15 November 2006 - 14:31
I'm scheduled to take the Foreign Service Oral Assessment in DC on December 8th, and I have to fill out a stack of paperwork about as tall as I am just to get in the door. I've known about this paperwork for a couple months now, but I've decided to postpone it until the last minute - I realized last weekend that after this weekend, I'll be travelling almost constantly, doing a silkscreen training in Selibaby for a week and a half, then traveling the length of Senegal to get to Dakar for my flight to the US (which includes three layovers and travel on three continents through four countries, and encompasses a full 24 hours of traveling on the way to the US and two full days on the way back), a whirlwind tour of Oklahoma, trying to locate warm clothing and my old suit, then flying to DC for the interview. So this last week has been a blur of paperwork - DS-1950 Application for Employment, SF-86 Questionnaire for National Security Positions (background check), Overseas Activities Contact Data Sheet, DS-4017 Statement of Interest for Foreign Servie Officer, DS-4002 Authorization for Release of Credit Report, blah, blah, blah.
I'm almost finished with what appears to be the bulkiest of this red tape, the Questionnaire for National Security Positions, thank goodness. For this monster, I had to list all of my former addresses, for every single time that I have moved in the last ten years, including room numbers for on-campus housing, in addition to a name, street address, and telephone number of a person who knew me while I was living at each address. I wasn't too worried about this until I actually started working on it and realized that I'VE MOVED 17 DIFFERENT TIMES IN THE LAST TEN YEARS!!! Great.
So I finished that section, with the help of the glorious internet and a little help from TU's Housing and Dining Office (thanks, Mark Bernhart - you're a lifesaver!). Then I hit the employment section, which was even more of a nightmare - I was supposed to list all of my former employers’ names, addresses (HQ and local office), phone numbers (HQ and local office), supervisors’ names, addresses, and phone numbers...for all 16 jobs that I've held in the last ten years. No way. I actually got most of it filled out, with the exception of a few of the last names of supervisors of part-time jobs I held early in college. Not too bad, considering I have held 19 different jobs, with 10 different employers, over the last ten years. Geez.
So my employment and residence record basically makes me look like I've been a vagrant for the last decade of my life. With some trepidation, I ventured into the Countries Visited section, but was relieved to find that I only had to list every country I've ever visited, dates that I was there, and the purpose for each visit.
Then came the fun questions..."Have you ever been an officer or a member or made a contribution to an organization dedicated to the violent overthrow of the United States Government and which engages in illegal activities to that end, knowing that the organization engages in such activities with the specific intent to further such activities?" And "Have you ever knowingly engaged in any acts or activities designed to overthrow the United States Government by force?" NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, SIR.
I'm glad that one's almost done. Now on to my aspiration statement, which I intend to copy directly from the aspiration statement I wrote for my Peace Corps application three years ago..."I want to be a Peace Corps volunteer Foreign Service Officer so I can travel the world on the government dollar, fighting terrorism and spreading peace and love wherever I go. Amen."
