Back in the USSR... er, the USA

It's been a few weeks since I posted. I blogged about part of our journey back from Mexico, then got too busy and didn't get back to it. We arrived back in the Manassas area on July 1. We're staying with Emily's parents during home leave (federally mandated vacation for Foreign Service personnel - time to "get reacquainted" with the home country and avoid "going native").

We had planned to buy a condo in the Arlington/Alexandria area, live in it during Albanian training, and then rent it out as an investment property while we're overseas. Unfortunately this didn't work out. The condo fees changed the attractively-priced condos (under $200K) into the equivalent of $300K properties. This changed the scenario from one in which we could break even on rent (or at least bleed cash minimally) to one in which we would lose a considerable amount of money every year. Since condo fees would be out of our control, there was no way to even be sure how much money we'd lose. (I've heard stories on NPR regarding condo fees and the current foreclosure crisis.)

It now appears we'll be renting a small house very close to where we'll be training in Arlington, close enough that we'll be able to walk to class every day and probably walk home for lunch as well. The best part is that the cost will be covered by our per diem, so there will be no net out-of-pocket expenses. Actually, I take that back: the best part is that it'll be relatively stress-free, unlike buying a new place, fixing it up, furnishing it, finding a property manager, etc. etc. ad nauseum.

Emily's been doing some landscaping around her parents' yard (I helped a bit). Meanwhile I wrapped up my last (extended) class from NVCC, a Java programming class. I am glad it's over. At the moment I'm only signed up for one class next semester, and plan to audit it: Introduction to Italian. Yes, Emily and I will be attempting to learn TWO languages before departing for Albania next spring!

I hope to do a post later today or at least this week of some pictures from our final days in Monterrey (some distant vista types, more butterflies and hummingbirds, etc.). Meanwhile, here's a picture I took a few days ago. A moth got in the house the night before and he posed on the bathroom soap dish, before I gently escorted him outside. I love the camoflage.