Ten Years

Ten years. Three thousand, six hundred and fifty two days.

I can't believe it has been ten years since I walked into the Foreign Service Institute for the first time, found my way to that classroom that was not nearly large enough for the nearly 100 of us us over eager, uber keen, bright eyed and enthusiastic new diplomats.

I remember how nervous we all were, many (most, all?) of us feeling out of place among such over achievers. Wondering if we belonged. Wondering if we'd make it. Wondering what that future, and the world, held for us.

Wondering if everyone else felt as uncomfortable as I did in a suit!

A lot has happened in that ten years.

At times it has flown. At times it has crawled.

There have been times I couldn't believe they paid me to do this job and times I didn't feel they paid me enough to do this job.

 There have certainly been plenty of times when I contemplated leaving the service. By my count, about five percent of my orientation class did just that.

But mostly, I feel glad to have found this career and privileged to serve the country this way (even when the country doesn't seem to appreciate that service). And I am glad to work for an organization that treated us like a tandem before it could say so legally, and treated us like an official tandem even before the so-called Defense of Marriage Act was overturned. And I am glad to work for an organization that now advocates for LGBT rights world wide. And they pay me to be a part of that.

Which is pretty cool.

So happy 10th anniversary to the 118th A-100! We have made it halfway!