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.

On the way to Carnival

Sights along the Tocantins on the way to Cametá - photo cred Chad Richards, fellow ETA in Belém

One of the fun perks of being able to return to Brazil this year is not only the opportunity to witness the World Cup but also to experience Carnival. Going into this experience I already had a feeling that a 5-day long nonstop party wasn't really going to be my thing, but I at least wanted a taste since it's such a big part of the culture here. The other ETAs and I decided to tone Carnival down a notch and head to a smaller town which is known to have a more traditional and "family friendly" type of celebration.

River towns on the Tocantins by Chad Richards

On Saturday morning we (and what felt like every other resident of Belém) set off for the riverside haven of Cametá. The normal journey involves one bus and one boat and takes around 4 hours. Because of the traffic and the unusual transportation infrastructure along the way our trip took a little over nine hours. Traveling in the Amazon can be frustrating because where there should be bridges there are rickety private-run (and homemade) ferries. It takes longer to load and unload your car on the ferry than it actually does to cross the small amount of water. Turns out bridges aren't built because politicians get a cut of the profits from the ferries and the small communities around the ferries thrive because of the waiting passengers' spending. Most of our time on the way to Cametá was spent waiting for various small ferries.

River sunset on the final boat ride

Our trip ended with a boat ride at sunset as we cruised along the Tocantins river checking out the small town or two on the banks. One of the positives about long trips in big groups is that everyone gets to know each other very well. I think it's safe to say that after 10 hours of travel together we had officially bonded.

Amazonian sunset

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

0 comments

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

On the way to Carnival

0 comments