You mean this is actually happening?

I think this whole thing is finally starting to sink in.  I've been wanting to do this for so long, and it took so long to actually do it, the foreign service was less a reality than a slight buzz in the background.  I can pinpoint the moment that it started to hit me.  I was one of the foolish early adopters of the iPhone, and am thus stuck with a buggy and slow relic compared to the pretty shiny things with video and 3G and corkscrew and flare signal and whatnot built into them.  Checked out my local Apple store, and - I should've known - to make it financially reasonable I would have to enter a new two year contract.  Aah, but you see, I'll be overseas within that two year time frame.  And that's when the reality hit me, I could be anywhere but here one year from now.  And by here I mean the United States, and by there I mean ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.  Which from my perspective is pretty cool, if not a little unnerving during my weaker moments. 

And FYI - you can escape your iPhone contract if you are called up by the military, but not if you're called up by the Foreign Service.   And even if you're called up for military service, the iPhone contract will restart upon your homecoming.  However, the scoop from the consumerist is that you can claim any change in fees, such as price per text, can be the basis of a materially adverse change claim that can release you from your contract.  

Two other bits making this real: tomorrow is my last day as a Deputy District Attorney, and as a practicing lawyer.  Second, I got that packet of forms I've been waiting for.  A little disappointing, there were no great revelations in the FedEx envelope.  Just your average hum-drum HR crap.  Benefit elections, health insurance options, blah blah, snooze. 

Going to Boston tomorrow night for a wedding.  Congrats Honah and Checkers!  Looking forward to it.  Then it's back on Monday and the beginning of the surely stress free (right?) moving process.  Ciao for now.

Signed, sealed, delivered

It had been a while since I received my offer via e-mail.  Being a lawyer and expecting signatures and paper, I was starting to get a little nervous.  You don't actually sign anything until you get your salary determination.  This was taking a while because of the hiring surge.  They're stacking up the A-100 courses; the 148th and the 149th are only 6 weeks apart.  So the two HR specialists - yes only two for the whole corps of entering junior officers - are busting their asses to get everything going, and much of the paperwork is getting out a little slower than usual.  But I finally got my salary determination, and attached was a memo I signed and sent back committing to the Foreign Service.  Phew.  Now with a paper trail, I can put my mind to rest.

A good thing too, since pretty much everyone at the courthouse (less the defense bar) knows that I'm off to Virginia.  I thought folks might get upset, because I haven't been at the office very long.  And worse, it was a competitive hiring process, so I took someone's spot and then promptly left it.  But no one's pissed; some have even expressed pride and admiration for what I'm doing.  Of course they all think I'm actually going into the CIA, but still.  I guess it really hasn't hit me that this whole diplomacy thing is kind of a big deal.  I mean, hey, I get this neat job where I get to live overseas.  But it's more than that.  You know how they say when you go overseas you're representing the U.S.?  Well hell, I REALLY WILL BE representing the U.S. overseas.  Maybe after seeing how positively people are reacting at my current job, I'm starting to realize the gravity of the situation.  Because they might say that they're proud of what I'm doing.   But what they're really saying is, "Don't fuck up." 

Pulling the trigger

Told the boss yesterday that I'll be resigning my position, although it's not official until my formal resignation letter makes its way up the flag pole.  I'm currently a prosecutor for the County of Los Angeles, and we rotate between the courts in the county on a semi-regular basis.  I was scheduled to rotate next on October 12, making my last day the 9th at my current court.  I was hoping that a month's notice would be enough such that they wouldn't have assigned me to a follow on position.  Usually they don't have your next spot until a couple of weeks before the transfer.  This way I wouldn't be leaving any staffing gaps.  But just a few hours after dropping the resignation bomb, my transfer order came down from downtown.  Turns out the transfer was going to be a week earlier than expected, so now my last day of work will be 10/2. 

My boss took it very well even though my tenure at the office was pretty short.  Profuse congratulations and all that.  Still need to keep things on the QT; if the defense bar gets wind of this they'll hound me for crazy good offers.  "But you're leaving anyway, can't you cut me a break, waah, waah, waah, etc, etc."  So three weeks left, and of course I have a back log of trials that are all going to go forward in that time.  Work's going to be crazy, a little good-bye present from the criminal defendants of the county.  Uggh.

As for word from State, still on a holding pattern.  I've submitted my resume and current pay records so they can make a salary determination.  Given my current salary and education, I should be a FS-5, step 14, but we'll see.  I probably should've gotten it by now, but the HR person running the political folks is swamped getting the September class moved in.  Likely will get it Monday.  Also jonesing for my appointment packet.  Somehow it doesn't feel real until I see some paper.

The 149th A-100 has a web board set up, and we've all been introducing ourselves via the intertubes.  I must say I'm mightily impressed by the variety of backgrounds and inviable credentials of my fellow class members.  Can't wait to meet them all in October. 

Till then it's back-to-back trials, nervously awaiting my salary determination, filling out mountains of paperwork, and finding a place for me and my dog to sleep in the D.C. area.

It begins . . .

The starting entry on a blog (my first) is an awkward bit, so I'll just get into it. I've signed up for the foreign service, starting the A-100 course on 10/26. Let's hear it for the Fighting 149th! The intent is to use this blog to track the foreign service life, assuming I muster the discipline to post on this thing. But I gather the diplomat's life is an interesting one, so I should post just enough to keep friends and family up to date. I also hope to enlighten those interested in the foreign service, who may or may not be obsessively scanning the googlespace for any hint or detail about becoming - and life as - a Foreign Service Officer.

But first the story thus far. Up until a week ago I was one of those obsessive scanners. The foreign service is something I considered first back in high school. Since then I stumbled my way through college, with some interludes as a bike messenger, movie projectionist, and a few tours in the Army. (enlisted, 96B, SFOR and OIF for those in the know). Somehow I manged to get my butt into law school. From there I got caught up in the stampede to white-shoe law firm jobs (aka BIGLAW), and found myself in a nice office for a respected firm in L.A. as a litigation associate. Hated it. Got out, looking for public sector work. Took the foreign service test, not for the first time, and passed. In the year plus from taking the written test to today, I took up a job as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles DA's office. They might not be happy to learn that I will be leaving them shortly, but for now what they don't know won't hurt em.

I might post later on the selection process, but for now I commend to the reader the Guide to the Foreign Service Exam at thehegemonist. There are also yahoo groups for those waiting to take the FSOT (the written test), the FSOA (the oral test), and for those waiting to be invited into an entering A-100 class (the orientation course for all FSOs). For the record, I took the FSOT back in July 2008, and was invited to the FSOA in February 2009. I passed with a 5.9, plus an additional .175 for veteran's preference. A great score, but it was my second crack at the orals. I think knowing what to expect put me at an advantage. The score put me pretty high on the political register, but still one must patiently wait until the security and medical clearances are granted. I patiently waited until August 31, 2009, when I finally finally FINALLY got "the call."

Now it's more hurry up and wait. They're in the process of determining my salary, which takes into account education and years of professional experience. They will also match your salary to a point, but they won't go over the salary for a step 14 in your particular grade. I should be getting a FedEx sometime after labor day chock full of paper work. Until then I have a birthday party to go to tonight. No trials set for the week, so it'll be pretty light at work.