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.

Lazy Saturday

On Monday there is a Japanese national holiday (coming of age day - more on that later) and we have a three day weekend which softens the blow of going back to school and work full time. Sean and I had a really lazy start to the extra long weekend and it felt great! We biked to Japanese class at the community center and then had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant in Mitaka with Shook, one of the other Rotary fellows who also attends the class. She showed us a nearby popular Hundred Yen store (Dollar store) that was packed on a Saturday afternoon. We stocked up on some more cutlery and glasses since we are having our first visitor next week and only have enough eating utensils etc. for two people.

After shopping, we biked home and stopped off at a local greenhouse on the way. I bought one more plant and a few supplies for repotting some more at home that are growing like crazy. After a nap, we awoke just in time for a Christmas package delivery from the Doyles. It made it an especially good Saturday night to go through the treasures that the care package offered such as: macaroni and cheese, pancake mix and syrup, bacon spam, jerky, hash brown mixes, candy, instant oatmeal, gourmet hot chocolate, microwave popcorn and fancy marinades for meats and seafoods - we are so excited!

After a dinner of mini pizzas, we worked on repotting some of the plants that I bought when I first arrived in Tokyo. I had to cut off the plastic containers on some of them as the roots were bursting through. It was super satisfying to transport the plants into a new home giving them more space for new roots to grow. A nice idea, isn't it? Making more space for new roots to grow.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

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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

Lazy Saturday

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