Several folks have asked me recently what my “day to day” work life is like, and I realized that even before I arrived to post, but had completed orientation, this was a huge black hole of knowledge for me too. I think most folks coming from the private sector are focused on patient volumes and
I learned this past month where I will be headed, and am so excited to announce I will be taking a solo assignment to Peshawar, Pakistan. Choosing to do a solo post might seem like a strange decision, and a few months ago I would have never entertained it, but ultimately my wife and I
This past week was an exciting one. Exactly one year to the day I learned I would be heading to Mauritania, I received my official bid list for my next assignment in Summer 2024. This marks a pretty big change from how the cycle went down last time when I was in orientation. Back then,
For the first time in a while, I have a break in travel and have been enjoying the routine of being at post for a bit. This month marks the beginning of the heavy transfer season that happens every summer in the Foreign Service. What this basically means is a large portion of the American
Without a doubt, one of the coolest things the Bureau of Medical Services does for all its nurses and providers is run an annual continuing medical education conference (CME). Aside from the pandemic, it is always in person, and it typically rotates between a domestic location and a foreign one. Last month happened to be
At this time of year, just about every employee in the Foreign Service is required to write up and submit an EER, short for Employee Evaluation Report. In simpler terms, every year we are all required to write a one page evaluation of ourselves, which in reality is an essay contest to see how good
This week we will talk about promotions in the Foreign Service. After my post about the cost of living increases and awards, a reader sent me this question: It is cool to see the government typically gives annual cost of living raises, but how do promotions work if there are any at all? I want
Nearly a year to the day that Nick learned he had finally received his security clearance and was added on the Foreign Service register, I too was notified that I have received my security clearance. As a result, I have been onboarded at U.S. Embassy Nouakchott and am wrapping up my first month on the
In 1981 Mauritania became the last country in the world to abolish slavery, and it wasn’t until 2007 that it became criminalized. That’s the sort of fact that is really difficult to wrap your head around in today’s day and age. Yes, various forms of indentured servitude/trafficking bordering on slavery exist around the world to
This week features a question I have been asked a couple of times in the last month by a few individuals that will be in the upcoming January MP class. Specifically one asked “now that you have been working abroad for a few months, do you actually like it?” I think based on the content
