Let’s start this off by talking about what a sweet gig being in the State Department’s Foreign Service is, training-wise.
A-100 is officially over, and Nate started his South Asian regional studies class last week. He has several weeks of regional studies, and then Bangla training starts in the beginning of September. (Depending on the language and how proficient your are/n’t, this can last anywhere from a zero to nine months.)
Nate, and all of the other FSOs going someplace that doesn’t speak English, are going to be paid to learn a language. How fricking awesome is that? I am practically green with envy.
I would love so much to have access to the kind of training that Nate and his classmates are getting. And they’re getting paid for it!
And his classmates from out of town? They’re getting free housing and per diem! PER DIEM, people. For the next six to nine months!
I guess I was paid during language and technical (ha!) training in Peace Corps, to the tune of a whopping $250/month. So in my mind, that doesn’t count.
Yes, the Foreign Service has its perks.
So, Nate’s South Asian regional studies class: based on the stories I hear, it sounds like they spend most of the time watching movies.
Now, I know this isn’t the case because I incredulously asked if that was, and apparently they only watch movies during lunch. For some reason I mostly just hear about the movies when I ask Nate how his day was.
His regional studies class actually sounds really interesting, to the point that I wish I could go to his classes. Last week they went on a field trip to a mosque and then had lunch at a Pakistani restaurant. And on Thursday they are having a movie night.
Holy smokes, my job is boring.
According to Athena 