The Extra Mile

Yes, I’m painfully aware that I have neglected my blog ever since leaving Public Affairs. I guess that not doing public affairs work every day has caused me to ignore my personal public affairs.

So, this entry will get you up to speed on what’s happened over the last almost-month.

September 30: After a nice little going away party from my co-workers, I went out with a few friends for some drinks – and eventually we went to a noraebang (karaoke place). I rocked the house with my rendition of Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again, earning the highest score in our group for the night, a 99 (out of 100).

October 5: The first weekly session of my four-week pottery class. Techniques from my class at UMM come back to me quickly -- but Mr. Han, the Korean instructor, only accepts his style (and does half the pot himself).

October 6: Tahra finally gets her official assignment in Washington – of course, her CDO shoots down her plans to pursue a different position in Washington, and wrote an incredible e-mail to Tahra. I’d like to examine the finer (or more crude, as the case may be) points of this. Quotes taken directly from her message:

“I would remind you that the reason you went through
two bidding seasons was at your request”

Really? Not how I see it. She seems to be conveniently forgetting (or ignoring) that she stuck Tahra with these options at the end of the first (failed) bidding cycle: go to Baghdad (shyeah, right), quit the foreign service (!), or extend in Seoul to bid in the next cycle.

“There were bidders in both of the cycles in which you participated who were bidding under similar circumstances – with low equity and a single country language. They bid accordingly and were directed to assignments. While many were assigned to posts that were not high preferences…”

Sure, but the ones we talked to weren’t assigned the 18th location out of 19 bids – nor were they assigned to a place to which they had said up front that they would refuse to go, but had put it on the list simply to try to reach the new requirement of 20 bids.

“…they handled the situation professionally.”

Excuse me? The only thing unprofessional in this situation is how this person was allowed to be in control of other people’s careers.

“The Foreign Service has gone the extra mile
for you during your short career to date.”

It has? When? I’d like to know which exact parts are considered the “extra mile,” because all -you’ve- done is fuck us over at nearly every opportunity. If that’s the extra mile, I’d much rather get the “regular” treatment such as some of Tahra’s A-100 classmates received: Montreal and then Paris, or Curacao and then the Netherlands (to name a few).

October 10: Went with our new next-door neighbors, Matt and Kaori, to Suwon to check out the fortress there (photo forthcoming).

October 12: The second of my pottery classes. I was nearing completion of a vase-like pot I was happy with, but Mr. Han didn’t like it and re-set it so I would “do it better” – and it ended up collapsing so I had to make it into a bowl.

October 19: The third pottery class. Mr. Han must have liked what I was doing, because he left me alone to work almost the entire time. And I actually made a pot I liked!

October 23: Had to attend a boring-as “meet ‘n’ greet” reception for the new ambassador smack dab in the middle of the afternoon, AND in “business casual” attire. Later, carved pumpkins (photo forthcoming).

October 26: The last of my official pottery classes. Sanded two of my three pots, and will return next week just to sand the third.

October 27: Went to an eye surgery clinic to have my eyes tested for LASEK surgery. I had gotten recommendations from two friends, and there was a mix-up so I ended up going to the one with higher prices (though they seemed very knowledgeable and sincere). So, I’m going to the other place on Saturday – that way I can compare and make a slightly better informed decision.

Upcoming: Monday, October 31: I need to go in to HR at the embassy to talk with the HR officer. It seems that Public Affairs has jumped to many conclusions and has assumed that I will come back to work for them for APEC. I never agreed to anything, yet somehow it’s gotten all the way to HR and they want me to come in to finalize the arrangements. We shall see if I actually finalize anything. Though the money would be nice, the primary reason I left when I did was to avoid working at APEC! Not to mention that I have plans (little things like eye surgery and preparing to leave the country). I very much feel like spiting them for their assumption that I’d come back.