Why we do what we do...

Check out this great article about the positive contributions of the Department of State and USAID: "10 Things You Should Know About the State Department and USAID."

This week taught us something...

= to be prepared.  So, with a hurricane on the way to D.C. (maybe) take a second to review the tips in this article.

(My backyard in Florida after a CAT3 hurricane years ago...)

Pastime...

Check out this interesting website - D (our intern) found it for us, of course.  If you love photography- check out the inspiring collection of shots.  If you are looking for ways to design your new house, apartment, or hooch, check out their home and furniture section for unique ideas. 

Warning: you might spend way too much time mesmerized by this website.   

A great book for Foreign Service kids...

Three Little Kids and the State Department, an illustrated children's book by Foreign Service spouse Elaine Guihan, tells the story of her three boys growing up in a Foreign Service family, told from the children's perspective.   Perfect for eight to thirteen-year-olds it covers some of the problems and joys that children experience moving from post to post and culture to culture.  This book will give children a preview of what they might experience over the years.  Here are excerpts from the description in the November, 2008 issue of "Foreign Service Journal":

"Alex, Colin and Jim's dad is an FSO.  At an early age, they leave home with their parents and live in Mauritania, France, Cote d'Ivoire and Turkey with a surprising interlude in Washington, D.C.  Their life is not always easy but it's never dull.  Plunked down in the Sahara, the boys play in the desert, learn how to wear a headscarf and drink camel's milk.  After two years, they pack their suitcases and move to France, an amazingly beautiful place.  There they visit historic castles and roller skate at the Place de la Concorde.  More adventures follow in Turkey and Cote d'Ivoire.  Written in a light, wry tone the book is colorfully illustrated."  

The book is available on Amazon.com or Xlibris.com. 

Invite to Diplomatic Reception Rooms Tour

As an unaccompanied tour family member, you are invited to a tour of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms on September 8th at 9:30AM.  If you would like to attend, please RSVP before September 1st to FLOaskUT@state.gov.

Home sweet home...

We've followed The Perlman Update blog for months now and we are happy to see that her husband has returned after a year in Baghdad.  Read her posting about his return here.  Enjoy VA and hope you keep blogging!

Have you ever had Afghan food?

Are you in the NoVa/DC area and want to try some Afghan food?  Check out this bargain from The Capitol Deal for the Afghan Kabob House in Arlington.

Foreign Service Officer Michael recently returned from serving one year in Monterrey, Mexico.  Shortly after Michael's family arrived in Monterrey, the post was declared unaccompanied.  Michael's family had to unexpectedly turn right back around and return to the United States while he remained at post for the next year.  Michael's son, Michael Jr., is seen in this video receiving his Medal and Certificate of Recognition on June 9, 2011 - in appreciation for the sacrifice asked of him while separated from his father.  Congratulations to Michael Jr.!

If you want information on how to nominate your child for a Medal and Certificate of Recognition, email us at: FLOaskUT@state.gov

Thanks for sharing this video with us! 

Just for kicks...

Our summer intern D put together some fun links to include on the blog.  Click below:

Animal Voiceovers (hilarious)

Surprised Kitty (too precious)  

10 trips to soothe your soul 

World’s 50 most delicious foods

Smile and enjoy your day!

Why I Serve 

by Courtney Beale

Courtney Beale serves as Acting Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.  The following is from the Department's DipNote blog:

The insistent ringing penetrated my slumber. I woke up and looked at the clock. It was only 1:00 am, so it couldn't be the alarm. Then I realized it was the press phone, the one that all the journalists knew to call when they had questions for the U.S. Embassy. What now? My contact's questions shook me wide awake. An American official, he said, had been taken into custody at the airport trying to leave the country with sensitive military equipment. "Is it true?" he asked.


In a highly charged press environment leery of America and Americans, the last thing we needed was another inaccurate story to fuel further suspicions. I spent the next hour on the phone with the embassy's security office piecing together what had really happened, which was -- as usual -- much less newsworthy than the rumors. Just as the papers went to press, I was able to call back the journalist, tell him he had his facts wrong, and stop the non-incident from becoming front page news that morning.


In press work, especially in Pakistan, we often count our victories in what we prevent rather than what we create. 


I volunteered for a tour in Islamabad wanting to serve my country. The same motivations prompted my father to join the Navy 45 years ago. He flew F-4 Phantoms off aircraft carriers during the Vietnam War, putting his life on the line to defend our country. He also developed a lifelong passion for flying. I had always deeply respected him for having seen history in the making, and for helping make it himself. I grew up inspired by his service to America. Seeking an unaccompanied assignment and spending a year away from my husband was my own way of giving back to our nation.


While I can never compare squashing rumors during middle-of-the-night phone calls to flying a jet over a war zone, I feel honored to work in the press section at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. I was drawn to press work in this volatile region, because it is the great nexus of policy, public diplomacy, and national security. Pakistan has arguably the most intense and freewheeling media environment in the world, and conspiracy theories and misinformation about the United States run rampant. Having served in India and speaking Urdu, I felt called to use my skills and experience to tell America's story sensitively but honestly, and help create an environment of opinion conducive to U.S. policy goals.


From the massive U.S. relief effort after last summer's historic floods to the death of Osama bin Laden this spring, there has not been a dull moment since I arrived. I have certainly collected a few tales to tell my own children one day. But more than that, my service has also helped me discover new passions of my own -- the music, the people, the food, and the history of South Asia -- that I'll carry with me wherever I go in life.

So you think it is hot....

At the start of Ramadan, a public holiday was declared Monday for Baghdad as the temperature hit 122 Fahrenheit!

"For UT Team"

Our favorite "junior intern" drew the UT Team a beautiful picture!  Thanks, Tyler!

ZZZzzzzzzzzzZZzzz

Having trouble sleeping?  Check out this article about ten foods that help you sleep better.

The world's skinniest house?

This house makes hooches look spacious!  I guess it would inspire you to stick to your diet...

Save us from the heat dome!

With 45% of the US population under a heat advisory, here are some tips to stay cool from CDC.

FYI,  it is supposed to be 114 tomorrow is Baghdad, 113 in Basrah, 105 in Mazar-I-Sharif, 94 in Kabul, 97 in Islamabad, 90 in Karachi, 95 in Monterray, and 85 in Juba... I guess we aren't the only ones feeling the heat! 

Some silly jokes to make you smile...

It was so hot that I saw a bumblebee back its stinger into a Popsicle.

It’s so hot…

The robins are laying their eggs sunny side up.

All the water buffalo at the zoo have evaporated.

The birds had to pick up the worms with potholders.

Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs.

Don't you want to just jump right in?

Have a fun and safe weekend! 

Four Afghan women make history...

... as the first female pilots from their country.  "We should show the world that the women of Afghanistan are strong," said Lt. Sourya.

The women are also the first to attend the Defense Language Institute's general English course, where they will not only perfect their English skills, but also learn about U.S. history and culture.  "What a fantastic opportunity for us and the wing to build coalition and bilateral partnerships across the world," said Col. Eric Axelbank, the 37th Training Wing commander. The Institute represents 85 countries with over 1,100 students. 

Check out the full story and see pictures here.

Free PIZZA!

Are you in DC/VA?  You get a free pizza from Papa John's if you register below!  

Click here.

The Wandering Drays...United.

Fellow Foreign Service blogger, Heather, eloquently describes all her anticipation and excitement as her husband returns from a year long tour in Iraq...

"Finally. Just One Week.

I'm feeling melancholy tonight, thinking back over my husband's unaccompanied Baghdad assignment.  It's been nearly 1 1/2 years since Jason started the seemingly never-ending journey to Iraq.  Six months in D.C. for training; nearly a year in Baghdad.  And now, we have just a week. 
One teensy weensy week.  But the longest week.  Ever.  To get through.

In just one week...Jason will be home.  And I won't have to look forward to NOT looking forward to him heading back to Iraq.

Come to think about it, in just one week...

I alone won't have to bandage up boo-boos and wipe away tears when the kids fall and get hurt.  And I alone won't fail at mending broken hearts when friends hurt the kids' feelings.

There will be a real cook in the house.  One who makes meals.  That actually taste good.

Someone else will be here to carry the never-ending mountains of laundry down two flights of stairs to the basement.

I won't have to eat lunch alone in a restaurant reading a newspaper.

I won't have to walk through the house with the cell phone hoping for great reception in a room that won't dump our call into the black hole abyss of dropped calls.  Or hold my free hand over one ear while squishing the cell phone up to my other ear as tightly as possible so I can hear him better.  Because even a call that I can barely hear him is better than no call at all.

I'll be able to get mad at someone else, other than the kids, for using up all the hot water just before my shower.  Or for using my towel.  Or for forgetting to put a new roll of toilet paper in the bathroom on the dispenser.



We'll watch the kids as they catch fireflies with the sun drifting off into the horizon.  We'll both hear the baby as he tries to say new words and watch as he climbs into things he has no business climbing into.

We'll stay up late and talk about our dreams and plans.  And listen to the kids giggling upstairs as they pretend to fall asleep.

I won't go to sleep every night feeling all alone in a house full of sleeping children.



We'll be a family again.  All together, as we should be.  What a journey we've made to get back to exactly where we belong."

Thank you, Heather, for letting us share this on our blog.  

To follow Heather's blog and read more about her experiences during the UT, click here.  

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend...and remember...

Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.  ~John Shirley

 

Don't forget...

We will conduct an interactive in-person and virtual "Orientation Session" with MHN tomorrow at 09:00 AM EDT in the FLO office.  Participants may call in to participate virtually.

Please email FLOaskUT@state.gov for details.

Hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July!