Wednesday, September 30, 2009

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.

2 comments:

  1. Congrats on joining the service. I have added a link to you to my blogroll of FS blogs at http://lifeafterjerusalem.blogspot.com

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  2. Anywhere but here is indeed an exciting prospect. Congrats, and good luck with the moving fun.

    It was great to see you! Glad I found your blog.
    -Rena

    P.S. Throw some info in about the fabulous/bizarre culinary offerings of wherever you land, from time to time, would you?

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