Day 794: The Handshake

So, if you read yesterday’s post about my bidding woes, you’re probably wondering what in the world happened as a result of my #1 choice, Paramaribo, being removed from my list... without my permission!


Well, I’ll tell you.  But first I need to share a couple things I’ve learned in my short time with the Foreign Service:


1)  There are no rules… there is only interpretation of rules and folks tend to make things up as they go.  


2)  No one really cares about you.  If you’re not going to be an advocate for yourself… then you should just go home.


Now, I’m not saying these things because I like to be difficult or cause problems… it’s just true.  It’s no different than when I called AT&T to cancel my cell phone service before moving to Belgrade.  The first person I spoke with wanted to charge me an early termination fee to cancel my phone lines.  So, I hung up.  The second person wanted to charge me again.  So I hung up.  The third person said ‘You are a loyal customer and we’d hate to lose you.  I’m sure you’ll be coming back to the States periodically, have you heard of our Military Suspension Program?  You are eligible for it.’  GOLD!  Sign me up!


In short… the answer is out there.  If there is a solution to a problem that seems reasonable, it probably exists… you just have to talk to the right person.


So, when Paramaribo disappeared from my list and when most people would have picked a new #1… I rallied.  


I contacted Washington and started asking them very pointed questions:


“Why was Paramaribo taken from our list when there were six active bidders?”


“Did you know two of the six bidders are currently serving in Pakistan and are supposed to be given priority bidding?  Do you know where the other four bidders are currently serving?”  - I wasn’t lying, there were two bidders from Pakistan… a friend of mine was bidding Paramaribo a her #2.


 “Shouldn’t employees coming out of the big three posts be given the courtesy of bidding uninterrupted on their top picks?   If this is what the department means by priority bidding, I find the process very disheartening.”


Yeah, I milked it.  And you know what happened?  Washington contacted me.  They said, ‘Listen, we’ll contact Paramaribo.  If they’re willing to offer you a handshake immediately, it’s yours… if not, it’s going to an entry level candidate.’  It was obvious they wanted to shut me up.


And what do you think happened?  Hmmm… let’s role play.  I’ll be Paramaribo and you can be Washington.


Me: So, let me get this straight.  I have the choice between a middle career candidate who I have already talked to and like, who has a strong resume I’ve already read, who actually WANTS to come to Paramaribo.  Or!  I could pick an unknown entry level candidate who’s forced to come to Paramaribo.  


You: That is correct.


Me:  Hmmmm… let me think about this for a--- We’ll take JohnPaul.


Match, point, handshake.


We’re going to Paramaribo!