My wife is sleeping off her jetlag. Boy, and after I cashed in all my miles so she could fly business class. What a waste! She brought me back a couple of Chinese language resources for xiehouyu 歇后语­. I notice these books are intended for middle/elementary school students, which gives you an idea of what my wife thinks about my Chinese ability! Anyway, xiehouyu are allegorical sayings consisting of two parts, often with four characters in each line. The first part, which is what people always recite, is descriptive, while the second part, usually unspoken, carries the real message. I first became interested in these sayings way back in the mid 1990s when I read The Private Life of Chairman Mao by Li Zhisui. Li relates of the time when Edgar Snow came to see Mao before the Cultural Revolution. Mao told Snow that he considered himself a 'lone monk with a leaky umbrella' 和尚打伞. Mao's interpreter, Nancy Tang, only translated the first part, so Edgar Snow went away with the image of Mao as a lonely old romantic. But the second half, which Nancy Tang left out, makes the true meaning clear: wufa wutian 无法无天. In other words, Mao was telling Snow that he was above the reach of law or heaven---that his power was absolute. I'm glad to get these materials, and I've already started studying them. I've always considered Brendan the xiehouyu master of the China Blog Mafia, probably because it was he who first pointed out the proper term for these things. Before then, I just considered them to be colorful 'sayings'. Another really well-known xiehouyu is wang po mai gua, zi mai zi kua 王婆卖瓜,自卖自夸. This refers to Old Woman Wang, a melon vendor, who boasts about the quality of her produce, thus it means 'to toot one's own horn'. There are provincial examples as well---here's one I posted a while back from Sichuan. My new books arrange the xiehouyu by pinyin, so I'm on the A's. Every now and then when my frustration mounts, I need a reminder of why I began studying Chinese in the first place, namely because it is such a rich and descriptive language. These kinds of books always do the trick for me. Take this one for instance: the first part reads aizi kan xi 矮子看戏 [Shorty watches the play]; the second part goes jian ren dao hao, ta ye dao hao 见人道好,他也道好 [when he sees others voice approval, so does he]. Isn't that great stuff? The short guy can't see what's going on in the play because of the taller people blocking his view, but when they cheer, he does too. It refers to people who follow the crowd, or blindly parrot the opinions of others. And to think that some people believe Chinese frown on individualism!
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/28/2003 04:55:00 AM| |

 
Life After A-100 I’m currently in limbo. Since my first overseas assignment does not require a language, the only thing that is keeping me here is the specific training that I will need for my job at post in India. I will be a consular officer, so I have to take the six-week consular course. That class will begin on January 20 and until then I need to find other tasks to keep me occupied. Our CDOs assign us other useful general classes (like Excel, PowerPoint, cable-writing) if there are any openings, but the majority of these last only 1-3 days. For any significant gaps, called ‘bridges’, State expects us to arrange something on our own. I’ve got a bigger gap to fill than most of my classmates, so I paid a visit to my country desk at Main State on the morning of our graduation to see if they needed any help, and I am fortunate that they agreed to take me on for the bulk of that time. A ‘country desk’ is the office at Main State that acts as the liaison between our overseas embassy/consulates in that country and State/US government. I’m very happy about this assignment because I am relatively new to South Asian affairs, and hopefully this will give me the opportunity to begin building a familiarity with the region. I’m also signed up for a three-month language maintenance course in Chinese, due to begin in February. This self-study distance-learning course is entirely online, and will help maintain and improve my reading ability in Chinese. I’m not quite sure how it works, but I think we have weekly reading assignments geared to our level, and they say it takes 2-3 hours a week. Yeah, I could just read Chinese newspapers on my own, or browse Chinese Internet sites, but I’ve always found that having structure keeps me more honest and diligent. Also, it should help push me to improve. I’ll be sure to keep the China Blog Mafia people posted on what I’m reading, since I may need you guys’ help! Oh yeah, Happy Holidays to all! I'm off to a classmate's house for Christmas Dinner this afternoon, and my wife gets back home tomorrow... UPDATE: This game is how I've been spending much of the holidays. A word of warning: you may have to choose between that game and your life. Or the game may choose you. It's very addictive. Post your high scores in the comments. I'm currently at 27775.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/26/2003 01:15:00 AM| |

 
It's now official. As of 12:50pm on Friday December 19, 2003 I am a sworn officer of the United States Foreign Service, and so are 94 of my classmates. Together, we made up the (Mighty) 116th A-100 class. State is a creature of tradition, and "A-100" used to be the room number where Orientation took place. Ever since then, State designates every orientation class "A-100". We are the 116th A-100 class since the Foreign Service Act of 1980 reset the counter, but State has held orientation/training throughout US history, at least since the Rogers Act of 1924, which combined the diplomatic and consular corps and created the modern, merit-based Foreign Service. In fact, we are the 266th such class. Our swearing-in ceremony took place in the Ben Franklin Room on the eighth floor at Main State/Harry S Truman Building (pictured at left). It is a huge, opulent room with priceless portraits and period furniture. You can learn more about the room and view pictures here. Our families and friends were able to attend the ceremony, and we had close to 300 people squeezed in the room. Unfortunately, Prince Roy was all alone. I thought it was too much to ask any of my relatives to show up, seeing as it is so near Christmas. My spouse couldn't go because she is back in Chengdu at her brother's wedding banquet. They had been planning this since summer, before I knew when State would hire me. Sadly, Secretary of State Colin Powell was not able to swear us into service, on account of his recent surgery. Instead, Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage (at left) performed the honors. Supposedly he is six feet tall, but he doesn't seem like it, because he is at least that wide. He is the living definition of barrel-chested, and my guess is he could probably bench-press the Harry S Truman Building---for reps. After the swearing-in he took several class photos with us. When I get my hands on one I'll be sure to post it. On behalf of our class, I also presented him with a get-well card for Secretary Powell that every one of us signed. In case you're interested, here is our oath of office:

I, __________, do solemly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely and without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.

Our Orientation is concluded, and now our real training begins; then for me, on to post by late March. Right on our heels is the next A-100 class, the 117th, due to begin January 12, 2004. I may be on hand to help out with the newbies if training gaps permit, so if any of the 117th read this, be on the lookout. In any event, I'll put up some photos when I get them, so check back later in the week. UPDATE: Since Friday, the law student buried within me is wondering about the last sentence of our oath of office, which is written into Federal law. It would seem to collide head-on with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. My understanding is that one could omit the 'so help me God' part, but no one informed us of that before the swearing-in. The one Supreme Court case I am aware of that addresses this issue is TORCASO v. WATKINS, 367 U.S. 488 (1961), the key sentence of that opinion being: We repeat and again reaffirm that neither a State nor the Federal Government can constitutionally force a person "to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion" (emphasis mine). Have there been subsequent cases that have expanded/contracted this holding? And in fact, Article VI of the US Constitution specifically states that ..."no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States..." Little help, any legal-minded readers with Lexis or Westlaw accounts.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/21/2003 06:20:00 AM| |

 
There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture... What you see above is the actual official press conference podium at Main State. This is where State Department Spokesman and Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs Richard Boucher gives the State Department's daily press conference. You folks in the China Blog Mafia should take special note, as he has spent a good portion of his career in China and Taiwan. Ambassador Boucher was kind enough to take time out from his busy schedule to talk with our class yesterday afternoon after the press conference. They first cleared out all the journalists and then we filed in to wait. One of our classmates had the foresight to bring her digital camera and she graciously offered to mark the occasion by taking our pictures. I was one of the first on the dais.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/17/2003 12:00:00 PM| |

 
Salubrious Living In DC, Part Deux I've already addressed the biggest adjustment I had to make moving back to DC, namely the ubiquitous smoking, here. But there is another aspect of life also very near and dear to my heart in which the District disappoints mightily: food. I admit it, LA spoiled me rotten in this regard. And as a native of New Orleans, I already had much higher standards than most. I can't say I've had even one meal since arriving in DC on November 2 that I would consider better than just 'good'. 90% barely rate a 'fair'. I guarantee this will be a considerable let-down for those of you moving to DC to start A-100, especially if you are coming from the West Coast. And if you are vegetarian, prepare yourself for the worst. Even many Asian places offer only a handful of unimaginative non-meat items. A very trendy sports bar in the area, Bailey's Crossroads, can't even be bothered to fry up a veggie grease burger. It's Cheese fries, tortilla chips/salsa, or hunger. Your options at the FSI (Foreign Service Institute) cafeteria aren't much better. They have a decent salad bar, but it is quite pricey at $.26 an ounce. That's pretty much it, unless you get a slice of cheese or veggie pizza. There are many microwaves available, however, and so a lot of people just bring something from home. Everything is expensive at the cafeteria---even a 20 ounce soda costs $1.57. That wouldn't be so bad if I had something to look forward to after work and on weekends, but the city is a culinary nightmare. So if you're heading this way from just about anywhere else, consider yourself warned...
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/15/2003 10:45:00 AM| |

 
Week Six is in the books, and I am beat. It's been an extremely intense week, what with Tuesday's Flag Day and its inevitable aftermath. We were all tremendously keyed up going into it, the excitement rode over into the following day (and the hangover for a lot of people), so by the time Thursday rolled around my body went into a full-scale revolt. Our instructors have joked with us all during Orientation that the reason State waits until Week Six to announce our assignments is that once it does, we are lost to them as students, only able to think about our upcoming assignments. Yes and no. For me, at least, it never completely dawned upon me that I am actually a new Foreign Service Officer until the Ambassador (our class mentor) called my name that day and announced my posting. From that point it was all business. Since then classes have dealt with the mechanics of moving, the tenure and promotion process, and our transition into the specific skill training and language instruction that makes up the next phase of our time here before shipping out, and I have been all ears. I will be one of the first in our class to head out for post. My assignment in India does not require a foreign language, so I will most likely leave Washington sometime in the Spring. In a sense, I am very happy about this. Including law school, I've been in school practically full-time since August 2000. To be honest, I am just itching to get into the field. Even though I'll be at post in just a matter of months, it still seems ages away and the anticipation is maddening. I can only imagine what it must be like for those of my classmates who have to wait until Fall/Winter 2004. It's hard to believe we graduate Orientation next Friday. The time both seems to have flown by and dragged on interminably. In my opinion, the high point of this whole process will be if Secretary of State Colin Powell conducts our swearing-in ceremony. I could imagine of no better way to kick-off what to me is my dream career. The word is that Secretary Powell tries his best to swear in each class, schedule permitting, and he actually ends up doing so for about 1/3 of the classes. I think we have a decent shot, because we graduate a week before Christmas, and the odds should be fairly good that he will be in town. Please keep your fingers crossed for us.....
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/13/2003 08:30:00 AM| |

 
Apparently the word is out and many foreign service officer wannabes have found my blog. Welcome! Please feel free to take an interactive role here, whether through the comments or email. I began this site almost one year ago while in law school as a convenient way for friends and family dispersed throughout the four corners of the Earth to keep up with me. Also, after I began my career in the Foreign Service I knew they would be very curious about what our life is like. Needless to say, this is a journal of my own subjective experience, and I don't claim to speak for anyone else... For those of you still waiting to get in the Foreign Service, I wish you all the best of luck. You will have an amazing time here. Our three main instructors are all first-rate and experienced FSOs. Their guidance has been invaluable. You will also find how incredibly accomplished your classmates are. I still haven't gotten over how impressive everyone is. We all may have our doubts to some degree about the Foreign Service Examination process, but something about it definitely works. If you've found any information here useful, I hope you'll consider voting for me at a blog contest hosted by Phil at Flying Chair. Someone nominated me in the category of "Best Foreign (Non Asian)" blog and you can cast your vote here. Thanks! A Final Note About Flag Day This was certainly the most anticipated moment of our Orientation, and I think most people are very happy with their assignments. I would say by far the majority of our class received something in their top five choices. As for me, I am looking forward to India. I've had a long-time fascination with Indian philosophy, and of course it is the home of Buddhism. I hope to visit many Buddhist pilgrim sites while there, particularly the site of the Bodhi tree where he attained enlightenment. Chennai is a bit far from Buddhism's northern home, but that's what our leave is for! I also love Indian food, so I am hopeful of a very positive experience. More on this later, so please stay tuned...in the meantime, you can learn more about Chennai here and here (scroll down a good ways).
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/11/2003 08:00:00 AM| |

 
And The Winner Is... So here's where I'm going. I'm buying a beer for the first among you who can tell me what country this is. Leave your answer in the comments. Hopefully, one of these days I'll be able to make good. I'll post more later---right now our class is headed out to celebrate, or commiserate, depending on one's point of view...
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/10/2003 05:30:00 AM| |

 
Now I know more than ever what they mean by the saying "it's a small world". Everyone in our Foreign Service class received a biography booklet with photos and background information about our classmates---kind of like a yearbook. I noticed one guy is from my hometown of New Orleans. He is an attorney and practiced law for many years in New Orleans before he entered the Foreign Service. On Friday I decided to ask him if he knew a second cousin of mine who is a lawyer, because I figured he might have met her in New Orleans legal circles, and they are also both alumni of Tulane Law School. Well, not only does he know my cousin, but his younger brother was actually married to her cousin (his brother is now a widower), so it turns out this classmate and I are related by marriage. Needless to say, we were both floored by this development. It just goes to show... On a more somber note, today is Sunday December 7: 62 years to the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I hope you will join me in remembering the 2403 Americans who lost their lives that tragic day.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/07/2003 01:00:00 PM| |

 
Now this weather bulletin: our first Winter Storm Warning of the year. SNOW!!! All weekend school activities are cancelled today, including the all-important SAT tests for high school students. There are several car accidents on the roads. Authorities are advising everyone to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. Every local TV channel has interrupted regular programming to provide constant live reporting of the situation. But before you run out to warm up the Snowcat or head down to Walmart to buy a snow shovel and come dig out your Prince, be advised of the following: there is maybe, just maybe, one inch of snow on the ground. I had forgotten how DC completely grinds to a halt whenever so much as a flurry breaks out. The crazy thing is this happens every year, yet residents never seem to learn from experience. And it's not like people here have never seen snow. The last time we lived here there were considerable snowfalls of up to 8 inches. But for whatever reason, a minor dusting like this throws everyone into near panic. If this had happened on Monday I'd definitely have the day off because the Federal Government shuts down at the drop of a hat. I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but I am actually looking forward to going in on Monday. I don't want the government to shut down. This is because we finally find out our country destination on Tuesday and I don't want any unnecessary delays; none of us do...the day we have been waiting for is finally upon us! We have completed our "tri-cycle" training period and so come Monday we will again be one big happy family of 95. It was quite an intense week, featuring a two-day public speaking workshop. As foreign service officers, we can expect to engage in all kinds of public speaking, whether with media or government officials, and so this course acted as an introduction to fundamental concepts. Paul Edel, the instructor, spent over a decade as a broadcast journalist, as well as a speechwriter and professional public speaker. He is a contractor to State, and of all our outside instructors to date, he is by far the best. Whatever State is paying him, it isn't enough. He is worth every penny. The hilight of the workshop came on Day Two, when each of us had to deliver a five-minute speech before the group that we had written the previous evening, which Mr. Edel videotaped. The speech had to focus on a country in our bid list and address a topic in our career track concerning the host country. I chose Mongolia, and if you like, you can read my speech here (right click Save Target As). Please keep the following in mind: this was a practice exercise and I invented practically everything in that speech. IT IS NOT AN OFFICIAL U.S. STATEMENT CONCERNING U.S. POLICY TOWARDS MONGOLIA. I made it all up. Each person in the group also had to fill out a survey on how they thought the speaker performed. Mr. Edel then played the tape in front of everyone to offer us constructive feedback on our techniques. This was extremely helpful, and he pointed out several useful strategies. To be honest, I was somewhat nervous getting up there and thought it would surely show in my performance, but I sounded quite natural, even though I have not yet mastered his course. To my great surprise, I also got very positive feedback from my classmates' comments. I'm not trying to claim I am the next Great Communicator, and public speaking is still not something I look forward to, but thanks to this excellent course by Mr. Edel, I have much more confidence in my ability to effectively do so should the need ever arise. I doubt if anyone reading this blog is a corporate bigshot who needs to learn public speaking skills, but in the off-chance you are, you can reach Paul Edel here. He is in extremely high demand though, and is booked through November 2004.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 12/07/2003 12:20:00 AM| |