A Letter from AFSA

This is an email sent out by our "union," which eloquently states many of the concerns both I and many of my collegues have voiced. The bolding is mine.


AFSANET: Implications of Directed Assignments: October 30, 2007

This is an update from AFSA President John Naland:

On October 26, 2007, the Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources, Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr., announced to the news media (and later to employees via an ALDAC cable) that the well has finally run dry of State Department Foreign Service volunteers to serve in the war zone in Iraq. He announced that, if volunteers
could not be found for 48 remaining positions by November 12, then directed assignments would begin.

AFSA regrets this fateful turn of events. From 2003 through 2007, over 2,000 career Foreign Service members volunteered to serve in Iraq. Now, with the Foreign Service facing a fifth rotation into Iraq, the addition of 80 new positions to fill next summer at the giant U.S. mission in Baghdad and the expanding Provincial Reconstruction Teams around the country has pushed the strain on our ranks to the breaking point.

While there are many Foreign Service members who have not (yet) served in Iraq, only a small fraction possesses the regional, language, or other expertise that Ambassador Ryan Crocker says that he needs. And many members in that reduced group are now at, or have recently returned from, some other hardship assignment.

With 68 percent of the Foreign Service already “forward deployed” in 189 foreign countries (compared to 21 percent of the uniformed military stationed abroad), the Foreign Service has no bench strength with which to surge more personnel into Iraq. The State Department’s own September 2007 staffing data show a 1,015 position operational staffing deficit in the Foreign Service, plus an additional 1,079 position deficit in training and related needs. This 2,094 position deficit is documented in a blue-ribbon report released on October 15 by the Center for Strategic & International Studies

Yet, despite this huge deficit between the State Department’s mission and the resources available to carry out that mission, the Administration is seeking to add just 254 new positions in its still-pending FY-08 budget request. The prospects are uncertain for Congressional funding of even that inadequate request. That comes on top of Congressional refusal to fund 100 positions in FY-07 and 221 additional positions in FY-06 to narrow worldwide staffing gaps.

All of these factors have combined to deplete the well of potential Foreign Service volunteers for Iraq. Nevertheless, AFSA repeats its call for any Foreign Service member who has been considering a tour in Iraq to volunteer now. We also repeat our call for Foreign Service retirees with Middle East experience, particularly those with Arabic-language skills, to consider serving in Iraq. For both groups, the financial and other benefits are substantial. Obviously, there are also substantial physical and emotional risks.

At the same time, AFSA stands by our position that directed assignments of unarmed Foreign Service members into the war zone in Iraq would be detrimental to the individual, to the post, and to the Foreign Service as a whole.

This position has been questioned by some who point to the Foreign Service record during the Vietnam War. However, most Foreign Service veterans of that conflict with which AFSA has consulted draw sharp distinctions between Vietnam and Iraq. Without minimizing the courage
and sacrifices of their colleagues and themselves 40 years ago, they report that Saigon (except during the 1968 Tet Offensive) was rarely as dangerous as Baghdad has been and that the Viet Cong rarely targeted CORDS (Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support) personnel in the way that PRT members in Iraq are being targeted. They also note that the State Department today gives Iraq-bound Foreign Service members only around two weeks of pre-deployment training compared to the four to six month comprehensive training regimen provided to Vietnam-bound diplomats.

All this serves to underscore the remarkable dedication of Foreign Service volunteers in Iraq since 2003. The same is certainly true for Foreign Service volunteers in Afghanistan.

Thus, while AFSA acknowledges that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has legal authority to order Foreign Service members to Iraq, we continue to urge the State Department to find ways to staff a right-sized Embassy Baghdad with volunteers. Those ways, as AFSA has long suggested, could include substantially increasing the Involuntary Separate Maintenance Allowance, creating special incentives for those willing to serve two-year tours in Iraq, and actively recruiting Foreign Service retirees willing to serve in Iraq.

The announcement of directed assignments to the war zone in Iraq is a further blow to Foreign Service morale that is already depressed by a widely shared conclusion that the Administration in recent years has paid inadequate attention to securing the resources that diplomats need to
advance America’s vital interests worldwide.

In the online opinion survey of active duty State Department Foreign Service members being conducted by AFSA State Vice President Steve Kashkett (it began in mid-October and will run for one more week after which AFSA will report full results), only 15 percent of the over 3,700 respondents to date say that they believe that the Administration is doing a good job of securing resources for the Department. Only 12 percent believe that the Administration is doing a good job of convincing Congress to correct the overseas pay disparity. Only 20 percent believe that the Administration is doing a good job of defending the Foreign Service. This lack of support arguably weakens the State Department’s moral authority to order unarmed diplomats to serve in
the war zone in Iraq.

In the survey, a striking 45 percent say that “developments in the last few years have made me less likely to remain in the Foreign Service for a full career.” That last statistic is higher among entry level employees. AFSA has a request pending for updated Foreign Service attrition statistics.

The poll also shows that 68 percent of respondents oppose directed assignments to Iraq. And that snapshot of survey results was taken before directed assignments changed from being a future possibility to an immediate probability. In the last few days, AFSA has received an
avalanche of e-mails from members, many expressing hurt and disbelief that they and their families learned about this life-and-death announcement last weekend via the news media instead of directly from their employer.

In the days ahead, AFSA will continue to speak out on behalf of the Foreign Service on the issue of directed assignments to Iraq. In doing so, we will be guided by our responsibilities as the voice of the Foreign Service. We will also be guided by our new survey results showing that two thirds of respondents want AFSA to be more vocal and assertive, even at the cost of more friction with Management (one percent of respondents want us to be less vocal and assertive).

To conclude, AFSA salutes the over 2,000 career Foreign Service members who have volunteered since 2003 to serve in the war zone in Iraq. We encourage any Foreign Service member who has been considering a tour in Iraq to volunteer now. We also continue to strongly urge the State Department to find ways to staff a right-sized Embassy Baghdad with volunteers.

If only I'd had my camera!

As much as I dislike the overnight shift, there is something that is always stunning about seeing DC in the early morning sun after having been up all night.

This morning, though, I got a special treat. As I was heading across Memorial Bridge toward Arlington cemetery on my way home at about 8 this morning, I spotted a bald eagle flying across the bridge and down the Potomac River. And just behind it, there was another! A pair of bald eagles flying together!

Probably best I didn't have my camera...I nearly wrecked without one!

Still Don't Know...

...if I have dodged the bullet. The emails that were to be sent around identifying the "prime candidates" for the Iraq positions today didn't go out. Supposedly we will hear tomorrow.

Seems like most folks are pretty upset about the way we were "notified." The cable telling us about all this went out after close of business Friday and AFTER the press conference. That is really no way to treat people who are serving the country, people you are asking to put themselves in harms way, unarmed in a war zone.

What I Miss...

I have heard people say that overseas, they get really accustomed to having GSO take care of all of their maintenance needs. They get back to the states and have forgetten how to change a lightbulb.

Not me. Since returning, I have not only changed lightblubs, I have re-caulked my tub, installed a cabinet in the bathroom, assembled new bookshelves, ripped out old cable wire, and hauled away all the boxes from moving home. Yes, overseas, they would do all of that except the lightbulb!

No, what I miss is medical. M and I recently had some things we considered going to the doctor over, and I suggested we go to the nurse at work to get a referral. Nope. Not even a referral. And I had gotten used to the nurse being someone I could wake up in the middle of the night if I had food poisoning. Someone who would call in a prescription for antibiotics, or arrange tests at labs. Someone who would go with me to the hospital if need be. Someone who called to check on my after my apartment was robbed, and again after I was robbed at knifepoint. Someone I trusted. And now I have to find my own doctor?

So, Eliana, the list of what I miss about Jerusalem isn't a long one, but you are definitely on it!!

Iraq Bound?

If you read the Washington Post online today, you know that the department has decided to "direct" people to Iraq. We all knew this was coming...they just weren't able to get enough "volunteers" even with the incentive packages and arm twisting.

It is more likely that M will get forced than that I will, though I am not happy with either prospect. She got Arabic training and I got Hebrew, so she has the coveted "regional and language experience." Basically meaning that the Department is first sending people who have already volunteered to serve in the Middle East. Sort of makes me wish we had pushed for going to Europe. Silly us, we wanted to serve where the country needed us.

The article is below, in full. Do note however that saying that directed assignments have happened before because an entire class of junior officers was directed to Vietnam is a bit disengenuous. Junior officers are always directed on their first two tours. It is after those tours that officers have the expectation of not being forced into a job.

I suspect this will put a big damper on recruiting, and I know a LOT of folks who said they would quit if it came to this.

U.S. State Department enforces postings to Iraq

By Sue Pleming
Reuters
Friday, October 26, 2007; 8:14 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facing staff shortages in Iraq, the U.S. State Department announced on Friday that diplomats would have no choice but to accept one-year postings in the hostile environment or face losing their jobs.

In what is likely to be an unpopular move with staff, State Department human resources director Harry Thomas said about 250 "prime candidates" for vacant Iraqi posts would be notified on Monday of the decision.

He said they would have 10 working days to respond to the demand that they go to Iraq in summer, 2008, and only those with valid reasons such as a medical problem, would be exempt.

Until now postings to Iraq have been on a voluntary basis and often hard to fill.

"We have all taken an oath to serve our country and so if someone decides they do not want to go, then we would then consider appropriate actions," Thomas said in a conference call with reporters.

"We have many options, including dismissal from the foreign service," added Thomas, who returned on Thursday from a visit to Iraq where he assessed staffing needs for next year.

Iraq assignments will be handed out from November 12 until the U.S. Thanksgiving Holiday on November 22 but Thomas said he hoped that enough diplomats would step forward voluntarily.

Privately, many U.S. diplomats say they fear being posted to Iraq because of the risks of working in a war zone. In addition, it is an "unaccompanied" posting, meaning children and a spouse cannot accompany the diplomat because of the dangers involved.

Thomas said the State Department had made "directed" assignments before, such as in 1969 when an entire junior foreign officer class was sent to Vietnam and again in the 1970s and 1980s for some difficult African postings.

"This is not unique," he said. "Foreign service officers have always volunteered for their country."

Currently there are about 200 U.S. diplomats in Iraq who serve on a one-year basis and the staffing need would rise to about 250 for next summer, he said.

Thomas said about 1,200 State Department employees have already served in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in March 2003 and those postings have so far been on a volunteer basis.

He said there was an attractive financial package for those serving in Iraq as well as five recreational breaks during the year-long posting.

He did not believe the move would discourage people from joining the foreign service.

"After Google and Disney, we are the most popular place for people to work," Thomas said, referring to a recent survey that ranked the State Department in the top five places to work in America.

I Must Be Nuts...

Maybe I am nuts to think about leaving the Foreign Service and going back into archaeology. One thing the Foreign Service definitely affords you is the opportunity to see so much more of the world than you would likely see otherwise (if for no other reason than cost).

I was just looking at the photos I posted on my Facebook page and thinking about all the places I have been. I have scuba'd in the Red Sea. I have climbed Masada and Vesuvious. I have ridden a camel to the pyramids at Giza. I have been in the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque in Istanbul. I've wandered the streets of Pompeii and seen the Piata and the Sistine Chapel. I have hiked through Petra and seen the Dead Sea Scrolls. And I have lived where I had a good view of the Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem from my balcony.

How cool is that?

Overnights Again

Some of my collegues told us Watch newbies that working the Watch feels like constant jetlag...

Boy are they right.

I just finished two overnights, and I am feeling every minute of my 40 years. But on the bright side, I am getting sushi again tonight (let's hear it for having friends who are also sushi addicts!) and then I have four days off. The plan is to make some progress on my dissertation.

In other news, folks I have talked to about jobs I am bidding on are beginning to reach out to references I gave them. Which means, I hope, they are seriously considering me. I know the German desk has contacted one of my friends in Jerusalem, and the folks from the Balkans desks have gotten back to me wanting to know my ranking of those jobs. Both are good signs. I think I have a decent shot at being offered a good job this time. Maybe of having more than one good one to choose from.

Maybe I'll Stay

I've been giving a lot of thought to not leaving the State Department. I know that sounds weird. I was even asked at a job interview why I was considering leaving, when it was such a plum job.

There are no two ways about it. I was miserable in Jerusalem. And I spent a great deal of time searching USAjobs trying to find a job back in archaeology. But finding a job in archaeology that pays what I make now is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

But I realized the other day that I was thinking about how content I am right now. Okay, I am not wild about the shifts, but I am already 1/4 of the way through this assignment. And I do like my job. The work, especially when I am the Watch Officer and not the Current Intelligence Officer (that is more like being a copy clerk), is really interesting. I am learning A LOT. And as I am bidding and talking to people about jobs I am bidding for, I am realizing how happy people in my bureau, Intelligence and Research (INR), are. Many have done multiple tours there, some even converted to civil service so they could stay in INR permanently. And with the higher clearance I now have, I could also go work for other agencies if I chose.

I have also realized that I would enjoy any of the six core bids, or bids on jobs that are at cone, in grade (meaning in our career track (cone) and at our rank), that I have picked. Plus, there are a least another six jobs I am bidding on that are not core, that I think I would like. I am bidding on four desk officer positions for the Balkans and one for Germany, plus a press officer position for the Balkans, a consular press officer position, a job teaching the public diplomacy course, a job working with the legislature, two political analyst positions and one press analyst position. There is a staff aide position in INR I may bid on as well. And any of these jobs would be interesting.

Which is to say there is are a lot of places I can go in the Department and find interesting work. And the supervisors for all of these places seem pretty good.

So I have a good job with great benefits and interesting potential for the future. Add to all this that I love our condo, I love being in the states, and I love being here with M. Really I have a lot to be thankful for. We don't have to worry about bills. I can go to the dog park with Noostie. We are developing a network of friends here, including some of our best friends from Jerusalem. I am thrilled that outside of that pressure cooker, we all still like each other.

All of which is to say maybe I will stick with the State Department.

Which of course means I am milli-seconds away from being offered the perfect job in archaeology. But even if that happened, it is not a bad position to be in.

Bidding

I am feeling a bit better about the whole bidding situation, but it is still a major pain. It is hard to meet with so many people about so many different jobs and to keep track of it all.

I had two interviews of a sort today. Both went extremely well and I think I have a good shot at the job I want. But it is technically two ranks higher than me (hopefully only one once the promotion list comes out), which means they can want me but can't tell me with certainty that I will have the job for quite a while. And if someone of the right rank decides at the last minute that they didn't get the job they wanted and want this one instead, I would be screwed. Even if I am the one the office wants. Fortunately, I also think I have a good shot at my second and third choices, which would also be decent jobs. And one of them is at my rank.

Conundrum

When I got home from Jerusalem, I was desperate to find a different job. I had been miserable there and I really wanted to go back into archaeology.

I still want to go back into archaeology. I don't love what I am doing now like I loved archaeology. But that said, I am not miserable anymore. I like my job. I can foresee getting other jobs within the department that I would also like, and I think I have a good shot at them. And I am tenured, so not only do I have a really good salary and great benefits, I have job security. So I am not desperate to leave.

But I put in a number of applications when I first got here. And today I had an interview with a job I think would be fabulous - archaeologist for Mt. Vernon. It is a permanent position with good benefits. I'd get to teach classes, be out in the field...the folks there seem great. The area is gorgeous. Problem? Huge salary cut. Not as big as some of the contract positions I have seen, but close. They said upper 40s. I make a good bit more than that. I could take a salary cut, but how much and at what cost? I put a good bit into my TSP and IRA to plan for my retirement. I couldn't do that with that kind of salary cut. Well, not and keep our condo. But we wouldn't find a place around here all that much cheaper. And hell, I'm not sure we'd have enough to keep the condo even cutting out saving for retirement (which at my age is an admitted dumb idea if I plan to actually retire).

But my conundrum is, where do I draw the line? At what point do I say that being happy now is more important than the money. It isn't a simple question. On one hand, I am SO much less stressed than I was before I got this job because I don't have to worry about my bills. But on the other, I love archaeology and I feel like I have something to offer there. I don't feel special in the State Department. And because my mother died at 48, I know living to retirement is not a sure thing.

I probably won't take this job if it is offered to me. But as the amounts get a little higher, I have to think more and more. And I don't know where line is.

Where Were You?

I was in Chapel Hill, NC, sitting in a graduate anthropology class on chiefdoms six years ago today. We took a short break to go across the hall to our office and Theresa told us all the news. One friend's father was working at the Pentagon. Others knew people in NY. All of us were stunned.

I taught class that day and we mostly sat with the tv on and talked about the attack. In the days and weeks to come, I spent a lot of time thinking about what it all meant and wondering if archaeology was the best way for me to serve my country.

My first impulse was to join the military, but I shouldn't have to lie about who I am in order to serve. They shouldn't make me a security risk by forcing me to be closeted.

So I joined the State Department instead, where I could be open about who I am, and for the last three years I have served my country as a diplomat. I am proud of my service even when I am not proud of my country. But for all its flaws, it is still the best deal going, and having been overseas, I still think America does most things better than anyone else. I still think America is the best country on the planet.

But now, and maybe this is partly a function of turning 40, I wonder if I might better serve my country by going back into archaeology. By teaching people that our country's history did not begin with the landing of the Mayflower or even the various explorers before that. Maybe teaching people about my history, as an American Indian, is also service. Maybe reaching out to other Indians is a good way to serve as well, because we are part of the tapestry of this country and part of what makes this country strong.

I don't know what I will do. I like my job and I continue to be proud to serve. But I love archaeology. It is important to me to serve. I am just not sure how.

Slowly, Some Clarity

I am making some headway with the bidlist. There are some interesting desk positions that are pretty much at the top of my list (Serbia, Albania, Croatia) plus some analyst positions in that same area and in the Israel/Occupied Territories/Jordan area. I can't bid the analyst positions as "core bids," of which I need six, because core bids must be in cone and at grade. In cone means they must either be Public Diplomacy jobs (which is my cone) or Interfunctional. At grade for me means they need to be at the FS 03 grade (I am actually a grade lower than that, an FS 04 (lower numbers are higher ranks), but because I got tenure, I can bid 03 positions as core bids). So the analyst positions can be considered in cone because they are interfunctional, but they are FS 02. I can bid on them, but they won't count as one of the six bids I have to have. The desk jobs will, though.

Other jobs I am considering are slots on the nuclear task force (which would get me a year of Russian) and a position as the Deputy Director of PD Tradecraft, the PD training course.

And, the add a little something interesting to the mix, I spotted a job in academia that I would LOVE to have. It is an assistant professor of anthropology specializing in the archaeology of southeastern American Indians. The applicant needs to have experience in researching race, class and gender (I do), experience in public archaeology (I do), and have PhD in hand by August 2008 (insha'allah, I will). The timing of the job would even allow me to finish my job in INR so I don't have to leave them short-handed.

So who knows? Many possibilities.

It Didn't Help

The waiting is over...the bid list is out. So now I have verification of the jobs I thought would be there. And just as I thought, there are some really interesting ones. Too many. Not sure what to do.

I don't have to have my bids in until October, but I need to lobby for the jobs I want in the meantime.

And then of course, wait....until as late as January....for my assignment.

Just a Really Nice Picture

Not my kids. I just really liked this picture.

Bidding

I swear that sometimes (okay, a lot of the times), the State Department seems like a hurry up and wait sort of place. It starts before you join. You sign up for the written exam and then you wait to take it. You take it and wait to get the results (3 months I think for me). You get the results and then wait for the oral assessment (seven months). You pass the oral assessment and wait to get your medical and security clearances (mine took 2 1/2 months, but only because I have had a boring life! Some take 2 years!). Once you get your clearances, you wait for "the call" to join an A-100 (the orientation class). Depending on your score, that could happen quickly (I got an offer almost immediately, declined it and took the offer for the next class) or you could wait 18 months, not get an offer, and have to start all over again.

Then you wait for the bid list, wait for your assignment, wait for tenure, wait for promotion, wait for your bid list again. It is an OCD's worst nightmare.

And so here I am, less than a week after getting tenure and I am in the holding pattern for not one but two things...promotion and bidding. Promotion I will find out about around Octoberish. The bid list is due out next week. It is weird to be bidding so soon after starting an assignment, but my position in INR Watch is only for one year, and so it goes. Getting tenure opens up all kinds of options for me, because before tenure, you are only eligible to receive one full course of language (I got Hebrew...useful only in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, neither of which I want to bid on after living in J'lem for more than 2 years).

Now I can bid on almost anything at my grade, since I am now considered a mid-level officer (no longer a Junior Officer! Woo hoo!), including language. But what to do? There are some interesting Public Diplomacy (PD) jobs (my career cone is PD), but there are also some desk jobs. I just found out a friend is going to be the Deputy Office Director for Western Europe, and I wouldn't mind working for him. The guy I did my bridge assignment for in NEA/PD (Near East Affairs Public Diplomacy) is now handling PD in DC's South Central Asia (SCA) office, and he was great to work for. There are analyst positions in INR, which would be lots of fun, and then there are any number of overseas posts offering a year of language training before you go to post. This might be my chance to get Russian.

So bidding this time could be fun. Of course, once I bid, it could be as late as January before I actually get my assignment locked in...Sigh.

I Got It!

The tenure cable finally came out. I'm tenured!!

Tenuring Troubles

Yes, I am still waiting. Impatiently. I have been refreshing the ALDACS cable que every few minutes. And sometimes it won't refresh. Maybe between me and all my A-100 classmates, we have broken it.

Like I said before, lots of really good officers don't get it the first time around, and largely for reasons beyond our control. I think that is one of the most frustrating things about this process. They could deny you tenure the first time for not going to Iraq, or not doing our consular work, or doing too much consular work, or having only one boss or not getting a hard language...and we have zero say in whether we get any of that. Our first two tours are directed, completely at the will of the Career Development Officers (CDOs). And yet this decision is made as though we had some part in the decision-making process.

One of my classmates suggested they just tenure everyone who did a good job, since they know they will eventually anyway. A part of me suspects they don't do that because they need to be able to direct people to Iraq or passport duty, and they can't really force tenured officers to go.

The longer it takes, the more edgey I get. It got worse last week when several of my classmates, all of whom I consider good officers deserving of tenure, got emails from their CDOs saying they had been passed over for tenure this time. I am cautiously optimistic because I got an email from my CDO saying I would NOT be getting such an email from her office.

But you never know until the cable is out.

I think I'll go refresh the queue again.

How I'm Feeling when I am Working at 2 am...

Anticipation

I have been trying to convince myself that I didn't care if I got tenure this time around. In the State Department, tenure is basically the same as in academia. If you have it, it is really really hard to fire you. So its job security basically.

You get considered for tenure at the first tenure board that meets after your 3-year anniversary of service. That was March 4 for my class, and the next tenure board met in late May/early June. But it takes a while, usually a couple of months, for the results to come out.

And for most of that time, I haven't given it a second thought. But now that the tenure cable is due any time now, I can think of little else. In my head, I know that it is quite likely I won't get it the first time around. You have to get it within your first five years or they kick you out, but having what the boards want is like shooting at a moving target. So some of the best officers I have served with did not get tenure the first time around and it had nothing to do with them. Some boards don't give tenure to folks who had long-term language training, some only give it to those with long-term training. And some people just have the misfortune of having bosses who couldn't write their way out of a paper bag, much less do a good job on an EER. So it is a crap shoot.

But that said, I know if I don't get it the first time around, I am going to take it personally. I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. But I will. And what will be even more depressing is that those who get tenure this time get to go up for promotion immediately. But the promotion board, unlike the tenure board, only meets once a year. Sigh.

Shift I is Hard!

Let me tell you, these overnight shifts (they are called Shift I because they technically begin at midnight and so are the first shift of the day) are hard! It is 5:16 am and I'd REALLY like to be in my bed asleep!

Finally Getting Settled

I finally managed to get the condo in presentable shape, just in time for a friend to stop by after we had dinner together at the Indian restaurant down in Shirlington. This was just a few days after we went to dinner at the house of one of my A-100 classmates.

It is kind of interesting, seeing other people's places back in the states. Overseas, we basically all have the same Ethan Allen furniture and the apartments are chosen for us. So while we have some of our stuff with us, everyone's place seems like little more than a variation on a theme. Back in the states, you can see the apartment or home that people pick out for themselves and the kind of furniture they buy. It is sort of interesting to see how different a person's place is from what you might expect. And I wonder what folks think of our place. I wonder if our home looks like what people expect.

Dodged a Bullet?

Some of my friends from my A-100 class have started getting emails re-assigning them to the passport task force. Unless you have been living under a bridge, you probably have heard about how the State Department has a backlog of millions of passports that have to be processed. And since they don't have the people to process them quickly, and can't hire them quickly because you have to have a security clearance, they have been trying to get as many volunteers as they can to help out.

But of course, those volunteers can only work just so much in addition to their 40-hour plus work week, and lots of folks simply want to spend their extra time with their families, not processing passports.

Add to that the work is mind-numbing. I did it while I was in Jerusalem. You literally take a file, check to make sure that the paperwork matches what is in the computer, click to accept and transmit it, and stick on a barcode. Then onto the next file. Seriously mind-numbing. And I only had to do it occassionally to help out in ACS (American Citizen Services) because I was in visas (which has its own challenges, but is less mind-numbing than transmitting passports). I have a friend in Jerusalem who does several hours worth of transmittals a day. I fear for her sanity.

Anyway, they haven't gotten enough volunteers, so now they are drafting people. About to go to your new post? Nope, we need you for 2 months doing passports. Finishing A-100? Here is your assignment for the next two months. Doing an internship? Off to passports. Mostly, but not entirely, they are tapping more junior people who can't say no. Hence, they have gotten to my class. We aren't yet tenured, though we are up for consideration as we speak. And some of us who are coming off consular tours, and thus have training and experience (like me), are especially sought after.

I have gotten an email saying I could get an email assigning me to passports, but so far, they haven't (allhamdulillah!). And insha'allah, they won't. I like my job, and it is a critical needs position. Plus, if they took me out of the rotation, my collegues would be forced to pull more overnight shifts and it would be harder for them to get leave during the very months people like to take leave. I don't want to do that to them. I know my boss is fighting for me.

I hope it is enough.

Stuff!

The HHE finally it, alhamdulillah. But man is the house a wreck! Between us, we had almost 200 numbers. While a few of the numbers were pieces of furniture like bookshelves, most of those numbers are for boxes. So I literally have had to make pathways through the boxes. Last night, I had to clear a path to the bird cage!

On the bright side, I got a good bit unpacked, and I did discover that our parmasan cheese grater made it safely. I don't know how I lived without one (yes I do, I never used fresh parmasan. I always bought the canned crap).

I have to work this weekend, but I have a stretch of three days off next week, so I am hoping to make some good progress on the unpacking then. I unpacked enough yesterday to fill the dumpster with boxes and it still doesn't look like I made a dent!

Car Made It!

We got our car back today, though not in quite as good shape as when we sent it off. It looks like they either scraped against concrete on the back side or it was rubbing against the shipping container. It is rubbed down to the metal and will have to be repainted and have a new bumper. But it is fine mechanically and most importantly, it is NOT at the bottom of the Atlantic! You count your blessings where you can!


Poor scratched car!

Our HHE is here in DC (also not in the ocean...yay!), and we have it scheduled to be delivered next week. So insha'allah, we will have all our stuff here soon.

Now we just have to get tags for the car, but that will have to wait until Saturday when M is off. I got it inspected today, but I don't dare even get a car wash (and boy does it need it...we got a dust storm in Jerusalem after the last time I washed it there!) until we get plates!

Books!

One of the things I like about my new schedule is occassional weekdays off. Today was the first of those, and I got a lot accomplished. I was able to go to the DMV to renew my tags (though oddly, it was STILL crowded even though I went well before lunch) and was able to buy screws for my plates, a fire extinguisher, and a battery for the cordless phone.

But the biggest thing I did was get the office straightened out. I had put all of the book boxes in the closet, thinking it would be better to unpack the books once the rest of the books get here. I know we had our favorite, or at least most often used, books in Jerusalem. And I wanted to make sure we had space for them. Of course, we have several bookshelves in our HHE plus three new ones downstairs, and we will need the closet empty so we have room for the boxes when the HHE gets here. So today I dragged one of the older bookshelves upstairs and unpacked a bunch of boxes of books. At least nine I think. They were mostly my archaeology books that I had not deemed urgent for work on my dissertation exams, which is why they were put in storage. But I had forgotten how many really good books I have! And I love books...really, really love them. I don't think a house is a home without books. So now our home feels better, because there are books on the shelves!

New Beginnings

I've been remiss in writing. I kept meaning to talk about the trip to the Grand Canyon and then forgetting, being too tired, etc...

Anyway, the trip was awesome. The views are astounding and we were able to watch the sunset over the canyon (with a few hundred of our closest friends!). The whole trip was definitely what we both needed after our tour in Jerusalem.


Sunset at Yavapie Point

After our break (who knew 5 weeks could go so fast!), we are beginning new jobs in the department. So far, we both really like them. I am working in the bureau of Intelligence and Research (I could tell you what I do but then I'd have to kill you!) and M is on the Russia desk. For M, I think she is enjoying being back in her element since she specializes in the former Soviet Union. For me, I think the shifts will be hard, but it seems like morale in the office is excellent and the work is interesting. Unfortunately, the guy who recruited me for the office had his last day on Friday (everyone there adores him...he seems to be the usual combination of competent AND a decent human being!). The new guy was there last week training, and it seems like he is going to be good as well. I hear good things about him, and the PDAS said they vetted him heavily because they wanted someone who would keep the morale Ed built high. So I am cautiously optimistic.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying being home. Cayenne seems to like her new digs, and the other pets seem to really like the new furniture. I am finally getting things sorted out enough to be able to have the HHE delivered, should it ever arrive! Nearly every day I wish for something that is in it, like carpets and paintings to decorate the house, the special parmisan cheese grater, or the ironing board. Oh well, soon, insha'allah.

Together At Last

Cayenne, our African Grey parrot, passed the most important test of her life on Wednesday. It was the one given at the quarantine facility to determine if she had contracted bird flu while in Jerusalem.

She hadn't. Not that I was worried, but still. Having to get a bazillion forms of permission to get her back into the country left me less than confident that I would succeed in bringing her home.

And so I was able to go pick her up from JFK today. I'm exhausted from the whole ordeal, and not just today's part. But the important thing is that she is home, and so now our family (me, M, Noostie the border collie, Koshka and Pishik, the cats, and Cayenne) is all together in one place again! I can't tell you how happy that makes me.

I still need to write about our trip to the Grand Canyon and then out to Kansas. I will say for now that the jet-skiing and inter-tubing behind the boat were a blast!


Cayenne...the collar keeps her from picking herself

Canyon de Chelly

The winds died down and Canyon de Chelly re-opened. To go into the Canyon, you either have to buy tickets on one of the jeep tours led by a Navajo guide or have an SUV and hire a certified Navajo guide. We went for option one and took a jeep tour, since our SUV is on a slow boat from Israel.

We toured the canyon in an open-topped jeep with about ten other people. The canyon is full of petroglyphs and pictographs, as well as Anasazi ruins and Navajo homes and hogans.


Me and M at White House ruins

We also saw the site of the Navajo Fortress rock, a large butte where 300 Navajo held out against Kitt Carson for 3 months.


Navajo Fortress rock

The day ended on a sad note for me. My grandmother, my dad's mother, passed away this morning. She was 81 years old and had been blessed with seven children, twelve grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren who adored her. She and my grandfather got married a month after they met, were married more than 50 years before he passed away a few years ago and they loved each other very much. I know she is at peace and happy to join Granddaddy. But she will be terribly missed.

Monument Valley

Today we went to Monument Valley Tribal Park, which is located on the Navajo Reservation and straddles the Utah/Arizona border. We had planned to hike around the park, but the wind today was awful, making the area rival any of Jerusalem's sandstorms. In fact, Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de Shay) was closed today because the wind took out some trees. We are supposed to go there tomorrow. Hopefully it will be open.

So since the weather was too bad for hiking, we took the self-guided driving tour instead. Not as much exercise, but we still got to see some amazing views.


The road to Monument Valley


Monument Valley

Oh yeah, and today, we ran into a family of four Hebrew speakers, bringing the total I have run into in four days to eight. What gives? Did everyone follow me when I left? :)

Mesa Verde Pt. II

After the tour, we had lunch at the park restaurant and then walked down to the Spruce Tree House. This is the third-largest dwelling in the park (Cliff Palace and Balcony House are first and second), and honestly, the hike down was much more strenuous than the Cliff Palace. I found ladders much easier than the incline. Like Cliff Palace, Spruce Tree House was occupied from about 1200 to 1276. It had 114 rooms, eight kivas and housed about 100 people.


Spruce Tree House


M at Spruce Tree House

Some of the park's archaeologists were mapping the walls there, examining differences in construction techniques over time. There is a re-constructed kiva there that you can actually climb down into (it was by the kiva that I spotted the Hebrew-speaking couple).


Inside the Kiva

We finished by taking the Mesa Top loop. The road offers views of dozens of sites, including Cliff Palace. From the Sun Point overlook, I was able to spot at least seven different pueblos, including Cliff Palace, as well as the Sun Temple on top of the Mesa.


Oak House from the Mesa Top Loop

We are spending the evening in Bluff, Utah, population 320. It was established in 1880 by Mormons looking to colonize the Four Corners area and establish relations with the Navajo and Ute Indians. In town, the remnants of their original village can still be seen. There are several small independent motels here, though I am not sure why, and ours even has wireless internet access. From here, we will head to Monument Valley.


Historic Bluff, Utah

Mesa Verde

Okay, I am beginning to think I am being stalked. I mean seriously, Israel is a country of maybe 7 million people. What are the odds that I would run into two different Hebrew-speaking couples in three days about as far from Israel as I could possibly get? In fact, out in the middle of the desert in Arizona and Colorado? In their defense, neither couple seemed to notice me, but I am certain it is part of a plot to send me back to Jerusalem.

Anyway, we got up early this morning so we could head to Mesa Verde. Future Farmers of America was having a convention in Cortez, Colorado, and we feared that Mesa Verde would be filled with noisy high schoolers as a result (a fear founded in part by overhearing a chaperone at the restaurant where we had dinner last night saying she was taking a group out there). There were some teenagers at the welcome center when we got there, and as feared, they were pretty loud, but luckily we soon lost them.

The park is huge, and even the welcome center is 15 miles from the entrance! Two-thirds of the park have burned since 1989, so sadly much of the drive in is a combination of beautiful views and dead trees. I imagine the park was amazing before the fires, because it is still pretty amazing now. The highest point in the park has an elevation of well over 8000 feet!


Elevation sign at Park Point

By the time we arrived, all of the tickets for the first two tours of the Cliff Palace had been sold, so we go tickets to the 11:30 tour. The tour was described as "strenuous," which made us a bit nervous, but we went for it anyway. (A tour of the Balcony House was described as "adventurous, complete with a 12 ft tunnel to crawl through and a 60 ft. open face rock to climb...we opted to skip that one!). Since we had an hour to kill, we headed to the Chapin Mesa Museum.

From there, we went to Cliff Palace. The tour was not nearly as strenuous as we feared, just a few ladders to climb and a steep incline (you get more winded in the high altitude). And was it ever worth it! Cliff Palace, with more than 150 rooms and 23 kivas, was begun around 1210 AD, though the area was occupied by the Ancient Puebloans long before that. Construction was largely completed within 20 years. Only about 120 people lived there, and it is speculated that it was an administrative and religious center. No one knows why they suddenly began building above-ground structures to replace the semi-subterranian pithouses they lived in for centuries. What is known is that they didn't live in the Cliff Palace or similar dwellings for long, only until about 1300 AD. While there was a drought that began in 1276 AD and lasted until 1300, the guide told us that the site was never reoccupied and that it was only "discovered" by ranchers in the 1800s. That makes me think there was more to it than just the drought. At any rate, the palace is breath-taking.


View From Above Cliff Palace


Inside Cliff Palace

Chaco Canyon

I first heard about Chaco Canyon in I think 1994, when I was working for the Charleston Post Courier. My editor there told me about Chaco and jokingly told me I was never allowed to go because I wouldn't come back. Thirteen years later, I finally got the chance to see the place, and he was certainly not exaggerating.

Chaco Canyon National Park actually represents just a portion of the sites of the Chaco culture, with literally dozens of Chacoan Great Houses, which are large pre-planned multi-storied public buildings with distinctive masonry, formal earthen architecture and a Great Kiva, in the surrounding area. There are at least twelve Great Houses within the park, the largest of which is Pueblo Bonito.

We started out at Una Vida, which is located right behind the visitors' center. It was named by Lt. James Simpson during a military expedition to Navajo lands in 1849. Construction began at Una Vida in 850 AD and continued for more than 250 years, concurrent with construction at the other sites in the canyon. It has not had much excavation, and is pretty much a natural state of preservation.



Me on the slope above Una Vida with Fajada Butte in the distance

Next we visited the ruins at Hungo Pavi and then headed to Chetro Ketl. This is one of the larger Chacoan structures with a massive Great Kiva.It had about 500 rooms and 16 kivas, and underwent a major, 30-year construction phase around 1020.



The Great Kiva at Chetro Ketl

We finished the trip with a guided tour of Pueblo Bonito, the center of Chacoan culture and the largest of the Great Houses at more than 600 rooms and 40 kivas. Our guide told us that more than 85 percent of the site is original, with only about 15 percent having to be reconstructed. There is still wood that once formed roof beams there (desert archaeology makes me really jealous...the stuff that preserves in the dry climate makes the stuff we are able to recover in the Southeast seem sad!). In one room, the roof is still completely intact, including the straw covering! The Great Kiva there is massive, and even the smaller kivas are pretty impressive. Most of the rooms, however, had no ventilation and were therefore unihabitable. I wonder whether it was an administrative center and the inner rooms were used primarily for the storage of goods for use in the future. Of course, what can be known there is limited because when the place was excavated in the 1920s, none of the more than 100 thousand TONS of fill was sifted. In fact, it was dumped in a nearby wash, so all of the information was literally washed away. Today, we could have searched for the tiniest of seeds to see what was in the rooms. Sad.



One funny thing happened while we were waiting for the tour to begin. M was coming out of the restroom right as a little chipmonk ran out of the bushes. It saw her, and went to run away as she whispered to me to look. Just then, it turned around and ran towards her. She said, "It's charging me. Do you think it is rabid?" It stopped and staired at her, less than 3 feet from her. I said, "No, it thinks you have food." In fact, I am pretty certain I heard it demand, "Where's my cookie?" M didn't have any food to offer, so it turned and left.

By the end of the Pueblo Bonito tour, we were too tired to visit the rest of the ruins there. I can certainly see needing to stay for a while to see it all. One trail alone is 7 miles long and has lots of ruins to explore. But neither of us were up for that after a few days hiking in the desert heat! And we needed to save some energy for tomorrow's trip to Mesa Verde!

Oldest Occupied Community in America

We are having an awesome time on the trip. We are currently just outside of Albuquerque. Today we went to Acoma, the longest continuously occupied town in North America (since at least 650 A.D.). The town is still inhabited by the Acoma Pueblo people and is located on their reservation. They control the tourism there and they give great tours. Our tour guide was an older guy named Gary, a Vietnam Vet who lives on the mesa. He told us about the history of the place and in particular, of the abuses the Acoma people suffered at the hands of the Spanish. Particularly egregious is the history of the church there, which was built on top of the Great Kiva and ceremonial grounds by the forced labor of the Acoma. Those who died building it were interred in the walls of the church. Then when it was completed, the priest said they had to have a bell, and forced them to pay for the bell with four boys and four girls. There is a cemetery just outside the church, and there is a hole in the base of the wall to allow the spirits of the children, and 60 women who were seized after the Pueblo revolt, to return to the mesa. Many of the Acoma are accomlished potters, and so we bought a really nice seed pot with lizards on it. I saw another pot with bear paws on it, but it cost more money than I had on me in cash, and there are no ATMs or credit card machines on the Mesa! I did get the artists card, so I may send him a check and have him mail the pot to me. We also got a beautiful Pendleton blanket with a picture of Acoma on it, which M got me as as an early birthday present.



Acoma Pueblo with the church in the distance

After Acoma, we headed to the Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque and hiked up some hills covered with volcanic rock and petroglyphs. The mesa here was created by six volcanic eruptions about 130,000 years ago. The volcanoes are extinct, but as you drive toward the area, the fields along the interstate look like plowed up asphault from the eruptions. The petoglyphs at this site date to as old as 3000 years ago, though most are in the Rio Grande style, which developed around 1300 AD and continued until the end of the 1600s.



Petroglyph National Park

We finished up the day at the Pueblo Indian Culture Center and Museum. That museum is exactly what I wish the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian had been, the tribes' history told their way. It was very much about "this is who we are," whereas the Museum of the American Indian seems more like, "see, we are really still here in spite of colonization."

Tomorrow we are heading to Chaco Canyon, though it seems as though we may have to use some of the original, unpaved Indian roads to get there!

Petrified Forest

Today we headed from Flagstaff, where we overnighted last night, to the Petrified Forest, a huge national park in Arizona. The park is about 28 miles long and is the site of, you might have guessed, a petrified forest in the Painted Desert. We spent pretty much the entire day there. The views are absolutely amazing. There are also some pretty cool petroglyphs and other archaeological sites there. We walked two miles to see one of them, a rebuilt pueblo made from remains from the petrified trees. We also got to watch Zuni traditional potter Eileen Yatsattie demonstrate her work, and M bought one of her pots.




What'd that guy ever do to that bird?



I can see why it is called the Painted Desert

Montezuma's Castle

We aren't having great luck with airlines! Today, our flight to Phoenix on Northwest Airlines was delayed more than 2 hours. I think I heard them saying something about having to fix broken seats.

But at least we finally made it, rented a car and headed north towards Flagstaff. Our first stop was at a rest area, where we discovered this can be a dangerous place!


Warning Sign at the Rest Area

We stopped along the way to visit Montezuma's Castle. The castle, which stands in a cliff recess 100 ft. above the valley, is a five-story, 20 room dwelling. It is not related to the Aztec leader whose name it was given, but to the Sinagua and Hohokam peoples, who built it and lived there from 1100-1400 AD. Just west of it is a larger, but less preserved 45-room structure that was 6 stories tall. It was abandoned by the time the Spanish arrived, but the descendants of the people who lived there continue to live in the area.



Montezuma's Castle

Stuff!

Alhamdulillah! Our UAB was delivered yesterday! And better still, it was all intact! We now have some dishes, pots and pans and utensils, as well as work clothes. The cats now have a proper litter box instead of the Harris Teeter cheapie we bought at 2 in the morning when we finally got to DC, and we have some more sheets, towels, another shower curtain, our ipod radio and a decent tv. Life is good!

Of course, I paid for that good fortune by going to the DMV to register my Ebay truck (yes, I bought a truck in Ebay. What can I tell you? I am cheap.). I waited for over an hour only to be told that the bill of sale showed I owed $3500 (I don't) and that I needed proof of residency (challenging, since I am a legal resident of NC...because we are on government orders, we don't have to give up our residency in another state). Luckily, the condo is only about 2 blocks away, so I got the proof that I currently live here and had the dealership fax a letter saying the truck is paid in full. It took me until 5:45, but I have tags on my truck...at least for the next month. I have to get it inspected and get the emissions tested before June 30 to get my two-year tags.

This morning, our new king-size mattress and the double bed mattress for the spare room were delivered. Now the dog will be able to resume sleeping in the bed with us at night...there just wasn't room in our old queen bed for the two of us AND a border collie. So now Noostie is happy too!

Still Waiting

So today is May 28. That means that nearly a month ago, I packed out my UAB (unaccompanied baggage, or airfreight). That is the stuff that was supposed to arrive in 7-10 days after packout, the stuff you need immediately.

So why am I still eating with plastic utensils?

Because the moving company didn't manage to actually SEND our stuff that we packed out two weeks before we left until a week AFTER we arrived in the states. Our transportation tech tells us that our stuff arrived in customs at JFK on May 23 (though the transportation person in Jerusalem says it got to JFK on May 20). Either way, we MAY get our stuff by the middle of this week. That means May 30, a full month after we packed it out and well over two weeks after we arrived in the states.

Fortunately, I packed sheets, a shower curtain, towels and stuff for the pets in my suitcase. But there is still a lot that we need in that shipment, and I am beginning to get a bit peeved. After all, I packed it out early so it would be here when we got here. And since we leave on June 1 for two weeks in the southwest, if it DOESN'T arrive the middle of this week, we won't get it until we get back, which is right when we start work. And most of my work clothes are in the UAB.

And a final great irnoy and annoyance...our HHE (household effects), which was packed out a week AFTER our UAB, was actually put on a boat BEFORE our UAB was put on the plane. Nice.

Finally Home!

There are still a few boxes here and there, mostly because most of our bookshelves are in our HHE on a slow boat from Haifa so there is no point in unpacking the books. I also have a few boxes filled with paper, but the dumpster is full, so that will have to wait a few days. But finally, it is beginning to feel like we are home.

It first hit me last night, sitting on my old leather sofa watching tv with Pishik curled up in my lap, Noostie sleeping at my feet and M sitting on the chaise with Koshka perched behind her head, that we were finally home. I can't wait for the rest of our stuff to get here, but even without it, and even with the "issues" left behind by the tenant, the place is shaping up.

And as an added bonus, Noostie and I went yesterday to Towers, our favorite dog park, and several of our friends (her doggie friends and my people friends) were there, like we had never left.

Never Again On Delta

So my day from hell with Delta in JFK got even better. We went to check in on the 4 pm flight on Monday, the one they rebooked us on because the pets couldn't get on the noon flight, and they tell us that pets can't go on THAT flight. They offer to rebook us on the 6 pm flight or on the 5:30 shuttle from LaGuardia. But they said they didn't have the pets! They tried to blame ElAl...that was their standard thing, its ElAl's fault. But of course, it wasn't ElAl's fault. We got the pets from them, went through customs, and then checked them with Delta. When we couldn't get on the noon flight, Delta's folks brought them to us so we could check on them. But the supervisor said no, that had never happened, as though I was lying! So M told them to find out pets and give them back, that we would drive back. They finally found the pets and returned them to us, and at 6 pm, we left New York and DROVE to DC. Not with our luggage, mind you. They couldn't find that! We ended up getting it the next day. Luckily, it found its way to DC. What a nightmare.

Then we get home, and find that we have bugs! So today, we had the place fumigated. The tenants will be paying for that, along with a blind the broke, a mirror in the bathroom, and part of the countertop that they somehow scalded or something. Sigh. And just now, the ceiling started leaking from the condescation line of the AC. So we have an AC guy on the way....even bigger sigh. But you are right...at least we are home!

Stateside, but not yet in DC

Well, we are in the states, sitting in the business lounge at JFK. We managed to get Cayenne, our African Grey, on the plane at Tel Aviv (with a little luck and a LOT of hutzpa..she didn't actually have reservations, mainly because the travel agent the Consulate used, the one who did NOT win the contract to become our regular agent and therefore had no incentive to do a good job for me, also has the misfortune of being an idiot). Cayenne did fine on the trip. We got to JFK this morning at 6 am and had to sit and wait until 9 for the USDA folks to come get Cayenne. Then we took our bags through customs and checked them in at Delta.

Our flight to DC was late arriving, and when we finally boarded the plane, I asked the stewardess to check and make sure our pets made it on board. Oops! They tell the ventilation system on the plane was broken and they couldn't have the pets there. And they weren't going to tell us!!! They also didn't have our bags on board...so the plan was to send us on our merry way with no bags or pets and NOT TELL US!!!! They said they could re-book us on the 4 pm flight, the one our pets, and hopefully our bags, would be on. But they said we'd have to wait in the regular waiting area, not the business lounge, because we weren't flying business class to DC. Never mind that we paid a full business-class fare and that the only reason we weren't in business class on the DC leg ISN"T OFFERED! Anyway, we came to the lounge anyway, and of course we were actually entitled, but we are furious. And the poor pets...by the time we get to DC, they will have been in their crates for 24 hours.

And to top it off...the screen on the cell phone died...so now I can't see anyone's numbers or check messages. And I won't be able home now for at least another 4 hours! Sigh.

Almost Done

I can't believe I am almost finished. One more day, and I will be headed back to the states.

I have such a crazy mix of emotions. I am really excited to be going home, really anxious that I am forgetting something vital that I need to do before getting on the plane, and really sad that I am leaving behind some really good friends. This is one of the hardest parts about being in the Foreign Service. You make some really great friends and then you leave them. You know that with the Americans, chances are you will see them again and maybe even serve with them again. In fact, two of my best friends here will be back in the states within a couple months of my return and will be serving in DC. Another we are hoping will serve in DC next tour.

But you also make really good friends among the local staff. And many of them you will never see again. I plan to just keep hoping they will get sent to DC for training, which happens. Not a lot, but it happens.

In the meantime, I'm sick. One of my best friends here told me that at the end of your tour, especially at a high stress post like this one, you often get sick as your body relaxes, realizing you have survived it. I dismissed that...but boy was she right! Tonsillitis as an adult. Who would have thought? I remember having strep as a kid, and I have had sore throughts periodically throughout my life. I usually get them when I get a cold, though knock on wood, I am usually pretty healthy. But MAN! This hurts! I have been running a fever for three days, usually around 100 degrees. I think either my throat or my ability to delude myself is a bit improved today. If it doesn't make some rapid progress, that flight tomorrow is going to be MISERABLE!

My Crazy Neighbor Died

I think I have mentioned my crazy neighbor before. Not crazy as in "he annoys me" but crazy as in he's fine on his meds and call the cops when he is off them. Crazy as in believing that God talks to him through a stick he has with an amulet on top. Crazy as in believing that he is invisible when he has his prayer shawl on his head.

He lived in a shack across the street and the small field from me. The shack was reminiscent of the most squalid slum you could imagine, constructed of plyboards set loosely together with no electricity. I take my dog out to the field and he would often follow me around the field pointing the stick at me and Noostie. Once he threw the stick at a collegue who also used the field for her dog, and once another neighbor who didn't even know me stopped and kept an eye on him while I was in the field so the guy wouldn't hurt us.

When he aimed his stick at me like a gun, I called our security guys.

One of our security guys went by to talk to him, and it turns out the man is a retired piano teacher and has been living in the shack for well over 40 years. He thinks all his neighbors are Shin Bet (Israeli Security Services) spying on him. He doesn't like dogs because they see him when he is invisible. His and one other shack are the last pre-67 dwellings and they are grandfathered in. They can stay until the owners die or leave. The land actually belongs to the Queen of England.

I found out he died because I was home yesterday for the packout of my HHE (household effects) and saw them bulldozing his shack. The guy from the municipality told me the old guy had died. As crazy and threatening as he was, it still makes me a little sad. He added color to a very yuppy neighborhood, and I had wondered if he was okay since I hadn't seen him in a while. Now I know.

Going Away Party

T, one of my and M's best friends in Jerusalem, agreed to host a going away party for us (which is good, since I don't think I could deal with having so many people in the apartment when we are trying to pack!).

The turnout was awesome...who knew so many people liked us! Or maybe it was the free food and booze! But I have to tell you...I am too old to stay up that late very often!!




T and T, two of our best friends in Jerusalem and two we will certainly be friends with for life!

Packing Out and Checking Out

There is nothing like packing your UAB (unaccompanied baggage, or your air freight) to show you how much you have that you really don't need. The department gives each officer 250 lbs of air freight, meaning M and I together had 500 lbs. Of course, since we are not legally married, we had to create separate inventories, but in the end, that amounted to packing until they hit 250 lbs and then calling that mine. Then they packed the rest of the stuff. Even with last minute additions of stuff we could probably live without (mostly more clothes), we still came about 125 lbs short. I argued for thowing in some of the carpets or paintings, but in the end, we just let it go as is.

The problem with packouts it that it signals the end. And without my planning it, my brain said, "Oh, we're done." I am now finding it positively unbearable to be in the office, not a good sign with two weeks left. Fortunately, at least for the most part, I have plenty to do between now and the day we leave, most of it involving preparations to leave. So maybe I will succeed in not driving myself insane between now and then!

Thrift Store Treasures Part II

I got my table back from Sandrouni's today, and it came out better than I had hoped to imagine! I am really pleased with it. I kept saying over and over that it was perfect and George's wife said, "Michelle, why don't you compliment him a little!"

I took a picture of it, which doesn't do it justice.




Speaking of Armenian pottery, I went back to the consular section yesterday to have lunch with the FSNs there. Even though I really disliked consular work, working with them was awesome. To a person they are incredible professionals and fabulous human beings. Anyway, lots of folks transfer to political and never look back. But I didn't want to be one of those people. So I ordered lunch for everyone in the section, ACS and visas. And at the lunch, they gave me a gift, an Armenian tile serving tray that is just beautiful.

It occurred to me after the lunch that I am prouder of that tray than of all the awards I have received here. Because that told me that the FSNs valued me the way that I value them. Spending time with them is one of the things I will miss most when I leave post.

Work? What Work?

Okay, it isn't that I don't have any. It is that I can't focus on it!

How am I supposed to concentrate on work and plan our packouts (UAB and HHE) plus getting the pets to the vet and Ministry of Agriculture for their health certificates. And then of course there are going away parties, checking out to do (physically...the mental checkout happened long ago), arranging deliveries to the house in the states and quarantine for Cayenne...

And if that weren't enough, then there are all the plans for home leave...field school, seeing the nieces, touring the southwest....

Like I said, what work?

They Weren't Mad at Us

Monday morning, we noticed a lot of traffic in front of the Consulate, and several police vans had even taken some of our very limited parking on the Independence Park side of Agron Road. I asked one of our guards what was going on, and she told me a few thousand university students were down the road protesting at Prime Minister Olmert's residence over proposed tuition hikes (from 10,000 shekels, or about $2457, per year, to 15,000 shekels, or about $3685, per year). She said the police were not allowing them to move, so I went on inside to work.

At lunchtime, I was sitting with M and some other friends from work in the garden outside our little cafeteria (eating some yummy homemade sweet potato ravioli made by Netta, who runs the cafeteria) when we heard some chanting and yelling. We could see that at least 10 buses were parked in front of the Consulate, and protesters were chanting and carrying signs. I asked Netta what they were saying and she said they were chanting (The government is f*cked. There is no future without education." So we all ran up to the third floor of the Lazarist Building so we could get a better view (we have a wall around the Consulate so we couldn't really see them).

Once we determined that they were in fact the students protesting tuition hikes and not protesting against the US, I went out front with one of our security guys to get a picture. At that point, they were yelling that Israel should be MORE like the US, which pays (!) for students' educations. Are they kidding? Have they SEEN my student loan debt??




Student Protesters in Independence Park

Holocaust Remebrance Day

Today is Israel's annual Holocaust Remembrance Day. At 10 am, they sound an eerie siren and have two minutes of silence to honor the memory of the six million people who were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

The observance of the day began last night at sundown, when many cable stations stopped broadcasting and put up memorial messages. During the siren, which can be heard throughout the city, everything stops, even traffic. People stop their vehicles in the middle of the road and stand next to their cars for the duration of the siren.

Happy Easter

This year, Orthodox and Western Easter fell at the same time, something that doesn't happen all that often. Plus, Passover is also this week, meaning that the city is packed. So I didn't even attempt to go to Easter service in the Old City.

Below is a picture of the Greek Patriarch, Theopolis, celebrating Easter service. He is a contact of mine, since I do the religious affairs portfolio, and I have met with him several times. He serves cognac at the meetings (too bad the portfolio wasn't given to someone who drinks!) and he once gave me a book about the church's manuscript collection (which is really extensive). He is an incredibly nice man, and I have enjoyed working with him.

Ceremony of the Washing of the Feet

This is an amazing time of year to be in Jerusalem, particularly this year as Pesach (Passover) and Easter fall at the same time. And since I am handling the religious affairs portfolio, I have been invited to some of the events.

Today I went to the Ceremony of the Washing of the Feet at St. James Cathedral of the Armenian Patriarchate. The ceremony lasted about an hour and was amazingly beautiful, even if I didn't understand a word of what they were saying!

I went with the DPO (Deputy Principle Officer, or the second in charge at the mission). When we arrive, he said we were with the U.S. Consulate, we were escorted in led by a fairly high-priest and two staff-bearing accollites. The accollites hit the ground with their staffs on every second step in the way that they do when they are leading a high ranking priest around town, so we entered the church to a "thump - thump - thump." We were seated in an area designated for distinguished guest right next to a large raised stage. On the stage, initially concealed by a large tapestry, is the altar and the seating areas for the head priest (who oddly, was NOT the Patriarch), and 12 high priests (presumably to represent Jesus and the 12 Apostles). Each of the high priests wore a black monks robe with the hood pulled up and had wrapped around their shoulders a tan cloak emroidered with pink, green and black. The head priest looked like a Catholic bishop.

Immediately in front of the state, situated between the two sections of dignitary seats, was the area where a group of 13 young men positioned themselves and sang throughout the service. Again, there seemed to be one higher ranking and 12 lower ranking. At first I thought they were sitting, but partway through the service, I noticed that they were actually kneeling! My knees hurt for them, particularly when some started sittting back a bit. I noticed one refused to sit back, remaining on his knees and occassionally bowing his head as if to pray for strength to endure it. I also noticed that as they sang, most of the high priests sat stoically, almost as though they were bored. But one older priest, with a full greying beard, sang along with the young men, his eyes glistening as if he would cry from the emotion of it.

The climax of the service was the washing of the feet, during which the head priest removed his ceremonial garments, knelt and one by one, washed the feet of the high priests. Each priest, after having his right foot washed, bowed and kissed two relics on a small table next to the head priest. Some also kissed the ring of the kigh priest.



The church itself was amazing. According to Father Jerry O'Connor's book "The Holy Land," it was constructed in the 1100s. It is cool and dark inside, with old paintings long since darkened by the smoke of incense and glistening gold icons everywhere.

As we left at the end of the service, we shook hands with some of the priests, including one dressed in the plainest black robe - the Patriarch.

More on the Golan

From Banias, we headed to Nimrod's Fortress. The fortress was begun in 1227 C.E. by al-Moatis, the governor of Damascus to protect the road to his city. The fortress was expanded westward in 1230. In 1253, the Crusaders tried unsuccessfully to take the fortress. The fortress was conquered by Mameluke commander Baybars in 1260, and he awarded the fort to Bilik, his second in command. Bilik refurbished the fortress and constructed the largest tower there.



Nimrod's Fortress

Today we went to Rosh HaNikra, right on the Lebanon border. At Rosh HaNikra, the Mediterrainian has carved out "grottos" into the rock walls. You take a cable car down to the entrance and can walk through pathways along the grottos. There was a storm at sea so the water was extremely rough, but it was still beautiful.




A Large Wave Comes Through

Weekend in the Golan

Tomorrow is the first day of Passover, and a holiday here. So M and I took today off and made it a four-day weekend so we could take a trip to the Golan Heights. We had planned to take this trip last summer, but the Lebanon War made the area off limits. In fact, some of the rockets hit in Tiberias, the town on the Sea of Galilee where we stayed.

The first place we visited this trip was Bet She'an, the ancient city of Bet She'an Scythopolis and the best preserved Roman ruins in Israel. Settlement at the site began in the 5th millennium B.C.E. (a good location is a good location), and was subsequently inhabited by the Egyptians, Phillistines, Israelites, Assyrians, and Hasmonians before becoming one of the ten cities of the Decapolis under the Romans in 63 B.C.E. Under the Byzantines, it became a large Christian center of more than 30,000 people, and later declined following the Arab conquest. A devastating eathquake hit the area in 749 C.E., and you can still see the columns where they fell.



View of Bet She'an from the Tel

After we finished walking around Bet She'an, we headed for our hotel, The Scot's Hotel on the Sea of Galilee. The hotel is built on a converted hospital from the 1800s, with parts of the hotel being in the refurbished old buildings. All around are the remnants of the Roman occupation of that city.

On Sunday we headed first to the Banias waterfall at the Hermon Stream Nature Preserve. The waterfall is the largest in Israel and is magnificent. We would have done the hike to the other side, where there is a temple to the god Pan (Banias is a corruption of Panaes), but one of the park officials advised us to drive since it was raining off and on, making the path muddy and slippery.



Banias Waterfall

My Life Didn't Flash Before My Eyes

I was out in Ramallah for my ninth, and insha'allah, last, SecState visit. Although I had managed to have a different role last month, this month I was back to site officer at the Muqata in Ramallah because the guy who was supposed to be taking over that role (since I leave in 47 days) was on leave.

One the way home after an 11-hour day, we came to a back road that had three cars stopped in the road, blocking it completely. All three faced away from us, two at an angle and a truck with a type of camper shell on the back that allows people to ride back there in the middle. There was no way to pass them, and of course, that always sets off alarm bells.

As I watched the vehicles in front of us and wondered what the driver of our FAV (fully armored vehicle) would do, the door of the camper on the truck opened and the first thing I saw come out of the truck was an AK-47. I gasped out loud, and I am not sure I was able to think anything beyond "Oh shit." As he got out, I realized he was a Palestinian soldier, though his uniform was a bit different than the others you normally see.

Of course, he just got out and the truck pulled away. They weren't interested in us at all...they just were making sure that President Abbas' route to Jordan (he went there after the meeting) was safe. But for a split second there, I thought this was going to be a kidnapping attempt...and like I said, my life didn't flash before my eyes!

Thrift Store treasures and Armenian pottery

I confess. I LOVE thrift stores. It is probably because I am cheap, coupled with having been a starving grad student for so long, but there are few things that please me more than finding a good deal at a thrift store. Like my solid wood bookshelf that was $25. Or my solid wood wine rack with two shelves, one of which has glass doors, for $40.

One find I am particularly pleased with is a butcher-block kitchen cart I found a few years back for $10. We use it all the time...it holds the cookbooks underneath and the papertowel holder on top. So when I went to a friend's house last year for Thanksgiving and saw she had a similar cart with hand-painted tiles inlaid on the top, it gave me an idea.

There is a sizable Armenian community in Jerusalem, and one thing they are known for is their pottery. Each of us, when we leave the Consulate, gets an Armenian tile "tombstone" with our name and the dates of our service in Jerusalem on it. So I thought it would be cool to get some Armenian pottery tiles inlaid into my thrift store kitchen cart.

M and I went to Sandrouni's in the Old City today (George Sandrouni is one of the best known of the Armenian potters) and picked out a design for the cart. The design is one from an Armenian mosaic located just inside Damascus Gate (the gate in my userpic) of a variety of birds, including an eagle representing Christ in the center. The design below is what it will look like, though the colors will be different (lots of dark blue). Of course, I am spending far more on the tiles than the table cost, but when it is finished, we will have something really unique from our time here.

Israel Museum

We finally managed to go to the Israel Museum Saturday. While the museum has a lot of interesting stuff (though the archaeology section is closed until 2009), what it is best known for is The Shrine of the book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed.

They have a fair number of the actual scrolls on display. It was interesting to look at them after having been to Qumran, where they were found, last week. Even more interesting was the realization that though many of them were written in archaic Hebrew, I could still read a few words.

I continue to be amazed at how lucky I am to get to see so many facinating things as part of my tour here!

Israel recalls 'naked ambassador'

No comment needed...

Israel recalls 'naked ambassador'

Israel is replacing its ambassador in El Salvador after the envoy was found outside the embassy, drunk, wearing only bondage gear, officials said.

Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls

I finally got to Qumran, the archaeological site located on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. There is a lot of debate about who lived at Qumran. The latest theories argue that it was a pottery factory, and there are a huge number of kilns there. There are also a bunch of pools which were formerly thought to be mikves, Jewish ritual baths. Now they think that most of the pools were for water and clay for the pots.

These theories may or may not conflict with the traditional view of the place, which is that it was the home of the Essenes, who came to Qumran at the end of the second century B.C.E. They left because of an earthquake in 31 BCE, but returned and rebuilt it around 25 years later. They stayed there until 68 AD, when the Romans conquered the area.



M at Qumran

The reason the place is well known, of course, is because the caves around the site are where in 1947, Bedouin shepherds found some ancient scrolls, which we now refer to as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Archaeologists found additional scrolls between 1951 and 1956. The scrolls included included copies of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the works of the Essenes. It is from these that we know so much about the Essenes, such as their focus on ritual bathing and purity. If the film at the visitor center is to be believed, among the writings are hints that members of the sect, upon hearing of the execution of John the Baptist, thought he was the same John who once lived among them.




Cave 4 at Qumran

S and the Pollard Protestors

I am beginning to lose count of the number of times I have worked on Secretary of State visits, but I think this was my 8th. At least this time, I got to do something other serve as site officer for whereever the meeting with President Abbas was. This time, I was S/ES liaison, meaning that the site officers and line officers used me as the point of contact for dealing with issues, putting out fires, etc.

The work was a lot more interesting because I got to see what the line was like and whether I think that would be an interesting job to bid on. Looks like the job would be fun but exhausting. Liaison work was tiring enough, because there are only two liaisons, one each from the Consulate and Embassy, and the office has to be manned 24 hours a day. That meant 12 hours a day for the whole visit, and this time she arrived Saturday evening and left this morning. Needless to say, I am very tired.

Last night we got a bit of excitement when some Jonathan Pollard protesters made it to the Secretary's floor, where we all were (except her. She was at a meeting). (Have to wonder how they knew the floor she was on and how they got up there, given all the Israel security around...hmmmm). They didn't get near her room, but they got near enough that we heard them yelling "Free Pollard Now" and "We want Pollard home." Jonathan Pollard, by the way, is an American who spied on the US for Israel. That has made him a national hero here, and people argue he should be released because he was just giving one of America's allies info it would have eventually been given anyway. Plus, they are convinced he did it for ideological reasons because he is Jewish. The truth is he didn't "give" Israel anything, he sold it, and only after Russia turned him down. That's not ideology or zionism or anything else. That is greed. And he belongs just where he is, in jail. Which, by the way, is now where some of the protesters are as well.

Drivers here are really bad

You might remember how I said that people here, because they live in a place where they could die at any moment, really live in the present. So basically, they attend to their needs regardless of the needs of anyone else. It's all about them. So like I have said before, if they need to stop at the 24 hour store and there is no parking, they will stop in the middle of the road. Because it is all about them. And the police won't write a ticket generally, because that would be too much trouble and it is all about them.

When I first heard about the Ha'aretz story below, I assumed the woman was arrested for driving recklessly while having sex in the fast lane. But no. She had stopped in the middle of the fast last. Because it was all about her.


Woman ticketed for having sex with passenger on highway fast lane

By Reuters

Police investigating why a car was blocking traffic in the fast lane of a major highway on Sunday found a couple inside having sex.

A police spokesman said the female driver and her male passenger gave in to their passions without pulling over to the side of the road, causing congestion and leaving other motorists having to swerve to dodge their stationary vehicle.

A patrolman gave the woman a ticket for holding up traffic.

Excavations in the Old City

You have probably heard about this on the news. Now you can watch it online!

Mughrabi Gate excavations webcam

I think a camera on the protestors would be an interesting addition.

Singing Happy Birthday

I went to a friend's last night to celebrate his birthday. We sang happy birthday for him...but being foreign service geeks, we couldn't possibly do it just in English. By the time we finished, we had sung for him in English, Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, Danish, Georgian (no, not a soutern drawl, that was when I sang in English), Greek and Russian. I think would could have rummaged up a few more, but at that point, he just wanted his cake!

We finally got some sunshine today. It has been pretty rainy lately. This shot is from about Sunday three weeks ago and is the only rainbow I have seen here.

Clashes in the Old City

If it hasn't been overridden by the death of Anna Nicole Smith, I am sure you probably saw stories on the news about the protests in the Old City. Basically, the Israelis are excavating near the Haram a-Sharif/Temple Mount, and that is a particularly sensitive area for all people here. So as you saw on the news, some 200 Israeli police went into the compund at the Al Aqsa Mosque and there was lots of stone and tear-gas canister throwing. There were no serious injuries and it didn't spread significantly outside of the Old City. I did see about 150 protesters outside the gate yesterday, but they were peaceful, and today while I was out, we came on some Palestinian kids burning garbage and wielding stones. They didn't throw them, maybe because our driver was Palestinian.

Anyway, I mostly wanted to let everyone know that I am safe and everything is quiet here.

Ein Gedi

One of the things I like best about Israel is the country's national park system.

Today M, three friends from work and I drove down to Ein Gedi, an oasis on the Dead Sea with some great hiking trails and some cool archaeological sites. The park is about 400 meters below sea level and has two rivers and four springs on it, as well as a nature reserve. We saw Ibex (sort of like a gazelle) and Rock Hyrax, which look like a beaver without a tale, plus a variety of birds. There is a spectacular water-fall, especially for the desert.





The nicest archaeological site in the park is that of a 3rd century AD Synagogue with beautiful mosaic floors. The mosaics include inscriptions in Hebrew and Aramaic. The inscriptions include the geneaology from Adam to Japeth, lists of donors to the synagogue, and a curse on anyone who reveals the city's secrets to strangers.

Yay Police!

I got good news last night. the Israeli police caught the guys who robbed us at knife point last month, and they both plead guilty. Woo hoo!

Frustrations

We are having some frustrations with the department. My orders are set, so I will definitely be coming back to DC. In fact, I even know the date.

M, on the other hand, is not bidding on critical needs position, so the department put off allowing those positions to be filled until they got enough bidders for Iraq. But the position she bid on said she was the BLC (Bureau's Leading Cadidate), so we were pretty confident. Then a cable came out saying that they had gotten enough bidders for everything but FS-2 positions (FS-2 is a rank...Mary is an FS-3, just below that). They said they would start "open season" for everyone but people ranked FS-2. For those who were ranked FS-2, they were creating lists of people with regional experience and language skills and they would ask those people to "volunteer." If there weren't enough "volunteers," they would move to forcing people to go. And they said they would target "fair share" bidders first, that is, people who have been at relatively cushy posts for 6 years or more.

So open season started the 23rd and M immediately got an email from the position she applied for offering a "handshake" (official job offer). If she accepted, they would send it to human resources, who would get everything done so she could start the job. M immediately accepted.

Not so fast. Her Career Development Officer (CDO) sends an email saying he can not register the handshake because she has been put on one of those lists for a job in Baghdad because of her regional experience and her language skills. Never mind that she is not ranked at a FS-2 and they promised to let people get jobs except FS-2s. Never mind that she is not a "fair share" bidder. In fact, far from being at a cushy post for the past 6 years, she has spent the last five at hardship/danger posts.

She has sent a letter to AFSA (our "union"), who had agreed to the whole postponing of open season (it was supposed to start in November) and this new opening of the season for everyone but the FS-2s because they were told this would keep the department from having "directed assignments" (forcing people to go). But from the tone of the email to Mary, they are not doing what they told AFSA they'd do and they are threatening to direct people to Baghdad. She also sent an email to the position she bid on telling her she had no intention of "volunteering," and they responded that they wanted her and were holding the job. So we'll see what happens. Her CDO said he was reasonably confident that they would not force her to go and that she would have an answer in a week or two. In the meantime, we wait...and we are NOT happy about it.

US Embassy in Athens

If you read the news today or where near a television, you heard that the US Embassy in Athens was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade. I have friends who have served there or will serve there soon...I am really glad no one was hurt.

So many among my friends and family were worried about me coming to Jerusalem, but really, there is no safe place in the world. What bugs me is that practically everyone, regardless on their views on the war, supports our troops. And I agree with them completely. But people are only reminded when these attacks happen that those of us in the State Department also but our lives on the line to serve our country but without the added benefit of being armed. And people will that forget within days after the attack, within hours if no one was hurt.

Back in J'lem

All good things come to an end, and so I am sad to report that our vacation has ended. We are back in Jerusalem.

It was good to get back...the plane ride was one of the most turbulent I have been on but I mostly slept through it (waking periodically as I bounced about!).

We got in last night at about 6, and I made it less than 15 hours before I had to use my car horn again! Sigh. Southern drivers are so polite!

It is nice being back because the cats clearly missed us. What I especially like is how the cats are SOOOO nice to me as a means to punish M for leaving. It is the only time they really like me better than they like her! Of course, I'd have slept better if they hadn't spent the entire night sleeping ON me to make sure I didn't leave again!