I’ve been in the Foreign Service for three and a half years — just long enough to have settled into the rhythm of this strange, rewarding career, but not long enough to have lived through a government shutdown. Until now. Before this week, shutdowns were something I’d only read about in the news or heard
I don’t have much to touch on this week other than to comment that over the last year or so, this blog has been flooded with thousands of spam comments, mostly of Russian origin, posting nonsense adds or propaganda. I have to approve every single comment, so none of them make it to the comment
Last month, I got to return to the U.S. for Home Leave, a congressionally mandated form of leave diplomats get at the end of assignments, or after serving a year in many danger posts. It’s meant to allow diplomats to kiss the soil of the motherland and reacclimate to their own country after being away
Let’s circle back to something I wrote about a few year ago that everyone does but no one really likes to talk about: using the bathroom. Specifically, what happens after. For most Americans, that means reaching for the trusty roll of toilet paper. But here’s the thing—why are we still doing this when there’s a
Last month the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) ceased to exist as part of the restructuring of the U.S. Government, and the remnants were folded into the Department of State. For those that don’t know, USAID makes up a large presence at overseas embassies, particularly in the developing world, so their departure has
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
Another year begins, and this one marks my 3rd year of employment with the Department of State. 3 years ago this month I received my invitation to join the Foreign Service, and in April I will celebrate my 3rd year of employment. This is a big year for multiple reasons from a career standpoint. For
An appropriate title now that I have been in Myanmar (Burma) for a bit, and also a great book by George Orwell. As I am find myself getting settled in to my new surroundings, housing, and neighborhood, it’s hard not to compare the country and assignment to Mauritania. Obviously they are two different places on
It’s been a little over a month since the family and I departed Mauritania, and minus a bit of training I had to do away from home, it has been and interesting experience. I covered home leave rules and logistics a bit a couple of weeks back, but the reality of actually being back in
