And finally something is for certain!

Well, well, well. June 17 finally came: Flag Day! (No, silly, not the holiday—the day when Foreign Service Officers receive their assignments!)

I am pleased to announce that Jeff Collett has been assigned to serve as a Foreign Service Specialist—Facility Manager at the consulate in Ciudad JuĂ¡rez, MĂ©xico.

We don't have our pack out date yet, but based on the training schedule, we are expecting to leave sometime in the beginning or middle of January. We will live there for two years.

I think it is appropriate to post this 2005 photo of me in a Mexico shirt with my roommate Diana.


Here is another good picture. Jeff and I stopped in Mexico during our honeymoon in 2006. It was Jeff's first time out of the country, and I remember him saying how much he loved being in Mexico, the food, the people, and speaking Spanish. He casually said that he wouldn't mind living there someday. Well, someday has arrived!


Some of you may be worried about us going to JuĂ¡rez, because you remember the stories that have been in the media, but the city is gradually getting safer and safer. It is no longer the murder capital of the world; it has fallen to number 37 on the list of most violent cities in the world. And the Foreign Service takes a lot of precautions to keep us safe, and Mexicans (for the most part) like Americans (in general).

We do not feel unsafe. We are excited! I am relieved to finally have something set in stone. I can try to push my Portuguese back in my brain and start focusing on Spanish. We can figure out what school Jill will go to. (There is no American or international school there, but there are some good private bilingual schools.) We can get ready to move forward instead of waiting, waiting, waiting.

I am looking forward to learning how to cook tamales. And I know it is a Mexico City speciality, but maybe someone there can teach me how to cook pambazos, too. Delicious. If Jeff is really lucky, I may learn how to make that soup he likes. I can't even remember its name right now! And maybe I will learn the secret to homemade tortillas!

And maybe my Spanish will finally get better, so I no longer have to almost always speak in first person present tense. ;)

We are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the culture of our post country!

Comments

  1. I'm so excited for you guys! I saw the announcement on Jeff's facebook and it just seems perfect. It will be so nice to not feel SO far away from family. You won't have to deal with crazy different time zones when you want to call them and you can (hopefully) easily make visits home a few times while you're living there. What a fun adventure your little family will have. I can't wait to hear all about it!

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  2. Sweeeeeet! Meems, this is awesome! How fun is that!?

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  3. Looking at this again, I just noticed how l blonde your hair is in that picture from your honeymoon in Mexico! So blonde! Did you have highlights for that, or was that natural? I thought your hair had gotten dark since that episode in high school... clearly I am remembering something wrong.

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    1. I have dyed it . . . twice (?) since high school, and in college I did get highlights maybe three times. It got really blonde while in Maine from spending so much time on the dock.

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  4. That is so exciting!! —Michelle Hickey

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  5. So cool! I would love to be able to immerse myself in another culture. —Jessica Creer

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  6. Hey! That's where I served. I spent nearly a year in Ciudad Juarez. You will be hot. You will eat well. Watch your back. —Dylan Haney

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  7. Yeah for knowing! —Karen Scott

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  8. Awesome! —Brittany Young-Keen

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  9. Mimi I live 5 mins from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. —Robbi M.

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  10. How exciting!!!!!! —Mindee

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  11. Wowowow. I want to come visit so bad! —Peter

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  12. I'm only 4 hours north... maybe we can get Amy to Albuquerque to meet you part way??? —Hannah Ricks

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  13. So exciting! —Cynthia Leydsman

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  14. What a relief to finally have a plan and a place! What a fun adventure! We're not looking forward to January though. —Barb Howell

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  15. That's awesome! Congrats! —Lindsay Spivey

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  16. Wasn't Mexico your first choice? This is so great! —Vicki Rich

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  17. What exciting news! Congratulations. —Jill Farrell

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  18. Congratulations, enjoy your new adventure! —Ann de Jong

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  19. Congratulations!! I think flag day was a big deal. Great pictures of everyone! —Grandma

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  20. Congratulations! And you look amazing! —Trina Loos

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  21. Congrats. It's always nice knowing where you are going to be sent. —Daphne Dowd

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  22. Yay! Congrats on getting Mexico! —Holly

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  23. how fun, I always wanted to go there. Now I have another reason. That sounds sooo fun. Congrats. —Susie Hunsaker

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  24. Yay!!! Congrats!! —Tiffany Hallman

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  25. Mimi and Jeff, this is amazing!!! Congratulations! Sounds so fun! Mimi - all that hard work practicing your spanish and going out with the Hermana's will pay off —Allie Hewett

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  26. Wow yay! So happy for you and your incredible family! —Sara Hosler

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