You're Going Where?!

Well kids, we have come to that time.  Blog time!  I know, I know – Heather, why in the world did you ever stop?  Well friends, kids happened.  And as many of you can probably appreciate, when the kids happen, seldom does much else happen.  I decided that since we are about to embark on a pretty epic experience, the radio silence in blog land could stand no more!  There are so many people that we care about and not enough hours in the day to tell each one of them individually about every experience we have along the way.  So, it’s time to dive back in!  We are on the precipice of a very busy, life altering move to South Asia and, aside from the benefits of keeping everyone in the loop, it seems like the best possible way to keep our own diary of our travels for posterity.  So it begins…

Let’s start at the very beginning; which is a very good place to start, according to Julie Andrews, among others.  Just for those who may not know anything about what’s going on, or are jumping into this in the middle, some information for you: we are a military family – my husband, Ryan, is in the Marine Corps.  His job has required us to move to new and exciting places, like Enid Oklahoma; Pensacola, Florida; and San Diego, California, to name a few.  It also has required him to learn, train and do a variety of crazy jobs.  When we met, he was in Officer Candidate School, preparing for a life in the Marine Corps.  Next was flight school, followed directly by helicopter training.  As a pilot, he flew the prestigious CH-46 Battle Phrog for the World Famous Purple Foxes.  During that time, he did 2 deployments overseas while I held down the fort in San Diego - the first time by myself and the second time with our 1 year old daughter, who we will call Kiddo here.  As much fun as we had during our time with the Purple Foxes, we knew it wouldn’t last forever – as nothing does in the military.  The Phrog was set to retire and our squadron was one of the next on the list for transition.  Ryan had a decision to make: move on to a new aircraft or try a tour doing something new, also called a B Billet, for a while. 

During the second deployment, we found out that Ryan had been selected for the Foreign Affairs Officer (FAO) training program.  I remember receiving that phone call around the end of January 2012.  He had applied after he left for deployment in September and we had been waiting to hear if he had not only been accepted, but also to what area of the world we would be sent if we were selected.  This program was one of two to which Ryan had applied, both of which would likely send our whole family overseas for the next tour.  Ultimately, as tends to happen in the military, you are afforded an opinion that may or may not ever be considered – so, of course, each applicant was required to submit his or her top 3 choices for language learning.  Ryan requested a placement somewhere in the world that spoke either Spanish, French or Russian.  He knows some Spanish, I know some French, and Russian seemed like a useful and interesting third option.  So, picture me dreaming up afternoons eating croissants in French cafés or enjoying late night tapas and wine in some dark basement restaurant in Seville.  It’s hard not to dream a bit, so who could blame me? 

A little something like this...

Imagine my surprise when Ryan called me that January and told me that he had been selected for the Hindi program in South Asia!   You could say that I was a little caught off guard.  Now, I have learned in my time as a Marine Corps spouse that making plans is typically a fool’s errand.  Nine times out of ten, any plan you make will be foiled by the powers that be.  It’s just the way it goes.  So, I should have known better.  I mean, Samosas and Chicken Curry in New Delhi wasn’t even a blip on my daydreaming radar.  Needless to say, it took a little time for this news to truly settle in as a possible reality.  Honestly, in the weeks after he broke the news, I kept waiting for Ryan to call back and say that he was Punking me all along or that they had changed their minds and they needed us to stay stateside.  None of that happened.  We were moving to Monterey, California for 3 years post deployment, followed directly by a move to South Asia for a full year.  That. Was. Happening.

Now, on to the business details - here’s how the FAO program works: The first step was a move to Monterey, California for about 3 years where, for a year and half, Ryan attended the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and earned a master’s degree in National Security.  This was followed directly by step two: another year or so at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) to learn to speak Hindi.  I might add, although it sounds like a plush situation to be required and paid to learn a language, it was no easy task.  Learning Hindi in just a year meant Ryan was in class 5 days a week, 8 or so hours a day for an entire year, plus homework and study time.  With very few breaks in the yearly schedule, it was quite a feat.  Once finished with both of those programs, he was required to take a Standardized test called the DLPT – Defense Language Practical Test.  Scores on this test determine whether he is able to collect his master’s degree and if he has successfully completed the program.  He is required to take this test every year for the duration of his time in the military to establish that he is maintaining his language skills, regardless of whether or not he is working in a job that utilizes those skills. Once he passes the test and earns his degrees, it is off to South Asia for all of us to spend one year in what is called an “immersion experience.”  For most FAOs, this is a chance to live in country, among the culture that has been studied and speak the language that they have tirelessly worked to master in order to cement their knowledge.

The countries of South Asia - Our new home!

It is important to know that the FAO program is based around regions, not languages.  Our family is not actually going to live in a country that speaks Hindi.  Because of the regional focus, Ryan is actually responsible for learning about all of the countries in his assigned region – our region being South Asia.  Our goal, then, is to set up a home base in one of the countries, then travel between that home base and all of the other places over the course of the year, meeting the locals, learning and observing the culture and using the language which Ryan has acquired, as organically as possible.  In many regions, the language you learn is often that which you would speak in a lot of the region in which you travel.  In South Asia, though, because India is the most populous country, Hindi is considered the predominant language; however, it is not spoken in most of the rest of the region, which includes Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives.  (Pakistan and Afghanistan are pretty much no travel zones, so don't worry about us going there).  So, Ryan will be able to use his language in his several trips to India and probably in Nepal, but as for the rest of it?  We will rely largely on the availability of English speakers in our travels, which shouldn’t be too difficult, since English is also a predominate language in a lot of South Asian countries. 

Originally, when we were assigned South Asia, we were told that we would be living in India.  We were both excited and nervous about that prospect.  Travel would definitely be cheaper around India, with the availability of trains helping us to avoid some air travel, making family travel a little easier.  But the culture shock that awaited us in the throngs of people and overcrowded cities seemed a little daunting, to say the least.  A few months into the program, though, we heard that moving to India didn’t seem possible.  Apparently, the last 6 or 7 families to make this journey had been sent to live in Muscat, Oman, because of some issues in solidifying long term visas for the Marines.  So, Oman, here we come, right?  Well, for a little while that was the story, which was just as exciting as going to India!  We heard it was a beautiful and tropical spot, within driving distance of Dubai (cool!), plus we would have the benefit of the 7 previous families’ experiences to bolster our knowledge of the area.  Well, that rug, too, was pulled out from under us.  The South Asia department had been wanting to open up a FAO station in Sri Lanka, which is located off the southern tip of India and now seemed like as good a time as any to do that.  So, goodbye to any familiarity or on site connections; Hello brand new country about which no one had much information.  Colombo, Sri Lanka became our new destination and our new subject of research. 

After the initial shock, we were actually pretty excited.  I mean, how many people get to say that their job is to move across the world for a year of travel?  Not many, I believe.  So, of course we were stoked!  But Sri Lanka is a world away from everything we know and to say that it wasn’t daunting to think of packing up our littles to move there would be a lie.  People keep asking us if we are nervous or anxious or scared.  We are on the precipice of this move and honestly, it still feels completely surreal.  Almost as if it is happening to someone else and we are just responsible for telling the story.  Hell, until we are actually standing on the sidewalk of the airport, feeling the suffocating heat of Colombo, Sri Lanka penetrating our skin, I don’t know that it will feel real to the four of us!  No matter how many times I have had to explain to someone where we are going and why, it doesn’t seem to get any more plausible or tangible.  That day is coming, though, friends.  It’s coming very soon.  But more on that later.  What follows is an account of our preparations, travels and experiences in this crazy overseas adventure.  Follow along, ask questions, send advice and above all, enjoy all that follows as we journey on!  Full speed ahead!