If you have kids...

This website has some good ideas about how to help your young children best cope during the employee's time away from home.


Happy Monday!

Give your stress wings...

....and let it fly away.  ~Terri Guillemets

If only.

Since most of us can’t do that, on Thursday April 26, 2012 we will host a tele-conference with MHN covering the  topic of “Coping with the Stress of Change”.  We will discuss the challenges of change, identify different aspects of the change process and describe different ways to modify your stress responses to change.  RSVP to floaskut@state.gov.   Please provide your name and employee’s post of assignment and let us know if you would prefer to call in or join us in person.  If you do not have a state badge or diplomatic passport, please let us know so someone will be available to escort you.

I like this extract from Wikipedia defining stress, because reading it, I actually start to feel stressed:  

The ambiguity in defining this phenomenon was first recognized by Hans Selye in 1926 who loosely described stress as something that "…in addition to being itself, was also the cause of itself, and the result of itself." First to use the term in a biological context, Selye continued to define stress as "the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed upon it." Present-day neuroscientists including Bruce McEwen and Jaap Koolhaas believe that stress, based on years of empirical research, "should be restricted to conditions where an environmental demand exceeds the natural regulatory capacity of an organism."  

Some more fun quotes about stress…

Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.  ~Bill Phillips 

There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them.  ~Sylvia Plath 

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.  ~Ovid
 For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.  ~Lily Tomlin 

The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it.  ~Author Unknown

Read these 41 random, alarming facts about stress.

Cheers to Happy Hour!

You invited to an Unaccompanied Tour Informational Happy Hour!  It will take place on Wednesday, May 2, at the Oakwood Falls Church. It will be held in the State Room, and will run from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. or so.


Like other AAFSW happy hours, this will be a time to relax, meet other folks from the Foreign Affairs community and ask questions of current AAFSW members.  Since a greater number of employees and families are considering UTs,  the Unaccompanied Tour will be the focal point of the discussion.

The tentative agenda is as follows:

6:30 p.m Refreshments, mix and mingle 

7:00 p.m. Presentation by FLO (UT TEAM), followed by a Q&A

7:30 p.m. Presentation by Transition Center (FSI) staff, followed by Q&A

8:00 p.m. Panel of EFMs who have experienced or are currently experiencing an unaccompanied tour

8:30 p.m. Wrap-up

There is a great panel of EFMs lined up and we are very excited that so many will be attending the event.  Please remember that this is a no-cost event sponsored by AAFSW and please feel free to attend even if you are only toying with the notion of a UT. 

If you will be in the area and have any interest in attending, please send a note to jdinoia@yahoo.com or FLOaskUT@state.gov with your name and your UT status (considering, anticipating, in the middle of, completed & would like to offer assistance/advice).  See you there!

It's a Kodak moment!

                     

                 UT Team with our Director and Secretary Clinton on December 14th, 2011

Returning from Afghanistan to best friend...

Special Invitation:
Panel Discussion on Third-Culture Kids and the Foreign Service Experience

April 2 at 11:30 am

 

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) cordially invites you to attend a special panel discussion taking place at AFSA headquarters, 2101 E St NW, at 11:30 am on Monday, April 2.

Four nationally-renowned experts on third-culture kids (TCKs) will be on hand to discuss emotional resilience in TCKs, with a special emphasis on the Foreign Service experience. Why do some kids take well to life in the Foreign Service while others struggle? What sets kids up for success within this life? How can parents best position their children for achievement as Foreign Service brats? Our expert panelists are international educational consultant Rebecca Grappo, cross-cultural specialist Ruth Van Reken, author Julia Simens, and educator/consultant Rebecca Oden. They will be happy to entertain questions from the audience following the formal conversation.

All AFSA events are open to the public and are free of charge. Please feel free to forward this to anyone who might have an interest in the subject matter. We ask that all RSVPs be sent to events@afsa.org. If you are overseas or otherwise unable to participate, the event will be taped and made available on the AFSA web site (www.afsa.org/AFSAvideos.aspx) shortly after the program.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

call to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

            Mary Oliver

Overload?

I have heard from a lot of people that everything seems to be happening all at once in 2012.  Is this happening to you?  It is to me!  So...  

For ten ideas to make your life easier - click here.  Ideas include, actually eating leftovers, and telling yourself it is ok if your house doesn't look as pristine as Pottery Barn magazines...

To help you sleep, think about incorporating sour cherries into your diet (weird, right?).  For more ZzzZZz food ideas, click here.  

Don't get too caught up in the chaos of every day.  Stay on track and remember what you really want to be doing with each day.  Check out this article on bucket lists.  What is on your bucket list?  As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." 


And remember, check out MHN's website for articles on long distance relationships, marriage, stress, coping skills etc.  You can also call them at any time to speak with a counselor.  For information on how to access the website, please contact us at FLOaskUT@state.gov.

Ideas to make staying in touch easier...

Check out this article from Real Simple magazine about creative ways to stay in touch with family and friends while away.

Spring Ahead, Fall Back

Spring Ahead, Fall Back!       

It’s that time of year…. already.  Sunday, March 11 2012 at 2 A.M. you need to move your clocks ahead one hour.  Spring, on the other hand will not arrive until March 20^th.

Daylight Saving Time was first instituted to save energy for war production during World War I.  When it was first instituted it occurred between April and October.  After World War I states and communities could choose to continue to observe it or not. During World War II the federal government once again required the states observe the time change.  In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act standardizing the Daylight Saving Time.  In 2007 the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was put into place, causing Daylight Saving Time to be four weeks longer.   The policy was supposed to save 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced power by businesses in the daylight hours.  The reality is it is very hard to determine energy savings and some theorize we don’t save anything at all and we might even use more energy.

You might be surprised to learn Arizona (except for some Indian Reservations) Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the American Samoa do not observe Daylight Savings Time. 

Me I don’t like the change.  Why?  Because now for another month it will be dark when I walk the dogs and the added light at night doesn’t really help me accomplish anything. 

                                                                                                          

What are your thoughts?  Do you like Daylight Savings?  Do you think it saves energy? 

I get by with a little YELP from my friends...

If you are new to town or just looking for a new place to eat or get your hair cut you may want to Yelp it. This site is a great place to read reviews and get ideas on all kinds of places and things. One person wrote in to say she saved two hundred dollars by Yelping her dog’s veterinarian - seems the first vet with whom she had an appointment was very expensive but with the help of Yelp (www.yelp.com) she found someone less expensive and just as good. Woof! (Note: most Yelp sites are US cities only)

To start the weekend...

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.” 

― Dr. Seuss

Being separated from your loved one isn't easy and we could all use some advice and creative tips on how to make it just a little bit easier.  FSI developed a course focused on maintaining and strengthening long distance relationships.  I took the two and half hour course last year and thought it was not only helpful, but also entertaining and fun.  You will have the opportunity to hear from others who are preparing for or are experiencing time apart and learn what has and hasn't worked for them.   The course is being offered next Wednesday, Feb. 29th. at FSI so sign up today!  Email FSITCTraining@state.gov to enroll.  

 

Peek inside...

Take a look at these recent photos of life inside U.S. Embassy Baghdad.  Also, have you seen U.S. Embassy Kabul's flickr photos?  Check them out here.  Don't forget you can follow U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Kabul, and Islamabad on Facebook and Twitter.   

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day and....

Join us next Friday!

All UT family and friends in the DC area are invited to join the UT Team next Friday, February 17th at 2:45PM for a small, fun get together at a local Afghan restaurant in Arlington.   

Please email FLOaskUT@state.gov for details.  We hope to see you there!

        Appreciation is a wonderful thing:

It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.  – Voltaire

MHN Orientation Postponed

Many of you who attended the December reception received a list of scheduled 2012 UT events.  We are postponing the MHN Orientation Webinar originally scheduled for January 19th.  Once a new date is finalized, it will be posted on the blog.  Sorry for the confusion!

Serving Abroad...Through Their Eyes.

Do you love to take photographs of your travels?  Are you also a previous or current member of the Foreign Service, Civil Service, or U.S. Military?  Enter the Serving Abroad...Through Their Eyes photo contest before February 20th!  Submit up to ten of your best photos from your overseas travels since 2000 and have a chance at being honored in Washington, D.C. along with nine other finalists.  Some of the winning photographs will be displayed at U.S. Embassy Kabul. 

To submit your photos, click here.

Because we all want to start the New Year right...

Take a look at this great article:  30 Things to Start Doing for Yourself.  I think I am going to print it out and keep it where I can see it.  

My favorite point from the article:

"Start noticing the beauty of small moments. – Instead of waiting for the big things to happen – marriage, kids, big promotion, winning the lottery – find happiness in the small things that happen every day.  Little things like having a quiet cup of coffee in the early morning, or the delicious taste and smell of a homemade meal, or the pleasure of sharing something you enjoy with someone else, or holding hands with your partner.  Noticing these small pleasures on a daily basis makes a big difference in the quality of your life."

Read all thirty here. 

                                                                         Smile.