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.

Vietnam (winter break)

It was time to move on again and to get to Vietnam from Cambodia we took a bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City (also called Saigon). We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the evening and our first impressions were: hectic, chaos, craziness and motorbikes. The city is located in the south of Vietnam and is the country's largest. One key factor contributing to the craziness was the fact that we were arriving during Tet, the largest and most popular Vietnamese holiday which celebrates the new year. Because of this, hotels and hostels were full, restaurants were packed and people partied late into the night for about a week.

At the flower market during Tet - a yellow dragon made out of fruit and some Vietnamese taking home a recently purchased kumquat tree to celebrate the holiday

We finally found a hostel off one of the larger streets in the tourist area and began exploring. We were warned by every hotel and restaurant that we went to about the large number and skill of the pick-pockets in the area especially during this time of year. After meeting and talking with several foreigners we found that these warnings were valid as about one in three of every traveler we talked to had had something stolen. Yikes.

Flower market in HCMC and the tree decorated in our hostel

To celebrate the new year the Vietnamese purchase loads of yellow flowers, buy and decorate kumquat bushes and small trees and set up elaborate offerings of fruit, food and incense to small altars of ancestor worship. During this time if you buy anything in a store or stay at a hotel the management invites you to drink and eat with them. After a night of exploring we wandered back to our hostel and were surprised to find a huge crowd of Vietnamese and foreigners partying in the lobby. We were immediately asked to join in and handed beers, sweet rice cakes, watermelon seeds and cashews. Although a little overwhelming, the warm welcome and the energy of our initial impressions of Vietnam and the Vietnamese were only a small glimpse of the experiences to come.

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

1 Comment

Erica on June 4, 2010 at 12:42 AM

I love that you travel so much, that your winter break blogs have now run into June. :) I love it!! As you know, I especially love the pictures. Makes me feel I was there too.

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

Vietnam (winter break)

1 Comment