Yesterday morning, I started nagging my husband about making a decision regarding our summer vacation. We were getting nowhere, so I finally said, “If it’s too expensive for all of us to go, why don’t you go alone,” and then something happened; my back froze. I had just placed my right foot through my gym pants when a shooting pain caused me to grab the wall, so I wouldn’t collapse.

Angry at myself, I forced my left foot into my gym pants and hobbled to the kitchen.

I turned on my coffeemaker, microwaved some milk and waited, fingers pressed hard against my lower back. There was no way my damn back would stop me from working out. The coffee finished perking and my spasms escalated to the point where I started barking orders at my poor husband. “Get me Advil. Carry my mug. I have to lay down.”

“You can’t workout,” Duke said as I turtled down the long hallway to our bedroom.

“In a few minutes, I’ll feel better,” I said.

I swallowed 3 Advil, and waited fifteen minutes, expecting to jump into my car and head to the gym to start three sets of squats, lunges and leg presses.

An hour went by, and I couldn’t get out of bed. It was impossible for me to sit. I felt claustrophobic, stuck in my room with no one to help and then I thought of others who suffer on a daily basis. I had visions of healthy men and women injured in a car accident or at war. Those with amputated limbs, now dependent on a wheel-chair and others’ help to get around.

I thought of Brenda, a blogger friend, who is undergoing chemotherapy, and all the unpleasant side-effects she has to suffer.

I thought of how marriages change when one person is ill for a long period of time. How do most spouses react? Are they tolerant for a while, then they no longer want to help?

All these thoughts came to mind, and while I was stuck in bed for half the day. I picked up my phone, and called an 85-year-old neighbor, just to see how she was doing. I felt selfish that it took me feeling sorry for myself, in order to find the time to call this kind old lady and check on her.

So to all of you who are suffering, my heart goes out to you. I admire your courage and shall stop taking health and mobility for granted.

Have you thought about how you would deal with a long term illness? How you would cope with not being able to do the things you used to do? What about your relationship?

“So how was the test Sonia? Think you did well?”

“Hmmmm???

Have you ever taken a test where you felt peaceful, but you’re not sure why? That was me last Saturday. I squeezed in a workout at my gym, before leaving, thinking the blood flow to my brain, would make me more alert.

My husband also took the test with me, and in a way, it almost felt like we were on a “date.”

Duke drove to Los Angeles, while I relaxed in the passenger seat, enjoying the smooth taste of Peet’s coffee with fresh cream. I had my Cliffs Study Guide on my lap, debating whether or not to do some last minute cramming, but then I thought, “Why? I prefer to talk to my husband and he hasn’t studied. Knowing my luck, he’ll pass and I’ll fail.”

We arrived an hour early, and decided to do some “sightseeing.” For years, I’d nagged Duke to spend a day with me in LA and Malibu, and it took the FSOT test, to make this a reality. We drove through the garment district of Los Angeles, and my mind focused on how “third world,” parts of LA looked.

“Duke, this reminds me of Belize?” I said. “I can’t believe rich movie stars live close by.” Homeless people and trash piles sat on street corners. Duke drove past the State Building, and as he turned the corner, I noticed a one-person tent on the sidewalk.

By now I’d almost forgotten about the FSOT. Duke parked and we headed over to the test center. Once we signed in, everything happened so quickly. Before I knew it, my “derriere,” was parked in front of computer # 11. If you know me,
# 11 is special.

During the test, I fell in a trance. The computer kept track of time and I felt like I was on a treadmill.

Duke finished thirty minutes before me and said he watched me on the video camera in the office next door. “I bet my wife stays till the last second,” he told the staff member, and he was right.

I want to congratulate, Rob-bear and Lady Glamis for getting the correct answers taken from the Cliff’s study guide practice test.
As far as the reasons why I took the test?
There are several. First, I like a challenge, and I love to experience life in different cultures.Johanna came closest when she said, “More travel experience with foreign service as fuel for the writing fire.”

Lady Fi, made me laugh when she said, “Maybe you’ll even be posted to Belize!”

Kelli also said something I’ve thought of, “I think it will somehow get you back to Denmark.”

Thanks to all of you. It’s spooky how well some of you know me, and Crimogenic, you’re right, I do love to continue learning.
Sorry but the prize won’t be given yet. No one answered all 3 plus the BONUS, although Rob-bear was the closest.

RESULTS OF FSOT WILL BE E-MAILED IN 5-6 WEEKS. IF WE PASS THEN THERE’S AN ORAL EXAM.

(I took the test in 2009. Please note things may have changed since then.)

You might have noticed that I haven’t been visiting you lately.

WHY?

Well, I knocked on your door, but you didn’t offer me a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, so I decided to go back home and study for my exam which I’m taking on Saturday, June 6th, YES TOMORROW from 10 a.m., until 1 p.m., in Los Angeles.

I’m studying for the Foreign Service Officer Test

Here’s what on the test, if you’re interested.

1). 90 questions on:

United States Government
United States Society
World History and Geography
Economics
Mathematics and Statistics
Management
Communication
Computers

2). The English Expression Test– 70 minutes.

90 questions on text with incorrect grammar, spelling and sentence structure.

3). The Biographic Information Questionnaire– 105 questions about ME in 75 minutes.

4). Written Essay– 50 minutes The essay can be about, customs and culture, economics and finance, education, employment issues, history, international affairs, religion, social issues.

So here are a few questions from the practice test and please feel free to answer them in the comments section, if you feel like participating. There may be a prize.

Question 1: Which of these reflect the 3 most important functions of money?

A. Medium of exchange, measure of value, store of value
B. Medium of exchange, measure of product, store of value
C. Medium of exchange, measure of value, store of deposits
D. Medium of gold, measure of value, store of value

Question 2: A recipe calls for 3 cups of wheat and white flour combined. If 3/8 of this is wheat flour, how many cups of white flour are needed?

A. 1 1/8
B. 1 7/8
C. 2 3/8
D. 2 5/8

Question 3: Which sub-Saharan African countries were independent at the end of WWII in 1945?

A. Nigeria and Kenya
B. Senegal and Ghana
C. Mozambique, Ghana, and Somalia
D. Liberia, Ethiopia, and South Africa

BONUS QUESTION: WHY AM I TAKING THIS TEST? THERE ARE 3 REASONS AND AS LONG AS YOU GUESS ONE OF THE 3, I SHALL DECLARE YOU THE WINNER ON TUESDAY JUNE 9TH. PERHAPS A PRIZE TOO.

I PROMISE AFTER MY TEST TO SPEND MORE TIME VISITING ALL OF YOU. PLEASE HAVE THE WINE AND COFFEE READY. I SHALL NEED IT.

When you think of Sedona, spirituality, red rocks and natural beauty come to mind–but a tattoo parlor?

After a long day of souvenir shopping and coffee breaks, the clouds just wouldn’t let go of the red rocks, and by the end of the day, the sky turned angry.

My friend Inge and I, drove back to our hotel room to rest for a while before dinner. I took a quick shower, placed my tired body on the queen size bed when the phone rang.

“Sonia, I found a tattoo parlor. Want to come with me?”

“Sure,” I said, more out of curiosity than anything else.

The streets were dark and wet, adding ambiance to a freaky night. I programmed the address on our GPS, which started barking commands and finally shut up, when Inge pulled up on a gravel driveway. No lights were on but tucked away in a corner, was a “Tattoo” sign and an arrow pointing to a back door.

“Think it’s open?” I asked.

“Let’s knock,” she said.

The door creaked open and a woman greeted us. Her warm smile made me relax, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her skin. Her arms, upper chest and back were covered in black and colored tattoos. A couple of guys heard us speak and came out from a kitchen next to the operating room with different sheets of tattoo patterns, covering the white walls.

“I’d like to get a tattoo with ‘love’ in Japanese characters,” Inge said.

“Show me what size you’d like and where,” the woman asked.

One of the guys pointed to his forearm which had the exact tattoo, she wanted.

After Inge settled on a stool, her skin disinfected, and the tattoo machine ready to start, I covered my eyes so as not to see her pain when the needles poked her upper right shoulder blade.

Inge remained calm. She said it didn’t hurt and that next time she wanted to get the ‘peace’ sign tattooed.

We stopped at “Safeway” on the way back to our hotel. Since rain pelted down, I ran inside to get some disinfectant cream for Inge, and a bottle of Chardonnay for us to share. I needed a glass of wine, probably more than Inge did, after watching her get the tattoo.

The following morning, Inge felt fine, the tattoo looked very black with its fresh ink, and we headed off to a small village with something I’d never seen before: furniture made out of rocks. The chairs were just as comfortable as a normal chair.

Have you ever had a tattoo? Do you want one? If yes, why? If no, why not?