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U.S. Foreign Service Officer headed to Wuhan, China

The mission of a U.S. diplomat in the Foreign Service is to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad. The work that diplomats do has an impact on the world as they serve at one of any of the more than 270 embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions in The Americas, Africa, Europe and Eurasia, East Asia and Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia.

The duties of a Consular Officer include to provide emergency and non-emergency services to American citizens and protect our borders through the proper adjudication of visas to foreign nationals and passports to American citizens. We adjudicate immigrant and non-immigrant visas, facilitate adoptions, help evacuate Americans, combat fraud, and fight human trafficking. Consular Officers touch people’s lives in important ways, often reassuring families in crisis. They face many situations which require quick thinking under stress and develop and use a wide range of skills, from managing resources and conducting public outreach to assisting Americans in distress.

Last day at Koh Chang


We spent our last full day on the island at the beach and most of us got a little too sun-kissed even though we slathered on the sunblock. The weather and the water temperature were perfect and it was really nice to relax on the beach, read and write postcards. I was amazed at some of the creatures we found in the ocean. There were many living sand dollars and fish to be seen and a couple of fish caught our attention. At one point Ken tried to pick up a piece of seaweed and discovered that it was a fish ingeniously disguised as seaweed. Another organism that looked to be a leaf also turned out to be a fish. Both looked so much like plants that I didn't believe Ken at first and had to try and catch them in my hand (which proved decidedly difficult) before I had to concede that he was right. Needless to say, the flora and fauna are quite different from the Lake Michigan that I am used to.



Later in the afternoon Peter, Sean and I decided to rent mopeds and cruise around the island to see what we could see. I was a little apprehensive of this as we would have to drive on the left and navigate up and down some steep hills. So, I left the driving to Sean and rode double on the back. As we were leaving, Daniel asked us what songs we wanted played at our funerals which wasn't too comforting (Sean chose Only the Good Die Young and I chose Brown-Eyed Girl). Don't worry, Mom and Dad, there were many people riding mopeds and we were very careful to be safe and take things nice and easy.


After one last walk on the beach we prepared for leaving the next morning. Ken, Daniel and Peter are going to Cambodia for a few days and Sean and I are heading down south to do some more island-hopping.
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    Sarah Sanderson
    I am currently in Mandarin language training as a new diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. Sean and I depart for Wuhan, China in November 2019 for my first tour in consular affairs.
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    Grateful for my very tolerant, supportive and easygoing husband who's always game for a new adventure

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