Egypt Day 16 & 17

Yesterday, we were invited to the US Embassy, where we listened to the Ambassador and several employees of the embassy talk about their jobs and their perspectives on American diplomacy. It was pretty interesting to hear the different paths that they took to get where they were. Working in foreign diplomacy strikes me as an exciting career option, one that, although maybe not on the top of my list, is very close to it. We were allowed to ask questions, and some issues I was wondering about came up:

-Apparently, it is actually possible to do diplomatic work and maintain a family life at the same time. All three embassy employees were married with kids, and all said moving around had been beneficial for them as a family and actually made them closer. Although keeping in touch with family and friends at home is not the easiest thing, the existence of high-speed internet access, in tandem with fairly frequent home leave, has made the task much easier as of late.

-Balancing your personal views with the foreign policy objectives you work for, according to the staff, is easier than one would think. For starters, much of the output of Embassies is pretty apolitical work in areas such as consular affairs, management, cultural affairs and assembling reports to Congress. Furthermore, all mentioned that, even if they didn't agree with specific policies, at the end of the day they felt their work did far more harm than good.

-I found it interesting that one concern the State Department has about employees is the possibility of "going native", which could interfere with an employee's ability to do their job. As such, postings are usually limited to 3 or 4 years, and home leave is offered every 6 months, I believe. I can see how moving around that much would be disruptive, but it would be a great way to see the world.

-A shared experience among several of the people who talked to us was one of being sent someplace unexpected. Although you can request where you go, the chances your request will be granted is fairly low. The ambassador got into the Foreign Service imagining she'd waltz between European capitals for a few years. She wound up in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Yesterday was also my older host brother's last day in Egypt. As I write this, he's almost arrived at his final destination, Arizona. I'm very thankful for all the hospitality and good cheer he's shown me over the last 2 ½ weeks. Here's hoping he has as an amazing time in the US as I am having in Egypt!