  Several years ago, my friend Rimma and I made a pact. We would take the Foreign Service Written Exam, everytime it is offered by the State Department, until one of us passes it, or one of us moves out of the suburbs of Buffalo NY.
That pact lasted through one all-day Saturday exam.&nbsp;Rimma decided not to take it again, but that did not stop me from religiously signing up the next time around and the next time. Yes, I took the exam three times. I wasted three Saturdays, trying to remember the dates of the Franco-Prussian War and why Alexander Hamilton was famous.
I still don't know the dates of the Franco-Prussian war.&nbsp;I was such a&nbsp;mascochist, I opted to take the exam&nbsp;once I moved out of Buffalo, and down here to Miami. I gave up attending a large party for my office, in order to sit in a university auditiorium and once again&nbsp;remember what "opportunity cost" means in economic terms. Finally, my wasted Saturdays paid off. Today, I received a letter from the State Department, letting me know I&nbsp;passed the exam, and have been invited to interview with them.
I know all that means is I made it over the first hurdle. I know there are a lot more before I can say I work for the State Department, but today, just for today, I plan on reveling in the fact that I accomplished something that&nbsp;very&nbsp;few people in the country even attempt to do. YAY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !&nbsp;&nbsp; 
