This year was my first Thanksgiving away from home so I was a little nervous that I would be homesick. It hasn't happened too much here, but once in a while, when the whole family is together or I see a picture on Facebook with all of my friends sharing a drink, I get that nagging feeling like I am missing out. Holidays are especially hard to be away from home. The familiar faces, smells, and tastes are not here, but the spirit of the day certainly was. Thanksgiving is about taking a moment to share a meal with those around you and appreciate all that you have. I feel forunate to live in a place where I am reminded every day of how blessed I am; not only for what is waiting for me when I get back - family, friends, a roof over my head, but what I have here. In this chaotic little pocket of the world we live in, where daily life is often frustrating and we are surrounded by suffering, friends are what keep us going. I have already said good-bye to so many people here who I can truly call friends, and in 2 weeks I will bid farewell to many more. If this nomadic lifestyle has taught me anything, it's that people are far more important than places. I have lived in beautiful locales and been terribly lonely and in crappy ones and have had the time of my life. I'll take the crappy places any day. The people are usually cooler.
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of attending the 237th Marine Birthday Ball. The event was hosted by the Marine Security Guard Detachment at our Embassy in Luanda. These 6 young men are an outstanding group of individuals who I am honored to call friends. Marines bravely protect our diplomats and classified information throughout the world....and they sure know how to throw a party!
SECRETARY CLINTON'S MESSAGE ON THE 237TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE US MARINE CORPS
On behalf of the entire Department of State family, I am honored to extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to you, the brave men and women of the U.S. Marine Corps, on the Corps' 237th birthday. "In every clime and place," Marines have repeatedly demonstrated
their valor and dedication to service; many have given the last full measure of devotion in defense of our liberty and freedom. To every Marine - those currently in uniform and those who have proudly worn it in the past - we thank you for your sacrifices, your courage, and your service to this country we all love.
This celebration provides all of us in the Department of State a special opportunity to acknowledge and thank all of the Marines who are serving and have served alongside our diplomatic personnel around the world. The Marine security guards in our embassies, consulates, and missions play a vital role in providing internal security to our facilities and vigilance over classified government information and equipment. These Marines do not just stand at "Post One" - they stand for the United States. In my travels, I have met many of our Marine security guards, and I am ceaselessly impressed by the manner in which they represent our country. We are likewise grateful to the many other Marines who even now are detailed to protect our facilities and personnel in volatile regions. For those you protect, it is a comfort to them to know that you are standing post, enhancing their safety and security, and enabling the vital work of our diplomatic and development professionals in a dangerous world.
Our Marine friends and colleagues have met unique challenges in supporting the Department, and they have - without exception - responded bravely and effectively.
They have responded to natural disasters, civil unrest, and violent attacks. They have defended the integrity of our facilities and worked courageously to save human life. I want to commend specifically the actions of Marines during recent incidents at our facilities throughout the world. Despite the dangers, their actions directly contributed to the safety of U.S. government personnel at these embassies, proving once again that every Marine lives the Corps' credo, "Semper Fidelis" - always faithful.
I join the entire State Department family, and indeed the entire country, in thanking all Marines, and especially those who have served and continue to serve side by side with the Department abroad, for selflessly performing their mission every single day and for being a Marine. We salute you and your work, today and every day.
Happy 237th birthday, Marines! Semper Fi!
*Special thanks go out to my favorite Marine, who is guarding the US Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia. As we all sat around the table and raised a glass, the Gunnery Sergeant remarked, "It takes a special kind of woman to love a Marine." Cheers to that!
Until you have to explain the concept of Halloween and the things we do to celebrate it to a foreigner, you never realize how weird it is. While teaching international students in Boston and Miami, this was one of my favorite times of year. I would do Halloween-related activities all week and tell my students that wearing a costume to school was mandatory. It was awesome. My students were always a bit apprehensive about it. They didn't believe me that adults wore costumes until they went out to the bars the weekend of Halloween and witnessed it for themselves. The slutty nurse costumes were particularly disturbing to the Muslim students, but even they rolled with it.
In Angola, it's a different story entireley. I'm not on my home turf here and Halloween was not welcomed with open arms, to say the least. In a culture where witchcraft is still very much alive and well, they do not take kindly to dressing up like ghosts and decorating houses with tombstones. It hits a little too close to home. A couple weeks ago, I introduced my university students to Halloween with a short story about a couple of kids who went trick or treating, but stumbled upon a haunted house. "Teacher, I don't like this story," was the first reaction I got. Then the questions started. Why do you celebrate this? What is the history? Do religious people celebrate Halloween? I tried and tried to convey the idea that it's only for fun and it really doesn't mean anything and that it's not a religious holiday, but my efforts were in vain. One student looked up the word Halloween in his Portuguese-English dictionary. The translation was Dia dos Santos (Day of Saints). That definitely didn't help my cause. I felt completely defeated as the students half-heartedly completed their assignments, keeping an eye on their heretical teacher who was unsuccessfully trying to immerse them in some sort of pagan ritual.
The following week, I was asked to give a presentation about American culture to a group of high school students. The topic - Halloween. This time I was prepared. I knew about this event a few weeks in advance and since I had just traveled to the US, I picked up some Halloween candy to bring back with me. From what I have witnessed, most of public diplomacy involves giving stuff to people so that they like us, and by association, our country. So I followed suit. After a brief presentation where I showed pictures of jack-o-lanterns and cute kids dressed up like clowns and super heroes, I let the candy flow. As soon as they had mini packets of Skittles and individually wrapped Reese's peanut butter cups in their hands, they were fully on board with Halloween. I made everyone say "trick or treat" before reaching into the plastic cauldron, which was purely for my amusement, as they had no idea what they were saying. The presentation also happened to be the day after the presidential election in the US, so I brought eleciton activity books that were sent to us from DC. Luckily, there was a page with my favorite activity - coloring! The students gently unwrapped their Starbursts and carefully filled in the Statue of Liberty's torch with a yellow crayon, and I thought, maybe this is how we get the rest of the world to like us - bags of fun-sized candy and boxes of Crayolas. I might be on to something here.
As you would imagine, Barack Obama is extremely popular around here for reasons that are completely superficial. Most of my students are certain that he was born in Africa but are less sure about the specific country. Needless to say, they were very excited about the outcome of last week's election. When I went to school on Wednesday, Angolans kept saying "congratulations!" oblivious to the fact that almost half of Americans were not feeling particularly congratulatory that day. At the embassy as well, there was an overall assumption that everyone who walked through those doors was "on our side," meaning that Obama is the second coming and Romney is the devil. In passing, people said things like, "good news, huh?" or "we really dodged a bullet there!" I've never discussed politics with my colleagues, so why do they think we are all on the same team? Maybe we are. Maybe we're not. The point is that the assumption is disturbing and leads me to believe there is little to no real political discourse going on within the State Department. It's Obama's biggest fan club and if you don't want to join, then you better keep quiet or you'll be labeled an outcast, or even worse a Republican. Oh, the horror!
Ambassador McMullen
On Tuesday afternoon, we invited young Angolans to the embassy for an election night party. We organized a mock election in which Obama won 29-1. Considering no one in the room had ever even heard of Romney, it didn't come as a shock. I am pretty sure the 1 vote for Romney came from a young woman who asked me to translate the candidate profile sheet about him. When I told her he was a businessman, she exclaimed, "Oooh I like that!"
I’m sorry Angola,
but the US
is just better. The past 8 months that I have spent in Angola is the longest period of time I’ve been
out of the US.
While other trips abroad, especially those to developing countries, really made
me appreciate home, this experience has brought that appreciation to a
whole new level. I found myself smiling to myself as I drove my own car to the
grocery store. I gazed at the autumn leaves and the clear, blue sky. It was
just your regular run-of-the-mill suburban side street, but to me, it was the
most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The fact that I was able to hop in my car
and go to Stop & Shop because I was really craving pumpkin spice creamer
for my coffee, was just about the most amazing feat I could imagine. Upon
arriving at the pristine store, full of shiny produce and clearly marked
aisles, I became overwhelmed. Just like my first time at an Angolan grocery
store, I walked around aimlessly, paralyzed by shock and awe. I didn’t put
anything in my cart. I think this is what they call reverse culture shock. Unlike
my Angolan shopping experience, where I felt lost and confused because I didn’t
see anything remotely edible, this time there were too many things I wanted. I
wanted it all. I went home and caught up on the DVR and just thought “Wow, this
country is awesome,” and I couldn’t understand why I ever left such an amazing
place.
The reason for my return was to attend my
brother’s wedding; therefore, much of the week leading up to the big day was
about pampering myself. Somewhere around the 4th or 5th month
of being here, I started to let myself go. No makeup, pedicures, or highlights.
I haven’t seen my blow dryer in ages and even started wearing flip flops to
work. Before arriving back in the States, I made an absurd amount of beauty
appointments – mani/pedi, facial, massage, haircut and color, eyebrow wax, you name it, I
had it done. At the wedding, all my family and friends
kept saying how great I looked. "Oh, thanks," I humbly replied, but what I
really wanted to say was, "I know! It took all week to look this good!"
The day before leaving for Angola, as my sister and I relaxed on the couch, I said "I can't imagine physically being back there." It seemed like a another world, another life. I was back to my real life, with my family and my friends who have known me for years, and I loved it. Don't get me wrong, coming here has been one of the best decisions I have ever made and I like my life here too, but nothing compares to home. So now I'm back, and like most things, the idea of it was worse than the reality. Since it took 3 days to get here, I was more than delighted to be "home" when I finally landed in Luanda. I spent the weekend catching up with friends and sleep. Now it's Monday and it feels like I never left.
* I have to give a special shout out to my #1 fan and new dad, Jimmy Riel. I'm looking forward to awkwardly holding Molly again.
