- May 13
- 2 min
Keri Russel is wrong
There’s a new Netflix show that will almost certainly be watched by all diplomats; the one where Keri Russell is Ambassador to London and...
- May 3
- 2 min
Dharavi
Dharavi is one of the biggest ‘slums’ (now a politically incorrect word) in Asia, population one million. Orangi Town in Karachi has more...
- Apr 30
- 4 min
Munnar tea plantations
Increasingly, I’m doubling down on a travel strategy that involves staying in a single place for at least five days, or a week if...
- Mar 21
- 4 min
Andaman/Havelock island
I just returned from a week in tropical island paradise: Havelock, which is part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, which is part of...
- Feb 14
- 3 min
The Surge
For the past month, I’ve been part of coordinating a massive visa surge in Mumbai. The demand for visas here is enormous, and because of...
- Feb 6
- 3 min
Goa and chill
I’m feeling very spoilt as I’m looking at my winter calendar. No more long cold months like I had in Berlin, Washington, Armenia and the...
- Feb 1
- 3 min
Lollapalooza Mumbai
Last weekend I went to a major music festival for this first time in... forever? It was the first edition of Lollapalooza in Mumbai and...
- Jan 25
- 4 min
Book club India
I joined another book club! I think at every diplomatic post so far I've had the chance to join one and this is the third time I did. I...
- Jan 15
- 3 min
Tata marathon in Mumbai
The past week has been all about the Tata race, where in ran a half marathon today along with 55,000 other runners. It’s the largest run...
- Jan 9
- 3 min
Is Mumbai really “the New York of India”?
I’ve been living in Mumbai for about six months now and I feel ready to make a bit of a pro-cons list. It’s only a subjective snapshot in...
- Jan 2
- 2 min
Tenure!
I became a tenured Foreign Service Officer this month! It was unexpected, which made it all the more sweet. It was the first year I was...
- Dec 6, 2022
- 4 min
Playing cricket and running races in Mumbai
I’m not really a sporty person. I don’t enjoy repetitive activities or making myself physically uncomfortable and besides I’m too short,...
- Nov 5, 2022
- 2 min
Venturing out further: Udaipur
After sightseeing in Mumbai, a weekend getaway in Lonavola and a work trip to Delhi, we wanted something even more adventurous for our...
- Oct 25, 2022
- 5 min
Diwali & representational events
The week before Diwali was an exceptionally busy week at work. I was on regular duty at the consulate but all the work had to be crammed...
- Sep 30, 2022
- 4 min
FastCon in New Delhi
Last weekend I finally felt like India embraced me, and I was hugging it right back. I spent a weekend in India’s capital for work and...
- Sep 20, 2022
- 3 min
Weekend trip to Lonavala
Since arriving in Mumbai a month ago I've had a lot of days off: Labor Day of course, but also Indian holidays like the Ganesh Chaturthi,...
- Sep 3, 2022
- 2 min
Cultural Mumbai
One of the most repeated cliches about Mumbai is that it’s “an assault on the senses.” It’s true that none of the serene, polished images...
- Aug 27, 2022
- 2 min
Musical chairs
It was around 2:30 PM and I was in a work meeting when I noticed that I was, in fact, wearing two different shoes. I quickly drew my feet...
- Aug 22, 2022
- 2 min
Arrival in Mumbai
My second tour has officially begun! I arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday morning via Paris. Entering India on my diplomatic passport was about...
- Jul 4, 2022
- 3 min
Unhappy customers
(Oops, I forgot to post this message so it’s a few weeks old, but better than nothing! Off on homeleave adventures now) Today marked a...
- Apr 13, 2022
- 3 min
So, how was Berlin?
How to describe Berlin, after living there for almost two years? Many say it's a “cool” city but in my opinion that’s a bit of a...
- Apr 11, 2022
- 5 min
Departure Denial
Less than three months left at post! I realize I haven’t been writing as much on this blog as I used to, but this might change soon. I’ve...
- Feb 9, 2022
- 4 min
Jobs and hiring at U.S. embassies
People often ask me how to get a job at the U.S. embassy as a diplomat or local hire. I covered the types of Embassy jobs for Americans...
- Feb 9, 2022
- 5 min
FAQ about diplomatic careers
What was an unexpected challenge when starting your career? Before I graduated I thought that finding a job afterwards would simply be a...
- Jan 16, 2022
- 2 min
Last winter in Berlin...
It's January so as far as I'm concerned the fun part of winter is over and the bad part has just begun. I never liked winters in Europe....
- Nov 14, 2021
- 12 min
Studying International Relations? These 40 jobs are the future
If you are studying International Relations (IR) you take classes in various disciplines like economics, politics, government, social...
- Nov 1, 2021
- 1 min
Podcast: American Modern Diplomacy
Another day, another podcast! No really, Modern American Diplomacy is only the third podcast I'm discussing slash recommending. This...
- Nov 1, 2021
- 5 min
How to beat your fear of public speaking and get good at it in 10 steps
Actor George Jessel once said: “The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in...
- Oct 27, 2021
- 2 min
Next assignment: Mumbai!
I just found out my next assignment after Berlin is going to be Mumbai. Yay! I’m very happy for although I don’t know much about the...
- Sep 21, 2021
- 3 min
Trip to Paris 4.0
Last weekend I made my fourth trip to Paris. Girls weekend! My BFF and I do a city trip most years. There are two constants: first, the...
- Sep 11, 2021
- 2 min
Evacuating Afghans
Last week I worked at Ramstein—the massive U.S. airbase in Germany receiving tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees from Kabul via the...
- Aug 29, 2021
- 3 min
Scam of the week
When you work in the American Citizen Service section, fascinating cases present themselves all the time. Among the most outlandish, I...
- Aug 18, 2021
- 2 min
Bidding as a tandem couple III: Mexico or India?
My bid list is almost due! Two weeks ago I received a list from my career development officer (CDO) with next year's available positions,...
- Aug 5, 2021
- 2 min
Vlieland: a Dutch island
Nope, not in the Caribbean or in some other tropical location—it’s right in the North Sea along with four other islands with...
- Jul 28, 2021
- 6 min
Biking the Berlin Wall
Last week I cycled the entire former Berlin Wall. The Berlin Mauerweg (Wall road) is about 100 miles long, or 160k. It’s not particularly...
- Jul 17, 2021
- 2 min
The summer of COVID consular ravages
Time to mark my first year as a consular officer and two years in the Foreign Service! While things are going well, it’s hard not to...
- Jul 12, 2021
- 2 min
Sightseeing in Bavaria
It’s been a year since I arrived in Germany and the first proper vacation is finally on the books! Although it was more of an...
- Jun 10, 2021
- 2 min
Dumpster diving for notarials
I’ve been working full time in ACS for a few weeks now. I still work in the visa section some days, to help process massive amounts of...
- Jun 1, 2021
- 2 min
Prison visits
I think few people know that all U.S. prisoners overseas are entitled to a monthly or bi-annual visit by a consular officer. In Berlin...
- May 3, 2021
- 3 min
Delivering a demarche
As I’m updating my work requirements, in anticipation of writing my yearly evaluation report, I realize I have to scratch something off...
- Apr 16, 2021
- 4 min
Joining together: tandems and timing
Joining the Foreign Service as a couple is increasingly common. The State Department doesn’t release official statistics but I heard many...
- Apr 5, 2021
- 3 min
The art of living
How to enjoy yourself? I must be a fairly serious person if I ask myself this question on a regular basis. Or at least, I used to ask...
- Mar 25, 2021
- 4 min
Get a job or a PhD?
What’s a better idea: pursuing a PhD or entering the job market after obtaining a bachelor or master degree? With all the alleged “degree...
- Mar 24, 2021
- 3 min
My academic exchange in Canada suuuuucked
How to put this mildly? Doing an academic exchange abroad can be… not as great as you might think. Personally, I hated it. No, this is...
- Mar 19, 2021
- 5 min
Why being an actress is not glamorous
Before I was a diplomat, and before I even went to college, I was an actress in theater, TV, and in movies. In the Netherlands though,...
- Mar 13, 2021
- 2 min
American Diplomat podcast
Because I promoted the How Did We Not Know That podcast I should probably also mention the American Diplomat podcast. It’s hosted by a...
- Mar 5, 2021
- 3 min
That time I was stuck on a mountain
Look, I’m not the queen of disastrous vacations. Most of the time my trips turn out fine, or better than fine. But I like to reminisce,...
- Mar 5, 2021
- 2 min
That time I had a worm in my leg
Travel isn’t everything. Sure, it’s one of my favorite hobbies (along with reading, shopping, cooking and, since recently, working out),...
- Feb 24, 2021
- 3 min
The 6-month rule of settling in
After six months of living in a foreign country, you may feel a shift. Suddenly, everything looks and feels a bit different. You worry...
- Feb 18, 2021
- 2 min
Just when I thought passports were boring
As I mentioned before, there are many different sides to consular work. I explained in a previous post that I work mostly on...
