taking the tests and getting in...the gritty

When I was 17 I went to Poland. It was the end of my year as an exchange student in France and my Polish friend Joanna invited me to visit so I took a 36 hour bus ride from Geneva, Switzerland to Opole, Poland, getting myself lost with barely a zloty to my name but that is another story. Joanna and her family were so excited to show me around the country and arranged one day for a trip to Warsaw. That day President Clinton was landing in the city and somehow we decided to go out to the airport and watch Air Force One land. That is where I first encountered Foreign Service Officers and man were they cool! That is the first time I thought “That is the job I want when I grow up!” with certainty.
I first tried out for the Foreign Service in 2002. I passed the written exam in Phoenix and then passed the oral exam in San Francisco. I withered on the “list of eligible hires” for two years with no offer. I tried to take the French exam to boost my score – it was over the phone with me being put on speakerphone with two different examiners and then being asked to explain my dissertation. Yeah, with that setup I wouldn’t have passed an English exam either. Oh well!
I tried out again whilst living in North Dakota, passing the written in Grand Forks (the city which both flooded and burned at the same time and where I had my first “black and blue”, ½ guiness, ½ PBR) and failing the oral in Chicago. Failing the oral hurt because I passed two of the three sections, missing out on the group exercise. It was hard feeling as if the exam had been out of my control since I had a group of super aggressive men who didn’t quite understand the exercise and made us unable to follow the instructions. Oh well!
I passed the second time while living in Philadelphia, taking the written in Philly and the oral in D.C. However, I didn’t actually believe I’d get an offer due to having passed before. I underwent the Medical Clearance and had my life dissected and friends and former acquaintances interviewed for my security clearance. Eventually I passed those hurdles and was placed on the register. A few weeks later I had an offer!
Actually I am happy that I didn't get in back in 2002. I really feel that the experiences I've had since then have developed me as a future officer. Having a variety of jobs taught me a lot about challenges existing everywhere and instilled in me much more patience and perspective.