If you are studying International Relations (IR) you take classes in various disciplines like economics, politics, government, social...

Another day, another podcast! No really, Modern American Diplomacy is only the third podcast I'm discussing slash recommending. This...

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...

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...

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...

Last week I worked at Ramstein—the massive U.S. airbase in Germany receiving tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees from Kabul via the...

When you work in the American Citizen Service section, fascinating cases present themselves all the time. Among the most outlandish, I...

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,...

Nope, not in the Caribbean or in some other tropical location—it’s right in the North Sea along with four other islands with...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

As I’m updating my work requirements, in anticipation of writing my yearly evaluation report, I realize I have to scratch something off...

Joining the Foreign Service as a couple is increasingly common. The State Department doesn’t release official statistics but I heard many...

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...

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...

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...

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,...