tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82808377646061867082024-03-24T04:11:33.184-04:00DIPLOMATIC MOM: My journey as a Foreign Service Officer, wife and momThis blog describes my journey as a Foreign Service officer, wife of another FSO, and a mom to a terrific, loving teenager. We began our careers with the State Department in 2010 and first served in amazing Bangladesh, followed by fabulous Rio de Janeiro. Then followed a two-year stint in Washington, DC, after which we spent a year in Russia and another three in stunning Kyiv, Ukraine. Our lives are a pleasant circus and we cannot believe just how lucky we are to live our dreams.The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-90735284702260061522023-01-09T16:58:00.001-05:002023-01-09T16:58:46.119-05:00We live in Israel now!We landed in Israel some time mid-August after a 10-day
cruise through the emerald-green waters of the Mediterranean where we ate and
drank our weight in exquisite buffet food and free drinks. Mortified by the
weight-gain, we swore off booze the moment we mournfully descended the heights
of the cruise ship. The line to board the little-known Israeli budget airline
Arkia was unusually long, and The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-15737116048688303202022-06-30T14:52:00.005-04:002022-10-15T04:41:48.882-04:00The end of the Roadtrip - from Portugal to BelgiumPortugal was a dream. Our fabulous friends G and T opened up their multiple gorgeous homes for us for the next few days and served as tour guides through the streets and foods of their marvelous country. After a sumptuous lunch in the lush garden of their generations-old house in Porto, we were taken for a long stroll through the old town, gracefully set against the banks of the Douro river. Not The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-86456797870407354562022-06-21T10:29:00.001-04:002022-06-21T10:29:25.243-04:00Road trip Part 4 – from Italy to PortugalAfter a fairly uneventful drive through Italy’s highly
confusing highways, we discovered with no small amount of excitement that we
are going to go through the Mont Blanc
Tunnel, the 20th longest road tunnel in the world at 11.6 km! As
we drove towards the tunnel, through the incredibly windy lower Alps, we saw
signs advising that crossing the tunnel will take about 2 hours. We ignored
them, The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-32436608940822884232022-06-13T03:38:00.000-04:002022-06-13T03:38:15.114-04:00Road trip Part 3 – From Montenegro to ItalyOur next planned stop was Split (the idea being not to drive
for more than 5-5 hours per leg) where we had rented a lovely Airbnb apartment
next to the port and all the nightlife. Google maps said it would only take us
about 5 hours, so we hoped to be in time for a late and romantic Croatian
dinner. After a dizzying drive through the Montenegran mountains north of
Budva, we finally approached ourThe Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-37108592491985983822022-06-05T13:59:00.016-04:002022-06-05T19:08:39.230-04:00 Leaving Ukraine – Road trip Part 2 (Bulgaria to Montenegro) After two lovely days in Sofia, we set off for our next
destination – Montenegro. You see, the Diplomat and I have reached a mid-life
crisis point and have become obsessed with the idea to buy a vacation home in
the tiny Adriatic country. Nope, we have never been there before. And no, we do
not know anyone there. But we had heard stories AND seen pictures of stunning
mountains and sea vistas. The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-76255641529384366342022-05-24T04:28:00.003-04:002022-05-24T15:03:04.814-04:00Leaving Ukraine – Road trip Part 1 (Poland to Bulgaria) After more than two and half years working in Ukraine, and
another three months working across the Polish border, the Diplomat and I have
completed our assignment in Ukraine. An assignment like no other, marred by a
global pandemic and brutal war. This is not how we wanted to leave. The emotions
are too high and too raw to express here, so I will simply say that we have left
physically. The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-36906811612813898742021-08-01T17:34:00.001-04:002021-08-01T17:34:44.341-04:00 Eat, Drink, Walk, Sweat, Repeat in Tbilisi A long weekend looming in the distance, and Son away with
Grandma, the vaccinated Diplomat and I thought it would be a neat idea to go
somewhere in an attempt to pretend that all was like before. There were several
perfect flights leaving on a Friday night and coming back on a Monday night – Lisbon, Prague, Tallinn, Helsinki
– a dizzifying list of fabulous European capitals. The world, well, the The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-6228818189172232322021-06-06T08:26:00.000-04:002021-06-06T08:26:11.519-04:00London Quarantine Days 6 – 10 and beyondSo, I tapped out on Day 6. After trying various makeup
styles (who knew there were so many types of smoky eye???), washing my sneakers
meticulously with a toothbrush, reorganizing my digital photographs, going to
unknown depths of Facebook to see what people are up to, watching shows on the
lifecycle of moths, and all kinds of such fun activities, I decided that enough
was enough. England allows The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-76189463777083525082021-05-20T17:56:00.006-04:002021-05-20T17:56:29.119-04:00Days 1-5 of London QuarantineDay 1
I was hoping to wake up late, but alas, I didn’t. I woke up
at 8 and manage to try to watch TV in bed for a solid hour, but one can take
only so much of BBC, BBC International News, BBC2, BBC4 and euronews before
switching to Keeping up with the Kardashians, circa 2004, for nothing better on
TV. It so happens that I am an elite member of the Marriott, and so I get
access to the Members’ The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-15518702223977832402021-05-20T06:47:00.003-04:002021-05-20T06:47:54.840-04:00Quarantining in LondonI just flew in London from Kyiv about a week ago to do a simple surgical procedure. In case you wonder why London, it’s too complicated to explain,
frankly. Anyway, currently England
requires anyone coming on the island to self-isolate for 10 days, taking COVID-19
tests on day 2 and 8 to make sure they are not sick. The National Health
Service (NHS) will check on you and supposedly so would The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-26129303957775230412020-03-21T18:38:00.002-04:002020-03-21T18:39:05.132-04:00Impressions of Ukraine
It has been 7 glorious months of peaceful and wintery life
in Kyiv. Some immediate and now more long-term impressions for the curious
among you:
Ukrainians
are officially the most suicidal drivers and the worst parkers I have ever
seen in my life! I know I have said that about many of the drivers in the
places we have lived. Folks, this is IT! Ukraine wins the bad driving
The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-89327794938594755172019-08-04T15:02:00.001-04:002019-08-04T15:02:08.729-04:00Four Hands in a Russian Banya and a Botched Russian exit
My time in Russia
wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to a “banya” – the Russian
equivalent of a sauna/hamam experience, with the added pleasure of jumping in
the snow or having freezing water poured over your head in the meantime. Since
even in May, the weather was still pretty wintery in Yekaterinburg, a good
friend organized а banya
outing at the gorgeous Ananyevskie Bani. Along
The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-48450363324418926332019-06-11T15:50:00.000-04:002019-06-11T15:50:26.784-04:00The Russian Roadtrip – Vodka and Churches Part 1
Last month, we took a long-planned road trip through the
so-called Golden Ring of Russia – a circle of about 650 km in total, starting
in Moscow and
going north-east, dotted with beautiful old Russian towns, featuring the
obligatory gorgeous onion-domed church or seven, typically organized in
so-called Kremlins. (Generally, a Kremlin is a major fortified complex found in
the center of a The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-79150459726949989302019-02-08T13:38:00.003-05:002019-02-08T13:38:50.242-05:00How I became a Silver member on Aeroflot in 4 months
The past 5 months can only be summarized with one word –
incessant travel. As you know, the Diplomat and Son are currently in Moscow where Son attends
school, and I work in Yekaterinburg and fly to see them virtually every
weekend. That, or we all travel somewhere else together instead.
For example, in October, we met in St. Petersburg. It was all wonderful and very
pretty, except that it The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-77553003265241445902018-11-17T06:50:00.002-05:002018-11-18T07:08:53.784-05:00A visit to the opera, a fashion show, a boxing match and the circus - just a normal week in Russia
So far, life in Russia
has been an unexpected whirlwind of foreign receptions and travel. While there
are only a handful of foreign missions represented in Yekaterinburg, all of
them decided to have their national day (or equivalent) celebrations in the past
two months, which made for a very fun if hectic life. At the same time, I fly
to Moscow
almost every weekend both for work and to see the The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-68634743296367530412018-10-14T14:22:00.004-04:002018-10-14T14:22:34.961-04:00How (not) to Move to Russia in a Week
Once we came back from Europe,
the move-planning machine went into overdrive. We spent about a week waiting
for the final approvals of our travel, and you’d think we would prepare
ourselves better for it in the meantime. We didn’t. So, when the approvals
finally came through, we were left with about 10 days or so to call the movers,
sort out our possessions, buy plane tickets, figure out how The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-74676499364695068442018-09-03T02:47:00.000-04:002018-09-03T02:47:57.591-04:00DC-Sofia-Mumbai-Sicily-Sofia-Berlin-Reykjavik-NYC-DC
It has been an eventful summer, to put it mildly. In late
June, I bid goodbye to my job in the Bureau of Consular Affairs in DC, and
embarked on a month-long vacation with the Diplomat and Son. If you would
kindly remember, our next assignment was supposed to be Ukraine,
starting in the summer of 2019. This next year we were going to study Russian
and soak up more of that special Arlington
The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-75908110432686831992018-05-21T22:41:00.001-04:002018-05-21T22:41:47.633-04:00The Spring Break Roadtrip, Ordinary DC Life and a NY Twist
For spring break this year, we had the brilliant idea to
take a roadtrip from DC, slowly go down south and eventually visit good friends
in Jacksonville, Florida. I had it all mapped out. First night
– Charlottesville.
That charming little college town in the gorgeous Shenandoah valley, surrounded
by a many local wineries with actually good Virginia wine. We were supposed to arrive on
FridayThe Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-85743677778752223432017-12-13T22:34:00.001-05:002017-12-13T22:34:21.788-05:00Dancing Adults, A Most Terrifying Sales Pitch and A New Assignment
It has been an eventful few months in ole’ Washington, DC.
While Son spent a month with Grandma in Bulgaria in August, the Diplomat
and I decided to find the fun side of the city and to prove to ourselves how
youthful we are. During our month of child-free frivolity, we discovered a very
cool bar in the basement of the Hay Adams hotel called Off the Record, which
with its red velvet walls and The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-77492893132164931472017-09-04T00:32:00.001-04:002017-09-04T00:32:35.348-04:00Four Countries in Four Days and One Unsuccessful Golf Outing
Saturday: MACEDONIA. At the end of my month-long Macedonian trip, Mom drove in from Bulgaria to spend a couple of days with me in Skopje and drive me back to Sofia. After a liquid and tearful goodbye with my Macedonian crew on a Friday night, on a blazingly hot Saturday, Mom and I drove slowly away through Macedonia and later that night arrived in Sofia. Now, let me see if I can explain my The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-17966925343764350602017-08-08T15:46:00.000-04:002017-09-02T23:34:20.039-04:00A Month in Macedonia, Lice-Gate and the Puzzle
I recently spent a glorious month in lovely Skopje, where I supported the Public Affairs section in the U.S. Embassy. Having never done purely public diplomacy work before (I am mostly a consular gal), this TDY was a bit of a challenge and I was rather apprehensive whether my skills were up to par. My very first task upon arrival was to draft a 5-10 min speech for the Ambassador for the annual The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-79635887666071756202017-06-19T08:49:00.000-04:002017-06-19T08:49:04.756-04:00How I Went to Marine Camp, A Trip to the South, and I Battle Nature
Last month, in an answer to a call from the State
Department, I volunteered my good services to the mighty Marines to represent
my august institution in a simulated military-assisted evacuation of a
fictitious U.S.
embassy overseas. The week-long exercise took place in Camp
Lejeune, in the picturesque North Carolina, and on a
sunny Sunday afternoon, I excitedly drove the roughly 400 miles downThe Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-10576286527902135152017-03-17T20:56:00.000-04:002017-03-17T20:56:05.470-04:00The Cruise, the Diplomat Gets Cultural and I Shuck Oysters
We recently came back from a one-week fabulous cruise to
some islands in the Caribbean (truly
immaterial which ones, given that all I cared for was to have a beach and a
place on it to sell drinks with colorful things in them). This was our second
cruise ever and I was so excited, that I was squealing all the way from the
airport to the Miami
port. Reading the sign “Miami
Cruise Port”
on the The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-56645909232649237752016-11-15T16:54:00.002-05:002017-08-08T11:24:05.384-04:00The Consular Fellows Program and the game of registering your car in Virginia
I have been meaning to write about the Consular Fellows Program (formerly the not-so-elegantly named Limited Non-Career Appointments, or LNAs as they are still popularly known) for a long time. Rejoice for today is the day! So, what is this program thing, you ask?
Well, essentially, the State Department has finally realized that visa demand in certain countries, affectionately known as “visaThe Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8280837764606186708.post-74971687343731874192016-09-23T00:30:00.000-04:002016-09-23T00:30:05.149-04:00The Olympics, Fat Cat does us a favor and we unpack in the U.S.A.
For the last year and a half, the Rio Consulate has been
preparing for the influx of Americans for the Olympics and all the possible
imaginable and unimaginable dramas that can come with that. Then the Games
finally came and with them that enjoyable beast – the “official visit.” Now,
every Foreign Service officer, at one point or another in their illustrious
career, has had to deal with or, as The Diplomatic Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518644767093446416noreply@blogger.com3