It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... (Can I steal that? Do I need quotation marks?) Well, it was. I suppose I should start by saying that I kind of went against my better judgement. I wasn't really convinced that anyone was going to tell me anything I didn't already know (and considering we leave in less than 5 months, that's probably a good thing). And I also only attended the Embassy Etiquette and Protocol class. So it's not like they were delving deeply into important issues. But I have to admit a certain level of frustration that they present information and pretend that it's applicable to everyone. Clearly that is not the case. I know it's not. Other people (I hope) realize this. But they never say it. Maybe they just assume that we know the information isn't applicable to everyone. Obviously, people feel most comfortable discussing things they are familiar with. And our lead speaker today came most recently from Paris. She also hadn't just completed In Country Training - she was the wife of a senior embassy official. So her perspective is going to be different. I'm not saying that she wasn't a really nice person and probably had loads of great info for anyone headed to Europe, but Dhaka is a far cry from Paris... I just wish that we could start things like this by saying something to the effect of, "I know quite a bit about my area, but I really can't comment on other regions of the world," instead of glossing over the fact that there are significant cultural differences among Europe, Africa, Asia, and Central/South America.
So I was a bit disappointed. BUT... I also managed to meet up with someone who had just come back from Tunisia who agreed to speak at my next FAO spouses cultural meeting. So, all in all, I say I came out even on this one. I also ran into 2 wives from our region who I have the potential to be interacting with for the next few years, so I tried to take advantage of my opportunity to network. I think that's all I'm going to say about that.
On a completely different note, I find I'm back in an HGTV phase. I'm sure other people do this, but I go through TV phases. I NEED to catch every episode of Law and Order, or I'm totally addicted to the Food Network. You get the picture. Well, for the past few weeks I've been on an HGTV kick, and it's made only more annoying by the fact that I won't be a homeowner again for a long time. So no putting in wood floors, no installing ceiling fans, no drastic redecorating, and not even really any painting in my forseeable future. Well, maybe painting, but honestly, that's one of my least favorite tasks. So I don't really crave that as much as I do the hands-on fun stuff - putting up crown moulding for example. Does anyone need any crown moulding installed??? Please?
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