It's a new year and a new season. Paris is inching towards springing, warming and sunshining up then dropping a bunch of chilliness at random intervals. This morning I woke up to sunshine and sat in a beam of it for 15 minutes. The birds are singing and it feels like it'll be a lovely day.
It's been awhile. I haven't written. I have no good excuse. In Mali, my world shrank a bit to the immediate, my surroundings and reactions to things right in front of me. Paris offers a backdrop of beauty, history and non-threatening foreign-ness that has been a pleasure and a relief to revel in. Somehow, though, my blog and desire to write got left behind. I'd like to say I'll do better, but no promises.
Looking back to the last time I posted, not much has changed. I'm still in France and still enjoying the heck out of it. Many visitors have come through: friends, family, friends of friends, and so on. It's been fantastic! Guests are a great way to get out and see some of the more touristy things that I haven't gotten to yet, and also to go places I may never have gone.
Work toodles on. I moved to the American Citizen Services part of the consular section and loved the work there. It was like being a social worker on speed with little training! It made me realize how good we Americans have it without really knowing it. In some cases, without crediting it. It makes me appreciate even more all the people who work in Embassies the world over, the local staff as much as the American staff, because of the work they do that very few people know about or appreciate. We help people at their worst, scariest moments, and that feels like doing something worthwhile.
Now I'm back on the visa side and also learning about fraud prevention work. It's an education and as world events - COVID-19, elections in various countries, etc - roll on by, our work continues.
The end of this Parisian dream is also rolling closer. This summer, I will head back to the U.S., spending some much needed quality time with family and friends before hitting the language books again. This time it's Khmer, the language of Cambodia, where I'll be working as the General Services Officer. I'm excited to go back to management work, back to Southeast Asia. It's going to be quite the adventure...
My dog Jacques is doing well and will of course be coming with me, both home and to Cambodia. He still has some behavioral problems, particularly with other dogs while on leash, but we're working on them. He will be three years old next month. He is my best friend.
One of my goals here in Paris was to be better about maintaining long distance relationships and friendships. Renewing my blog-writing is a part of this that I didn't quite get around to 'til now, but hopefully I can keep it up.
Time will tell. Until next time...
It's been awhile. I haven't written. I have no good excuse. In Mali, my world shrank a bit to the immediate, my surroundings and reactions to things right in front of me. Paris offers a backdrop of beauty, history and non-threatening foreign-ness that has been a pleasure and a relief to revel in. Somehow, though, my blog and desire to write got left behind. I'd like to say I'll do better, but no promises.
Looking back to the last time I posted, not much has changed. I'm still in France and still enjoying the heck out of it. Many visitors have come through: friends, family, friends of friends, and so on. It's been fantastic! Guests are a great way to get out and see some of the more touristy things that I haven't gotten to yet, and also to go places I may never have gone.
Work toodles on. I moved to the American Citizen Services part of the consular section and loved the work there. It was like being a social worker on speed with little training! It made me realize how good we Americans have it without really knowing it. In some cases, without crediting it. It makes me appreciate even more all the people who work in Embassies the world over, the local staff as much as the American staff, because of the work they do that very few people know about or appreciate. We help people at their worst, scariest moments, and that feels like doing something worthwhile.
Now I'm back on the visa side and also learning about fraud prevention work. It's an education and as world events - COVID-19, elections in various countries, etc - roll on by, our work continues.
The end of this Parisian dream is also rolling closer. This summer, I will head back to the U.S., spending some much needed quality time with family and friends before hitting the language books again. This time it's Khmer, the language of Cambodia, where I'll be working as the General Services Officer. I'm excited to go back to management work, back to Southeast Asia. It's going to be quite the adventure...
My dog Jacques is doing well and will of course be coming with me, both home and to Cambodia. He still has some behavioral problems, particularly with other dogs while on leash, but we're working on them. He will be three years old next month. He is my best friend.
One of my goals here in Paris was to be better about maintaining long distance relationships and friendships. Renewing my blog-writing is a part of this that I didn't quite get around to 'til now, but hopefully I can keep it up.
Time will tell. Until next time...
