Yayy!:

Yesterday at this time I was pretty sad. I had just spoken to a woman at the State Department and she had told me that not only was I not cleared yet, but that interns often didn't hear until the end of September or the first of October. This morning, I even wrote a long post bitching about this and how I might end up living in a box on the Midway if my clearance didn't go through and I didn't find out until too late to go to school. Then I would have had no job, no home, no money, and I was starting to think about how one could weather-proof cardboard. But then our computers at work crashed (again. This time the internet went rather than the drive, but that's another story) so I lost the post and didn't have internet access for the rest of the day.

I got home from work to the following email.

"Hello:

If you are receiving this email, you have received a security clearance! The next step is to arrange your start date for the Fall 2003 session. The following dates are available:

September 8, 15, 22, 29
October 6, 20, 27

Please respond to this email with the date you wish to begin your internship. Thank you.

***NOTE: If you are assigned here in Washington, you will receive another email three weeks prior to your start date with reporting instructions for orientation.

***If you are assigned overseas, you are not required to attend the orientation session. However, do provide us with your start date after you coordinate this date with the bureau coordinator for your respective bureau.

This message is unclassified based on definitions provided in E.O. 12958"

Yayy! So time to actually make plans for the fall. Will, Spain?