Oh, What A Difference a CLO Makes!

This is us. The one showing lots of shoulder (in her Chengdu, China Marine Ball ball gown!) is the EFM who writes this blog. The one wearing a tux (James) is the employee who moves her (and their two sons) around all over the world. The red link, below, is how you can get in touch with me...

The time in Chengdu, China

Chengdu: city of fabulous food and beautiful Buddhist monasteries!

In Our Same Boat (with State)

Beyond the Cornfields
Brand-new State Department family in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Love their two little girls (she just recently had a baby while being posted in Dhaka), horticulture, traveling and adventure!
Email From The Embassy
State Department family formerly in Beijing, China, and recently posted to Amman, Jordan. A trailing spouse, she's also a writer, and frequently publishes articles with major news sources. A very experienced State family, this new post is something like overseas post number six or seven for them.
Just US
A beautiful family of seven - they have arrived at their new post: Jerusalem! They just finished off an unaccompanied tour to Iraq and are very much looking forward to sightseeing around the middle east.
Our Life
State Department family on their second post...Tijuana, Mexico. It's their first overseas assignment and they have two little boys. They love Tijuana so far and post pictures frequently! They also get to enjoy the best of both worlds for they can sneak over the border into San Diego when they want to!
The Dinoia Family
State Department family formerly in California, now in DC for a DC tour. Next, the husband will do a one year unaccompanied tour. A very experienced State family (formerly in Iceland and Caracas) with a blog that has been around quite a while and has great archives. Jen has a sweet heart and a lot to give!
The Perlman Update
State Department family formerly in Chennai, India, who then did a year-long unaccompanied tour in Iraq. They are now on a DC tour and after that will do another unaccompanied tour (Afghanistan). She totally tells it like it is and doesn't sugar-coat what life is really like. Witty, snarky, funny and down-to-earth. Look elsewhere if you want fake. Read if you want REAL.
Where in the World Am I?
State Department family formerly in Bujumbura, Burundi and now in Hyderabad, India. They just had their first baby this summer - a beautiful little girl- (there's a separate blog about this) and she also eats gluten-free (with a separate blog, also).

One of the most intriguing things about Chengdu is that it is a seamless blend of ancient and modern... all together, side by side.

Can't Live Without (non-State)

Crass-Pollination: An ER blog
The best ER nurse blog EVER!
Doctor Grumpy in the House
The best doctor blog EVER!
In Which...
My IRL friend, a stay-at-home, homeschooling Mama of seven. Her darling daughters are, goshdarnit, probably too young to be hoped for as my future daughters-in-law.
The Crib Chick
My IRL friend, a stay-at-home, homeschooling Mama of five. Hopefully two (Any two! I'm not picky!) of which are my future daughters-in-law.
the underwear drawer
An anesthesiologist who is possibly the most talented & entertaining writer ever. I've read her blog ever since she started medical school. No, don't know her in real life. Wish I did.
The Bloggess
This blog is both hysterically funny and hilariously irreverent. I actually let my 17 year old son read it (who loves it as much as I do!), but wouldn't even CONSIDER letting my 12 year old son read it. Which is about all the description it needs!

The grounds of Chengdu monasteries can be very, very peaceful...even though they are smack dab in the heart of a city of millions of people.

Specifics

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09/16/2011

Oh, What A Difference a CLO Makes!

Oh, you guys - I got GREAT news yesterday!

News so fantabulously wonderful I can't even tell you how wonderful it is!

Our post now has a CLO (Community Liaison Officer)!!

Now, in order for this to be phenomenally wonderful news, it is obvious that, prior to now, my post has been CLO-less. Which it was.

All during my family's pre-preparation for moving stage (trying to figure out car or transportation situations/moving issues/packing issues/consumables issues/school-for-our-children issues, etc.), Chengdu was CLO-less. Which was all kinds of very sad sadness.

I mean, seriously - back when James was first hired by State in 2008, I went to all manner of EFM Wifeypoo Classes at FSI. And, really, you learn in those classes that the go-to answer for pretty much everything is to email the CLO at Post. Want to learn more about moving? Required vaccinations? Schools? Food? What the best ideas are for what to bring in your UAB? HHE? Consumables? Whether or not your can bring your own furniture and, if so, which pieces? What your housing will have in it? What activities there are in the area or Consulate for your children?

Well - the answer always is to ask your CLO.

None of the Wifeypoo Classes (at least, as far as I can recall) addressed what to do IF THERE'S NO CLO.

It's so assumed that there will be a CLO that State even sets aside an automatic CLO email address for every post. It's THAT expected that each post will have a CLO.

So, fine, no problem. At some point after finding out we were going to Chengdu - around the time I first started having to worry about all manner of move-y things - I emailed the official, set-aside Chengdu CLO email address.

No answer.

Well, I thought, maybe the CLO is backed up with emails? I'll wait a while and try again. Which is what I did.

Still no answer.

Devastated, I stopped emailing.

Around this same time, my dear, darling, adorable friend Denise's (Beyond the Cornfields) husband was assigned to Dhaka. Now, if you know Denise, you will know that she's sort of like butterflies and rainbows and *The Perfect Wife and Mother* all wrapped up in a cute little package with sparkly eyes. And, of course, she was all happy and bouncy about learning recently that she was going to Dhaka, and she positively bubbled over with utter joy when she filled me in on the Dhaka particulars:

"The very day he got paneled to Dhaka, the CLO emailed us a Welcome Packet! And sent us the current Newsletter! And put us on the Newsletter's distribution list! And added me to the list of Post get-togethers and travel opportunities/tours! I'm so happy!" she gushed to me, and continued on with telling me about all the fun stuff going on in Dhaka.

And I was happy for her. Because she was (is!) my adorable, sweet, lovely friend. Obviously, I wouldn't wish anything on her but absolute happiness and sheer joy. But deep down inside I was also super jealous. Super DUPER jealous. Because - what's a Welcome Packet? And some posts have Newsletters? And people get together? And they also go on TOURS?

Come to find out - our post hadn't had a newsletter in two years. And I had no idea if people ever got together. Or went anywhere.

And then it was confirmed that - Chengdu had no CLO. I was devastated. So I maneuvered my way through my family's move and all of its particulars without any CLO at post.

And I'm not at all trying to complain, because we had lots of help from our Chengdu co-workers, many of whom we have been fortunate enough to even meet (some in language training at FSI - love you guys!) or talk to on the phone. But, you know, it's not the same.

I mean, our non-CLO co-workers have their OWN full-time jobs and their OWN children and their OWN things they have to do in their (not too plentiful) spare time, and helping me figure out what to put in my Consumables shipment had to come out of their (not too plentiful) off-the-clock, private time. And it was super sweet of each and every one of them to help us, of course, but it wasn't what they were officially equipped to do/ trained to do /paid to do/ given work time on the clock to do. It's... different. I hated to be a burden on them, even though they were all too, too kind and helped all they could. I know you understand what I'm trying to say.

But then! Oh, THEN! Then the clouds parted and heaven itself and all its angels smiled upon me for, just a couple of days ago, a magical, wonderful email appeared in my email box from - MY POST'S NEW CLO!!!

It was a sweet little, happy little, colorful little emailed piece of perfection sent out to everyone talking about getting together and things to do at post and, I kid you not, you guys...

I CRIED.

I cried for the sheer joy of it all.

I cried for feeling welcomed and part of something.

I cried for the wonderfulness of having a CLO.

A REAL, LIVE CLO.

And so, I dedicate this blog post to each and every CLO and CO-CLO and whatever the heck other title there is for all of you people out there whose job it is to welcome those of us who are coming to post with all of our questions and with all of our issues. Because I know first hand what it's like to not have you: LONELY. Oh, I could totally kiss y'all's collective feet. In fact, I think I will, right here and right now:

*mwah* *mwah* *mwah* *mwah* *mwah* *mwah* *mwah* *mwah* *mwah*

There. That was the sound of my kissing your feet. And the pair of feet I will most be kissing are those belonging to my VERY OWN CLO. I have never met you, and I don't know if you even know about my blog, but I delight in your existence and am so very thankful for your email.

Because after having been assigned to Chengdu for almost a year and a half, I'm totally, TOTALLY ready to finally have a CLO!

Posted on 09/16/2011 at 02:55 PM in Chengdu, China, Me, Moving with State, Posts referencing fellow State bloggers, Training for Chengdu, China (2nd Post) | Permalink

Comments

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I just found out that we have a CLO too! Last week, actually. They hadn't had one since last winter. I was so happy to get the email I jumped for joy! I really did. Up AND down. So I totally feel where you are coming from, my friend. Yay for CLOs!

Posted by: Camille | 09/16/2011 at 04:21 PM

So happy for you!

Posted by: shannon | 09/17/2011 at 05:33 AM

LOL... butterflies and rainbows, huh? Hilarious!! My spouse might have other adjectives, but I like yours!! Love it and oh so happy for you to have your very own CLO :) They are just wonderful!! I aspire to be one some day... after the kiddos are a tad larger :) Enjoy said CLO and CHENGDU!!! Dying for some pics :O

Posted by: Denise | 09/18/2011 at 02:27 AM

I feel your pain! There was no CLO when we were packing out of Houston and it was a small disaster. I got the welcome packet only after I went with my hubby into work one day to see what info was on the intranet. About a month before we left DC we finally got a CLO, but after exchanging just a few emails, learned that she got pregnant (Conakry was an adults only post at the time), and came back to the states. My blood pressure still rises when I think about it.

Posted by: Anne | 09/18/2011 at 04:09 AM

No CLO here either, although there will be one in November. Surprising to hear how common the long gaps between CLOs are.

Posted by: Alex | 09/18/2011 at 12:36 PM

I'll be very disappointed if I don't hear you've become a CLO in the not-too-distant future. If ever a person was born witht he right personality for that gig....

Posted by: Matt Keene | 09/19/2011 at 12:22 PM

http://webtexans.wordpress.com/2011/09/20/bait/
Just a courtesy shout out that you were referenced on our blog regarding the round up. Hope you are enjoying your holidays and breathing in lots of wonderful fresh air and drinking in the blue skies. We loved Chengdu and China despite the air quality at times, but while you are in fresh breezes, do enjoy them!

Posted by: Nomads By Nature | 09/20/2011 at 01:45 AM

Hooray! Also, I will say from personal experience, CLO Dhaka rocks! On the other hand, though, no need to be TOO jealous, as objectively life in Dhaka can be kind of... meh. (That being said, I still miss some things about it in a BIG way. Definitely not used to huge, impersonal Embassy life yet.)

Posted by: Katie | 10/12/2011 at 08:57 PM

I didn't realize there were posts that did not have CLO's. How sad for them and how incredibly awesome for you guys!! Well, now that you have one!!

Posted by: Melissa | 10/15/2011 at 01:16 PM

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James loves me. And our sons. And his job. But not having his picture taken. In 2011 he finished up over a year and half of training, and in the fall of 2011 we got to our first overseas post - Chengdu, China!