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.

Leaving Changzhou

During the last rush of packing, cleaning and preparing to leave China, blogging kind of fell to the wayside. The days were filled with several impromptu goodbye parties and many people stopped over spontaneously to wish us well. The teachers who will come back next year were very eager to check out our loot that we were giving away and leaving behind. Hot items included the bike, the potato masher, the toaster oven and baking supplies, DVDs and the fan. It was ridiculously hard to pack up two years of my life in two bags less than 50 lbs each. I ended up leaving a lot of clothes and books behind.

On Tuesday morning the school's driver picked us up at 10 and we made the drive to Shanghai and arrived at the airport at 1:30 for our 4pm flight to Chicago. Everything went fine and I was so excited to come home that I didn't sleep a wink on the plane. It feels great to be back in Holland and compared to the extreme heat and humidity of Changzhou the weather here feels downright chilly - it's perfect! It seems like there are no people here; the roads appear empty and peaceful and I am loving the quiet that my parents' house provides. Getting back on track time-wise has proven elusive and my first night home I woke up wide awake at 5:30 am ravenous with hunger as it felt like 5:30 pm. I tiptoed downstairs and had a feast of cold hamburgers, peas, coleslaw and banana cake. It's good to be home.

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

3 comments

ARSwolverine on July 7, 2011 at 11:15 PM

Welcome home!
Julie Zwart on July 8, 2011 at 12:24 PM

glad you made it home safely. nothing compares to a michigan summer! i was also eating coleslaw in the middle of the night my first night home. :)
Erica on July 11, 2011 at 1:22 AM

This makes me happy to read. Welcome back Sarah! Is it too soon to ask where you guys are off to next? :)

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

Leaving Changzhou

3 comments