At my current Post, new colleagues have to share “one interesting fact” about themselves when they introduce themselves. I noticed most...

Who doesn’t worry about the environment these days? It’s been an emerging issue for so long and I very much grew up with it. My mother...

It’s our one year anniversary living in Mumbai. The city really grew on me. There’s so much to do here, time flies! We decided early on...

India is one of those places where healthcare costs are a tiny fraction of US prices—even if you go to the really good (Harvard educated,...

Spring is always busy at my place. My husband, daughter and I have birthdays within one month of each other, and our wedding anniversary...

When I ask my kids if they like living in Mumbai they find it hard to answer. They still miss their neighborhood friends in Germany and...

What diplomats do? Well,  there are two types of diplomats... Never DC'ers Those who try to avoid serving a tour in Washington at all...

I ponder that question sometimes, for different reasons. Sometimes because I wonder what else I would be doing if I weren’t a diplomat....

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...

Dharavi is one of the biggest ‘slums’ (now a politically incorrect word) in Asia, population one million. Orangi Town in Karachi has more...

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...

I just returned from a week in tropical island paradise: Havelock, which is part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, which is part of...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

I’m not really a sporty person. I don’t enjoy repetitive activities or making myself physically uncomfortable and besides I’m too short,...