One of the things that I have noticed with every departing member of the embassy, is they seem to discover a store, restaurant, or activity they didn’t know existed in the community just before they are about to leave. This inevitably leads to a comment along the lines of “I wish I would have known
What sort of banking do you use when living abroad? Don’t foreign transaction fees add up? Are your credit/debit cards even useful abroad? Easily one of the most common question I have been asked by newly hired providers, and in general one of the most common questions you see repeatedly on the FS Subreddit. Several
Well, not really Christmas anymore, but celebrating the New Year. After our lovely trip to the Philippines, we hopped on an airplane and started the long journey back to Mauritania. The return trip was a bit more palatable thanks to a great idea by Angeli to spend a few days in Istanbul on the way
Last week I covered our long journey from Mauritania to the Philippines, and our first week in country spent at the lovely Kandaya Resort. Following that week, we headed back to Cebu City, where we took another week to enjoy being back in a level of civilization that we aren’t really accustomed to in Mauritania.
I met Angeli in 2009, the same year she moved from Cebu City to El Paso, Texas. At least every 2 years, if not every year since, we have gone back to Cebu City to see her family and enjoy the great resorts, food, people, and hospitality of the Philippines. That is, until 2020 when
A pretty common question I get asked by friends, family, and readers is what level of airfare accommodation the U.S. government provides. The answer can be complex. The simplest answer is the U.S. government will pay for the cheapest unrestricted economy class tickets. These tickets whenever possible must also be in compliance with the “Fly
Like other parts of the Sahel, Mauritania is a society where larger women are considered more beautiful. Part of this is rooted in the belief that it is a status symbol of wealth to have a spouse that is larger as it means you can afford to feed them well. A man with multiple wives
The ramp up to our PCS has another element of intrigue added to it. Recently, my wife was contacted by her previous boss in El Paso, a nephrologist that had heard she would be moving back to the city this year, and he offered her old job back with a substantial raise. The only caveat,
As luck would have it, I was offered a great opportunity at the end of November to attend a Foreign Service housing conference in Johannesburg. When I heard a close colleague that was previously in Nouakchott would be attending, we quickly connected and planned a girls adventure to compliment our work related activities. Having never
Wow, what a year. My first full year in the Foreign Service didn’t disappoint. It was full of fun, challenges, and lots and lots of travel. Here’s a brief recap: In January we kicked off the year by going to Banc D’arguin and Gran Canaria: February saw L and I head to the ancient city
