A Daring Adventure: Foreign Service Pets

In Our Same Boat (with State)

Beyond the Cornfields
Brand-new State Department family in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Love their two little girls (she just recently had a baby while being posted in Dhaka), horticulture, traveling and adventure!
Email From The Embassy
State Department family formerly in Beijing, China, and recently posted to Amman, Jordan. A trailing spouse, she's also a writer, and frequently publishes articles with major news sources. A very experienced State family, this new post is something like overseas post number six or seven for them.
Just US
A beautiful family of seven - they have arrived at their new post: Jerusalem! They just finished off an unaccompanied tour to Iraq and are very much looking forward to sightseeing around the middle east.
Our Life
State Department family on their second post...Tijuana, Mexico. It's their first overseas assignment and they have two little boys. They love Tijuana so far and post pictures frequently! They also get to enjoy the best of both worlds for they can sneak over the border into San Diego when they want to!
The Dinoia Family
State Department family formerly in California, now in DC for a DC tour. Next, the husband will do a one year unaccompanied tour. A very experienced State family (formerly in Iceland and Caracas) with a blog that has been around quite a while and has great archives. Jen has a sweet heart and a lot to give!
The Perlman Update
State Department family formerly in Chennai, India, who then did a year-long unaccompanied tour in Iraq. They are now on a DC tour and after that will do another unaccompanied tour (Afghanistan). She totally tells it like it is and doesn't sugar-coat what life is really like. Witty, snarky, funny and down-to-earth. Look elsewhere if you want fake. Read if you want REAL.
Where in the World Am I?
State Department family formerly in Bujumbura, Burundi and now in Hyderabad, India. They just had their first baby this summer - a beautiful little girl- (there's a separate blog about this) and she also eats gluten-free (with a separate blog, also).

Can't Live Without (non-State)

Crass-Pollination: An ER blog
The best ER nurse blog EVER!
Doctor Grumpy in the House
The best doctor blog EVER!
In Which...
My IRL friend, a stay-at-home, homeschooling Mama of seven. Her darling daughters are, goshdarnit, probably too young to be hoped for as my future daughters-in-law.
The Crib Chick
My IRL friend, a stay-at-home, homeschooling Mama of five. Hopefully two (Any two! I'm not picky!) of which are my future daughters-in-law.
the underwear drawer
An anesthesiologist who is possibly the most talented & entertaining writer ever. I've read her blog ever since she started medical school. No, don't know her in real life. Wish I did.
The Bloggess
This blog is both hysterically funny and hilariously irreverent. I actually let my 17 year old son read it (who loves it as much as I do!), but wouldn't even CONSIDER letting my 12 year old son read it. Which is about all the description it needs!

04/15/2012

Bigger Than You and Me

So much to say.

First of all, have you read Jill's latest Foreign Service BRU (Blog RoundUp)? If you haven't, then you're missing out!

Also, I have two other issues to bring to your attention...

1.) United Airlines has made it tons more difficult and SCADS more expensive for those of us in the Foreign Serivce who are pet owners to take our beloved pets with us when we move overseas. United has knowingly exempted members of the U.S. military from their insanely expensive new rules (noting that the military serves its country, as though we don't or something??), but refuses to exempt us. And yes, these new policies will be dire for pet-owning Foreign Service families.

A dear, sweet girlfriend of mine is collecting stories of Foreign Service pets and she has been posting them (and will continue to post them) on her blog, the name of which is At Post. If you are a Foreign Service pet owner, please consider sending her your pet's photos and story for inclusion. You can email your stories and pictures to her at: kennedyas(at sign)yahoo.com, and you can read more about this project on her blog's sidebars.

We want to show United Airlines that their policies are hurting real families with real pets. Pets who are dear to us. Many of whom have even been rescued from difficult circumstances all over the world:

To keep up with the happenings in regards to United and our pets, you can track the updates on AFSA's website.

2.) Speaking of, have I mentioned that I LOOOOOOOves me some AFSA?

Oh yes, my friends, me a AFSA are like peas and carrots. Peanut butter and jelly. Or, if you're in Chengdu... like chicken feet and spicy veggies. (I'll be the chicken feet. They can be the veggies. I love you that much, AFSA!) We just... go together.

So when my bestest buddies at AFSA wrote me and asked if I could help get the word out about a very, very worthwhile cause, I was all HELLS YEAH, MAH PEEPZ!! And a worthwhile cause it is.

So- calling all of you who are federal employees! You know who you are. You're the ones universally hated by Congress, and blamed for all of the financial ills of not just our country but all of the countries of the world, somehow. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. And it's time to help one of our own.

Her name is Hannah, and she is brave. And sweet. And a brand-new State Department employee. And unexpectedly battling cancer. And in dire need of your leave donations. Watch her video and you will understand why:

Any federal employee can donate leave to her. Here's how. Let's make it so that worrying about her leave balance is the last thing on her mind as she walks the difficult path ahead of her.

And can I just say?

Hannah is extraordinary. Were *I* the one in her position, my video would be of me whining. And crying. And probably cursing the skies. Because I'm just...um...less sweet and less patient than she is. But her video is nothing like mine would be.

And I am in awe of her.