One of the hardest things about being in the Foreign Service is not being with your family on a routine basis. This is especially difficult when a loved one passes and you aren’t there to say goodbye. During my first tour in Nouakchott, my grandmother passed away after a long bout with dementia, and although
One of the most common questions about the hiring process I get, especially for folks that have passed the Oral Assessment, pertains to the security clearance process. Unfortunately, it remains somewhat of an enigma. In order to be hired for the State Department, just about everyone, Medical Providers included, need to be able to obtain
On March 28, 2025, a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar’s Sagaing Region, near the city of Mandalay, causing widespread devastation. Although myself and the rest of U.S. Embassy Rangoon were unharmed during the events, the same could not be said for tens of thousands of people that were injured, lost their lives, or their
Myanmar is still recovering from the devastating earthquake that occurred last month, and I plan to talk more about the events in a future post, but for now, I thought it would be worthwhile to reflect on finally hitting three years of federal service. Why the Three-Year Mark Matters Reaching the three-year milestone in the
On March 28th, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar. I want to thank several readers that reached out to ask if I was safe. Thankfully the entire Embassy team was unharmed by the earthquake, but the same cannot be said for several of the family members of our local staff. The devastation that has
A few people have written in, and colleagues, friends, and family have all be asking me if I am nervous about the security of my job. The simple answer is yes. The backdrop for this question if you are reading this blog but oblivious to what has been occurring in the U.S. Government, is that
Despite the ongoing hiring freeze across the government, Oral Assessments have been continuing in some capacity, and I still receive frequent questions about the Oral Assessment. One of my very first posts, even before I started working for the department, was to review the Oral Assessment process. Below is that post with a few changes
A few weeks back I posted about my love of trying different beers around the world, the same can be said about Lay’s Potato Chips. I want to note that in the U.S., I basically never eat potato chips, Lay’s or otherwise, but when you hit the road and explore exotic places, you’ll discover some
3 years ago I posted about the salary determination process in the Foreign Service, but it continues to be one of the most frequently asked questions I receive from potential prospects, so figured it would be a good idea to update that post and add a little more clarity now that I have even more
This year marks my 3rd year in the Foreign Service, but my first presidential transition. When President Biden announced he wouldn’t seek re-election, it guaranteed I would have a new boss come the new year, and after winning the election in November, President Trump is now in charge, with Marco Rubio promptly receiving Senate approval
