Last week I touched on my weeklong training in D.C. and how it spiraled into a winter wonderland of activities. Following the week of fun, I took some leave in order to head back to West Texas and spend some time with my family and friends. Over the last few months, some major events happened,
How has educating your children in the Foreign Service been thus far, are the schools decent, and do you have to pay for their education abroad? This is a pretty complex question to answer just because there are so many variables that go into education, even domestically, so it can be particularly amplified abroad. Just
My phone recently reminded me of a glorious photo taken one year ago at the embassy Halloween event, and from there it took me through a path down memory lane of all my favorite photos taken here in Mauritania. I haven’t shared the photo in question on this blog, but figured now would be a
As I have noted in the previous weeks, my assignment to Pakistan was changed to Burma for summer of 2024. Although I was looking forward to moving to Peshawar, I am elated to be moving to Rangoon next summer. The food, the pagodas, the colonial architecture, the people. Rangoon is probably one of the last
In previous posts I have gushed about how much I am enjoying the job so far, and that there aren’t many negatives to the job. However, as we are in the heart of American Football Season, NBA and NHL is starting soon, Baseball is in the heat of the playoffs, as is Major League Soccer,
Living and working in the Foreign Service is a tricky business. Things are always in motion. People moving in and out of your lives, you’re moving around, you’re planning around moves, you’re planning future moves, and you’re still doing your job on the ground in your current post, literally through to the day that you
Well, after weeks of republican infighting in the House and only hours to spare before what seemed like a certainty, cooler heads prevailed and both chambers and the President signed off on a 45 day continuing resolution, kicking the can to mid-November and avoiding a government shutdown. Whenever the government shuts down because congress cannot
Well, I have a little bit of egg on my face. Nearly 2 months after I was assigned to Peshawar, Pakistan, my career development officer called and gave me an option to serve in a different Special Incentive Post, and I am happy to announce I will now be moving to Rangoon, Burma (Yangon, Myanmar)
Wow, what a month for anniversaries. Our nation’s birthday, this blog’s birthday, and this month my family celebrated one year of living in Nouakchott. How has it already been a year? After seemingly just arriving, my family finds ourselves as one of the more established families at post. We have crested past the halfway point
How difficult is it to get time away from the job if you are the only provider at the embassy? If you are new, is accruing paid leave difficult? A few people have asked me this, and this was something I also asked folks before I onboarded. Simply stated: It is not difficult to get
