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.

First anniversary

My first thought on our first anniversary was, "Has it really been a whole year already?"

Gosh, that sure went fast and what a fun and unexpected year it has been - I hope the next one is just as good. It's funny how often people ask us if we are on our honeymoon here - it happens all the time. Usually I just say that we are because it kind of feels that way; being on a working holiday visa in a city like Queenstown is like a year-long escape from many aspects of real life. That being said, here's a few thoughts on marriage from a novice wife on a year-long honeymoon:

Marriage - the good stuff

1. Having a built-in partner for everything from sharing a bus seat to sharing adventures
2. Constant physical, emotional and mental support
3. An added family who loves on you and who you get to be a part of
4. Trying things/going places I wouldn't normally because of what Sean wants to do/is interested in
5. Accountability on all things such as money, work, diet, exercise, goals etc.

Marriage - the tough stuff

1. A loss of independence - not being able to do exactly what I want to do when I want to do it whether it is something so small as where to eat to where I want to live next
2. Bearing the burden of not only your bad days and stress but your partner's struggles as well
3. Sharing additional debt and financial responsibilities that I hadn't planned on
4. It's really hard to find the right boundary of respecting the other person's individuality versus challenging them (nagging?) them to be the person you think they should be
5. The necessity of constant communication can be a little tiring - I wish we could just read each other's minds and avoid some of the drama that comes with miscommunication/lack of communication

I can definitely see that marriage is a work in progress. We are constantly re-defining balances of power, work, time together/apart and what we want for the future. We don't agree on everything, we get annoyed with each other and not every day is a good day, but overall having a partner for life has made me a happier person. Sean helps me loosen up a bit and not take myself or life so seriously and is endlessly patient with my wildly illogical mood swings and demands for attention. Thanks for putting up with me Sean!

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

1 Comment

Linde on August 11, 2012 at 2:18 PM

I've been known to say: don't forget that thing I'm not nagging you about!

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

First anniversary

1 Comment