I've been in Santo Domingo for 16 months now and have pretty much kept to myself and my family on the weekends. I don't think I'm antisocial by nature; however, I feel really awkward and uncomfortable in big groups of people that I don't know. So in general, I don't go to happy hours, dinner club parties, or anything else that involves the wider community. I have only been "invited" to one Ambassador event during my tour but I was out of the country and I've attended 3 community-wide events during the past 16 months: The Holiday Party at the Ambassador's Residence last December, the Health Fair, and the Green Festival. I didn't even feel like waiting around for hours with cranky children to take a picture with the Secretary of State last month when she was here visiting. And I've only had people over for dinner three times - and that is primarily because my chef-like husband loves cooking for company.
Well last month was bidding season for me and in one of my conversations with a Mission where I really hope to go, I learned that the inter-agency community is close-knit and people are always getting together in the evenings and on the weekends. The community is also a bit smaller than the DR's mission and the city doesn't have nearly as many independent entertainment options as Santo Domingo.
So after talking to someone from my mission of choice, I told myself and my husband that I'm going to have to do better, drink a cup of courage and start participating in more activities and socializing with people more often. I hadn't decided on when, but I was thinking some time between January and August 2012. I was on the fence about practicing here in Santo Domingo or waiting until we move to our new country and starting anew there.
Well, thanks to the Foreign Service's overseas voluntoldism policy and God hearing my "cry", a couple of opportunities were presented to me within the last couple of weeks.
First, I received a phone call about from an unknown (to me) woman that went like this:
Woman: Hi, Ayana?
Me: Yes, this is Ayana
Woman: Hi, I'm AJ and MW told me you'd be interested in being a cocktail model for the Green Fashion Show in a couple of weeks.
Me: Noooooo, hmm...I think maybe MW got mixed up because I wrote to the CLO and told her that my SON could be in the fashion show if you guys needed male models.
*side note* I know I was wrong for that, but I DID volunteer my teenager after checking with him because I felt like he could take up my socializing slack since he's so confident. I had recently entered him in the tennis tournament too. So I was socializing by proxy.
Woman: Oh yeah, well we've had a few people volunteer their spouses and if we need male models I'll include him. But really - MW said you'd be a great cocktail model. You don't have to walk on the runway. She said you'd be great for this role because we need someone who smiles alot and who will walk up to the guests and tell them about the dress you're wearing and the designer that'll design the dress.
Me: oh okay, sure.
Woman: GREAT! There's a meeting tomorrow and hopefully you can make it.
Now, I DO smile alot and I'm sure that is why MW, my Mission Director's WIFE, gave my phone number out and suggested me; however, what she DOESN'T know is that it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HARRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDD for me to walk up to perfect strangers and start talking to them. But, what's a first tour officer who never participates in anything to do? Accept the challenge! So I did and below are some pictures of me being a cocktail model and wearing green superhero makeup to support my Country.
This is why I was NOT voluntold or asked to be a runway model apparently.
Designer of my dress - Ines de Sanctis
Getting dressed in my upcycled outfit from upholstery fabric and curtains-turned-dress.
In the end, I enjoyed myself, met some new people (although a couple of folks asked if I'd just joined the mission a couple of months ago), and felt good about contributing to something for the greater good.
In the same week, I was on email message sent to a handful of people from my agency inviting us to hear remarks from the US Attorney General and take a group picture. Although my initial reaction was "no way ", I was glad I went.
Well last month was bidding season for me and in one of my conversations with a Mission where I really hope to go, I learned that the inter-agency community is close-knit and people are always getting together in the evenings and on the weekends. The community is also a bit smaller than the DR's mission and the city doesn't have nearly as many independent entertainment options as Santo Domingo.
So after talking to someone from my mission of choice, I told myself and my husband that I'm going to have to do better, drink a cup of courage and start participating in more activities and socializing with people more often. I hadn't decided on when, but I was thinking some time between January and August 2012. I was on the fence about practicing here in Santo Domingo or waiting until we move to our new country and starting anew there.
Well, thanks to the Foreign Service's overseas voluntoldism policy and God hearing my "cry", a couple of opportunities were presented to me within the last couple of weeks.
First, I received a phone call about from an unknown (to me) woman that went like this:
Woman: Hi, Ayana?
Me: Yes, this is Ayana
Woman: Hi, I'm AJ and MW told me you'd be interested in being a cocktail model for the Green Fashion Show in a couple of weeks.
Me: Noooooo, hmm...I think maybe MW got mixed up because I wrote to the CLO and told her that my SON could be in the fashion show if you guys needed male models.
*side note* I know I was wrong for that, but I DID volunteer my teenager after checking with him because I felt like he could take up my socializing slack since he's so confident. I had recently entered him in the tennis tournament too. So I was socializing by proxy.
Woman: Oh yeah, well we've had a few people volunteer their spouses and if we need male models I'll include him. But really - MW said you'd be a great cocktail model. You don't have to walk on the runway. She said you'd be great for this role because we need someone who smiles alot and who will walk up to the guests and tell them about the dress you're wearing and the designer that'll design the dress.
Me: oh okay, sure.
Woman: GREAT! There's a meeting tomorrow and hopefully you can make it.
Now, I DO smile alot and I'm sure that is why MW, my Mission Director's WIFE, gave my phone number out and suggested me; however, what she DOESN'T know is that it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HARRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDD for me to walk up to perfect strangers and start talking to them. But, what's a first tour officer who never participates in anything to do? Accept the challenge! So I did and below are some pictures of me being a cocktail model and wearing green superhero makeup to support my Country.
This is why I was NOT voluntold or asked to be a runway model apparently.
Designer of my dress - Ines de Sanctis
Getting dressed in my upcycled outfit from upholstery fabric and curtains-turned-dress.
In the end, I enjoyed myself, met some new people (although a couple of folks asked if I'd just joined the mission a couple of months ago), and felt good about contributing to something for the greater good.
In the same week, I was on email message sent to a handful of people from my agency inviting us to hear remarks from the US Attorney General and take a group picture. Although my initial reaction was "no way ", I was glad I went.
