If it's like radioactivity, then it would be 3 days. 1.5 days to reduce by 50% and then another 1.5 days to reduce by another 50% to 25%.

You said it's a ladder position - does that mean you'll be eligible to be promoted to GS-7 in a year and maybe promoted again a year after that? That might make it worthwhile to suffer financially for a year.

I think this has always occasionally happened here (La Nina?), but it will be more common with global warming.

We're a bit more accustomed to snow, but not much. It doesn't help that half of the people here always say, "Where I'm from up north we get tons of snow and it's no big deal, but no one here knows how to drive in it except for me."

In addition to the Amtrak Capitol Limited (which leaves Union Station once a day at 4 pm), there are multiple MARC (local railroad) trains that leave Union Station in the afternoon and stop at Martinsburg. MARC trains are more flexible because you don't have to book in advance, and it only costs something like $14 from DC to Martinsburg. You can also catch them at places like Rockville in suburban Maryland.

https://www.mta.maryland.gov/schedule/timetable/marc-brunswick

Really? I think plenty of Latin Americans go to western Europe, especially Spain.