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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.

Autumn in Queenstown



Things are cooling down here and the mountain biking and hiking shops are flipping their summer signs over and changing to skiing and snowboarding shops overnight.  I am loving this fall weather - sunny, crisp and cool but the chilly mornings and evenings are just a preview of what's still to come.  It seems everyone is talking about what type of skis/snowboards/winter clothes they want or need and now we just have to sit back and wait for the actual white stuff to come (which it should in about a month or so). 



Autumn is a quiet season in QT: backpackers who came and stayed for the summer season are packing up and heading out and less and less tourists arrive daily.  The hotel has urged its employees to take holidays during the months of May and June because things are so quiet and Sean and I are looking into some multi-day hikes on the South Island before the weather gets impossibly cold. 



Fall in Queenstown also means that NZSki begins its elaborate and competitive hiring process.  NZSki operates all three ski fields in the area and hires working holidayers for the season (June-October).  I have heard that it's next to impossible to get a job at one of the lodges but I am trying regardless.  I put an application in for "Retail Sales Assistant" in one of the snow gear shops and I found out this week that I made it to "Phase 2" of the process (more on this later).  Selling ski stuff could be a nice change from cleaning rooms.  Actually, just about anything would be a nice change from cleaning rooms!










Once again, these QT autumn photos are not all mine - some are from other housekeepers who snapped them heading to/from work (mainly Yuka, from Japan).  Enjoy the pictures!
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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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