Come On Irene

This past week has been quite interesting.  First we had an earthquake on Tuesday.  And then on Thursday, it seemed as though Hurricane Irene would be heading our way as well.

Now, coming from California, the earthquake was familiar and not especially exciting.  But a hurricane - this is something we've only every got to see on TV and in news reports.  And unlike an earthquake - you can prepare for it.

On Friday, we got a lot of information on how to prepare.  My employer sent emails with lots of information on how to prepare; our housing company sent information on how to prepare; and of course we got lots of advice on how to prepare from our friends here who have lived through hurricanes before.  And in Portuguese language training, we got to learn a new word: furacão.  (And of course it didn't stop our field trip to the churrascaria!)


That night we had some good friends from Berkeley come over.  We grilled pizzas on the BBQ's outside and enjoyed that last bit of good weather before the storm.  It was great to catch up and have a visit from home!

A lovely rainbow over Oakwood on Friday night!

Saturday was supposed to be hurricane day.  Since we would be home-bound, we planned a day of watching movies, playing games.  K. made a big pot of yummy chili and we settled in for the storm.

We waited . . . and waited . . . and waited.  I kept looking at the window to make sure I wasn't missing the hurricane.  Every time there was a bit of wind - O. said "Mommy - I think that's the hurricane."  It rained on and off - but never as hard and thick as it's been this summer during the thunderstorms.  And while the wind gusted and blew the trees around, it never felt particularly strong - we would go out on the balcony and watch and hold our hands out to feel the raindrops.


That night after we went to bed, the wind picked up a bit.  I could hear it really blowing the trees and at some point I heard a big crack.  The next morning, the crew was up early (7 AM!!!) with a chain saw cutting up the big branch that had come off a tree from the parking lot.


We were pretty lucky where we were.  Most of damage from Hurricane Irene was on the coast.  In our area of Virginia, there were just some downed trees.


On Sunday we hiked on Theodore Roosevelt Island and checked out the damage from the hurricane.  It was beautiful after the storm, but there were a number of downed trees on the island.  But we still had fun exploring!

Here's what N. wrote about our hike:

I stepped out of the car into the wet and moist air with my long striped pants.  My hot pink shirt is covered up by my Disneyland rain jacket.  I walked to the bridge on a sandy path right next to the water.  When I got to the gray concrete bridge, I looked down and saw the green water.  There were little ripples in the water that seemed to be going right.  I slowly walked across the bridge and toward the little island.

Churrascaria

The Portuguese Department at FSI is the best!  This past Friday, we got to celebrate our 8th week of class and the fact that we can hold conversations with each other (very rudimentary, but we can still convey ideas and information).

We did this by taking a field trip to a local churrascaria.  For those who aren't familiar with the Brazilian form of barbecue, let me explain a bit.  First off, it's a one price, all-you-can eat situation.  Which means you have a very light breakfast or none at all.  And don't make plans for dinner - you won't want to eat again!

The meal starts off with a trip to the salad bar.  But unlike salad bars in the US, this salad bar has less varieties of lettuce and a lot more varieties of prepared vegetables and cheeses.  There was reggiano parmesan, grilled provolone, goat cheese and small mozzarella balls.  There was also marinated mushrooms, steamed asparagus, roasted peppers and onions, hearts of palm, artichoke hears and grilled jalapenos.  And at this particular restaurant there were also other Brazilian specialties like feijoada.

But be careful - you don't want to fill your plate because the real reason you're there is yet to come.  At your table, everyone gets a small round card that's green on one side and red on the other.  You flip the card to indicate whether you want more (green) or want to rest for a while (red).  You can keep flipping as many times as you want.  Servers stroll around the restaurant with many different cuts of meat.  When they see that you're showing green, they come by and slice off a bit for you.  Everyone gets special tongs to grasp the slice as they're cutting it and put it on your plate.  The meats are wonderful.  There are the varieties that you might be familiar with - filet mignon, flank steak, chicken encrusted with parmesan, leg of lamb.  And then there are the ones that are special to Brazil - Brazilian sausages and my favorite - picanha!  In addition to all that - they also bring to your table some side dishes: fried bananas with cinnamon sugar, mashed potatoes and another favorite - little warm cheese breads.  There is so much to eat and try and it all tastes so good! 

Of course, since it was a part of class, the entire experience was conducted in Portuguese.  We sat with our wonderful classmates and instructors and got to know each other a little bit better.  I was even able to explain in detail how to prepare Bananas Foster to my teacher - all in Portuguese!

We had a great time!

Earthquakes in Virginia?????

Yes Virginia - that was an earthquake.  5.8 to be exact!

Today towards the end of Portuguese language class, the floor started to shake a bit.  At first I didn't pay much attention to it.  After all, being from California I'm used to earthquakes.  I've lived through several major ones so while I tense up and become very aware, I don't panic. 

Also, I had a hard time believing it was an earthquake that was happening in Virginia.  I meant, this is the place where we drive around and admire all the brick buildings and houses, all the while thinking that there's no way there would be this much brick in California - bricks are just not structurally sound for earthquake country.

So - when the rumbling and shaking continued and my classmates and professor started commenting, we all got up and headed to the door jam and away from the window and giant Smart Board.  Several classes let out and people headed for the nearest exit.  Then the alarms started sounding around the building and everyone headed out. 

I caught up with K. (they don't typically put spouses in the same class) and we headed home (class being over) to check on our kids.  It took us a bit to get home with the traffic and everyone being out in front of their buildings, but we got home and found that everything was fine.  N. had been in the apartment and exited it when the shaking stopped.  Once outside she went to our meet up spot and checked on O.  O. had been on the play structure and of course hadn't noticed a thing!

It was nice to be together after all the shake up.  I'm very proud of our kids!

Portuguese Language Training continues

This is my eighth week of Portuguese Language Training.  Monday morning (segunda-feira) I was feeling pretty good.  We had a new teacher and we all had to introduce ourselves and tell a little bit about ourselves.  I felt very good about what I said.  I was able to explain who I was and who is in my family and where we live now and where we used to live and even what I had done before this and why I had changed and joined the Foreign Service.  All in portuguesa! 

Then we had our Monday Morning Chat.  The Portuguese Department gets together every Monday morning so that we can all have casual, informal chatting to warm us up for the week.  It's a great idea and really helps us warm up the Portuguese part of our brain for the week.

But then, after lunch, my brain crashed.  I couldn't think of anything I wanted to say and none of my words were coming to me.  I know that these things happen all the time and it's part of the process - but it can be pretty demoralizing.  It's so hard to feel like an idiot and feel like you're failing. 

For some people, feeling like they're slipping can feel like a challenge and helps them step up the pace.  For me, it makes me feel awful and like I want to give up.  I have to keep reminding myself that this is all part of the process and that I just need to keep plugging away at all my tasks and that eventually I will get there.

Luckily, last week I had met with my language learning consultant and together we had devised a study / homework plan for each day.  Not only does it have many tasks to work on that cover all the areas (reading, listening, grammar, writing, vocabulary), but it's divided into smaller parts (30-40 minutes each) with choices.  I took the plan and set it up in a spreadsheet with big boxes for me to check off (or paste a gold star) as I complete them.  I know - call me a nerd, but the boxes to check off or paste a gold star really work for me.

So I've just been plugging away and then, as I was taking a break from my vocabulary games, I decided to read some of the blogs I follow in Google Reader.  There's one that's written by a member of the FS community who lives in Recife.  Occasionally she writes her posts in Portuguese and today was one of those posts.  For the first time, I was able to read her post!!!  I feel so much better.

Blogs I love

There are a lot of blogs out there and some are really awesome.

I've mentioned some of my favorite Foreign Service blogs.  And I also have a list on the left side of the blogs of my Vibrant Colleagues.

But there are a lot of other blogs out there that are not about the Foreign Service (imagine that!) and are just amazing.

I recently found about about a blog that I found to be hysterically funny - I was laughing so hard I cried!  It's called The Bloggess and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Then there are the food blogs like Smitten Kitchen and 101 Cookbooks - they have great recipes and pictures.  I just made the Easy Little Bread recipe and it truly was easy and lovely and the kids adored it.

The wonderful David Lebovitz blog about chocolate, food and living in Paris is a favorite of mine.  I got to work with David for a minute when I did my CCA extern-ship at Chez Panisse back in the early 1990's.  He is the nicest guy!!!

And now I have a new favorite.  One of my favorite writers (and full disclosure - good friend),  has started a new project.  It's called The Urbane Grandmother and it is a tremendous guide for what to do in San Francisco with kids.  But it's not your typical "go to this park" kind of kid guide.  It's basically an adult guide to San Francisco that shows you the ways you can include your young friends in the wonderful activities you love to do.  Things like the best place to get a cuppa tea and who makes the best focaccia.  And she would know - after all - she is also the Culinary Muse and her Art of Tasting Chocolate thoughts are unbelievable.

Language Studies

Language training is a big deal in the Foreign Service.

The State Department prides itself on training it's employees in 70 different languages for it's more than 265 embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions all over the world.  In order for officers to attain tenure, they must achieve proficiency in at least one language.

I have friends who are learning single-use "boutique" languages like Latvian or Georgian which are primarily used in just one country, and friends who are learning widespread multi-use languages like Spanish or Chinese which are spoken all over the world by millions of people.


Language training at FSI is very different from learning a language in college.  In college, I took both Russian and French and had class 3 times a week for 70 minutes.  When you're in language training at FSI, ALL you do is study that language.  I'm in class 4 hours a day with just 3 other students.  I also have an hour of language lab a day and at least 3 hours of homework and other language based activities.

The very first day you start language training, there is an orientation which goes over all of the tools that are available for your use.  You also take a number of tests to determine your particular learning style.  I took the Meyer's Briggs test (again), as well as several other tests that give feedback about how you think and approach ideas and learn.  One of the tests looked at how easy it is for me to take in information - and what's the best way for that to happen.  Another test looked at the ways in which I process information.  I learned that I'm lucky in that I take in information very easily and in a variety of ways, but that my challenge will be to organize it in a fashion that is easily accessible.  I also learned that I'll need to firm up my casual attitude towards communication and be more serious about grammar rules.  And that I need to stretch out of my learning comfort zone by working on my auditory style as opposed to my more comfortable visual style.


The instructors and classes are shuffled every 4 weeks so that students get to learn from a variety of native accented speakers and so that the classes comprise appropriate balances for optimum learning.  I am now beginning my sixth week of learning Portuguese and I am loving it!

That's not to say it isn't hard and that my brain doesn't hurt and that there aren't many, many days that I feel like a complete idiot.  But it's so wonderful to be able to just focus on just learning Portuguese.  And to have such wonderful instructors, such great resources, and to be able to take advantage of the latest learning techniques.

It's also hard for a control-freak like me - it's rough speaking like a 3 year old all the time, and having the days where you just can't remember anything.  Learning a language is an art (I've heard).  I'm finding that it's a lot about trusting the process.  It reminds me of working out at the gym: it's not about lifting a lot of weights one day or running far the next.  It's about working out consistently day in and day out and eventually (many weeks / months down the road), you'll develop some muscles and tone and stamina.  But it happens so slowly, you don't notice it.  Until one day you put on an outfit you haven't worn for a while and it feels and looks distinctly different.

And that's where the great instructors at FSI come in.  They work with you one on one and have great resources to help you achieve your best.  It just takes time.