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.

Dream Job

If I could choose any job in Queenstown I would be a horseback guide and work at Dart Stables or the Ben Lomond Horse Trekking Co. Working as a wrangler in Colorado was one of the funnest summers of my life and I've always wanted to repeat it.

Horseback riding is pretty popular here because they have the rights to tour through many famous Lord of the Rings spots including Isengard, Amon Hen and "The Death of Boromir" scene from The Fellowship of The Ring film. The trails also pass by locations for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" and the new Hugh Jackman film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".

Since the busy summer tourist season is winding down, stables aren't really hiring guides right now and most of them don't operate in winter. Maybe I could offer to do some cleaning in exchange for a free ride?

Sean and I have decided that he gets to keep his tips for fun spending money and I get to keep the money I earn from private Spanish and English lessons (I'm up to three classes a week!). The first thing I'm going to spend it on is a full-day horseback ride. How much does that cost? Oh about $250 USD. Better start saving my pennies!

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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

Dream Job

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