4 Years Old?
Apologies for the delay in posting this. My site host went down last weekend and apparently never posted anything that was scheduled over the weekend. July marks 4 years since I started writing this blog, which is sort of surreal to think about. 4 years ago I was working as a hospitalist in Southern New
EER Season Part 3
Another year, another period of the Employee Evaluation Report season has come to a close. For those of you that have been around a bit, or know the State Department system, each year, employees have to submit a review of their own performance, which their boss then also adds to, then you submit into your
Papa
One of the hardest things about being in the Foreign Service is not being with your family on a routine basis. This is especially difficult when a loved one passes and you aren’t there to say goodbye. During my first tour in Nouakchott, my grandmother passed away after a long bout with dementia, and although
Security Clearance Chat
One of the most common questions about the hiring process I get, especially for folks that have passed the Oral Assessment, pertains to the security clearance process. Unfortunately, it remains somewhat of an enigma. In order to be hired for the State Department, just about everyone, Medical Providers included, need to be able to obtain
Devastation in Mandalay
On March 28, 2025, a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar’s Sagaing Region, near the city of Mandalay, causing widespread devastation. Although myself and the rest of U.S. Embassy Rangoon were unharmed during the events, the same could not be said for tens of thousands of people that were injured, lost their lives, or their
3 Years of Federal Service
Myanmar is still recovering from the devastating earthquake that occurred last month, and I plan to talk more about the events in a future post, but for now, I thought it would be worthwhile to reflect on finally hitting three years of federal service. Why the Three-Year Mark Matters Reaching the three-year milestone in the
Earthquake
On March 28th, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar. I want to thank several readers that reached out to ask if I was safe. Thankfully the entire Embassy team was unharmed by the earthquake, but the same cannot be said for several of the family members of our local staff. The devastation that has
AMA: Are you nervous about your job?
A few people have written in, and colleagues, friends, and family have all be asking me if I am nervous about the security of my job. The simple answer is yes. The backdrop for this question if you are reading this blog but oblivious to what has been occurring in the U.S. Government, is that
Oral Assessment Update
Despite the ongoing hiring freeze across the government, Oral Assessments have been continuing in some capacity, and I still receive frequent questions about the Oral Assessment. One of my very first posts, even before I started working for the department, was to review the Oral Assessment process. Below is that post with a few changes