throughout the island. It was the first time I realized how happy and fulfilled people where, even though they didn’t have much (remember though, Puerto Rico is not even a third world country, but rather a U.S. territory). The mothers would sit all day in these clinics, just for the chance for their children to be seen by the doctors. And they were so polite and appreciative.
A few years later, Rob and I were married in the third world country of Belize, and as we drove through the crumbling poverty stricken villages, again I observed how joyous and simple life can be without “things.” We observed children laughing and enjoying playing ball in the street, with no gloves and a hand carved bat made from what looked like a tree limb. How could they be having so much fun without real baseball gloves and bats? This type of lesson could rarely be learned, other than by exposure to other cultures, in different socioeconomic areas of the world. There is no classroom, not even the Ivy League, where this lesson could be learned, and we knew it was something we would want to share with our kids one day.
We came home from Belize with a desire to go back or help in other third world nations one day. We knew that although Belize was considered third world, it was actually better off than many other developing nations in the world (Rob had traveled to India for work and explained conditions there were probably ten times worse). But, I could barely comprehend it, as it was the worse conditions I had ever seen. I had asked Rob one day when we were in Belize, why all the kids were hanging out in the middle of the streets (they literally had to sometimes clear the way for us to drive through). He asked me, what are they going to do, hang out in their houses and watch TV? And then he pointed to a typical house, which looked much like what many Americans would call a shed (although my guess is sheds these days are actually nicer and larger than what they were living in and sheds most likely don’t have dirt floors). Oh my gosh, if that’s not an eye opener for a typical American, I don’t know what is! How many American kids do you think could survive life these days without TV, without video games, without a floor, without “things”? But again, let’s not forget, these kids were as happy as can be, which is what really intensified our desire to go back and help make sure they (and other kids just like them) had their basic needs met.
Although we had this desire for mission work, it was really put on hold until we had kids, and then we always knew we would go back to it, some way, somehow. In the later part of 2011, Rob started having concerns that his company might have to do some layoffs (the economy was not so good) and we lived in sort of the middle of the dessert (middle of nowhere, but stunningly beautiful) Arizona (sorry Havasu, but how else do I describe it?), with not many jobs in his field (IT/Program Management), so we began once again thinking out of the box, about maybe moving abroad and then somehow Rob (being a U.S. civil servant with the Navy in his past) thought hummm . . .I wonder how you get a job as an Ambassador, which led us to the discovery of the entire foreign service concept. Soon, we were following blogs of FSOs, which led us to discover USAID and we knew right away, that it would be a perfect fit for our passions, to help in these countries, while at the same time teach our kidos these invaluable lessons, that just can’t be taught in a classroom setting. And the rest is history . . . my personal application timeline looked like this . . . .
Applied January 2012
Oral Assessment September 11, 2012 (yes when the Benghazi attack happened)
Appointment as an FSO August 2013
Our entire family is just so excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to get started! Thank goodness, (to quote a great friend of mine) “our boys take after our adventurous side” and they ask about when we’re moving to D.C. every day! RJ has already asked when he will get the opportunity to learn a new language!
First stop for this new FSO family is D.C. for orientation, then on the job training, followed by (if needed) language training. We will be leaving Colorado next Sunday and it will be very bittersweet (we love, love, love it here). We found a terrific house in the suburb of Annandale, Virginia, not far from the boy’s school. They will feel at home again this year in the Montessori environment. When we go abroad, they will attend American International Schools.
Many folks have asked when we will know what country we’ll be assigned. In a future post, I’ll outline the details of the USAID bidding process, but basically, new hires are expected to be assigned their post sometime in April.
Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Friday, August 9, 2013
Foreign Service Hiring Process
USAID uses the Foreign Service classification system. The USAID Foreign Service Officers are not required to take the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT), but after that the process is somewhat similar to the State Department.
For me it all began on the usajobs.gov website, which is filled with all sorts of information about the Foreign Service, the different positions and the current open position. You can apply for an open position, it requires you write multiple answers to questions on experience related to several skills.
If you are selected, somebody will contact you and invite you for an interview in Washington DC (I did this on September 11, 2012 - almost 1 year ago). There are three components of the interview when you get there - a Case Study (this requires you writing a memo in response to a case situation relevant to the position), a Group Exercise (this one can be a little awkward, as you are required to develop a solution to the case study with the candidates you are competing against) and a Structured Interview with a panel made up of a Human Resource person, a Foreign Service Officer, and a Technical expert. After the Oral Assessment Interview I went home and waited for almost a month to receive a response on whether I was accepted. They followed up with references provided and the package of your scoring from the interview, your experience, and your reference responses will be forwarded to a final panel for determination.
Security/Medical Clearance Process
The successful candidates will begin a pre-employment process. You need to obtain a Top Secret Security Clearance and Medical Clearance. Expect the process to take several months.
Final Suitability Review/Position Availability
Once these hurdles are cleared, you will be on the register or list of eligible candidates. Cleared candidates are grouped by their backstop and then often rank-ordered. A panel then reviews the eligible candidates and makes a selection on those to appoint.
Here is a link to a forum where people discuss the USAID Foreign Service:
http://federalsoup.federaldaily.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4834&PN=1&title=usaid-junior-officer
The State Department hiring process is fairly similar. The main exception is the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) as the first step to the process. After passing the OA, the process is the same as USAID.
The process is explained on their Website: http://careers.state.gov/officer/selection-process
State Department's positions are more general. State has 5 main career ladders or "cones". Every cone though will have to do a tour or two doing Consular work which means issuing visas for foreigners or assisting Americans abroad.
FSOT & Language Test While filling in your basic information in the application, you will also have the opportunity to indicate whether you have any language capabilities. After completing the application, you have to select a test date to take the FSOT.
After taking the test, if you indicated you had a language skill, you may be requested to do an over the phone language test as you will receive bonus points to your score in the end if you pass the OA.
Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP) If you pass the FSOT, you will be invited to the QEP stage. There will be questions on experience and you will have to provide a short answer response on that. After providing your response to these questions, your file will be sent to the Board of Examiners and they will categorize you based off your selected cone and review candidate profiles based off their QEP responses, their FSOT score, language proficiency, etc. This will take another month or two.
Oral Assessment (OA) There are three components: the Group Exercise, Case Study, and Structured Interview. After the day of testing is complete, State provides immediate feedback of whether you will move on or not. Candidates will be placed in a room and called out. If you are not successful, you will be greeted by two of the examiners and be given a file with your results for the day and be given the chance to ask any questions.
If you are successful, then you will begin the clearance process and eventually be placed on a register for eligible hires.
The process is explained on their Website: http://careers.state.gov/officer/selection-process
State Department's positions are more general. State has 5 main career ladders or "cones". Every cone though will have to do a tour or two doing Consular work which means issuing visas for foreigners or assisting Americans abroad.
FSOT & Language Test While filling in your basic information in the application, you will also have the opportunity to indicate whether you have any language capabilities. After completing the application, you have to select a test date to take the FSOT.
After taking the test, if you indicated you had a language skill, you may be requested to do an over the phone language test as you will receive bonus points to your score in the end if you pass the OA.
Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP) If you pass the FSOT, you will be invited to the QEP stage. There will be questions on experience and you will have to provide a short answer response on that. After providing your response to these questions, your file will be sent to the Board of Examiners and they will categorize you based off your selected cone and review candidate profiles based off their QEP responses, their FSOT score, language proficiency, etc. This will take another month or two.
Oral Assessment (OA) There are three components: the Group Exercise, Case Study, and Structured Interview. After the day of testing is complete, State provides immediate feedback of whether you will move on or not. Candidates will be placed in a room and called out. If you are not successful, you will be greeted by two of the examiners and be given a file with your results for the day and be given the chance to ask any questions.
If you are successful, then you will begin the clearance process and eventually be placed on a register for eligible hires.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Foreign Service, What the Heck is That?
According to Wikipedia, A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As Diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions, though some receive assignments to combatant command, Congress, and educational institutions such as the various U.S. War Colleges.
FSOs of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Broadcasting Board of Governors are selected through processes specific to the hiring agency, and follow career tracks separate from those of State Department FSOs. For example, within USAID, there are multiple technical "backstops" including:
Agriculture
Contracting
Crisis Stabilization and Governance
Economic Growth
Engineering
Environment
Executive
Financial Management
Legal
Population, Health and Nutrition
Private Enterprise
Program/Project Development
Most leadership roles at U.S. embassies are filled from the ranks of career FSOs. Normally, about two-thirds of U.S. Ambassadors are career Foreign Service Officers primarily drawn from the Department of State, although all five foreign affairs agencies have produced Ambassadors from time to time. Almost all of the remaining third are political appointees, though a handful of State Department Senior Executive Service personnel have received Ambassadorships. FSOs also fill critical management and foreign policy positions at the headquarters of foreign affairs agencies in Washington, D.C.
FSOs of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Broadcasting Board of Governors are selected through processes specific to the hiring agency, and follow career tracks separate from those of State Department FSOs. For example, within USAID, there are multiple technical "backstops" including:
Agriculture
Contracting
Crisis Stabilization and Governance
Economic Growth
Engineering
Environment
Executive
Financial Management
Legal
Population, Health and Nutrition
Private Enterprise
Program/Project Development
Most leadership roles at U.S. embassies are filled from the ranks of career FSOs. Normally, about two-thirds of U.S. Ambassadors are career Foreign Service Officers primarily drawn from the Department of State, although all five foreign affairs agencies have produced Ambassadors from time to time. Almost all of the remaining third are political appointees, though a handful of State Department Senior Executive Service personnel have received Ambassadorships. FSOs also fill critical management and foreign policy positions at the headquarters of foreign affairs agencies in Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Why the new blog?
Yippeee! Yesterday our family accepted an appointment to join the U.S. Foreign Service and the worldwide diplomatic community. I’m becoming a career diplomat, Foreign Service Officer and our family will 1st move to the D.C. area for training (for about a year or more) and then to different posts (embassies) throughout the world. We love, love, love the Denver area and have lived a lot of great places (yes we’re already gypsies!) and have met so many amazing friends and family (a.k.a. the neighbors of Mashie Circle and the Life Group of Calvary Baptist), so it will be difficult to leave the comforts of our suburban home and lifestyle for an “Address Unknown.” Follow the blog (subscribe to the posts by entering your e-mail on the right), strap on your seat belts, sit back and enjoy an adventure around the world with us. It’s bound to have lots of ups and downs, interesting times, trying times, scary times, happy times, dangerous times, and other times we can’t even fathom; but you’ll see, it’s all for a terrific cause of service to man and country. It’ll be a physical as well as spiritual journey and we can’t wait to get started with you! After all, let’s not forget, the quote by Roman author Pliny the Elder “Home is where your heart is!”
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