Back from a whirlwind 2 week trip home to the States to take part in an interview for a USG Foreign Service position, for which I have since been rejected. That was a quick decision, guess I didn't do so well in the interview, as I suspected. USG - You have made a serious mistake in rejecting me and I really do wonder how you are able to let the fools that you do accept into your bureaucracy. Because I have seen, met and worked with some of the people that get through the vetting process. Makes me very scared for the future of this world that the most powerful nation in this world is staffed by some very naive, incompetent youngsters. Ah well, it was a trip home on the government's dime!
It was nice to catch some of the last vestiges of summer. I enjoyed experiencing all the familiar sensations of being home, the smell of the dirt, sound of the cicadas, dry summer heat mixed with summer thunder storms - all with the idea in mind that this will be my home once again in the near future. All my feelings were mixed up in a jumble and I hoped that I would be able to just enjoy feeling something other than dread and despair, which has been the theme of this year so far.
As usual I took the opportunity to do some American shopping. GAP and Anthropologie and JCrew are my first stops. SOOOo much cheaper in the US than Australia, and I appreciate the clean-cut, classic styles that will last a long time. Oh and don't forget DSW, for good deals on fun shoes. I bought 2 pairs of impractical shoes (total retail therapy) that will do me no good in current Melbourne temperatures. Will have to wait til next summer to bring them out again. I'm so silly, but thats how I got over a gruelling, disappointing FS interview day.
Caught up with friends and family with a busy social schedule once the stupid interview was out of the way. Only Richard was missing at the family dinner. A crab feast just like old times when Bunca was alive. Something we can look forward to repeating during our next few years based in DC. In addition to Girl's Night Out with the cousins, romping around in B'more watching chic flicks like "Eat, Pray, Love" - I hope you guys enjoyed that movie, I got a bit squirmy towards the end. And exploring DC with old and new friends that I've met during my studies and travels. Can't wait!
With the end of the Melbourne chapter looming, I reflect on some of the things of my Australian home that I have come to value: Great coffee, cafe's, foodie places, markets, neighborhood villages, quirky european vibe, modern fashion flare, relaxed atmosphere, convenient public transportation, proximity to city life... There are also plenty of things that I will be glad to escape. I can tell you already as well that I am not excited about replacing these things with the commercialization, crazy, traffic, hugeness, suburbia, Only-Starbucks-on-every-corner America. But with everything there is a trade off. I look forward to family, familiarity, career, wholefoods, ....
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