Bot honestly, without a car it is a bit tricky. Relations, interned with Dept. Thanks for the great info. Detroit --> Angola --> Chile --> Cambodia--> India, A little drama every day. This constant reassignment can be both a blessing and a curse. I've also attached the listing on airbnb (willing to work within the FSI stipend amounts). Of course, you can always take the per diem and go live in Washington, DC. We list three strong prioritized preferences rather than a laundry list of wants. A girl travelling around the world on a motorcycle. The role of the Foreign Service specialist is to support and maintain the proper functioning of U.S. government offices at home and abroad. It's only 3.5 miles from FSI: Rent this charming condo for your long-term stay in the DC area. The first step is to take the Foreign Service Written Exam. Anon, it naturally depends on where yo ugo. I am assuming you kid is going to the FSI daycare? Good luck! Most of the people on our street are retired, but still throw block parties a couple times a year. This ranges from style complaints about the embassy’s Drexel Heritage dark furniture and local eccentricities with light switches or doorways, to real horror stories about insect or rodent infestations, exposed wires, floods, and more. Most people I know with pets (especially multiple dogs) choose to not go with the Oakwood option. It is quite hip, plenty of restaurants and grocery stores. DOS has contracts with a bunch of buildings in those places. Just a quick note... Oakwood Falls Church does now have a limited number of 3 bedroom units only available to State Dept families. Housing for Foreign Service Officers varies around the world. This blog is intended to share thoughts and highlight experiences from my Foreign Service candidacy, life and career. That in itself is intimidating. All kitchen items are included (dishes, bowls, pots, pans, etc). If you are in a high-threat post, you may be living in a hotel or on a compound. Some of the other Oakwood locations also have three bedrooms, but there is usually a waiting list. Of course there are headaches, like you said, that along with that, but they might be worth it.Another thing to consider is a place like Residence Inn. Each time a tour comes to a close, officers must bid for new positions. The first task of new officers is to learn the language of their assigned country. This blog describes my journey as a Foreign Service officer, wife of another FSO and a mom to a boisterous, loving boy.We began our careers with the State Department in 2010/2011 and first served in amazing Bangladesh, followed by fabulous Rio de Janeiro. U.S. embassies are close-knit communities, and, like it or not, the one thing that unites everyone is their very Americanness. so, if he starts on a Monday, I think you can move in on a Saturday. And our gamble to bring gardening tools and patio furniture also paid off – we were going to a rambling suburban rancher with a large wraparound lawn backing up to a pine forest. Vlad was an FSO-8 when this picture was taken. Over the years, I have received lots of questions about housing benefits in the Foreign Service (FS) – primarily what my houses have looked like, if I liked them, and whether I got to pick them. My background is this: I currently have a BA in Poli Sci and History (double major), MA in Int. HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. You may live on compound one tour, to your own 5 bedroom home the next, to a 2 bedroom apartment next to your colleagues the next. One question: How does the Oakwood Rosslyn/Arlington work out for folks with a newborn and a dog? Depends. I was previously posted to Ciudad Juarez. Unless you are a current participant in the Lodging Program, employees may not use the Oakwood shuttle.". You do. Internal and external doors, and some doors and windows had locking security grates. Inc. No courtyard wall here to keep out the world, no barbed wire. Work performed must be relevant to the Foreign Service Officer position. Its ears swiveled and twitched as it took us in. I have served on two housing boards and I know firsthand the challenges of assigning housing. Depends. The brass bathroom fixtures? Hi, there are a ton of these "large rambunctious" dogs in the FS. Thank you so much for passing along information about my condo. And once we are in that little apartment, before long… we will start wondering about our housing in Ciudad Juarez. JENNIFER SMITH currently lives in San Salvador, El Salvador. Do not share anything that may be in breach of non-disclosure agreements. The best places to live for that purpose are Rosslyn, Clarendon and Ballston, the three areas with dining, bars and nightlife. I expect you will like the housing very much. Your overseas housing rent and utility payments are covered. How far in advance will they move you into the government apartments? I will add that above, thanks for the question! The good news is that if the house is owned by the embassy (or a landlord with whom they will interface on your behalf), by and large things that are really wrong are going to get fixed. Ready for the apocalypse, or maybe just a big par-tay with Americans: Not gonna lie – my formal Lenox tablecloth, placemats, and napkins go suspiciously well with Embassy Tashkent’s curtains and chairs – guess I have old school taste, Below L to R: Part of my closet; second floor landing; front yard tortoise hibernation burrows (Jamshid and Arslana slept in there yearly from roughly November to March!). You are why they do what they do. The person I bought the rocking chair from told me she got it in the south and I think she had the upholstery done in Malaysia.