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.

PechaKucha

Last night, I attended my first Japanese PechaKucha event. PechaKucha "is a presentation style in which 20 slides (images only) are shown for 20 seconds each (for a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds). The format, which keeps presentations concise and fast-paced, powers multiple-speaker events called PechaKucha Nights (PKNs)."

Deep sea diving

Physics of crystals

I had wanted to go to a PechaKucha Night for awhile and this week another fellow and I finally made it to the original venue where the presentation style was actually created and inaugurated. It started in 2003 as a way to attract more people to a new experimental event space in Tokyo. The goal was to gather together new designers and architects to meet, show their work and exchange ideas. But the style quickly grew to include any other topic, though most PKNs still reserve one or two slots for architecture and design presentations. Now, PKNs are held regularly all across the world in more than 900 cities.

Anime

Pigments

We had a great time watching the presentations and I loved the fact that speakers couldn't dwell on a slide or a thought too long - they had to keep it moving because if they didn't finish their presentation in the allotted time, they would simply be cut off. It was such a relief as an a participant in the audience to know that the presenters had prepared for a certain time limit and had to follow it. The variety of the topics was refreshing and interesting. During the night we learned about: architecture, deep sea diving, pigment, anime, Japanese underground heavy metal, cosplay, book publishing, physics and design. It was so much fun! I'm definitely inspired to try this kind of event in the classroom or for some kind of seminar at ICU with the Peace Fellows.

Even at 11:30pm on a Wednesday night the Tokyo subway is still more crowded than ever

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

Back in Tokyo

The last month has been a complete blur and although I miss being in Mozambique, it's been fantastic being back with Sean in Tokyo. I'll write about how my internship finished up in another post, but for now, Sean and I have jumped right back into the routine of life in Tokyo and have hit the ground running in school and job hunting. We've both resolved to be not as busy this year so we have more time for each other and for traveling in Japan. That being said, I'm only taking one graduate level class, starting my research for my thesis that's due in June, and continuing with studying the Japanese language. Sean's had several interviews and is now trying to decide which one is the best fit. He's dived back into ultimate frisbee and is practicing with the university team on campus, the local Mitaka team and the Tokyo co-ed league team. We both pick up as many random part-time jobs as well can (thesis editing, tutoring etc.) to save some cash for traveling in the future. The other obvious big project is trying to figure out what's next for us in the following year and taking steps to make that happen. Suggestions, ideas and job opportunities that would be a good fit are more than welcomed!

At the Education Department welcome dinner

We have both agreed that the second year for us in Tokyo is heaps easier than the first because we returned to a solid community of friends and because we know how all of the systems work here (transport, paying bills, phone service etc.) which makes a huge difference. Our most recent big news is the addition of a tiny waffle maker and a crock pot to our miniature appliance collection. Super exciting, I know. It's amazing how waking up to fresh waffles in the morning or coming home to the smell of slow-cooked chicken help with the occasional pangs of homesickness. I'm most thankful for Tokyo's stable internet which means that I can communicate with family and friends via Skype without dropped calls, which was challenging in Maputo. With the return of reliable internet I plan on writing more regularly. Thanks for reading!

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Sarah Sanderson

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'.