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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.

Emails and well wishes from students

Every day or so I get an email from one of my students in China wondering how things are going - they are especially curious about the wedding (or maybe they just want to practice their English, I'm never really sure =). Many have asked if we plan to take a "honey trip" or when we plan on having children. Right before we left China students stopped by to say goodbye, give us things they had made or written during the year and congratulate us on getting married. We also received a barrage of emails and text messages while we were preparing to leave. Sean got a lot from freshmen girls who were very sorry to see him go. One of my favorites appears below:

Hello, Sean!
Long time no see! When you see this e-mail, you probably already
packed up your luggage and are ready to leave. Anyway, congratulate on
your coming reunion with your family and friends even if it's hard for
me to say goodbye to you.
Till now, i still remember clearly how excited and sleepless i
was the night before your first class. Maye you think I'm exaggerating
but it's the truth. For you,teaching in this school is just one of your
many experiences but for me it's a lot. I'm sure this semester will be
an unforgettable part of my life.
Then I want to thank you for writing down your beautiful
wishes for me in my journal [homework requirement]. I just want you to know that you and Sarah are both so fabulous that you guys also deserve every great thing in
this world. I'm so happy and lucky to meet you and as a student of
you. Wish you and Sarah live a long and happy life. I'm going to miss
you! May a favorable wind send you safely home! Remember to keep in
touch.

A lot of people have asked me if I miss China which is hard to answer considering I think living in the U.S. is fabulous and coming home is one of the best feelings ever. I don't really miss living there but I do miss my friends and students and I also miss experiencing life a different way and thinking about things from a new perspective. For example, have any of my OSU students in the past lost sleep from excitement the night before their Spanish class? Most assuredly not. It's fun remembering my time in China because I'm getting to see little glimpses of how it's changed me and how day to day life and attitudes in each place are so fascinatingly different.
Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Sarah Sanderson edit post

1 Comment

  1. The De Jager Family on August 3, 2011 at 11:04 PM

    Hold onto those memories... Maybe even write them down. So quickly the things that are so strikingly obvious and different coming back to the States will be a distant memory. It's still a blessing for me to re-connect with friends in Guate and try to remember all the many ways it changed me. Blessings to you guys!

     


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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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