Smells and humanity

Have you ever noticed how powerful smells can be in triggering memories and emotions?

Springtime in DC and the northern Virginia area is an amazing olfactory event. One can go outside and inhale deeply and positively smell LIFE! There is a rich smell of earth, plants, and growth. It is amazing! In Arizona, one only smells these types of odors after a rainstorm; when the humidity in the air seems to hold the delicate scents of the desert plant life. However, here in Virginia the scent of plant life and earth is overwhelmingly heavy in the humidity of spring. It smells like even I, who has killed every single plant I have bought from a nursery in Arizona, can create a verdant garden that will be overflowing in an abundance of flowers and fruit. Although, I think I will refrain from the temptation of purchasing any innocent victims from the local Virginia nursery at the Home Depot. However, there is something truly magical about stepping outside, looking at the Potomac River and inhaling all of these heavy springtime scents of new life, earth, greenery, and flowers; and picturing the centuries of people who have had the same sensations.

I have to contrast this with an earlier olfactory experience today. I went once again to the Holocaust Memorial Museum today. It is such a horrible, yet necessary, reminder of the capacity for inhumanity that is within humanity. But the most horrible part of the museum for me is the room of shoes. The smell emanating from the shoes is ever more devastating for me each time I visit the museum. I don't know if I can go back there anymore. Each time I go into that part of the exhibit I am struck by the humanity of the shoes, but this time the smell of the leather was so much more pungent. I don't know how to describe the smell. Today it was like nothing that I have ever smelled before. I have to ask myself was it a smell of anguish? of evil? of despair? or just a smell of rot? Human rot? Then, it brings the question...Can we only ever see this evil rot after the fact?

What is the right answer for us to be truly the best of humanity? Do we focus on the wonderful smells of the verdant earth in springtime, ergo the beauty of of what we can be? Or do we boldly look at the rot that can infect humanity and fight against it? What is truly the best way to create good in our time and in our world?

Preparing for Baghdad

Well, my first assignment as a foreign service officer will be to Baghdad. I am going through the checklists, studying Arabic, submitting papers, and trying to prepare for anything that may happen. I repeatedly get asked if I am afraid, or how do I feel, or what do I think it will be like. So here are some answers:

I am no more afraid than I would be going going anywhere half-way around the world, and leaving my young adult kids here in the US. I do not fear for myself or my safety. Going pretty much anywhere now-a-days is potentially dangerous, but sending my young adults out into the world is terrifying. I keep thinking of every scary scenario that can possibly go through parental OCD-like thoughts. However, I have tried to build up safety nets with friends and family to help provide a support network; and with the benefit of technology today, we can be in contact everyday. I cannot even fathom what our forebears went through watching their children take off in wagons into the unknown territories with no communications for months or years at a time!

I think my work will be incredibly challenging, rewarding, at times tedious, at others entertaining, but never boring! That has been my experience so far in consular work. I have already met with some of my future colleagues, and I think we are going to make a great team. Travel will be very restricted for me, so I will probably not get to go out and see the country. However, I will have an apartment - a big step up from the trailers - and a great gym.

Plus, I am going with my best friend, my husband. Now, if I could just figure out how to stop worrying about the kids...

Arabic training - Round II

Well, I must say that the second go at Arabic training proves all of those pedagogical classes that I took in college during my teacher training, and for my first masters, in educational leadership. The second time around studying a topic really does yield new learning, and even more synaptic connections. After having 9-10 months of Arabic study before, I am back for a refresher course with the same material being presented, almost two years later and by different teachers, and I am seeing new things and making new learning connections.

It is very interesting to experience and observe this first-hand. It is not necessarily because I have different teachers, although they are very good, and I have been blessed with good teachers throughout. However, this time around, it is as if my brain quickly recognizes the information being presented and then goes on to form new elaborations around the already known information. It is much like how I picture learning to play an instrument is. My brain has the "scales" and now it is forming new melodies. I LOVE how brains work!

My second observation is not quite so lofty. Learning a "Super-Hard" language, like Arabic, as a second language, is similar to labor-and-delivery of a child. The pain and trauma and exhaustion is quickly forgotten when it is over; but it all comes back in full, technicolor as soon as you start into it again during that second labor.

I had forgotten the sensations of the 7-hour Arabic-learning day:

~the period of mental slowness on Monday mornings, as the brain struggles to switch over to the new language (thankfully, it doesn't last as long on the other mornings of the class week);

~followed by the increasing mental-processing speed and comprehension that occurs with the repetition through the day;

~then the bogging down and feeling of mental fullness in the last two hours of the classwork, as if one more sentence will overflow the capacity;

~to that final feeling at the end of the class day, while walking out to the shuttle, that there are actual physical changes, or shiftings, occurring in the brain - sometimes it is even painful.

All I can do at that point is put the iPod earbuds in, put on a vocabulary drill and fall asleep in the shuttle on the way back to the apartment, in a sad hope that my vocab/grammar-laden brain might soak up a few more words in the day. Thank goodness, I do not have to drive back myself!

It is a fascinating experience as a former educator! I learned, after the first-time around, to know and to embrace the rhythms of my individual-style of language learning at this point in my life. I now recognize the feeling of cognitive overload, and instead of trying to fight through it, I take breaks. It actually is more efficient that way. Instead of wasting the time fighting the process, I embrace it and plan for it, so that I can more effectively use the time. When I am tired and feel the need for a nap or early bedtime, I go to sleep. Or sometimes, it is much better to get up and go exercise, or do the laundry, than to ineffectively sit and stare at Arabic words. I can return to the Arabic wajib, homework, later. Then I have the laundry done AND feel like I can tackle the Arabic again.

Hatha mumtaz!

Translation= This is wonderful!

It reaffirms all that I have ever learned as an educator.

My new life as a FSO!

Well, I haven't written anything lately, but suffice it to say for now that 2010 was a year filled with interesting, and some painful, changes.

The biggest change in my life has been that as of September 13th, 2010, I am a bona-fide US Department of State foreign service officer, known as a FSO. Secretary Hillary Clinton is my boss, well, technically President Obama is my big boss. I am in the "consular track," which means that I will generally work in consular positions overseas, but I am also expected to work in the other areas during my career in order to best meet the needs of the service and my country. I actually have taken an oath to serve my country and the Constitution, and the Senate confirmed my appointment in November.

What do I do as a consular FSO? Well, the Consular Commission states, "Reposing special trust and confidence in your Integrity, Prudence, and Ability, I have nominated and by and with the consent of the Senate, do appoint you a Consular Officer..." signed President of the United States of America. I serve and assist the American citizen overseas. I will assist with cradle to grave issues for Americans abroad. Bill is an FSO also, but he is in the "political track." That means he is a political reporting officer. He is serving the interests of American citizens abroad, too, but in the policy level.

Together we are called "a Tandem Couple," meaning we are both FSOs that will be posted to the same place for our work assignments. Unfortunately, at times we have to be separated for training, like right now. I am currently in training here in Arlington, VA, while Bill is in Jerusalem finishing his tour-of-duty there. After this period of separation, we will be assigned in Baghdad together.

For this separation, Bill and I each took one of our two kids. Patti remained in Jerusalem to finish her IB program. I brought Kathy with me to Arlington. I joke with people that we decided to be fair this time and share the girls. Then I tell them that we are running away to Baghdad for our second honeymoon and abandoning the kids here in the U.S. I don't think the girls think it is very funny though...