This week Nick is on a TDY (temporary duty) assignment abroad, so he was once again kind enough to let me take the wheel. I am going chat a little bit about what employment is like in the Foreign Service, and the process for getting hired as an eligible family member (which is basically any
I am often asked through this website or through friends and family if there have been any negatives to the job, lifestyle, or in general since joining the Foreign Service. I am a positive guy by nature, and I definitely try to keep things light and positive here (mostly because I don’t want to offend
I was recently sitting across from a foreign ambassador at a dinner event, hearing some of the most fascinating stories of their careers, when I realized I was living in a fascinating story myself, right then and there. Later that evening, while I was replaying the night in my head, I found my mind wandering
This week we will take little pit stop to answer a question I have received a couple of times now regarding hardship posts. Here we go: I keep seeing the term “hardship post” thrown around, and was wondering what it actually means and how it is determined? A Hardship Post is basically anywhere in the
How do you reconcile working for the government if you don’t agree with their policies or the direction things are going? What do you do if you strongly disagree with or even despise the current President or Secretary of State? This is a question I have been asked dozen’s of times since applying to join
Moving Stinks. It doesn’t matter where in the world you live, or how far the move. Moving is really tough. Just prior to our move to Nouakchott, I was able to sneak home for a bit and help with the final details of our move. Once there I had the common moving realization that we
Orientation has just about wrapped up, and the countdown to our PCS to Nouakchott ticks ever closer. The last week saw a lot of progress in making sure the move is a success and will happen on time. Diplomatic Visas have been obtained, Virginia finally mailed the title for the Nouakchott Battle Cruiser, the vehicle
Time marches along with a steady beat, and the move to Mauritania draws ever closer. As I mentioned in my previous post, relocating overseas for a diplomatic assignment is no small feat, and it involves a lot of moving parts. Making sure you get it all set up by the time you are expected to
Woof. In one months time I will be in Mauritania, settling into our new home, and starting my first assignment. I’m so excited to get there, but it feels like between now and then I have a million things to do, and not enough time. Let me try and explain what a PCS (permanent change
Not much to report on over the last week. I completed counter threat training, which was almost like an awesome summer camp where you get taught life saving skills and how to drive a car in a ton of really fun scenarios. As someone who loves to drive, it was an absolute blast being able
