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 days in Salvador

First view of Salvador from the ferry

The trip to Salvador from Ilhéus is relatively easy to make; it only takes about 6 hours by bus and then another hour by ferry boat. The bus tickets were about $25 and the ferry was about $3. Since Loni and I were spending quite a bit on classes, we looked for some place cheap to stay for the week. In the typical Brazilian way or jeitinho, we found free lodging through one of our student's mom's friend's son. We stayed in university housing with two guys who were nice enough to let us crash on an extra bunk bed.

It was really interesting to stay with students and experience the laid-back lifestyle to the extreme. The students who we shared a room with were two very chill dreadlocked artists and musicians. We also shared the room with their two cats, Dolores and Minnie, who seemed to have a particular affinity for getting cat hair all over my sleeping bag and clothes. Fortunately, they were good snugglers, the cats, that is.

The free hippy lodging came at the price of sleep and smoke inhalation, however. Our schedules were definitely not in sync and our smoking habits were lacking. Loni and I rose early to get to class and crashed hard at the end of the day just when things were starting to get interesting in the dorm. And the activities in a Casa Universitaria da UFB were a far cry from the happenings in Gilmore 312 at Hope College. That's for sure.

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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

First days in Salvador

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