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.

A weekend in rural China

The crazy mob of people at the train station

Noshing on chicken feet. Moon cake. Karaoke. Throngs of impatient people. Shaved rabbits. Cotton plants. Unlimited amounts of cousins. Eel traps. An industrial park. Incessant fireworks.

What do the former have in common? They can all be experienced during Autumn Festival weekend in rural China.

On Thursday, Sean and I took a 3 hour bus ride north east to a small city (0.7 million) called Da Feng (大丰). The previous week, Zhao Min, a recent graduate of the university and newly-made friend, invited us home with her to spend National Day with her family. We got up early in the morning to be at the bus station for our 7:30 am departure and were greeted by mobs of pushing and shoving people trying to enter the bus station. National Day is one of the most popular times to travel for the Chinese and foreigners aren't generally recommended to attempt to do so as this year 200 million people were expected to board buses and trains. Even though there were police to prevent line-jumpers and maintain some semblance of order (I say this very loosely), the scene was chaos and I was quickly reminded that China is not for the easily claustrophobic or agoraphobic.

View of Zhao Min's neighborhood

We finally made it on to the bus and arrived in Da Feng at around 11:30. We were greeted by Zhao Min's family who promptly treated us to a huge lunch at a restaurant downtown. Of course it was a bit awkward since Sean and I couldn't speak the language and the family couldn't speak English, but the food was good and our hosts were incredibly hospitable and Zhao Min translated as much as she could. We had an amazing four days and I can easily say that it has been one of my most favorite experiences so far in China. Here's just an overview of how we stayed busy:

Family dinner

Thursday: Lunch out with family, visit to Zhao Min's neighborhood in the country, walking tour of rice and cotton fields, dinner with extended family at Zhao Min's house (traditional National Day meal)

Friday: Traditional Autumn Festival lunch with family, billiards with family, basketball with family and friends, dinner at a fancy restaurant, karaoke in a private room

Saturday: Lunch at KFC, excursion to Da Feng's industrial park/port on the ocean, shopping/walking around town, street food and beer for dinner, hanging out at a tea house in the evening

Sunday: Lunch with Zhao Min, her sister and her brother-in-law, bus ride home to Changzhou

Posing at the port with Zhao Min

The two things that were most memorable about this trip were the incredible hospitality of the Chinese people - they seemed like they wanted to feed us until couldn't walk anymore and the culture/environment of a rural lifestyle compared to how the people live in a bigger city like Changzhou. It was a really fun vacation and Sean and I are already talking about what types of western food we can cook for Zhao Min (pancakes, french toast, grilled cheese....).

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

0 comments

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

A weekend in rural China

0 comments