What Diplomats Do

You may have noticed that I haven’t written a word on this blog since I joined A-100. Because I’m too busy, right? Well, there’s actually another important reason.

First Assignment: Berlin!

I could hardly contain myself as the announcer, speaking to a room filled with newly minted diplomats and 300 of their closest friends and family, began: “Berlin, Germany….” I buried my face in my hands as I muttered “there is no way I’m getting this” before jumping out my chair when my name was called, stumbling past my classmates and generally acting like an idiot as I progressed towards the podium where I received a little German flag.

FOREIGN SERVICE EXAME ADVICE FOR COL

Foreign Service exam advice for students: where to start, what to know, and what to expect.

12 WAYS TO WORK AT THE US EMBASSY

Jobs at the US embassy are not just reserved for diplomats (I mean FSO Generalists) – the majority of American employees in embassies are actually something else. So what types of hires are they? And how do you get a job like that?

HOW TO BECOME A DIPLOMAT

LIFE AS A DIPLOMAT& WORLD CITIZEN

Chipped tooth: dental care in The Gambia

One of the least fun things about being me is my dental history. I've had just about every dental procedure imaginable, multiple times over. On the bright side, I've had the good fortune to be posted in several countries where dental care is not only affordable but also unexpectedly high quality. In fact, countries like Armenia and India are 'dental tourism' destinations! But The Gambia is a little different. Nobody comes here for the dental care, or any kind of medical care

47 minutes ago2 min read

Tourism in Rwanda: take it or leave it?

Traveling to Rwanda may not be everybody's dream, but it was certainly mine! It's located in the heart of Sub-Saharan Africa, so it's not overrun by tourists. It has a warm climate, friendly people, fabulous nauture, and it’s safer than almost anywhere in the world. My kind of place. Unfortunately, flying from The Gambia to Rwanda isn't as straightforward as you might expect. There are direct flights to Kigali from Europe and other places, but everyone who has been to Sub-Sah

Feb 46 min read

Ultra X Rwanda 110K recap

Question: What do you do when you’ve completed a bunch of marathons and the idea of running another one isn’t as exciting anymore? Answer: you sign up for an ultra marathon! First of all, what is an ultra marathon? Ultra running events have different distances. It can be 50K, 100K, 100 miles, or even more. For Ultra X Rwanda, there were two options: 50K or 110K. I couldn’t imagine doing more than 50K for my first mountainous trail run, so I signed up for that distance. Durin

Jan 309 min read

I do scary things

Over the Christmas holidays, my older sister and her husband got into a big argument because of me. They disagreed about driving me to the airport or letting me drive myself. It had been hailing since a few hours, but it wasn’t freezing so my sister wasn’t concerned. My brother in law, who won the argument, pointed to my well-known fear of driving, and insisted on bringing me there. Nobody asked me. Once we were in the car, I told my brother in law that I could have driven my

Jan 224 min read

Drenthe Trail Marathon

One more marathon on the books! It was my fifth full marathon (42 km/ 26 miles) overall, my third marathon of 2025, and my very first trail marathon. Dirt roads, forest trails and a few little hills in cold and slightly rainy Drenthe, which is in the northern part of The Netherlands. It's only a 30-minute drive further north to get to Groningen, the city I'm from. The event was relatively small, which is typical for off-road running races. There's nothing commercial or hyped

Jan 134 min read

Gambian politics? Jawara, Jammeh, Barrow

I’m probably never going to be an expert in Gambian history or politics. Right now I’m far too busy living in the moment, enjoying my time here with family and new friends, and by just being outside a lot. My current job isn’t related to The Gambia at all, so that doesn’t help with finding out who is who in politics or what’s going on with the upcoming elections. On a very basic level, this is what I figured out so far: The Gambia is a young democracy. Its first leader after

Jan 92 min read

Thoughts on being a picky eater

I'm in one of those periods where nothing tastes right. This happens several times a year and it usually lasts for a few weeks. It’s often related to stress, having a cold, or not being able to eat home cooked food for a while. Or: having to eat on a strict schedule. For example, during the 10-day Vipassana meditation course I did earlier this year I was forced to eat at exactly the same time every day, which bothered me. Strangely, I could tell that my body actually loved it

Dec 17, 20258 min read

The Gambia: River Cruise

“I can’t believe we live here.” That’s something my husband and I say to each other almost every weekend, usually over cocktails at the beach, staring out at the ocean while our children practice backflips in the sand or trot off on a pony. Or when we simply sit in our backyard overlooking the pool, the massive baobab and mango trees, listening to a cacophony of birds (especially the two hornbills who swing by every morning and pound on your windows to draw out bugs). Yes, la

Dec 13, 20253 min read

But, do they have sushi?

The Gambia’s food scene is pretty interesting. As expected, the local food is completely different from the tourist fare and because I live in a very touristy area I have easy access to both. The necessities As soon as I arrived in The Gambia I realized that while options are limited, I’ve got everything I need here. Supermarkets are small, but they import from Europe, Asia and even the US, so all the familiar stuff is present. At least the basics—not so much the fancy stuff.

Nov 24, 20253 min read

Marine Ball 2025

I forgot to post last Saturday, which was incidentally the day after the Marine Ball. I was blissfully recovering poolside with a gallon of coffee and a stack of Vanity Fairs and The Atlantics, as well as the new book I’m reading called “Chasing Hornbills: up to my neck in Africa.” The Ball was once again a success. All the guests were dressed to the nines, the cake got cut with a sword as usual, and there was a little dancing. Things didn’t go off without a hitch though, bec

Nov 20, 20252 min read

Running in The Gambia: routes & tips

Note: this post is a work in progress! Because there’s little publicly available information about road running, or any running, in Banjul/The Gambia, I'm sharing my experiences and collating the snippets of information I manage to gather. I'm a happy amateur runner living in Fajara since August 2025. When & where to run in The Gambia Sports and fitness are common in The Gambia, but long-distance running doesn't seem to be a thing here. As far as my observations go, there are

Nov 9, 20254 min read

DETO realities: 3 months in

Well, I guess it’s time to talk about work! Since this is ultimately a blog about being a diplomat, I can’t get around talking about my work life for too long. Even though I generally find it much more fun to talk about my travel, hobbies, and daily adventures overseas. To recap: this is my third assignment as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer generalist and overall my eighth tour overseas. What makes this tour different is that I’m doing a domestic job, a “desk job” rather than

Nov 2, 20254 min read

Casablanca reconnaissance

I did not want to spend the night in Casablanca. I missed my flight to Banjul by almost an hour so I knew I would have to wait for 24 hours, but there was no way I was going to turn this extended layover into a sightseeing trip. I just wasn’t in the mood. It was 2AM, after all. But once I finally figured out how to get a new boarding pass and a hotel voucher, alongside a dozen other tired and confused travelers en route to Banjul, Dakar, Niamey and Dakhla (a surfer’s paradise

Oct 27, 20254 min read

TCS Amsterdam: sub-4 hour marathon

Today I ran my fourth full marathon, in Amsterdam. After completing Dutch marathons in Leiden (2014) and Rotterdam (2024) this one felt the closest to home because I lived in Amsterdam for three years as a student. Planning & preparation This being my fourth marathon, I knew what to do to accomplish the primary goal of making it across the finish in one piece. I followed about 80% of a generic 16-week marathon training plan. I practiced drinking water and eating carbs (gels)

Oct 20, 20257 min read

Gambia: 1st birding expedition

I never thought I’d enjoy “birding.” I have a friend who told me how much she enjoys it, but this friend also loves doing calligraphy and...

Oct 11, 20253 min read

Gambia: the kids are alright

How are the kids liking it in The Gambia? That’s definitely the question I’ve been asked most during my first month here. Every parent...

Oct 4, 20256 min read

New country, new life!

You know when you have plans to change your life, maybe New Year’s resolutions, but you never follow through? I feel like I spent most of...

Sep 27, 20253 min read

Painting anxiety

Some types of stress I can see coming from a mile away, like the cortisol spikes that inevitably accompany long distance travel, moving...

Sep 21, 20257 min read

Gambia: the way we pay

The first couple of weeks in a new country typically involve a lot of searching for stores to buy food, supplies, furniture, and...

Sep 13, 20252 min read

Kankurang: here comes machete man!

During my first week in The Gambia I already experienced a bit of local culture that had me taken aback. I was surprised and a little...

Sep 6, 20252 min read

The Gambia: First Impressions

So, I live in The Gambia now. The capital city is Banjul, a tiny town formerly known as Bathurst. But I technically live in the “Greater...

Aug 30, 20253 min read

Homeleave: the usual round

Every 2-3 years we take home leave, which is mandatory time off between overseas assignments. They typically last 4-6 weeks and require a...

Aug 24, 20254 min read

40: The Year of No Fear

Another year gone! Being 40 has been great. No complaints. Well, maybe a tiny complaint that my face takes a long time to unwrinkle in...

Aug 24, 20254 min read

Gambia Prep: Consumables

Because we’re moving to The Gambia for our next assignment (#8!) we can bring up to 3,750 pounds of consumables—food, drinks, and...

Aug 10, 20254 min read

The Reorg: Stress & Musical Chairs

I can't imagine there was a single Foreign Service Officer (FSO) in Washington DC, or even overseas, who didn't wake up scared on Friday,...

Jul 26, 20256 min read

PCS Out!

This month has been a whirlwind of packing and saying goodbye. It’s the 7th time we’re leaving a country we lived in for a few years and...

Jun 9, 20254 min read

12 Biographies to READ or SKIP

I love biographies and memoirs. I've been reading them since I was a teenager, but it only recently dawned on me that it's my favorite...

Jun 2, 20255 min read

Vipassana: 10-day meditation course (my experience)

So, I did it! I stayed to a Vipassana center (dhamma) near my house in Mumbai. There are hundreds of centers in the world, in 94...

May 23, 20257 min read

Vipassana Meditation course FAQs

And I'm done! I just completed a 10-day meditation course at Dhamma Pattana (near Mumbai) along with about ninety other students. It was...

Apr 29, 20255 min read

10-Day Vipassana retreat (going in)

I'm about to embark on a 10-day Vipassana retreat at Dhamma Pattana, in Mumbai. Two days from now, I'll report to the meditation center...

Apr 14, 20252 min read

Hinduism for dummies

I didn’t understand much about Hinduism before I moved to India. Cows are holy, reincarnation, lots of gods. That’s about it. I hoped I...

Apr 8, 20254 min read

Aryuvedic healing in Varkala

Before coming to India I was only vaguely aware of Aryuvedic medicine. I’d heard about elements/doshas and had even figured out I’m a...

Apr 1, 20253 min read

Skiing in Kazakhstan: PROS & CONS

Did you know that Shymbulak is the largest ski resort in Central Asia? And that if you want guaranteed snow in March, it's one of the...

Mar 20, 20254 min read

Mumbai Running Routes & Tips

When & where to run in Mumbai Even if you really love running outdoors—and I know few people in Mumbai do!—it can be challenging to find...

Feb 9, 20254 min read

Month of Abstinence: Sugar

Last month, I endeavored to cut sugar from my diet. I can't say it was a resounding success. Not only was it difficult to change my daily...

Jan 31, 20254 min read

Month of Abstinence: Alcohol

My decision to make a lifestyle change is usually the result of a slow but steady buildup of knowledge through reading and talking to...

Jan 5, 20255 min read

India Travel Tips 3: Mumbai

The trickiest question of all is what people should do while they’re in Mumbai, because it’s not a tourist hub. It’s no wonder that the...

Dec 29, 20243 min read

India Travel Tips 2: Near Mumbai

Close to Mumbai there are a number of popular tourist destinations within 1-3 hours by car, train, or ferry. Unlike most travel...

Dec 16, 20242 min read

India Travel Tips 1: Best Places

If you’re curious about exploring India and need some travel tips, you could simply open up a Lonely Planet. But wait, did you know the...

Dec 4, 20244 min read

My next assignment: PRM!

Six weeks ago I received an email from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. I wasn’t surprised, because during the preceding...

Nov 21, 20243 min read

Banjul: the ideal diplomatic posting?

It’s official: we’re moving to Banjul next year! Where?! Banjul is the capital of The Gambia, and The Gambia is a tiny country inside...

Nov 19, 20242 min read

3-Week TDY in Dushanbe

I just went to Tajikistan—a country I never imagined visiting. I couldn’t even locate it on a map—the “stans” have always been a bit of a...

Oct 8, 20244 min read

Tandem bidding 3

Uh-oh, it’s almost time to move on again! As much as I enjoy living in Mumbai, every Foreign Service tour meets its inevitable end. We...

Sep 15, 20243 min read

Bucharest highlights & lowlights

Need a random city trip recommendation? How about Bucharest! Having confused Bucharest with Budapest and Belgrade all my life, Romania’s...

Sep 6, 20246 min read

Promoted and leaning in

So, I’m a manager now! I’m still posted in Mumbai for another year, but my job here has changed dramatically. Bottom line: no more visa...

Jul 6, 20243 min read

Maldives Getaway

BLUF: this was the best five-day vacation ever! Though the Maldives were never on my list of must-see destinations. There was something...

Jun 2, 20244 min read

50 Work Outfits Challenge

Dressing for work has become somewhat of a hobby. My bright blazers rarely go unnoticed by my colleagues and I’ve been asked more than...

Apr 30, 20243 min read

6-Week Marathon Journey (Part 3)

Final installment! Here are Part 1 and Part 2. Race Day The NN Rotterdam marathon 2024 started at 10:00 AM for elite runners, and at...

Apr 24, 20248 min read

6-Week Marathon Journey (Part 2)

While consistent and thorough training obviously matters, a big part of running long distance is getting into the right mental state of...

Apr 20, 20245 min read

6-Week Marathon Journey (Part 1)

Oops, I did it again! My second full marathon is officially on the books. It felt like a mission impossible, but I managed. This is a...

Apr 17, 202410 min read

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Welcome to What Diplomats do!

Welcome to my site! Like the title says, this website is for everyone who wonders what diplomats do.

Just remember that everything on here is just my personal perspective, not the Department of State's perspective, and certainly not the absolute truth.