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.

My Chilean host sister comes for a visit

Months ago, when I sent my wedding invitations out, I sent one to my host family in Santiago, Chile never thinking that they would be able to make the trip to Michigan for the big day. I was wrong. My 22 year old host sister, María José Castillo Gómez (nickname Koté) planned a trip around the date of my wedding. After letters and phone calls with the American embassy assuring them that I would claim full responsibility and that she was not here to stay permanently, Koté received the visa after two tries and booked her flight. She spent a total of three weeks in the U.S. and visited New York City, Boston and Philadelphia before heading to Michigan. She was supposed to stay with a family in Detroit and just come to Holland for the day, but when that fell through she ended up staying with my friends and family for a full week. This was slightly complicated by the fact that she doesn't speak much English at all.

Koté was supposed to arrive on Tuesday but her flight was cancelled so she arrived early on Wednesday morning. It was so much fun to see her again after so many years and it was very special to have her here. She is very fun, outgoing and social so the language barrier wasn't that much of a problem as she and my family used any means possible to communicate. I found my Spanish incredibly rusty after not being used for two years - I especially noticed my lack of speed and the amount of vocabulary words I had forgotten.

We did as much as we could before the busyness of the wedding fell upon us. On Wednesday night we had a barbecue in the backyard and made S'mores which Koté found both amusing and delicious. Because so much was going on and Sean and I were going to stay at a hotel in Holland I asked several gracious Spanish-speaking friends to host Koté (thanks Tracey and Karl, Bethany, Tim, and Ross and Shelly!) She had a fantastic time with all of them and got to see some different aspects of Holland.

It was sad to see her go though I hope someday soon Sean and I can attend her wedding in Chile - that would be so fun!

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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

My Chilean host sister comes for a visit

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