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.

Home sweet station wagon

Sometimes we sleep in hostels or guesthouses and other times it's home stays or sleazy cabins at holiday parks. Some nights we pitch our tent and other nights we are lucky enough to have friends to stay with. But most of the time we sleep in the back of our car. It's a very classy situation.

Surprisingly, the station wagon offers a pretty good sleep at unbeatable value. We are lucky that when we fold the seats down we can both stretch out completely (me comfortably, Sean just barely). At campsites and holiday parks I found that I preferred to sleep in the car which I wasn't expecting. This was because it was warmer, quieter and safer from animals (the possums, mice and rats have gotten a little too friendly with campers). I also liked sleeping in the back of the wagon because it was fast to set up and take down (we both didn't even have to get out of the car if we didn't want to) and it was a nice option to have if it was pouring down rain (which it did often). The only things that were challenging about sleeping in the car were that the windows let in all of the light and that it got hot really quickly in the morning.

I never really thought I would be one to enjoy sleeping in the back of a station wagon but I do. The freedom of having a car that also converted into a bed was awesome and something I'm going to miss. Too bad we can't sleep in the back of my little Honda very easily in the States.

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

1 Comment

Unknown on May 10, 2013 at 1:11 AM

It seems, that it was so very enjoyable to sleep in the back of your station wagon huh. I agree on you, that you'll have the freedom of having a car that also converted into a bed in a good way. My fleet maintenance manager like this article.

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

Home sweet station wagon

1 Comment