My trip to the Embassy

I went to the US embassy last weekend to take the foreign service exam. It was quite cold and nasty in Tallinn that weekend, but I went anyway. I am no longer so interested in the foreign service, but I decided to take the exam, and the opportunity to look inside the embassy. Since I had been there in 2003, there is now a glass security partition in the front of the entrance, manned by Estonian security personnel. All bags are x-rayed and you must walk through a metal detector, but not take off your shoes. Once inside, I talked with a gruff Marine who was listening to country music. After handing in my passport I was given a badge that said I was to be escorted at all times in all places of the embassy. But the atmosphere inside was much more relaxed than all that. The examiner actually fell asleep while giving the test. He started to snore and so one of the test-takers had to wake him up so that we wouldn't be disturbed. All in all it was an interesting experience.