How to beat your fear of public speaking and get good at it in 10 steps
Actor George Jessel once said: “The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in...
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Oct 27, 2021
Next assignment: Mumbai!
I just found out my next assignment after Berlin is going to be Mumbai. Yay! I’m very happy for although I don’t know much about the...
Sep 21, 2021
Trip to Paris 4.0
Last weekend I made my fourth trip to Paris. Girls weekend! My BFF and I do a city trip most years. There are two constants: first, the...
Sep 11, 2021
Evacuating Afghans
Last week I worked at Ramstein—the massive U.S. airbase in Germany receiving tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees from Kabul via the...
Aug 29, 2021
Scam of the week
When you work in the American Citizen Service section, fascinating cases present themselves all the time. Among the most outlandish, I...
Aug 18, 2021
Bidding as a tandem couple III: Mexico or India?
My bid list is almost due! Two weeks ago I received a list from my career development officer (CDO) with next year's available positions,...
Aug 5, 2021
Vlieland: a Dutch island
Nope, not in the Caribbean or in some other tropical location—it’s right in the North Sea along with four other islands with...
Jul 28, 2021
Biking the Berlin Wall
Last week I cycled the entire former Berlin Wall. The Berlin Mauerweg (Wall road) is about 100 miles long, or 160k. It’s not particularly...
Jul 17, 2021
The summer of COVID consular ravages
Time to mark my first year as a consular officer and two years in the Foreign Service! While things are going well, it’s hard not to...
Jul 12, 2021
Sightseeing in Bavaria
It’s been a year since I arrived in Germany and the first proper vacation is finally on the books! Although it was more of an...
Jun 10, 2021
Dumpster diving for notarials
I’ve been working full time in ACS for a few weeks now. I still work in the visa section some days, to help process massive amounts of...
Jun 1, 2021
Prison visits
I think few people know that all U.S. prisoners overseas are entitled to a monthly or bi-annual visit by a consular officer. In Berlin...
May 3, 2021
Delivering a demarche
As I’m updating my work requirements, in anticipation of writing my yearly evaluation report, I realize I have to scratch something off...
Apr 16, 2021
Joining together: tandems and timing
Joining the Foreign Service as a couple is increasingly common. The State Department doesn’t release official statistics but I heard many...
Apr 5, 2021
The art of living
How to enjoy yourself? I must be a fairly serious person if I ask myself this question on a regular basis. Or at least, I used to ask...
Mar 25, 2021
Get a job or a PhD?
What’s a better idea: pursuing a PhD or entering the job market after obtaining a bachelor or master degree? With all the alleged “degree...
Mar 24, 2021
My academic exchange in Canada suuuuucked
How to put this mildly? Doing an academic exchange abroad can be… not as great as you might think. Personally, I hated it. No, this is...
Mar 20, 2021
Why being an actress is not glamorous
Before I was a diplomat, and before I even went to college, I was an actress in theater, TV, and in movies. In the Netherlands though,...
Mar 13, 2021
American Diplomat podcast
Because I promoted the How Did We Not Know That podcast I should probably also mention the American Diplomat podcast. It’s hosted by a...
Mar 5, 2021
That time I was stuck on a mountain
Look, I’m not the queen of disastrous vacations. Most of the time my trips turn out fine, or better than fine. But I like to reminisce,...
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