Where Flag Day approaches...

It's coming soon. We all know it, we all can feel the creeping feeling just beneath our skin, like an itchy woolly sweater your aunt Margery gifted at Christmas that you just can't stop scratching at, the discomfort of helplessness driving you a bit mad while you pretend to be perfectly fine at the dinner table. There's a buzzing electricity in the air as we catch each other's eyes, nervous laughs as we joke about highs, lows, playing bingo. Someone suggested today an NCAA bracket with a pot going to the person that guesses the most accurate person-to-post results on our bid list.

That's right. Flag Day is coming.

What is Flag Day? It's the maddening one hour session that occurs on the fifth Friday of our A-100 training where we receive our first post assignments. We received our bid list the first week of class and turned it in a little whiles later with highs, mediums, and lows marked. The last few weeks have been guessing games where classmate's language scores, family situations, and EFM (eligible family member)/MOH (member of household) necessities all become clues to figuring out where people might be going. Let's be honest though, there really is not logic to the system of directed assignments for entry-level officers (ELO). The only certainties are these: the needs of the service come first, and we did sign up for worldwide availability (like four times...)

This week is a constant influx of family and the smiles and laughter seems more relaxed as many see parents, kids, and spouses for the first time since training has started. Coffee is in town so it's been lots of fun having someone here to enjoy my lovely corporate housing. He's been taking care of laundry, dry cleaning, groceries, and of course morale lifting. We've had the chance to join classmates at a few food spots. There was a Korean BBQ location in Annandale, VA with great service and a pretty good Vietnamese place in Falls Church, VA. We checked out Bao Bao the cute panda at the free National Zoo (which is smaller than our San Diego one. They tried to call and ask why we didn't renew our membership this year and did not seem to understand why moving to the East Coast was a valid reason.)

But that tingly feeling of anticipation hangs over all of this, because we know. We know that in just a few days, there will be a little flag, a power point, and a handshake from the Ambassador accompanying a little blue folder with the next two years of our lives stuffed inside it. Just a few more days to go before we can all start diving into regional studies and Costco shopping. If I know I'll be here for a few months, maybe I'll even pick up a car.

Sorry if this is a bit discombobulated, but I think I'm feeling the pressure a bit too. Just gotta hold it together right? Till Friday!