Let me say first that I have loved serving under Secretary Clinton...I think there is a facebook page called Secretary of Awesome for her for a reason. She will be missed.
But I am also optimistic about our Secretary Designate, Senator John Kerry.
And this quote, taken from his testimony yesterday, is why:
"If you confirm me, I would take office as Secretary proud that the Senate is in my blood – but equally proud that so too is the Foreign Service. My Dad’s work under Presidents, both Democratic and Republican, took me and my siblings around the world for a personal journey that brought home the sacrifices and commitment the men and women of the Foreign Service make every day on behalf of America. I wish everyone in the country could see and understand first-hand the devotion, loyalty and amazingly hard, often dangerous work that our diplomats on the front lines do. Theirs is service which earns our country an enormous return on our investment. I will be proud and honored to represent them and I will work hard to augment our public diplomacy so that the story is told at home and abroad."
Senator Kerry is a Foreign Service brat. He gets it. He gets us. He understands the life we live and the dangers we face.
Also understanding the dangers we face? Rachel Maddow and Andrea Mitchell.
When I left for R&R, I was tired. I needed a break. I needed to recharge my filter, the one that keeps the thoughts in my head from escaping via my mouth. But I still loved living in Estonia.
When I came back, I....didn't.
I landed in Tallinn with a sense of utter dread. It was so cold and so dark and I felt the most profound feeling of not being at home and of wanting to go home, meaning back to the states.
And frankly, that terrified me. Because we have another year and a half here. And I couldn't bear the thought of being that unhappy for a year and a half.
I was happy to see our pets. I went to work and was happy to see our friends and co-workers (even though I found out that two were having to leave us and I was REALLY unhappy about that!). But I really didn't want to be at work and really didn't want to be in Estonia.
And the idea terrified me if the place that I had been so happy, the place that felt like home, and the place that had been my very favorite tour so far could suddenly not be any of those things, what hope was there for my staying in the foreign service. And being happy about it.
And then Friday, my wife and I went to dinner together. We had survived our first week back and went to one of our favorite places in Tallinn, which luckily for us, is also across the street. And one of our regular waitresses was there. And she spoke to us in Estonian because she knows we like that even though her English is far better than our Estonian.
And suddenly, as I was watching the people walking around and eating the familiar food of the place, and chatting with my wife, the feeling lifted.
And I was happy to be home.
And a sense of true relief washed over me as I realized I really liked Estonia again. That I will not be miserable for a year and a half because I really do like it here.
And like a tiny extra reward for not yielding to my panic, today, the sun visited. And I went outside in 23 degree weather thinking was a beautiful, sunny, WARM day it was.
But that week was really terrifying.
Of course, tonight, after all of those revelations, as I sat in my office about to write this, I noticed the room was getting chilly. I went and checked all our radiators and found they were not really working...not icy, but not warm by any stretch. And since they are heated with warm water, I checked our hot water. Also not icy, but not warm by any stretch.
So hopefully I will get the heat back soon so I can still love it here.
"Currently, about 15 major carriers provide monthly incident reports to the DOT, which posts that information online. Under a proposed rule change, any airline with a plane that holds more than 60 seats would have to report pet-related incidents. While current reporting rules focus on pets traveling with their owners, the new rule would include incidents involving cats and dogs shipped by breeders. The DOT also may require airlines to list the total number of animals that were lost, injured or died during flights as well as the number of pets transported each year.
"The number of pets they handle is surprising," says Susan Smith of PetTravel.com. "One incident makes social media and it's just not a good thing — and it's very sad — but you have to sign liabilities when you put your pet in the cargo hold and it's a chance that you take."
Smith says that airlines have been making changes to meet pet owners' needs — and get a bigger slice of the $50 billion consumers spend on pets each year. But accommodating pets requires a lot more than simply carving out space in the cargo hold for furry travelers. More eyes and employees are involved in the process of transporting four-legged passengers. As part of United's PetSafe program, employees must complete training on handling animals, the airline provides tracking information for customers, and transport vans are climate-controlled. But increasingly, airlines are severely restricting or eliminating the service altogether. PetTravel.com notes that KLM recently banned four breeds of snub-nosed dogs in the cargo hold, and Delta Air Lines is restricting all pets from the cargo hold of its B767s.
"I'm not sure if airlines imagined five years ago that [pet travel] would become the business that it has," says Smith. "We are a mobile world. They are moving and want to bring pets. I hope airlines can continue to carry these pets and continue to focus on these safety standards.""
[...]
The article includes a good link for a checklist when moving with your pets.
1. You rummage through your plastic bag collection (Prisma and Rimi mostly) to see which ones you should keep to take to the store and which can be sacrificed to garbage.
2. When a stranger on the street smiles at you: a. you assume he's drunk b. he is insane c. he's an American d. he's a British sex tourist.
3. You think paying with cash only is quite primitive; in fact your ability to calculate the change back has slowed down dramatically. Getting change in coins or 2 kroon bills is just unacceptable.
4. Your coffee consumption exceeds 6 cups a day and coffee is too weak if there is less than 5 scoops per pot. You drink less water than before.
5. You've replaced some English expressions with "ei ole", "ei taha" and "ma ei tea". The "noh" or "nii" come already spontaneously. Your native language has seriously deteriorated.
6. Around 6:30pm you check mentally which shops are close to you to buy alcohol before 8:00pm.
7. Your notion of streetlife is reduced to the few teenagers hanging out in Viru Keskus.
8. Silence… is fun.
9. Watching TV is no longer interesting. Everything can be found online.
10. When you go to a restaurant you don't expect the waitress to come with the menus and ask what you would like. Customer service is no longer linked with courtesy.
11. You don't think twice about wearing sandals indoors.
12. You know that "I got a new boyfriend." means "I got laid last night."
13. The next day when they say "We broke up." you know it means "He didn't call."
14. You agree that no WIFI at home is equivalent to no electricity or no heating.
15. You are immediately suspicious when somebody starts talking to you in the street.
16. Your bad mood becomes your good mood.
17. Things are not "great" or "amazing" anymore; they're just "normal".
18. You've come to expect Sunday morning sidewalk vomit dodging.
19. You think something's wrong if you see more children than old ladies or drunkards in a bus.
20. If the sun comes out you stare from the window for a couple of minutes.
21. Your front door step is beginning to resemble a shoe shop.
22. When you need a taxi you pick the phone and ask for one.
23. The only couple talking in a tram or a bus always seems to annoy you.
24. You seriously consider visiting the sauna at least once a week.
25. You get annoyed when the bus is two minutes late.
26. Your definition of party has reduced to a nice conversation, quiet music, some snacks and of course drinking.
27. You know how to fix potatoes in 105 different ways.
28. You eat potatoes in 105 ways.
29. You hear loud-talking passengers on the bus. You immediately assume:
a. they are drunk
b. they are Russian-speaking
c. all of the above
30. You chat with people by MSN or Skype even if they're 2 meters away from you.
31. You have undergone a transformation: a. You accept hapukoor in any food b. You accept chocolate as food c. You accept
32. You understand why the Estonian language has neither future tense nor sex.
33. You know that "religious holiday" means, "let's get pissed."
34. You stop asking "how are you" when you meet people. Communicating becomes less and less important...
35. You greet people with "tere" or "hei" or "chau" and keep your distance. You lengthen the last vowels to be very effusive.
36. If someone hugs you for more than 2 seconds you already suspect he/she's hitting on you.
37. Your definition of spicy food has seriously deteriorated.
38. You accept that 80'C in a sauna is chilly, but 20'C outside is freaking hot. Also, you accept -10'C outside as a reasonable temperature, but anything under 22'C indoors is unreasonable...
39. You don't seem anymore surprised, frustrated or disappointed when a girl tells you she's with her boyfriend after dancing and rubbing herself nastily with you.
40. "No comment" becomes a conversation strategy.
41. You know that "work from home" is another phrase for "I'll sleep longer and work half day".
42. Your old habit of being "Fashionably late" is no longer acceptable. You feel ashamed if you're 5mins late.
43. You think SMS is a great way of interacting with people and even flirting.
44. The only place where you're sit without having a computer in front of you is more likely to be the bathroom.
A friend at work today said that R&R is a cruel mistress.
Boy, is she right.
You know I love Estonia. I mean really love Estonia. I have written post upon post about how awesome it is here. If we are Facebook friends, you have seen me post even more about what a great place this is to live and serve.
And it is.
But still...
I miss America. And I miss it worse now having gotten to spend the past three weeks there.
The biggest thing I miss right now is the sun and the weather that my home in South Carolina is experiencing. Seriously y'all, it hit 83 while I was there. Meanwhile, Estonia is having a warm streak with temps in the 20s. Everything is all icy here, especially the sidewalks, since they tend not to use salt. That is why so many people break things in the winter. My wife said instead of calling it E-stonia, we should call it Icy-stonia.
And I miss my family. I got to see lots of family while I was home...their lives go on without me and it makes me sad to think of all I am missing.
There aren't a lot of foods I am missing, but there are a few. Like good sushi (many thanks to my "new" uncle and aunt for introducing me to Wasabi in Charleston...even my wife admitted how good the sushi was there!). And good Mexican. And Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream (they have Ben & Jerry's here, but not that flavor).
I miss something else too...American washers and dryers. They are so BIG! Yes, I know they tell me the ones in Europe are more energy efficient. But I think the efficiency is a wash (pun intended) if you have to do five loads instead of one.
But I will stop kvetching. Because life here is pretty good. Cold, but good. And I can already detect the lengthening of the days.
Even if the sun isn't in them, because it, unlike me, is still vacationing on Folly Beach.
Yeah, I know I am late wishing that. I just got back to Estonia this past weekend, so I am catching up on everything.
Including work e-mails...outlook is just cruel! I signed on, and it told me I had 152 emails. Really? So few? That can't be right. Granted, I had my inbox down to less than 30 when I left (because I like an organized inbox), but only 122 in three weeks? Can't be.
So I dutifully went through them. Organized. Got them down to a managable 50 or so. And went to press brief.
Which is apparently when my inbox actually updated.
Because when I got back, there were 775. Sigh. For the record, it is back to 43 now.
Anyway, back to wishing you a happy new year. One of the local staff told me today that if you wish someone happy new year after the 9th, you have to give them a bottle of vodka. But you aren't getting one. If I don't drink it, I am not giving it to you. Sue me! And yes, I did consider back-dating this post, so I wouldn't have to tell you that, but I decided to 'fess up.
If you have read this blog for a while, you know that I don't do new year's resolutions, mainly because I suck at them. (I also gave up giving something up for lent one year as the thing I gave up for lent. That one, I have kept). And year before last, I decided to call them goals...turns out I sucked at that too. So this year, I am just going to try this:
* I am going to try to blog more. I have been bad about that lately. and I don't want anyone to think I have been eaten by tigers. So far, I haven't even heard a distant growl, but then, I try really hard not to leave any raw meat out for them.
* I am going to try to read more real books. This means the ipad (and Facebook and Words With Friends) no longer gets to come to bed with me. Unless I am reading a Kindle book on it. But for now, I am sticking with real books until the temptation to check Facebook or play one last move has faded.
And that's it. Nothing sexy or taxing.
You may now resume your new year, already in progress. And I will resume my jet lag, also already in progress.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you celebrate, and that you are having a happy New Year's Eve.
I am spending my New Year's with my wife at my favorite place on earth: Folly Beach.
Folly has always been a part of my life. When I was a kid, this was our vacation destination of choice. In fact, my grandmother lived here for a while, and for even longer on nearby James Island. It is the place where I can trace more happy memories than I can count, and where I feel the presence of my mother most clearly. I want to retire here, and when I die, I want my ashes scattered here.
Folly makes you slow down. It takes a good twenty minutes just to get off the island, which is only 7 miles long and about a mile wide at the widest point. But a good part of the island's revenue comes from unsuspecting tourists who don't realize how serious they are about the 30 mph speed limit. I set my cruise control when I drive on the island.
I think slowing down is a good thing. As Americans, we are always on the go. We want everything fast: our highways, our foods, even our movies...two hours is too long. But here, you can't go fast. And you don't want to. I am content wandering the beach, or even just sitting inside watching the waves. And listening to them.
This is exactly what I needed to recharge. The first part of our trip was jam-packed and fast paced. Get here to see my family then there to see hers. Lots of driving, no time to even unpack the suitcase. But now that we have seen our loved ones, our only task here is to relax.
Oh, and to soak up some vitamin D. It seems that the sun lives here...my first morning in the states, I woke up giddy like a kid waiting for Santa, knowing that the sun would soon peak over the horizon. Sunrise was beautiful..and early. As much as I love Estonia, I do miss the sun. Winter days are dark.
So Happy New Year's! I hope you enjoy your ringing is as much as I know I will enjoy mine...just me, my wife, and some champagne at the beach. I wish your 2013 to be better than your 2012, even if your year, like mine, was a good one.
Whatever you celebrate, I hope you have the most wonderful of holiday seasons and a very Happy New Year.
For us, the house/pet sitter has been secured and the presents and plane tickets procured. We will be spending this Christmas with our family in the states, an all too rare thing in the service!
The computer is packed and I promise to try to post periodically. But I warn you, the content will be beach heavy and Foreign Service light.
According to Alec Ross's (Senior Advisor for Innovation for Secretary Clinton) twitter account:
@AlecJRoss: "@Diplopundit @emilcDC @thenewdiplomats @tomistweeting My team involved in drafting/approving. Not even close to what has been blogged."
And this: @AlecJRoss: "@NinaJTweets - not going to happen as blogged. It's 30 days NOW. 2 days would be MAX and that wouldn't be tested. 30 days to 2 days = faster"
And a commenter on my previous post says blanket clearance will be given to those who are using social media in an official capacity.
Still don't know why they would want to clear on a post about my Christmas tree.
There are a couple of articles out today proposing some frankly terrifying new rules on the use of media by anyone working for the State Department. I personally think these rules will have a chilling affect not just on our freedom of speech (and really...they need to clear on my Christmas tree post?)but on our ability to do diplomacy, particularly public diplomacy.
So I wrote a letter to Susan Johnson, the President of our employee association, AFSA. I am publishing it here...while I still can (though I really doubt these would stand up in court):
Hi Susan,
I don’t know if you have seen this, but there are a couple of pieces out on the Department trying to come up with new rules regarding using traditional or social media or making speeches. There are articles on it in the Washington Post and on DiploPundit.
According to DiploPundit, "the new rules will reportedly cover real-time or live presentation of views or ideas, whether physically before an audience, over a text-only or visual online forum, in-person, online, or over the phone interviews, other real-time communication and oh, teaching." Should these be approved, we will be required to get "2 working days for clearance on social media postings; 5 working days for blog posts; 5 working days for speeches, live events notes, talking points; 10 working days for articles, papers including online publications and 30 working days for books, manuscripts and other lengthy publications."
This is extremely concerning for several reasons. First, while we all agree not to discuss matters of “official concern” (i.e. Foreign Policy), none of us has agreed to give up our freedom of speech. But second, this will have a frightening effect on any PD officer’s attempt to do our jobs. As it stands now, for example, I can post freely post to our social media site pictures of events we have just held, our daily message, or information the Ambassador would like to see there. It is this real time communication that has made us more approachable to younger audiences. That will come to a grinding halt. We will lose all of the advantages social media gives us in reaching foreign audiences. And the reality is, if you have every post in the world seeking clearance for every tweet, every speech, every interview, nothing will end up getting cleared. Clearances from PA are notoriously slow now without these rules. Can you imagine what it will be like with literally thousands more clearance requests per day? For just my post and just today, we have done two Facebook posts, one tweet, one speech, and one interview. That is five clearances for us for one day. And it was a slow day for us.
I hope you will consider having AFSA take on this issue. Because we should not give up our freedom of speech in order to serve the country, and we shouldn’t be given all of these great tools for reaching people and then have those tools rendered useless. Diplomacy is people to people, and I thought we were trying to get away from being people to bureaucracy to people.
Okay, I actually put up the tree last week, but tonight I decorated it.
Decorating our tree is an exercise in memories.
See, we try to pick up something that can be used as an ornament on all of our travels. It doesn't have to be intended to be an ornament, but it needs to be small and hangable.
There are a few that are not from our travels, like the "Our First Christmas" one from 1999 that always goes on first and in a position of prominence. And then there are the pet charity ones or the ones my in-laws have given us. And there is a tiny wreath that was on my mother's tree.
But being in the Foreign Service has given us the opportunity to go to many places I never dreamed of.
And so there is a slipper from Baku, glass orbs from Turkey. There is a painted egg from Hungary and a wooden bell from Moscow. There is an olive wood nativity ornament from Bethlehem, and a Lithuanian bell. A metal etching of the Heidelberg Castle and a copy of the stained glass window in the Strasbourg Cathedral.
There are a bunch from our domestic travels too...a Catawba pottery rabbit and a Cherokee gourd bowl. There are lots of Charleston ornaments (the city puts out one a year), plus some from the State Department (for the Christmases we spend in DC), Chimney Rock in NC, and various forts we have visited. And of course, there is a copy of the Mayflower to mark our visit to Provincetown, Massachusetts three years ago to get legally married.
Each ornament has a story...and I think of each story as I decorate the tree. Lots of memories.
But what decorating the tree reminds me of most is just how fortunate I am. How lucky I am to have lived the life I have lived and how lucky I am to still be living it with the person I love.
Decorating the tree reminds me that I am truly blessed.
I think you know I love being a Public Diplomacy officer.
And while a few years back, I'd never have thought I would be saying this, but I really like public speaking. And in this job, I get to do it a good bit.
I often end up talking about study opportunities in the United States, and Tuesday's talk at the Estonian School of Business was one of those times...it a catch. They also wanted me to talk about the elections.
Hmmm...how do you give one speech about the elections AND study in America? So as I talked about the elections, I said, "So like I was telling you, because we elect the entire house and 1/3 of the Senate every two years and the President every four years, the chances are good that if you go study in America, you will get to witness the craziness that is our electoral process!"
Nice transition, right?
Anyway, the talk went well, and after I was done, a guy walked in late. At the coffee break, he said he wanted to talk to me about the elections.
He told me he was not happy that President Obama was re-elected, and wanted to know what I thought. I told him that I would have served whoever was elected.
And then I asked why he was unhappy about it.
We chatted for a good ten minutes. We talked about differences in the parties, the Affordable Health Care Act, the system of checks and balances, and even Ron Paul. He said he wanted to talk more so I gave him my email address.
Because this is Public Diplomacy.
This is reaching an individual and explaining America, one on one. And he told a member of my staff that he had been surprised I had been so approachable.
This is Public Diplomacy.
I got to do two things by having that conversation with him. I got to reach an individual, explain our country and our values, and make Americans seem less remote to him.
But you know what else? I also sent a message to the other students in that room who watched me talk to him that America is approachable. The Embassy is approachable. That an American diplomat will sit down and talk turkey with a 20-something year old student. Because that is how we reach people.
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
November 28, 2012
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all, very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. (Laughter.) Thank you, all. Thank you.
Yeah, that’s good. (Laughter.) Wow. Well, welcome to the Ben Franklin Room. (Laughter.) And congratulations on your 20th anniversary. I am so pleased to be here and to have this chance to join this celebration. Ken, thank you for your kind words and your efforts here to make this day possible. I am extremely pleased that Cheryl Mills, my friend as well as Chief of Staff and Counselor is here, so that those of you who may not have met her or even seen her, given how shy and retiring she is – (laughter) – can express your appreciation to her for her tireless efforts.
I’m delighted that Deputy Secretary Tom Nides is here. Tom, who some of you know, who you’ve had a chance to work with him, has been just an extraordinary deputy. Also let me recognize USAID Deputy Administrator Don Steinberg. He’s been an unyielding advocate for the LGBT community at USAID. We also have a number of ambassadors and deputy chiefs of mission, both past and present, some of whom have literally traveled from the other side of the world to be here. David, I’m talking about you. And we have Michael Guest with us, our country’s first out ambassador to be confirmed by the Senate and someone who’s remained an outspoken champion for LGBT rights, despite having to endure countless attacks and threats. Michael, why don’t you stand up so that you can be recognized? (Applause.)
Also let me thank the GLIFAA board and members. I just had a chance to meet the board and former presidents. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a room with so many former presidents. (Laughter.) The last count was maybe five. (Laughter.) But it’s really due to their leadership over 20 years that GLIFAA has reached this milestone, and it will be up to all of you and those who come after you to keep the work going for the next 20 and the 20 after that.
Now, it wasn’t really that long ago since this organization was created, but in many ways it was a completely different world. As we heard, in 1992 you could be fired for being gay. Just think about all of the exceptional public servants, the brilliant strategists, the linguists, the experts fired for no reason other than their sexual orientation. Think of what our country lost because we were unable to take advantage of their hard work, expertise, and experience. And the policy forced people to make terrible choices, to hide who they were from friends and colleagues, to lie or mislead, to give up their dreams of serving their country altogether. That began to change, in part because of the brave employees here at State, who decided that it was time for the bigotry, the ignorance, the lying, and discrimination to end. The LGBT community deserve the same chance as anyone else to serve. And indeed, as we all know, many had for many years, just without acknowledgment of who they were. So enough was enough, and that’s how GLIFAA was formed. And thank goodness it was.
We’ve come a long way since then, and we have seen milestones along that journey over the last 20 years. I remember that I think on my husband’s first day in office back in ’93, he announced that gays and lesbians working in the Federal Government would receive equal treatment under the Civil Service Reform Act. Two years later, Secretary Warren Christopher made clear those rules would be enforced within the halls of the State Department when he issued a statement that explicitly prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Now over the past four years, we’ve built on those and other steps to really acknowledge and welcome LGBT people into the State Department family and other agencies. We’ve extended benefits to same-sex domestic partners of State and USAID employees, Foreign Service officers, personal service contractors, third country nationals at missions overseas. We’ve institutionalized these changes by creating a classification for same-sex domestic partners in the Foreign Affairs manual. We’ve also made it clear in our Equal Opportunity Employment statement that the Department doesn’t discriminate on the basis of gender identity or expression.
We’ve helped to make it easier for transgender Americans to change the gender listed on their passports, because our mission is not only to protect the rights and dignity of our colleagues, but also of the American people we serve.
And we’ve taken this message all over the world, including the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where we worked to pass the first ever UN resolution affirming the human rights of LGBT people.
Now, together we have worked to make something very simple and right come true. Our people should not have to choose between serving the country they love and sharing a life with the people they love. And I want to say a few words about why this work is so important.
Now, leaders of all kinds will stand in front of audiences like this and tell you that our most important asset is our people. And of course, that’s especially true in diplomacy, where we try to be very diplomatic all the time. But what our success truly depends on is our ability to forge strong relationships and relate to people of all backgrounds. And what that means for me, as your Secretary, is that creating an LGBT-welcoming workplace is not just the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do.
In part, that’s because the nature of diplomacy has changed, and we should and need to keep up. Today we expect our diplomats to build relationships not just with their counterparts in foreign governments, but with people from every continent and every walk of life. And in order to do that, we need a diplomatic corps that is as diverse as the world we work in.
It’s also smart because it makes us better advocates for the values that we hold dear. Because when anyone is persecuted anywhere, and that includes when LGBT people are persecuted or kept from fully participating in their societies, they suffer, but so do we. We’re not only robbed of their talents and ideas, we are diminished, because our commitment to the human rights of all people has to be a continuing obligation and mission of everyone who serves in the Government of the United States. So this is a mission that I gladly assume. We have to set the example and we have to live up to our own values.
And finally, we are simply more effective when we create an environment that encourages people to bring their whole selves to work, when they don’t have to hide a core part of who they are, when we recognize and reward people for the quality of their work instead of dismissing their contributions because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
So really, I’m here today to say thank you to all of you. Thank you for your courage and resolve, for your willingness to keep going despite the obstacles – and for many of you, there were and are many. Thank you for pushing your government to do what you know was right, not just for yourselves but for all who come after you.
I want to mention one person in particular who was a key part of this fight, Tom Gallagher. I met Tom earlier. Where is Tom? There you are, Tom. Tom joined the Foreign Service in 1965 and in the early 1970s he risked his career when he came out and became the first openly gay Foreign Service officer. He served in the face of criticism and threats, but that did not stop him from serving. I wanted to take this moment just to recognize him, but also to put into context what this journey has meant for people of Tom’s and my vintage, because I don’t want any of you who are a lot younger ever to take for granted what it took for people like Tom Gallagher to pave the way for all of you. It’s not a moment for us to be nostalgic. It is a moment for us to remember and to know that all of the employees who sacrificed their right to be who they were were really defending your rights and the rights and freedoms of others at home and abroad.
And I want to say a special word about why we are working so hard to protect the rights of LGBT people around the world. And Dan Baer, who works on this along with Mike Posner and Maria Otero, have been great champions of standing up for the rights of LGBT communities and individuals.
We have come such a long way in the United States. Tom Gallagher is living proof of that. And think about what it now means to be a member of a community in this country that is finally being recognized and accepted far beyond what anyone could have imagined just 20 years ago. And remind yourself, as I do every day, what it must be like for a young boy or a young girl in some other part of the world who could literally be killed, and often has been and still will be, who will be shunned, who will be put in danger every day of his or her life.
And so when I gave that speech in Geneva and said that we were going to make this a priority of American foreign policy, I didn’t see it as something special, something that was added on to everything else we do, but something that was integral to who we are and what we stand for. And so those who serve today in the State Department have a new challenge to do everything you can at State and AID and the other foreign affairs agencies to help keep widening that circle of opportunity and acceptance for all those millions of men and women who may never know your name or mine, but who because of our work together will live lives of not only greater safety but integrity.
So this is not the end of the story. There’s always more we can do to live our values and tap the talents of our people. It’s going to be an ongoing task for future Secretaries of State and Administrators at AID and for people at every level of our government. So even as we celebrate 20 years with Ben Franklin looking down at us, I want you to leave this celebration thinking about what more each and every one of you can do – those who are currently serving in our government, those who have served in the past, and those who I hope will decide to serve – to make not only the agencies of our government but our world more just and free for all people.
Wish I could be there...all of the past GLIFAA presidents will be in a picture with the Secretary....except me...
Secretary Clinton To Deliver Remarks at the Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies 20th Anniversary Celebration
Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 27, 2012
On Wednesday, November 28, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver remarks at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA), the State Department’s officially recognized employee affinity group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees.
Today, under the leadership of Secretary Clinton, LGBT employees at the State Department and their families have a level of benefits and recognition never before seen in foreign affairs agencies of the U.S. government. Most notably, Secretary Clinton is responsible for the extension of the full range of legally available benefits and allowances to same-sex domestic partners of Foreign Service members serving overseas. She also instituted the 2010 revision of the Department’s equal employment opportunity policy to prohibit discriminatory treatment of employees and job applicants based on gender identity.
Advocating for employees of the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Peace Corps, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the Foreign Commercial Service, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and all foreign affairs units of the U.S. government, GLIFAA works to ensure full parity for LGBT personnel and their families in U.S. foreign affairs agencies serving both domestically and abroad.
GLIFAA began in 1992 to challenge a security clearance process that at the time discriminated against LGBT employees. GLIFAA has grown since that time to include hundreds of members and associates and become the officially recognized voice of LGBT personnel in U.S. foreign affairs agencies.
Members of the GLIFAA Board meet regularly with the management of the State Department, USAID, and other agencies to discuss ideas and solutions to address the continued concerns of LGBT personnel and their families. The issuance of a non-discriminatory policy by then Secretary of State Warren Christopher in 1994 was an early success. In the summer of 2009, GLIFAA was instrumental in encouraging the Department of State to grant Eligible Family Member (EFM) status to domestic partners of Department employees and to their children. This change was followed by a number of other agencies which send employees overseas.
Secretary Clinton, Counselor and Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg, and GLIFAA President Ken Kero-Mentz will deliver remarks. Congressman David Cicilline, GLIFAA co-founder David Buss, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Baer will also participate in the program. The event will take place in the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin Franklin Dining Room from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The event will be open press for remarks.
Pre set for video cameras:1:00 p.m. from the 23rd Street Entrance Lobby.
Final access time for journalists and still photographers: 1:30 p.m. from the 23rd Street Entrance Lobby.
Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver's license, passport).
For further information, please contact Cory Andrews at andrewsc2@state.gov, or visit www.glifaa.org.
Sometimes living in the place seems a little like living in a fairy tale land.
Christmas is one of those times.
Tallinn is well known for its Old City, and their Christmas market in the Old City is listed among the top ten Christmas markets in Europe. It is definitely one reason (of many) that I love living here.
The market opened today and will be open through January 8 (because folks here celebrate traditional and Orthodox Christmas).
We went over today with some friends to check it out...I took some pictures, but of course it is more fairy tale like when there is snow. However, next Sunday, we are going to the advent lighting in the old Town Hall, so I will be able to get some better shots from up there...and maybe there will even be some snow to make it look like the winter wonderland it is!
The last shot is from inside Kehrwieder, because although there is no snow, we still needed to warm up with some hot chocolate!
Unless you live under a rock, you know yesterday was Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a weird holiday for me.
On the one hand, I love the food. And more than that, I love the time with family.
So that makes being overseas in the Foreign Service at Thanksgiving particularly difficult, because it is a very American holiday, one where we expect to be with family. And one where there is generally no overseas equivalent. So we make our own amongst the embassy community.
For us, that meant dinner at the Ambassador's house with about 30 people. The food was awesome and the company excellent.
But as an Indian person, I recognize the one-sidedness of the Thanksgiving story we are taught in schools. I know that the line "the Indians had never seen such a feast" could not be more wrong, since not only were the foods at that feast indigenous to the Americas, but fall harvest celebrations were common to many tribes in the area (and in the Southeast as well, where I am from). So it was actually the colonists who had never seen such a feast.
I also know that the colonists could not have survived had Indians not been decimated by plagues brought by that first contact, and had the remaining Indians not been willing to share their knowledge and their bounty with the colonists.
I know too that one of the first celebrated Thanksgivings was actually a celebration of the massacre of an Indian village, the occupants of which were killed in their sleep after their festive fall harvest celebration. And I know that throughout our country's history, the chapters involving Indian people have been mostly painful tales of slavery, war, and annihilation.
I am clearly part white...my dad is white and my mother was mixed Indian and white. And mixed as well are my feelings...I know I wouldn't be here without immigrants, but as an Indian, as well as my tribe's historian, I also know the devastation that brought. I personally am the descendant of one man who died on the trail of tears and another who was sold into slavery and then freed for his service in the Revolutionary War.
And so I am hyper aware of my Indianness when I am at a Thanksgiving meal, especially when that meal is away from my family and so it is harder to remove it from the reality of that first contact. But this year, though far from home, there were two other Indians at the table. I wore my medicine bag just inside my shirt, and I noticed my friend, an enrolled member of the Eastern Cherokee Nation, wore her bone chocker-type bracelet just inside her shirt sleeve.
From across the table, I discreetly showed her the bone "chain" that holds my bag, and pointed to her wrist.
National Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed on November 20th each year to memorialize those who suffered or died as a result of anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Such persons were victimized simply because they failed to meet someone else’s expectation of how they should identify or present themselves. Globally, the transgender community is among the most vulnerable and most misunderstood of communities, often facing lives of persecution, humiliation, poverty, exclusion, and rejection – even from their own families.
On this day, we reflect on the international transgender community's historic and ongoing struggle for equal social treatment, civil protections, opportunities and rights.
The Department is committed to treating all of its employees with dignity and respect and providing a work environment free of discrimination.
[...]
The Department of State and GLIFAA (Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies), are proud to recognize this day and hope that all State employees will take the opportunity to mark this important day. GLIFAA is the officially recognized employee resource group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally employees in U.S. foreign affairs agencies serving in the U.S. and abroad. GLIFAA works to achieve full equality (in policy, treatment, benefits, etc.) for its members.
For further information on Transgender Day of Remembrance please visit: http://www.transgenderdor.org/
I am really enjoying our (much needed) three-day weekend after a jam-packed few weeks that included a trip to Narva, an early morning election event, and then Friday, a trip to Tartu.
I am thankful for the chance to catch up on sleep, finally get a haircut, and for the chance to get out twice to the St. Martin's Day Fair, where I finished my Christmas shopping (don't be a hater...you are just jealous!)
But I mostly really thankful for the reason behind that three-day weekend: our veterans.
I believe in our country and I believe in service to it. Had I not been a lesbian, I likely would have joined the military. And my service in the Foreign Service is my way of serving since Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed after I was a little too long in the tooth to join.
I appreciate those who have answered that call, people such as my grandfather as well as both my father- and mother-in-law. But of course, there are many other people in my life who have also answered that call, such as Sez, one of my favorite people on the planet, and James, a good friend since high school.
You won't hear me talk much about partisan politics. As Foreign Service Officers, we serve whoever is the President. And that would not have changed for me had the election gone the other way.
I have my opinions, and my friends know them. But what I will tell you publically a few things I am celebrating. One, I am celebrating that we as Americans, though we may differ on the way to get there, all want what is best for our country, and we demonstrate it with our vote. I am proud that we have a country where we can vote and where we can disagree without fear.
But this election, I am especially proud to see us turning a corner on equality.
For the first time, voters chose equality. In Maryland, Maine and Washington, voters chose full marriage equality. And in Minnesota, voters chose not to enshrine hate into the constitution (though same-sex marriage is still illegal there).
And for the first time ever, an open lesbian has been elected to the U.S. Senate.
This all gives me great hope.
Of course, the caveat is that I don't think my rights should be up for a vote. When the Supreme Court overturned misegenation laws in 1967, 75% of the population was opposed to interracial marriage. But the Court did the right thing anyway, because rights should not be up to the tryanny of the majority.
That said, I am still happy the voters did the right thing.
We are moving in the right direction. No sane person on either side of the political aisle now questions whether people of color should be considered fully equal and have equal rights. Because of course they should. And it is my hope, and my belief, that we will one day reach that point with full equality for LGBT persons.
Until then, I will revel in this corner turned, knowing that at least there are a few more places that I can add to my potential retirement list. Seattle seems nice...
And I will hold onto the hope that one day, my beloved South Carolina will also be added to that list. Because really I want to retire to Folly Beach, but only if my family is fully protected by full marriage equality.
I remember when I was very little, my parents would take me into the voting booth with them. I couldn't wait to be old enough to share in this important responsibility.
And then when I was 13, there was Mrs. Wiggs, my teacher at St. Peter's Catholic School (who remains one of my favorite teachers of all times...remember how I told you that I will kill myself to please someone who has high standards and expectations but trusts me to fulfill them? She was one of those teachers). Mrs. Wiggs told us that if we didn't vote, we didn't have a right to complain. And I think she was right.
So since I really want the right to complain, I vote.
I have voted in every major election and most of the minor ones since I turned 18.
And I voted in this one. About 6 weeks ago. I even blogged about it.
And I sent my ballot back via the diplomatic pouch because our DPO mail was taking two months. I wanted to make sure it got there.
Well as of last night, it hadn't.
I checked the website, and then I called the voting office to verify.
Nope, they never got it.
So I am feeling a little disenfranchised.
I suppose there is always a chance that they will receive it today. Or that they counted it and just didn't note it.
But the thought that I didn't get to vote in the election for the President of the country I love and serve makes me more than a little sad.
Basically, aside from of a few of a particular religious persuasion, the only people who don't like Halloween are the ones who have never experienced Halloween.
Public Diplomacy can fix that!
This week, the Embassy, together with the government of the city of Narva, hosted America Days in Estonia's third largest city. As I think I have mentioned before, Narva is in northeast Estonia, right on the Russian border. You could probably throw a stone across the Narva River and hit the castle in Ivangorod that flies the Russian flag.
The population there is approximately 97% Russian speaking (not all Russian speakers in Estonia are ethnically Russian...there are also Ukrainians, Belorussians, etc). We like to do outreach there, but because of the distance (about 3 hours), we don't get there as often as I'd like. But I think I told you before about our Soap Box Derby that we have there each year which is wildly successful and attracts people from across Estonia.
America Days is something we have done in several other places across Estonia. We have had them in Tartu, last year in Parnu, and just a few weeks ago, in Tallinn at Tallinn University of Technology, where we opened a new American Space (a smaller version of an American Corner). And the mayor of Narva wanted us to do something similar there. This week was the culmination of that.
We had three solid days of events that involved some thirty of us from the embassy, Americans and Estonians alike. We spoke to classes about American autumn traditions (including of course the elections!), held contests and treasure hunts, basketball games, and a jazz concert. We even had the Ambassador make his first trip outside of Tallinn for the occasion!
And of course, we carved pumpkins.
One of the things that I love about pumpkin carving is that it is truly an example of the melding of European and American traditions. Because while carving pumpkins originated in Europe as part of the pagan celebration of Samhain, they used gourds here that are really thick and hard to carve. But in America, we use the pumpkin that was domesticated by American Indians and is thinner and much easier to carve.
Bringing Europe and America together in a pumpkin! What's not to love!
So I had folks from the embassy all over Narva teaching pumpkin carving. Unfortunately, we had to use the thick green gourds they have here, but they still got the idea. And we had a blast! I personally taught two classes, one at a school and one at the mall.
The one at the mall was especially cool. There was a 10-year old little girl who came and watched. She was a Russian speaker but her English was excellent! I let her help me with my pumpkin, the one big orange American style one we had...one of my staff, who had organized the entire event (and who is really impressive!) had located one for me. I had printed off a bunch of patterns the kids good look at to know what pumpkins should look like, and she spotted one of an owl and asked me to please carve that. And since she did it so sweetly and with such good English, how could I refuse!
The whole event was a lot of fun, and I think a great success. We got lots of media coverage, got lots of Americans to Narva for the first time, and I even got to use my Estonian professionally a good bit (lots of the officials who are native Russian speakers speak Estonian fluently but not English). The concert, which honored murdered journalist Daniel Pearl and was organized by Fulbrighter Dr. Anthony Braker and using students from the Estonian Music Academy who are incredibly gifted, was amazing. Let me just tell you, those musicians were having a blast, and I have never seen a voice harmonize with an alto sax like that! And the room was PACKED! Of course, the people of Estonian are known for their love of music.
I am exhausted after the event, but of course there is no time for rest. Tuesday is the presidential election...
I am just going to go on record as saying that Weather.com is not so hot at predicting snowfall totals in Estonia.
Because really, one inch is not equal to like 8 inches.
I know that and I am no math genius.
And of course, all that snow had to come Friday night, which would ordinarily be great since we didn't have to get up early on Saturday.
Except of course, we did, because we had scheduled an appointment for the car's 70,000 mile check up.
And of course, I thought the appointment was at 11. But it was at 1:30.
So we had to drive out there and then get a taxi home and back there later.
And of course, all of this was without our snow tires, because the deadline for having your snow tires on is December 1st. December, not October.
On a side note, snow tires here are seriously awesome. They have metal studs in them to help with your traction. Seriously awesome. Too bad they aren't legal in the states.
We did try to get an appointment to get our tires changed when we saw the forecast, but so apparently did every other person in Estonia. So we are hoping to get an appointment next week.
Because according to weather.com, we are supposed to have snow showers later this week.
I am so ready for elections to be over. Beyond ready.
Not because I don't care who wins. I do, though don't ask me who I am voting for because I won't tell you. I have to work for whoever wins.
And not because I am tired of all the campaigning. That would be true if I were in the U.S., but really, you don't hear much of it overseas. It is a major advantage of being overseas at election time. My only "American" television is AFN (American (formerly Armed) Forces Network), the television programming for the military. And like me, they work for whoever wins, so no campaign ads. In fact, no real ads at all unless you count "never shake a baby."
No, the reason I am ready for it to be over is that I have SO MUCH to dobetween now and then. (Voting is not among those things...that I took care of a while back so I could make sure my ballot made it home in time to count.) Elections are a great time for Public Diplomacy officers because it is a ready made topic to reach out to foreign audiences and explain America, especially American democracy.
Because when you really think about it, that a country can have a peaceful, predictable change of power every 4-8 years is pretty incredible.
So we do a lot of programming around it. We do tons of school visits explaining what is happening and what will happen after the fact. In our embassy, that has meant lots of heavy lifting for my section, but for other sections too. We have been trying to get as many Americans as possible out and talking, and we have had to put together good materials for them to use in their presentations. We are particularly working with our Regional Outreach teams (teams of one American and one local staff member assigned to each of Estonia's 15 counties) to get the word out. And they have been doing an awesome job at it.
We are in the final stretch now. We will be going to the north east part of the country to do a marathon two days of talking to schools and other programming surrounding Narva's America Days.
And then of course, there is election night/morning.
Every embassy has a big event and we are no exception.
We are not pulling an all-nighter...some posts in the region are and others aren't. We are, however, getting to the event location at o-dark-thirty so the event can start while some of the polls are still open.We are expecting hundreds of Estonians, from middle school students to members of Parliament, to show up. We'll have food, reporters, moderators explaining the elections, televisions running in the background, and more. It will be great! And exhausting. In fact, I am already tired.
If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I love Estonia and I love my job.
Except for one thing.
I am not a fan of the cold. I don't particularly care for snow. And I really do love hot weather.
So Estonia's weather doesn't do it for me.
All this "summer," I really wanted to stomp my feet and yell, "What gives, Estonia? I can deal with your winters but you gotta give me some summer." In fact, I might have actually stomped my feet and said that out loud. And for the record, three days of it just making it into the low 80s is not summer. That's spring.
So here we are in what ought to be autumn. I say ought to be because for me, autumn is temps in the 60s, not 30s. And it damn sure ain't snow.
And yet, today, in October, just days after the end of the State Fair in South Carolina (where they have a log flume because you will NOT catch a death of cold if you get wet), we had our first snow.
The current temperature is 37. The forecast high was 39, but I am not sure it made it. And tonight it will be below freezing.
And tomorrow we are supposed to get an inch of snow.
Even the Estonians are complaining about it. Which is a Really. Bad. Sign.
We already have R&R planned for the beach in SC in January. I am thinking I need to also plan us a little escape maybe in February. Maybe Italy. Or Greece.
Even Benjamin Franklin, our nation's first diplomat, was misunderstood and to a degree, mistrusted. It is like we are a bit too tainted by our interactions with "furn-ners."
Amongst ourselves, we share stories of telling people what we do. If you say you are in the Foreign Service, people ask if that is like the Foreign Legion. If you say State Department, they ask you which state.
And if you say you are a diplomat, they just think you are uppity.
It is this lack of understanding among the American people that makes it so easy for Congress to slash our budget. Even our security budget. And then bad things happen (and the Department gets blamed...).
So I have said many times before and will say again, we need to be better at telling our story. Telling the good, bad and ugly about life in the Service. I try to do some of that here, in the hopes that some will read it and understand the prices we pay to serve, but also so that some of the best and brightest out there will decide it is a worthy cause and join us.
I am selfish like that...serving with good people makes the hard parts easier, so I want to convince all you good people out there to serve with me.
So again, and not for the last time, join me in telling our stories.
But also...
We need a slogan.
The Marines have "The Few. The Proud..." Army has "Army Strong."
We need one too...and it can't involve pin-stripes or cookie pushing. Those stereotypes are long past their shelf life.
Instead, something like:
"Bringing Your To The World and The World To You."
Or "Spreading American Values Since 1776."
Or "Using Our Words So Our Soldiers Don't Have To Face Their Guns."
Or "We're Everywhere So You Don't Have To Be."
Or "Making America Safer One Poster Show At A Time."
Help me come up with a good one...and then let's spread it.
It has been just over a month, but the attacks on our embassies and consulates and the deaths of four diplomats including one friend are never far from my mind. And the dangers friends continue to face continues to worry me.
The politicizing of this situation, however, including the blame game going on, is infuriating.
That the very people who have repeatedly slashed our security budget would then try to find scapegoats within the State Department, the people who have tried their best to "do more with less," is unconscionable.
We know we sign on for dangerous tasks when we join the Service. It is a risk most of us gladly take for the privilege of serving the country and the feeling that we get to make a difference and help keep America safe.
Since I last posted on this topic, there have been a couple good pieces I wanted to share with you on what we do and the choices we make to do it.
"Citing statistics from AFSA surveys over the last eight years, [AFSA President Susan] Johnson says 89 percent of the foreign service now say they have served in hardship posts of 15 percent or above. And when it comes to what the foreign service refers to as "danger posts," Johnson says, "Thirty-three percent say they've served in unaccompanied posts. And 'unaccompanied posts' means they're so dangerous that you can't take your family."
Then, as we've recently seen in Lebanon, Tunisia and Sudan, there's the number of foreign service workers who have experienced an emergency evacuation: to date, about 22 percent. In terms of all authorized evacuations since June 1988, Johnson says the reasons for these ordered departures include everything from earthquakes and cyclones to civil unrest, war and, of course, terrorism.
"That's the environment in which diplomacy needs to operate, and we accept that," Johnson says.
"The ambassador's decision points to an often overlooked truth about diplomacy: at its core, it is risk. From the craft's origins in antiquity, diplomats left the protections of our own borders and relied for our safety on persuasion, judgment and our indispensable role, without which state-to-state relations would go dark. Our presence on foreign soil best positions us to assess others' receptivity to our messages and to persuade them to work with us. But we are exposed when we are abroad.
[...]
In many places, it is difficult to distinguish friend from enemy. Our role is to clarify and to win partners. We cannot leave the world in the hands of economic or strategic competitors, or in the grip of dictators, criminals or extremists. We must, in the can-do spirit of our country, take necessary risks to represent the American case. We compete, we win, and we bring others along with us. These are the reasons that Ambassador Blaney chose to keep the flag flying in Liberia. They are the reasons that Ambassador Stevens and his team ventured last year into a contested land."
We are doing our best, under dangerous and trying conditions, to serve the country and make America safer for Americans. The blame game going on now to me is akin to rejecting a military request for bullet-proof vests and then blaming the supply guy when they get shot. So rather than looking for ways to blame those on the ground for doing the best than they could with the limited resources we are given, how about take a look at this moving piece, written by fellow blogger L over at Four Globetrotters, about what they faced in Tunisia and how they responded.
All employees are ordered to the safe haven. Everyone dutifully files in, deposits their cell phones since the safe haven is a phone-free zone. Reports continue to come in. The motor pool is on fire. The rec center is on fire. The employee parking lot is on fire. Protesters are on the roof of the Chancery. We immediately begin to do what we know to do. Destroy classified. I hear the sound of sledge hammers pounding away, comforted to know that my colleagues are destroying the classified material. The sound of the hammers echo through the Embassy, making the walls vibrate. Find out that sound isn't coming from within. The protesters are at our windows and are intent on getting in. They are attempting to set fire to the Chancery, dousing the building with gasoline and setting it on fire. My mind flashes back to the images from Benghazi, just a few days prior. I visualize the caskets of my dead colleagues on board the C-130 in Tripoli.
A faint smell of smoke begins to waft through the safe haven, where I'm sitting with 103 of my colleagues, some of whom are panicking and crying. I'm trying very hard to project calm and confidence. The fire alarm goes off. Someone decides to go get everyone's cell phones so we can start calling our loved ones. I sent three quick emails from my blackberry -- to my ex-husband: "In safehaven. People are on the compound, on roof. Tell the kids I love them so much. If the worst happens don't let them forget me.", one to my parents and my sisters, and one to my very special person. I'm worried sick about my motor pool team, stuck in an outside building.
I'm worried sick about my friends like L, as they continue to face danger, as well as my friends back in the Department, now no doubt second-guessing every decision they have made as they tried to do more with the less they were given and wondering whether they will be the sacrificial lamb in this tragedy.
Before I joined the Service, I truly thought of overseas travel as a once in a lifetime kind of thing. And I'd had my once in a lifetime trip before I met my wife. I had gone to Germany for a week. I had loved it, but I had no expectation I would ever go overseas again.
And then I met my wife, and together we went to London so she could do some research for her dissertation.
And then she joined the Service, and I went out to Azerbaijan three times to see her.
And then I joined the Service, and just like that, travel shifted from the thing other people get to do to the thing we get to do. From the once in a lifetime to the plan for a long weekend.
Since joining the Service, I have been served in Jerusalem and Estonia. And I have visited Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany again, and Russia. And just this weekend, I added Hungary to the list.
This is one of the things I love about being in the Service. I always suspected I would love to travel. Now I KNOW I love it. The trip to Hungary was just an overnighter. My wife had a conference there and while I couldn't join her for the whole week (alas, work interfered!), I could take off Thursday and Friday and fly out to join her.
I didn't get to do a lot of sightseeing while I was there, but I did get to spend an evening with good friends from A-100 and another friend who also serves in the Baltics. And the view from our hotel, plus pictures my wife took on a river cruise that was part of her conference, give me a good idea of where to visit when we go back.
When. Not if.
Because travel isn't once in a lifetime for me anymore.
One of the cool things about being in the Foreign Service is all the places you get to see that you might not have otherwise.
This weekend, because my wife had not yet made it to Tartu, we decided to hop in the car and go there.
Tartu, as I have mentioned before, is a beautiful city, the second largest in Estonia at just more than 100,000 residents. I have been there several times for work, as well as during my language immersion, but we had just not gotten around to making the two hour trek there for fun.
We watched a bit of the Tartu Marathon (which we hadn't known was happening), wandered the town a bit, took a few pictures, and had lunch at a nice little cafe in town hall square. Then we wandered along the Ema Jogi, the country's most important river, and spotted some swings on the river bank. We spotted this rainbow as well.
For whatever reason, Estonia is the land of rainbows. Maybe God just really loves Estonia. Or they have put up with enough that it is a message to them that he won't put them through that again in the future.
At any rate, we spotted this double rainbow on the way home, and then another at home before the sun set. And I spotted one from my office window a few minutes ago.
I will be doing a bit more wandering this week. My wife is going to a conference in Budapest, Hungary this week. I can't join her for all of it, but I am going to fly out for one night. I am never been there and we have good friends living there now. So why not?
Now when in my past life could I have said, Hey, why don't I fly out to Budapest for the night?
Actually, not at all. It is just a good title to explain why I haven't posted in a week.
So no, not back in the U.S.S.R. First, because this was my first visit to Russia, and I am currently back FROM there.
And second, because Russia is clearly NOT the U.S.S.R. (which no longer exists), as is evidenced by the reason for my visit –
Social media.
I was in Moscow last week for training on social media in Russian space. But getting there was half the battle.
It started more than a month ago. When the announcement for the training came out, I deleted it because they required post to pay for the travel. And my budget was stretched thin. But then the department came up with money for me and one of my staff to travel. So we happily agreed to go.
All went well with getting our visas. So our next problem was just getting on the plane. They had us on standby! Not sure how that happens with what the government pays for fares, but luckily we managed to get on the plane.
Then we get to passport control. And the officer says to me “You came in from Copenhagen in August 2011.”
I answered in Estonian, Yes. I work here.
“But you have no visa.”
Luckily, I had my diplomatic card. I brought it at the last minute thinking I would need it to get back INTO Estonia, not that I would need it to keep me from being deported!
The flight was uneventful, but the traffic is Moscow is ridiculous. It took forever to get to the Golden Ring hotel.
We spent the first evening wandering around, and I got to tick on an item on my bucket list – seeing St. Basil’s Cathedral at Red Square. I didn’t get to see Lenin though…the entire building containing his tomb was covered by a gigantic sign for a light show that was to start a few days later.
We went to the Arbot and looked at souvenirs, then ate, of all places, at a Wendy’s. Don’t judge me. Sometimes you need a frosty.
The next two days were spent at the embassy, which is BIG. The room where our class was held overlooked a nice green space…it could have been any apartment complex in Arlington. You could watch people walking their dogs and babies staring out of apartment windows, runners getting exercise and moms with strollers. You could forget it was a compound.
Lots of folks at the embassy apparently live on the compound, and I really think you could survive without ever leaving it. In addition to the green spaces and homes, there is dry cleaning, a cafeteria, a commissary that is like a small grocery store, a gym, a park with playground equipment, and there was even a bar! I bet there are people who never leave it, though that for me kind of defeats the purpose of being in the Foreign Service.
I saw a ton more people who I knew than I expected. Friends from Riga and Minsk. A fellow blogger. There was even someone who was in my oral assessment! And of course, people from big PA in Washington. Of course, the State Department is a very small world…I even ran into someone my wife served with at Main State.
After the first day of training, we had a reception at the DCM’s house. All I can say is wow, she has a seriously awesome chef! Sadly, the food was just finger food (I would so love to taste her meals!), so after the reception, some of us headed to dinner. We found a place on the Arbot that served pasta and sushi, a weird combo but okay none the less. The eel was better than in Tallinn, the smoked salmon was worse and the salmon roe doesn’t seem to exist here.
Our second day of training started entirely too early…you should not have to get to training earlier than you normally go to work. But the session was a good one on creating a crisis response plan, so with the help of copious amounts of coffee (which I normally don’t drink) and an engaging instructor, I made it through.
The one thing lacking in the training was time to sight-see, so I opted out of a dinner they scheduled for our second day and walked around Red Square instead. I needed to buy some souvenirs (got them...complete with haggling!) and see more of the Kremlin. And ride the metro again. I am glad I was with a Russian speaker, because Russians and Americans are alike in the lack of an inclination to put their signs in anything but their own language. The city is challenging for those of us with barely above zero Russian skills.
So there you have it. My excuse for not blogging this past week. No tigers. Just no time or computer access! I am glad I went, but even more glad to be home.
And I got some good news after I got back…I got promoted! Guess I will have to quit saying "this is why I will never get promoted!"
