On dual citizenship and passing the Foreign Service test
Having dual citizenship is not a source of pride in the Foreign Service. How could it be, when patriotism and representing American...
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Sep 29, 2020
A day in the life of a diplomat
I’ve been in Berlin for over two months. I haven’t been anywhere outside of the city limits, thanks to COVID, and I’ve adjudicated about...
Sep 19, 2020
The new consular work
Okay, maybe my conclusion was a little rash in my last post on visa work—there’s no lack of visa applications after all. While COVID-19...
Sep 14, 2020
How we pick an international school
Before I had kids, the availability of good schools overseas was just about the last thing on my mind. As soon as I got a kid, however,...
Sep 7, 2020
6 Things that surprised me about Germany
It’s been almost two months since I moved here but I’m hard-pressed to describe Berlin. The best I can come up with is that it’s full of...
Sep 2, 2020
On the edge of the visa abyss
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Four weeks ago I walked into a busy consular section in Berlin—so busy, in fact, that I started...
Aug 20, 2020
Interior deco in the Foreign Service
I’ve wanted to write something about interior decoration in the FS but never really knew what. I’m not exactly good at decorating, nor do...
Aug 16, 2020
Second week in consular: like/dislike
I just wrapped up my second week in the consular section in Berlin and I feel good. I was a little worried about the work before I began...
Aug 16, 2020
First week in consular affairs: the basics
After two weeks of quarantine in Berlin I started working in the office of consular affairs. I go to the office every day and apart from...
Jul 30, 2020
Girl power: on combining a diplomatic career and a family
The main reason I didn’t pursue a diplomatic career before I had kids was that I couldn’t imagine being both a mom and a diplomat. In my...
Jul 28, 2020
What can art do for diplomacy?
This post is written by Megan Dixon, a guest blogger and art graduate with an affinity for international affairs (see more of her...
Jun 19, 2020
What to expect from your first two assignments
New (Generalist) FSO start at the bottom of the career ladder, even those who already have 20 years of experience. They all start with...
Jun 17, 2020
Security clearance: problems with dual citizenship
Can people with dual citizenship qualify for a top secret security clearance for working in the U.S. Federal Government? The answer is...
Jun 15, 2020
5 Reasons I honestly like Virginia Beach
It’s one of those eternal questions: what’s a good day trip from Washington DC? In my opinion, there’s not a whole lot of choice. Yes,...
Jun 11, 2020
Foreign Service hiring numbers explained
A lot of people ask me how many diplomats the State Department is hiring at the moment. I thought the question was moot because the 2017...
Jun 10, 2020
Corona virus III - Mental health
Sometimes I wonder if I’m successfully settling into a nice, slower pace of life, or if I’m just slowly losing my mind. One minute I feel...
Jun 9, 2020
What to do when your career isn’t taking off
I’ve written a whole bunch of blog posts on how to enter the Foreign Service and more generally on how to kick-start a career in...
Jun 7, 2020
Black Lives Matter
This Saturday saw the biggest Black Lives Matter protests so far in Washington DC. Figuring this is an important event, and being mindful...
Jun 3, 2020
The work that goes into moving
When am I moving to Berlin? I don’t know! But I have to be prepared for it anyway, because it could happen any time. Or, more...
Jun 1, 2020
4 failed blogging attempts (and why they failed)
I’ve been writing this blog more or less consistently for two and a half years. But I tried blogging before—four times, actually—and it...
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