Where one lives in a fantasy world known as FSI training...

"You haven't updated your blog in forever!"

"It's only been a little while - "

"...it's 2017."

Hello internet fambam, it is in fact 2017. New year, new times, (new tổng thống...) and hey! I've been in language training for uh... 4 months? What is this madness indeed?! Life at Arlington Diplocommunity College for Diplomats for want to speak the language good and do other things good too has been a great experience. I attend classes five days a week, get assigned homework, work on everything from speech presentations to reading articles and excerpts from newspapers, advertisements, reports (so much TPP...so much nhap khau va kinh te...) My language department is very well organized and not only do we rotate between three different teachers for each small class (one for speaking, reading, and other textbook...stuff... learning).

My beautiful weekday routine. Back when it was warm. 

It's hard to believe the time has passed so quickly. During the last four months, I've had all sorts of excitement....there was when the dog woke me up so she could sniff at the door and bark at the neighbor..when she woke me up by jumping on my chest like a trampoline... (not quite the excitement you were hoping to read?)

Beautiful fall foliage back in October. 

How about when I had to arrive in DC on crutches because I was dumb enough to injure my ankle badly just two weeks prior to departing post...yea, Tea is a hashtag lesson on things not to do when PCSing. (To my friends in UpSea who were fabulous with medicine, wheeling me to the doctor, plying me with food and drink to celebrate my departure in spite of all my fail - I thank you all and will never forget your love and pity.)

Life lesson? When on a trampoline and trying to vault into a pit of foam blocks, much like in life and love, listen to the advice of your betters and COMMIT DAMN IT.

So what has life consisted of outside of trying to master a five tone language (6 in the north, but us southern speakers are a bit lazy)? Well, lots of eating that's for sure. Some interesting times learning to make new friends through the power of the inter-webs and online apps (seriously, how has the State Dept not channeled this into an all powerful way to create tandem FSOs and save the dept a ton of money?) Outside of readjusting to being on the East coast and exploring supermarkets (7-11) and FSI's cafeteria, there's been great opportunities to partake in some great arts and culture - the Scott Bradley Jukebox show was fantastic as was enjoying a very different Flying Bach - break dancing to classical music. I've also snagged a ticket to the new African American museum, but it's not until well...April. I'll report back when I get there. Some day.


Consider this a photo dump of the last few months. Enjoy while I go kick some more a$$ at Ticket to Ride.

Omg all the cheap alcohol options compared to overseas!

Crab first week back in DC? Yes.

CRAB SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!111 and corn. because corn in china is not the same. 

Language studying is basically an excuse to sit at a cafe and eat stuff.  

See? Told ya. 

Here's where I just gave up on the studying part. 

Sushi Rolls are "in". 

Ok, actual studying.   

HK puffle eggette around ice cream and fruity pebbles. Delicious!

Tony, I'm still so happy that you got this for my b/day. 

Someone at EAP has a rice cooker down hallway 6...doing it right, yo. 

Lollipop bribes for flu shots? Thanks Med Center. 

Kiwi and K meet.

Harper's Ferry: Where three states meet. 

How me and J go hiking, hehe.

J and Kiwi out at Harper's Ferry. 

Scott Bradley was awesome!

THERE IS A ROCKET GOING INTO SPACE IN THIS PHOTO. It is a tiny yellow white dot. Find the rocket. 

Brazilian bakery! I love the squishy cheesy bread.

Kiwiiii

LUNCH BOXES!

We self fine when we make grammar mistakes. A lot. 

Pit beef sandwich from Chap's. 

The voting lines back that one day in November. So very long ago...

Bosammmmm....pork. With stuff. Mmmmm pork. 

Having celebrated another Thanksgiving, have you heard of a TURDUCKEN? 

3 days of cooking. Not my cooking, thank God. (It really was delicious: Thai fried rice in ginger chicken inside chinese sticky rice with roast duck inside andouille sausage stuffing inside a thyme brined turkey.)

Mmmm

Yea...I don't know why someone brought this to class. It's what you think it is. 

Lunch break! A number of food trucks are available down by the Rosslyn Metro.

Props to C, who won the 177th picture contest with this beautiful take from Hyderabad that I found hanging in the A-100 classroom. 

Christmas photo!

Early morning studying in the Wood Lounge of Foreign Service Institute

Merry Christmas! A-100 secret santaaaaa!

Love this place. Guys, go to District Doughnut! That guy is freshly creme brulee-ing my donut on a cake stand. 

Rose's Luxury is still my fav restaurant in DC

Yummmm

First snowfall! But it only lasted 1 hour.

Kiwi's snow cap is ready.

This is nuts, it's 2017. WHERE DID THE TIME GO?!

I would like to end this update with three things. One, as always in accordance with rules and regulations of my position, the opinions expressed on this blog and all of my online social media presence are mine, only mine, and in no way impart any official view of the State Department or US government. That being said, I am also not really allowed to express much in the way of bipartisanship (since we support the institution and serve the people, not any party.)

That being said, it's been a pretty nutty year and here's some humorous videos I've seen summarizing 2016. If that's not enough, my next post is a long promised 2nd edition of "Further Conversations with the Teapot" accompanied by a ton of pictures of Kiwi looking at me with judging eyes.

Third, have a Happy New Year ya'll. We take so much for granted, yet there are always those with less and yet able to still hope for the future. Remember to donate to CFC if you haven't (or whatever charity you support) and making the world and 2017 better takes all of us.