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.

Valparaíso: Entre Mar y Cerros

‘Valparaíso me usurpó, me sometió a su dominio, a su disparate, Valparaíso es un montón de casas locas y coloridas.’ - Pablo Neruda

Two weekends ago Mark, Celeste, and I headed down to Valparaíso for Saturday and Sunday. The famous port city is about two hours from Santiago and is truly a ‘mountain of crazy and colorful houses’ like Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda describes.

The city is fun and unique because, like the title of this entry, the port lies between the sea and steep hills. The atmosphere is a little like San Francisco with lots of inclines and a bohemian feel but it also feels like Dr. Seuss was here because of the brightly painted houses and interesting textures and angles in the architecture.

It is easy to see why Pablo Neruda had one of his houses here and why it was one of his favorite places to write poetry. Valparaíso has a romantic and creative air; there are lots of literary cafés, tiny pubs with live music, and incredible views from the hills. Each hill has a name and a different feel to it. My favorite cerro is Cerro Alegre which is known for the tiny bookshops and cafés that it has to offer. The name literally means, ‘happy hill.’

What makes Valparaíso most famous, though, is its ascensores which are like giant elevators. Since the hills are so steep and there are so many of them, each hill has its own ascensor. An ascensor is like a cable car that moves people from the bottom to the top of a hill as well as back down. It takes about one minute in an ascensor rather than quite a few minutes of tough walking. Each ascensor costs about fifty US cents.

Valparaíso is also known for its seafood which we tried in a little restaurant after we took a boat tour in the harbor. The empanadas de mariscos, or baked pockets full of seafood, were terrific. Another dish that the city boasts is choriana, which is meat, onions, and cheese on a bed of fries.

We spent all of Saturday walking around and exploring the hills of Valparaíso as well as stopping every now and then to grab a snack or a coffee in a literary café. We spent the night in a hostel and in the morning caught a bus that took us for a winding and steep tour through the hills.

The mini-trip to the port city was fun and I think Valparaíso will be one of those places that I will visit again before I have to leave.

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Wanderlust

In Mandarin: 旅遊癮 (lǚyóu yǐn)

According to my Mandarin teacher, the term 'wanderlust' can best be translated as 'a travel addiction or craving'. In the above translation, 'yǐn' has several meanings such as 'a strong impulse', 'a longing', or 'a desire'.

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

Valparaíso: Entre Mar y Cerros

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