What Diplomats Do

You may have noticed that I haven’t written a word on this blog since I joined A-100. Because I’m too busy, right? Well, there’s actually another important reason.

First Assignment: Berlin!

I could hardly contain myself as the announcer, speaking to a room filled with newly minted diplomats and 300 of their closest friends and family, began: “Berlin, Germany….” I buried my face in my hands as I muttered “there is no way I’m getting this” before jumping out my chair when my name was called, stumbling past my classmates and generally acting like an idiot as I progressed towards the podium where I received a little German flag.

FOREIGN SERVICE EXAME ADVICE FOR COL

Foreign Service exam advice for students: where to start, what to know, and what to expect.

12 WAYS TO WORK AT THE US EMBASSY

Jobs at the US embassy are not just reserved for diplomats (I mean FSO Generalists) – the majority of American employees in embassies are actually something else. So what types of hires are they? And how do you get a job like that?

HOW TO BECOME A DIPLOMAT

LIFE AS A DIPLOMAT& WORLD CITIZEN

But, do they have sushi?

The Gambia’s food scene is pretty interesting. As expected, the local food is completely different from the tourist fare and because I live in a very touristy area I have easy access to both. The necessities As soon as I arrived in The Gambia I realized that while options are limited, I’ve got everything I need here. Supermarkets are small, but they import from Europe, Asia and even the US, so all the familiar stuff is present. At least the basics—not so much the fancy stuff.

Nov 243 min read

Marine Ball 2025

I forgot to post last Saturday, which was incidentally the day after the Marine Ball. I was blissfully recovering poolside with a gallon of coffee and a stack of Vanity Fairs and The Atlantics, as well as the new book I’m reading called “Chasing Hornbills: up to my neck in Africa.” The Ball was once again a success. All the guests were dressed to the nines, the cake got cut with a sword as usual, and there was a little dancing. Things didn’t go off without a hitch though, bec

Nov 202 min read

Running in The Gambia: routes & tips

Note: this post is a work in progress! Because there’s little publicly available information about road running, or any running, in Banjul/The Gambia, I'm sharing my experiences and collating the snippets of information I manage to gather. I'm a happy amateur runner living in Fajara since August 2025. When & where to run in The Gambia Sports and fitness are common in The Gambia, but long-distance running doesn't seem to be a thing here. As far as my observations go, there are

Nov 94 min read

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Welcome to What Diplomats do!

Welcome to my site! Like the title says, this website is for everyone who wonders what diplomats do.

Just remember that everything on here is just my personal perspective, not the Department of State's perspective, and certainly not the absolute truth.