The bottom line of the class seemed to be that we, as Foreign Service employees and EFMs (that’s Eligible Family Members for those of you that don’t speak Foreign Service) are eligible for many different allowances. However, no one in the government is going to remind us to apply for this “free” money, so we had better know what’s what so we can take care of ourselves. I’m currently thinking that this is easier said than done. I guess I’ll just have to start keeping receipts for anything that seems even vaguely reimbursible. And I’m not even going to try to explain the impact that being in the Foreign Service has on income taxes. It’s enough to make you want to cry. Or scream. Or both.

This is the last class I’m enrolled in at FSI until the end of August. Now that I have a pile of information the size of Mt. Everest, I decided that it was time to take all the advice I’ve been given and prepare a month-by-month To Do list from now until we leave in April. Those of you that know me well know how much I love a good To Do list. But this one is terrifying. There are currently 40-ish line items, most of which have at least three steps required to complete them.

I’m going to pause here to take a deep breath.

In other news, my parents successfully survived their first trip to visit us here in DC. They seemed a little overwhelmed by the traffic and crowds, but I think that’s a fairly normal reaction to our nation’s capitol. Even more impressive, they made it through their first Foreign Service meet-and-greet before the swearing-in ceremony. It’s an overwhelming event for those of us that have been trained for it, so they did well for a couple of “newbies.” Now if I can just convince them that a trip to Kiev is the next logical step in the expansion of their comfort zones.

As we got ourselves ready to head downtown yesterday, I felt a little stressed. This felt like such a big day. Granted, Shawn had actually already been sworn in on his first day of training, so this was just for show. But now that we know where we’re going and have learned more about the Foreign Service, it just feels we’re involved in something so much greater than ourselves. And it’s a good feeling.

So we got all snazzed up in our suits, met my parents (who were in town for the event), and jumped on the Metro. Walking from the Foggy Bottom stop to the State Department, we started running into some of Shawn’s classmates and their families. There was definitely a general excitement - it felt almost like a graduation day. After we made it through security, we all gathered for a continental breakfast in the exhibition hall. It was good to meet the families of some of our new friends and a chance to practice doing introductions. (Have I mentioned yet how much I hate doing introductions?)

Finally it was time for us to go up to the Diplomatic Reception rooms on the eighth floor of the building. All I can say is that they were stunning. Even the restrooms were decorated with antiques. We saw the desk where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and across the room was the Treaty of Paris. Very impressive. There’s an amazing deck with a view of the entire National Mall. And the room where Shawn was actually sworn in (the Benjamin Franklin Room) had amazing columns and chandeliers.

After many photos were taken, it was time for the actual event to begin. There were several speeches given by various members of the training staff, Ambassadors, and the new Director General. Then members of Diplomatic Security began surrounding the room, which could only mean one thing: Secretary Rice was on her way. And then she entered the room…right next to where my parents and I were sitting!

I just remember thinking: “Wow, she’s a real person.” And she’s tiny. And she looks a lot better in person than on tv. I had expected her to enter the room and move directly to the podium with purpose, but as she entered, she looked around smiling, making eye contact with people and thanking us for our applause. She acted like, well, a real person.

As she spoke to the class and all of us, I felt so proud of Shawn and what he’s going to be doing. I was even more proud when she specifically mentioned that there was a former 9-1-1 dispatcher in the class (that’s Shawn!). The class stood to take the Oath of Office, led by Secretary Rice, then posed for a group photo with her, and it was all over.

At that point, emotions shifted from excitement to a little sadness. This was the last time Shawn’s class would all be in the same place. They might see each other around the Foreign Service Institute as they continue their training, but they might not. And some people will be heading overseas as soon as August. People milled around, not quite ready to leave. But from what I can tell, the Foreign Service community is a small one, and I’m confident that we’ll see everyone again some day.

The Field House is the smallest gymnasium I have ever seen and by the time everyone was in and settled, it was hot. Nervous chatter filled the room, along with the shouts of all the children playing in the back. We all found seat, although some of us were a little disappointed that family and friends were expected to sit in the back of the room and not with our spouses. Finally, right at 3pm, the post announcements began - no speeches like I expected, but I don’t think anyone in the room had any patience for that sort of thing.

I was sitting near the back of the room with three of the other wives that I’ve gotten to know quite well over the past few weeks. We took turns cheering for each other as well as the other people in the class that we’ve come to see as friends. Each time a flag was raised, people in the audience would call out the name of the country (in my mental state, the only two I could remember were Laos and Burma…not even Mexico!), then there would be silence until the name of the employee going to that post was announced. This was usually followed by a cheer from the employee, family member, or both and the employee jumped up and ran down the aisle to receive their flag and pose for a graduation-style photo with the class sponsor. Then they received their training schedule and departure date.

When the half-way point was announced, Shawn’s name hadn’t been called. When we reached the three-quarter point, it still hadn’t been called. At that point, I thought I might pass out…various body parts had been going numb for a while now and I was having to consciously remind myself to breathe. But finally, the Ukrainian flag was raised and Shawn’s name was called. I jumped up and shouted in disbelief that we actually got our number one post!

Most of the rest of the ceremony was a blur (although when my friend Christy’s husband got Buenos Aires - the number one bid in the class - her reaction woke us all out of whatever daze we were in). After all of the flags had been handed out, I could finally talk with Shawn and find out that our planned departure date is April 2007 and there will be hours and hours and hours of Russian language training before then.

The best part of Flag Day was the feeling of comaraderie among the group. I think it’s probably hard for people who haven’t gone through this experience to understand just how close this group has become in only six weeks. Everyone was bidding on the same posts, yet we were all genuinely happy to see where everyone ended up. And almost everyone was really happy with their assignment. There were a few tears, but I think that has to be expected when you consider the intensity of this lifestyle. I haven’t had my pre-post “breakdown” yet, but give me time - now I know I’ve got 10 months!