Former Secretary Albright: on being a woman and a diplomat

Like all nerds, I appreciate a good TED talk.   In this one, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright "talks bluntly about politics and diplomacy, making the case that women's issues deserve a place at the center of foreign policy."    A girl after my own feminist heart. :)


When I graduated from Smith College in 2003, Secretary Albright was my Commencement speaker.   Que suerte!

Sec. Clinton puts women's rights at the forefront

And yet another reason why I have the coolest boss ever.

The secretary of state is on a mission: putting women’s rights at the forefront of a rapidly emerging new world order.

In other news, Spanish is going super bien. Sigo disfrutando el idioma. I got a 2+ on my last two evaluations and am hoping and praying for that coveted 3 at the end of April, when Spanish training ends and ConGen begins. Eva is also continuing to enjoy her Spanish class. She, however, is trying to show me up by studying twice as hard as I am. That's what you get when you marry an overachiever, I guess. I'll stick with being a Type A- (ambitious, but a bit floja - lazy, for you non-Spanish speakers!).

In closing, I leave you with my favorite Spanish song of the week (err, month).

Flag Day

It's official: CEVA is moving to San Jose, Costa Rica!

More to come from Eva.

Digital Diplomacy and Jam of the Week

The New York Times published an article re: digital diplomacy, aka "21st century statecraft" today featuring two State Dept reps.  A telling quote from the article:

A series of events last year helped [their] work gain traction by showing that connection technologies have become inextricably entwined with the challenges of foreign policy. In April 2009, there was the so-called Twitter revolution in Moldova. In July 2009, there was China’s regional-information blockade, including a total shutdown of the Internet, following the Uighur uprisings (“full” Internet usage was restored to Xinjiang 10 months later). And then, of course, Iran, beginning in June 2009, when the organizing power of cellphones and social media — and their ability to capture and disseminate images like the death of a young Iranian woman, Neda Agha-Soltan — arrested the world’s attention.

IMHO, utilizing social networking and web 2.0 to open communication/expand the marketplace of ideas is a powerful way to support values that the American government espouses. As the SCOTUS has recognized, open debate, through which there is an exchange or competition of ideas, is the best way for society to progress and for people to discern the truth. I'm glad the State Dept is so eager to include digital diplomacy in its toolbox.

On another note, I had to share my weekly jam.  This Bat For Lashes song takes a while to pick up, but once it does, it's magical.

Bat For Lashes - Daniel (HD)

FAQ re: Foreign Service (for friends and fam)

Since receiving an invite to join the 156th A-100 class, we have received many questions from family members and friends. I realized everyone had pretty similar inquiries, so below you'll find a short FAQ:

What is the Foreign Service?

The Foreign Service is a branch of the U.S. Department of State that represents the United States’ interests abroad. A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a diplomat.  There are five career tracks that an applicant must choose from before becoming an FSO:

•   Consular: Consular Officers protect Americans abroad and strengthen U.S. border security
•   Economic: Economic Officers promote economic partnerships, development, and fair trade
•   Management: Management Officers run our embassies and make American diplomacy work
•   Political: Political Officers analyze political events
•   Public Diplomacy: Public Diplomacy Officers explain American values and policies

I am on the Political track.  More info on Political officers from the State Department:

As a Political Officer, you’ll keep a trained eye on the political climate at your foreign post and decipher events as they relate to U.S. interests, negotiations and policies. As you learn new skills and enjoy outstanding benefits, you’ll communicate with foreign governments to seek support for shared goals, including votes in multilateral fora, in addition to:

• Developing foreign contacts in and out of politics and government to advance U.S. political interests
• Assessing the impact of political developments on the U.S. and making recommendations on action by our government
• Supporting high level visits and advising policymakers on how to communicate with foreign governments

Note, however, that each FSO is obligated to doing consular work for one year (and often 2-3 years). Because I passed the Mandarin exam and accepted bonus points for doing so, I also committed to serving in a Mandarin-speaking country at least once before being tenured (e.g., in one of my first two posts), and once after being tenured.

Where will you be posted?

Entering FSOs sign contracts for "worldwide availability."  We all start with a five-week "bootcamp" of courses/orientation colloquially called the A-100. These courses are taught in the Foreign Service Institute at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia.

At the beginning of training, each A-100 class is provided with a bid list, which lists all the countries available with open posts. We will have a couple weeks of bidding, where we will rank the posts as High, Medium and Low.  While the Dept of State may take your ranking into consideration, “the needs of the Department are paramount.”  We will go where we're needed.  During the last day of training, each class has a Flag Day. Each class member gets a flag  representing the location of our first assignment.

The nature of our first assignments will govern the type of specialized training that follows. That training may include public diplomacy training, consular training, political-economic tradecraft, or management training. Required language training can last for an additional six to nine months. Overall, newly hired FSOs can expect to spend from three months to one year in training before departure for their first overseas assignment.

What will Eva be doing?

The Obama Administration recently made policies and regulations as applicable to same-sex partners and spouses more inclusive.  See my earlier posts on this topic and Secretary Clinton's remarks.  Eva will be traveling with me as a "trailing spouse."  Unfortunately, because of DOMA, Eva will not receive the health insurance or pension benefits  that opposite-sex spouses of Foreign Service Officers receive.  We are hoping that the legislature will soon pass the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act (DBOA), which would allow us to enjoy the same family benefits already provided to employees with different-sex spouses.

Eva will, however, be eligible for the following (from the State Dept website): diplomatic passports, inclusion on employee travel orders to and from posts abroad, shipment of household effects, inclusion in family size calculations for the purpose of making housing allocations, family member preference for employment at posts abroad, use of medical facilities at posts abroad, medical evacuation from posts abroad, emergency travel for partners to visit gravely ill or injured employees and relatives, inclusion as family members for emergency evacuation from posts abroad, subsistence payments related to emergency evacuation from posts abroad, inclusion in calculations of payments of overseas allowances (e.g., payment for quarters, cost of living, and other allowances), representation expenses, and training at the Foreign Service Institute.

I'll let Eva answer the question as to what else she'll be doing while we're on assignment. Those of you who know my extraordinary wife are well aware that she's an ambitious, intelligent woman who will make her own opportunities!

Invited to the September A-100 class!

An hour ago, I accepted an email invitation to join the September A-100 class in D.C.!

Eva and I are ecstatic. We are going to realize a dream we didn't even know we had until last year.

Eva's 3 rules

My lovely wife just announced the following:

If we get posted to Laos* or S.E. Asia, I am:

1. Not wearing make-up
2. Not wearing a bra
3. Swimming every day

  

Then she looked very proud of herself.

(Eva and I were talking about Laos because of an entertaining blog written by another FSO called Life on the Mekong, chronicling their experiences there.)

US Consulate in Pakistan is Attacked

The perils of the Foreign Service life are becoming increasingly apparent.

From the New York Times: "In the most direct attack on an American facility in Pakistan in years, militants mounted a multipronged assault against the United States Consulate in this northern city on Monday, using a truck bomb, machine guns and rocket launchers, Pakistani and American officials said." The attackers failed to breach the outer perimeter of the compound. Six Pakistanis were killed and 20 wounded, but there were no Americans hurt or killed in the attack.

Dear Mama

As the Foreign Service journey becomes more and more of a reality for us, my poor mom's nervousness is growing exponentially. Without internet access or really any idea of what this entails or what the next few years will look like for us, I can't blame her. I promised to compile several websites that she can review (at the library), make some print outs, and even buy her a couple books. If any of our followers (err, Cyn) have any suggestions, they would be much appreciated.

Few blacks serve in top U.S. diplomatic posts - latimes.com

The LA Times posted an article today about the extreme under-representation of black folks in our country's top diplomatic posts. The article notes that of the 32 diplomats heading embassies and other U.S. missions in Europe, only one, John L. Withers, the ambassador to Albania, was black. Withers is leaving his post later this year, leaving a total of ZERO. There were also zero African Americans among the 10 ambassadors or chiefs of mission in South and Central Asia, or the 18 in the Near East, and only one among the 17 in East Asia. The only place where black diplomats headed missions? Africa, of course (note the extreme sarcasm)! 11 of the 37 missions in Africa were headed by African Americans. I'd also be interested in finding statistics about the representation of other people of color in top embassy posts...

Three people linked to US Consulate in Mexico Killed

A chilling reminder of what we may be getting ourselves into.


Both the New York Times and NPR have covered the story.

Purpose of this blog

We started this blog for 3 primary purposes:
1) to establish a venue for our friends and family to see what we're up to and learn about our lives;
2) to share about the foreign service experience generally and provide more information for persons interested in becoming foreign service officers - particularly for candidates who are under-represented in the profession, such as women of color and queer folks;
3) to repay other FSO bloggers, who illuminated the experience for us as we were still researching about this as a career option.
(cyn's new boss-to-be)

Eva has a subpurpose:
1) to keep her sanity lest we get posted in a remote, overly sleepy location

Moons

The absolute hardest thing about Cynthia passing the Foreign Service exam (btw she is the smartest person I have ever known and I am so proud to be her wife) was making the decision to find a new home for my beloved dog.
He will always be my dog too, just so you know.

Although pets are allowed in the Foreign Service (hell, up until 6 months ago Moony would have had more rights than me as a same-sex spouse - thanks, Hillary!) I finally made the horribly depressing decision that my sensitive little guy would never survive the rigors that are grueling plane rides in the luggage compartment, potential and likely quarantines, frequent moves, unpredictable days, traveling, etc. Soooo an entire evening crying and a two foot high mountain of used tissues later, I caved.

Cyn found the family on Craigslist and I began corresponding with the mom. They have two little, sweet, active girls and a beautiful home in posh Los Altos Hills with horse trails for days and perhaps most importantly, incredibly patient adults. Moony took to the family immediately while I got myself the hell out of there as quickly as possible. I would have made it without any waterworks too if the mom hadn't hugged me. It was like slow motion: *arms opening into position, coming my way, enveloping me* nooooooooo...bam! tears.

The mom promised to send me monthly updates, rife with photos and stories. Don't worry, this isn't the last you'll hear of mr moony mcgee. Family portrait of the 3 of us:

I am officially a narcissist.

YAY! My very own blog to complain, explain, share, and bore. you. to. tears. with all the minutia of my life! You must be as excited as I am to have stumbled sorely upon this future work of literary genius. HOORAY for us both!

Within the boundless nature that is this blog to become, you will be carried through the moments that are, and will transmute into, my life. We will walk, holding hands, sharing stories of packing up and selling my acupuncture practice (Honeybee Acupuncture), selling our condo in the beautiful Mission District of San Francisco, and moving to Washington DC to become a 'trailing spouse' (ew) to my wife, a soon to be US Diplomat.