Category Archives: Foreign Service
Flying With One Foot on the Ground
There’s a blog post making the rounds right now about returning home, making friends, being an expat, etc. It’s a good post, with some truth in it. But, being contrary by nature I suppose, I wanted to blog about the lessons I see between the lines about how not to readjust to the U.S. Quotes […]
Quick and Dirty Ethnoplunder Solution
No, this post is not about looting foreign museums. It’s about walls. Specifically, walls in government housing, which are ALWAYS covered in flat, white paint. Decorators will tell you that there are dozens (if not hundreds) of shades of white. Even Home Depot sells two shades of stock white for builders: Swiss Coffee and Linen […]
Can’t Live With Them…Or Something Like That
So, our very lovely apartment has a ridiculous amount of security. A front door that looks like a bank vault. Special fancy keys, and and even special-er little piece of plastic with a transponder in it that makes the elevator work. This means that every time I have guests I have to go up and […]
So, This is How Weird My Life Is
I am a woman of a certain age. An age, shall we say, when many of us start to think more about the big picture, and less about how to get through each day. Options, in some ways are narrower. The childbearing years (at least the optimal ones) are over. It’s pretty clear I won’t […]
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of a Tour
You know, that middle year of three-year tour. When you are finally, really and truly, unpacked–in our case after the second move of the tour. When you finally have all the basics stocked up, and aren’t even slightly worried about using up your pantry before packout. Refritos? Yeah, I’ll take a case of those. When […]
I Would Never Call This a Hardship Post But…
I’m a big fan of the Foreign Service blog, Hardship Homemaking. I mean, what would I have given to be able to read a blog like this when we were posted to Zambia many years ago? Probably my left arm. What an absolutely brilliant idea. It’s looking like my hardship post days are over, but […]
Christmas Outside the Box
Last year, Christmas was frankly kind of a bummer. We had been living in the States for the previous seven years, celebrating big Christmases with extended family. Switching gears to a just-the-four-of-us holiday proved to be harder than we anticipated it would be. So, this year, we thought outside the box, making only minimal Christmas […]
My Brain Is Tired
So, yesterday I clicked “Submit” to send in my final exam. It felt GOOD. Because, you know, my brain is kind of tired by now. Hello, Christmas vacation! I just finished the first of four online courses in a “professional sequence in editing” offered by the University of California at Berkeley. I have earned my […]
Like Turning An Ocean Liner On a Dime
I mentioned in my last post that things have been kind of a bummer Foreign Service-wise around here lately and that I wasn’t ready to blog about it yet. Well, I think I am ready now. We found out a few weeks ago that my husband will most likely retire at the conclusion of our […]
Attitude Adjustment: Austrian Style
Fall is a tough time for me. Mostly because I know winter is coming. Now don’t go telling me to go skiing or whatever. I don’t ski. I do have my own ways of coping with winter. But coping is not the same as liking. I don’t have to like winter, no one can make me […]
State Is Wearing Those Mad Men Goggles Again
A good friend whose husband is on a UT has just posted about her reaction to FLO’s advice regarding communication. The reality is that a UT can be a really crappy time. (And that’s not to say we are having a bad time right now, just that given the circumstances, a UT could be a […]
Just a Few Words
I have been traveling this week, and while very aware of the deaths of four members of the Foreign Service community, unable to blog about it. I don’t feel qualified to say much, anyway. I didn’t personally know the individuals who were killed, and we’ve never been posted to the Middle East. By now, others […]
In Which I Am Shocked To Discover That I No Longer Absolutely Loathe Foreign Service Bidding
So, a couple of weeks ago, two language-designated jobs came up for 2014 that my husband could bid on well ahead of time. We said yes to one without a second thought, but before turning down the other, we thought we’d better check and see what else is likely to open up during the regular […]
Just Shut Up And Vote
My Facebook timeline goes back to 2008, so I guess that’s when I first got on Facebook. Kind of weird that the one thing you can’t see on your timeline is the the day you signed up, but anyway…. Something I have learned: Facebook can be a terrific window into American society. Like most people […]
Updating the Blogroll
It’s been slow around here the last couple of days, and so I finally updated my blogroll. Now I have zillions of links. See? → It was fun checking out all these Foreign Service blogs! What great photos and stories. Even gets me a little fired up about bidding again. Let me tell you, that is […]
What’s In A Name?
A few days ago, at the peak of the hype about our latest village idiot, Congressman Todd Akin, I found myself wondering: who would marry such a person? No, seriously, I really wondered! So a bit of Googling, and I found Todd Akin’s wife. Here she is, listed as “Mrs Todd Akin” on this page […]
Nashville Is So Not Vienna
Just spent a week visiting family in my hometown, Nashville, Tennessee. Then headed back to my adopted hometown, Washington, DC ( NoVA, really). This is an 11-hour drive on I-40 and I-81 through some of the most beautiful countryside on earth. And, by European standards, practically a wilderness! I am still wondering who actually owns […]
The Grass Is Always Greener
Ever wonder what it would be like to settle down and live in the same house for 35 years or so? I get a peek at that life every time I visit my parents’ house in Tennessee. The house was almost a teardown in an iffy neighborhood when we moved into it, back when I […]
Last Post About EBay Slipcovers, I Promise
So, within 24 hours of my previous post about buying slipcovers on eBay, I received a full refund. As I promised the seller, I have removed the post detailing the problem. Thanks for the comments and suggestions, folks. The situation is officially resolved! I learned a couple of things here. I have been an eBay […]
Your Taxpayer Dollars at Work
Well, I was shocked to find that my blog has still not been included on the State Department’s recruitment page. Even with all the posts about fab Italian vacations, which are, after all, absolutely typical of the Foreign Service lifestyle. I guess I’m still not topical enough, sigh. So, I decided it was time for […]
Defining “All”
The last week or so, two articles about “having it all” by women connected with the State Department have been making the rounds. Why Women Still Can’t Have It All by Ann-Marie Slaughter and How to Have an Insanely Demanding Job and 2 Happy Children by Dana Shell Smith. I’ve read both, and discussed them a bit with friends […]
Top Tens for Vienna
A fellow blogger in Brussels just posted her top ten favorite and least favorite things about her current post for the reference of anyone who may be considering a bid on it. I thought this was such a good idea that I wanted to do the same. Of course, I’ve been blogging about Vienna for […]
A Southern Girl Needs Her Greens
Strangely, though Austria offers perfect green-growing weather, they are just not that into greens here. I see fresh spinach sometimes, and less frequently, small bunches of kale or chard, but no great big bunches of collards, mustard or turnip greens like I could buy even in Giant Food back home. So, I’m growing greens on […]
In Which I Lose a Few
No, not brain cells. Too late for that. Pounds! About five months ago, I decided to become an incredibly irritating control freak and shed the ten pounds or so with which 2011 had cruelly loaded me down. (One of the more interesting results has been that people are apparently now finding my blog by searching […]
The N Word (and the C Word and the A Word)
The kerfluffle about Jen Dinoia’s blog being removed from the State Department website due to her use of the word NIPPLE (yes, that’s right, NIPPLENIPPLENIPPLENIPPLE!!) seems to be over. But wow, what a ride. You might wonder: what is the big deal here? In fact, my husband asked me just that. After all, I had […]
