Author: pennypostcard

Spent the last several years in Washington, DC but left my heart in northern California. I graduated from San Diego State University in 2001 with a bachelor's in psychology, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Macedonia from 2002-2004. In 2006 I earned my master of international relations from Macquarie University in Sydney and relocated to the Washington, DC area. In the fall of 2011 I became a candidate for the United States Foreign Service, and in the summer of 2014 I finally made it to my dream job!

Foreign Service, U.S.

Rediscovery: Learning Burmese, Weeks 19-20

by pennypostcard • January 22, 2025 • 0 Comments

The past two weeks have been some of the most challenging since I began studying Burmese, largely due to feeling stuck in a prolonged rut. Struggling to recall vocabulary or make sense of syntax. Dreading the thought of leaving my warm bed to face the winter blues and drive to FSI. Feeling so drained that I fall asleep the moment I lie down, before forming a single memory.

Unexpected breaks from the routine—due to snow and illness—provided some relief, even though I was eager to get back to business as usual after the holidays. Yet, language learning continued to be a roller coaster of highs and lows for me.

Nearing the halfway point of this 44-week journey, I’ve solidified my determination to see it through, regardless of how much I think I suck at Burmese or even whether I ultimately pass. Looking back, I’ll likely view this stage as a pivotal point.

Foreign Service, Travel, U.S.

Year in Review: 2024 Blog Stats and Recap

by pennypostcard • January 11, 2025 • 1 Comment

In 2024, when I wasn’t making the most of my time outdoors, I managed to publish 35 posts, conclude my fourth tour handling international parental child abductions in the Office of Children’s Issues, and begin long-term training for my next assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, Burma.

I also wrote a series of posts chronicling Foreign Service-related topics, including the centennial anniversary of the Foreign Service, the machinations of retirement and sixth tour bidding planning, and my best tips for success during FSI language study.

Foreign Service, U.S.

Winter Sun: Learning Burmese, Weeks 16-18

by pennypostcard • January 4, 2025 • 4 Comments

The Friday of week 16 in our 44-week Burmese course fell just before Christmas and brought our second progress evaluation. For me, the evaluation was a frustrating experience, the culmination of weeks of discouragement with my slowed progress since our class expanded from two students to four at varying levels.

I pretty much bombed my evaluation, despite intensively studying grammar, reviewing my thematic texts, and dedicating five hours before the evaluation to quiet practice and protecting my energy. By contrast, the effort I put into creating a memorable holiday for my family paid off, which is generally what I expect when I’ve worked tirelessly to achieve something.

Foreign Service, U.S.

Good > Perfect: Learning Burmese, Week 15

by pennypostcard • December 19, 2024 • 1 Comment

Last week, as we passed the one-third mark of the course, I was reminded of the roller coaster ride that is FSI language learning. One day, it feels as though you can’t comprehend a single word being said. The next, you’re gradually piecing together structures and vocabulary to craft complex, sequential sentences you couldn’t have managed just a week or two earlier. But just as you start to feel a sense of accomplishment, you open your mouth to speak, only to have your mind go completely blank—like a computer freezing on the dreaded blue screen of death.

Foreign Service, U.S.

Not on the Tip of My Tongue: Learning Burmese, Weeks 13-14

by pennypostcard • December 8, 2024 • 3 Comments

The cadence of the past two weeks has been unusually choppy, with several language classes disrupted by the Thanksgiving federal holiday, Area Studies, and an untimely bout of illness. These interruptions have contributed to my feeling lately that I can’t think of much to say in Burmese.

Foreign Service, U.S.

New Dynamics: Learning Burmese, Week 12

by pennypostcard • November 24, 2024 • 5 Comments

In week 11 we reached a milestone, completing the first quarter of our Burmese language course. The following week (week 12) marked a turning point of its own as our two classes merged into one for the first time.

Foreign Service, U.S.

First Quarter Achievement Unlocked: Learning Burmese, Weeks 10-11

by pennypostcard • November 20, 2024 • 2 Comments

The end of last week marked a significant milestone: we achieved 25% completion of our 44-week Burmese language course.

Burma, Foreign Service, U.S.

A Year Out From Sixth Tour Bidding: The Daydream

by pennypostcard • November 11, 2024 • 3 Comments

I’m not bidding in this current cycle. I already have my assignment to Burma that starts summer 2025 — hence my current long-term Burmese language training to prepare. But fellow FSO friends in the last year of their current posts are bidding for their onward assignments. Soon, their wait will be over.

Foreign Service, U.S.

Trail Quest, Part II: Collecting Pins

by pennypostcard • November 10, 2024 • 1 Comment

As I mentioned in the first post of my Trail Quest blog series, in 2020 I inadvertently started a bid to visit all of Virginia’s 43 (and counting) state parks with a pandemic isolation-era visit to Mason Neck State Park (MN). The site of friends’ kids’ birthday parties and impromptu weekend gatherings over the years, Mason Neck as our first state park was familiar, and probably – as the state park nearest our home – also the only Virginia state park we’d ever been to.

At that time, I was only peripherally aware of the state park system in Virginia. I didn’t realize how many parks existed, where they were, or how nice they were. We hiked outdoors in lots of places, but in retrospect they were northern Virginia’s abundant local parks or bigger-visit national parks. Occasionally I would see a sign for a state park off interstate 95 while we were on the way to somewhere else. But in 2023, I discovered Trail Quest.

Foreign Service, U.S.

First Progress Evaluation: Learning Burmese, Week 9

by pennypostcard • November 3, 2024 • 4 Comments

Last Friday marked a date I’d circled on the calendar during September’s first week of Burmese class: November 1st, our initial Burmese speaking and reading progress evaluation.

Foreign Service, U.S.

Connecting the Dots: Learning Burmese, Weeks 7-8

by pennypostcard • October 28, 2024 • 3 Comments

During weeks seven and eight in Burmese language class, we continued stringing sets of smaller ideas together to form larger ideas. Connecting these dots eventually got us from “I want to go to Burma and I like Burmese food,” to being able to express “I want to study Burmese language because I like Burmese food and in the future I’m going to work as a diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Burma.”

Foreign Service, U.S.

Trail Quest, Part I: Get Outside

by pennypostcard • October 22, 2024 • 2 Comments

One of the best things about serving a domestic Foreign Service tour is proximity and access to all the wonderful aspects of life in the United States. In contrast to many overseas assignments challenged by air pollution, security restrictions, or lack of infrastructure, northern Virginia boasts a nearly endless array of activities with no such hindrances.

One of my favorite things lately about living in Virginia has been enjoying its beautiful nature.

Foreign Service, Health, U.S.

Distance Vision, Part III

by pennypostcard • October 18, 2024 • 1 Comment

In early January, I had eye surgery to free myself from glasses and contact lenses. The procedure was called refractive lens exchange, or custom lens replacement (CLR, pronounced like the word “clear”). During CLR, an ophthalmologist removes the natural lens from behind each eye and replaces them with synthetic interocular lenses (IOLs). In my case, like cataract surgery without the cataracts.

IOLs can never develop cataracts and are free of the age-related hardening and clouding that begins in your 40s. This lens hardening causes presbyopia, which means you may need reading glasses, even if you’ve had LASIK in the past to correct astigmatism. CLR restores the eye’s original refractive ability by dealing with all of your vision problems on the back end. Usually, CLR patients no longer need any vision correction.

Although my first CLR corrected most of my astigmatism, it took three further surgeries to bring my vision up to its present point: clear at all distances. I would have been dumbfounded to know back at the beginning that it would ultimately take four procedures to permanently correct my vision. But fortunately it was all covered by the initial price I’d paid and today I have no regrets.

Foreign Service, U.S.

Pivoting As Needed: Learning Burmese, Weeks 5-6

by pennypostcard • October 15, 2024 • 1 Comment

Over the past two weeks of studying Burmese, I’ve made a deliberate effort to increase my study time. A slump in week five made me realize the importance of establishing a more consistent and intentional study routine.

Foreign Service, Leadership & Work Culture, U.S.

Suggested Tips for Language Study at FSI

by pennypostcard • October 8, 2024 • 6 Comments

Last month, I attended a seminar on study tips offered to current language students by the Foreign Service Institute’s (FSI) School of Language Studies (SLS). At any given point, hundreds of Foreign Service Officers are engaged in long-term language training at FSI. Successfully reaching the required scores for our overseas language-designated onward assignments is “the why.”

I’ve aggregated here some of my favorite language study tips from SLS consultants, fellow students, and my own experience. I’ve categorized them into two groups: strategy (what you do) and mindset (how you approach what you do), though the division is probably subjective. If you have a favorite tip for succeeding in FSI language study, feel free to add it in the comments!

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