In March, 36 weeks of Chinese language training seemed like such a huge endeavor - how could we possibly learn to speak basic Mandarin by November? Just yesterday we received our final test scores certifying that we not only passed, but passed with flying colors. I am incredibly proud of my husband who worked tirelessly … Continue reading Celebrating the Completion of Mandarin Language Training
Category: United States
Language Training in the Time of Zoom
We just finished week 18 of 36 for Mandarin Chinese language training, so we are officially halfway done! I’ve been meaning to write about language training ever since we started, but we only had two weeks at FSI before COVID-19 lockdowns and we went to Zoom online instruction. We were really dreading online classes, but … Continue reading Language Training in the Time of Zoom
Flag Day 3.0!
How many people can say they've done Flag Day 3 times in less than 3 years? Actually, multiple Flag Days aren't that uncommon given how many Consular Fellows become career Foreign Service Officers or tandem couples. 🙂 In our case, we had our first Flag Day in 2017 when my husband became a Consular Fellow. … Continue reading Flag Day 3.0!
The Make Believe Embassy
Only a foreign service kid has 'embassy' as one of their first 50 words. "Okay. Now you need to get dressed and then we will go to the Embassy!" She tells her baby brother who happily crawls after her - just thrilled to be included in her game. She'll wander into the room I'm in … Continue reading The Make Believe Embassy