State Department Blogger Map

                   Putting State Department Bloggers on the Map:



View State Department Bloggers in a larger map


Click here to see a larger version of this map with a list of all of the places and bloggers.


Purple Pins:    Current Posts

Yellow Pins:    Former Posts

Aqua Pins:      Future Posts

I developed this map because I'd always thought that it would be wonderful if there was an easy way to link State bloggers with their current or past posts.  State bloggers are living at post/taking pictures of post/talking about their areas, and are a treasure trove for folks considering bidding on or heading to that post.  It also helps us all stay connected with each other.

Furthermore, I am constantly getting emails from people wanting to know if I know of a State blogger in (name anywhere on the planet)!


The map is fully interactive- go put your cursor on it.  You can move it around, click on the pins, zoom in and out, etc.  You can also click here to go to a larger version of the map.   Viewing this larger version is a much better bet if you want to more than just glance at it, and the bigger version is better for those with slow internet connections, for it lists all the pins on the side of the page.


RULES FOR THE MAP:


1.)  I would never add a blog unless asked to by the blogger.  If you're a State blogger and would like to have a pin placed on the map (representing a current  - purple - or even a past - yellow - or future - aqua - post you've blogged about), just leave me a comment here or email me at:  a_daring_adventure(at sign)yahoo.com and I'll glady add you!  The more blogs get added, the more useful the map will be! 


2.)  When I add a blog, Google sticks the "pin" in an exact latitude/longitude location.  My first choice, for safety reasons, is to drop the pin in a large body of water (like an ocean or lake), because that makes it totally obvious that you don't live or work there.  If that's not available close by, I use other locations like national parks, borders, etc. - I'm looking for areas that obviously can't be where you are.  Be sure to check your pin and its blog link for accuracy (I can also add whatever biographical information you'd like in the information section) AND, for safety reasons, be sure the pin hasn't been dropped anywhere near where you actually live! 


3.)  While I hate (HATE!) to exclude anyone at any time, I am putting pins up on this map only for hired State personnel.  I hate that this excludes, especially since some of my favorite State blogs are applicants... but I promise I'll add pins the minute any blogging applicant starts A-100 or Specialist class! 


Thanks!

Comments

[shannon]

OK put a pin in Lilongwe Malawi please.

[A Daring Adventure]

Done, Shannon! I dropped the pin in a Lilongwe river! :) Thanks for participating!!

[SugarMama TulipGirl]

Can you change the colors of the pins? Like, red pins being current locations and blue pins be previous locations?

[A Daring Adventure]

Done, SugarMama Tulip Girl! I put active posts in purple, and former posts in yellow! And thank you for thinking of that- I never thought to look to see if those pin things were customizable! Duh...

[Lauren Geraghty]

Can you add a pin for me/us please? We leave for our first post on Thursday (Oslo, Norway). I'm very excited. And by the way, I was visiting a mutual friend and ate some of your chess bars!!!! They are to die for! Could you post the recipe on your blog?

[A Daring Adventure]

Hey Lauren! Your pin has been added! Good luck at your first post! Also, I've put the recipe in my comments section before, but I'll do it again!

Here's the totally awesome recipe for:

CHESS BARS

First you're going to make what is basically like a graham cracker crust, only you're making it out of:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg

Beat those together. Take this mixture and mush it along the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking pan. With your fingers- like a graham cracker crust.

On top of that, you're going to pour a beaten mixture of:

1 eight ounce package cream cheese (softened)
1 box powdered sugar
2 eggs

Beat all that together until it's smooth, then pour it over the crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes, or until the top is sort of evenly browning.

This is, without a doubt, hands down my guys' (yes, all of them) favorite dessert!

[Lauren]

OK, pin me purple in Dhaka, Bangladesh

[A Daring Adventure]

Done, Lauren in Dhaka! Be sure to double check what I did to make sure it's correct!

[Emily]

It's me, and I am currently in Tijuana.

[Liz]

You can add me in Kabul, Afghanistan!

[Bridget]

this is so awesome!

I love the different color pins, but doesn't that mean you'll be doing double work changing everyone's pin color all the time? People can certainly figure out where to find past post info or whatever when they pull up a blog. just a thought.

this is so great! wonder where my pin will go??!!

[Bridget]

btw on Digger's Azerbaijan pin, it reads Azerbaijan, Armenia- should be Baku, Azerbaijan (I think).

[A Daring Adventure]

@ Emily & @ Liz - Done, ladies! And thank you both for taking part from two quite edgy posts! :)

@ Bridget - You're sweet to worry about my work load. Actually, it's easier to just put past-pins, current-pins and future-pins up for the same blogger all at once when I have their info/blog link all ready to go. And it's super easy to flip a pin's color when they come/go, so I'm actually totally happy to put up future pins, etc., and just flip the color!

And you know how you said you can't wait to see where your pins go? Girl, that makes two of us! Well, actually, you have a wicked blog following, so there are LOTS of folks who can't wait to see where your pins end up!! :)

[A Daring Adventure]

Oh, and @ Bridget - thank you for helping me catch errors. I've emailed Digger to make sure exactly where her past post pin's supposed to go! I'm sure you're right, though. I can't even tell you how geographically challenged I am. This pin thing is actually really, REALLY good for me. It's shocking how sucky my geography skillz are...

[A Daring Adventure]

Let the record reflect that I have no idea where anything is. Anywhere. We're reasonably safe if anyone is posted in, like, FLORIDA, but once we leave there, y'all's pins are seriously in jeopardy.

Double-check, people! I have now been caught creating entire cities/countries that don't even exist!

[Sadie]

You can put a purple pin in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for me. (West coast of SA, near Mecca, on the Red Sea.)

[Devon]

Brilliant! Really, thanks for doing this. Great idea! I am still in Falls Church, but leaving for Brussels, Belgium in less than a month. I would love to be included... Many thanks for your brilliant idea and hard work to make it happen.

[Bridget]

you are too funny Kolbi!
this is so terrific. thank you!

[Devon]

Not sure my last comment came through as I don't see it here in the list. I said: "This is brilliant and I would love to be included. I wish, as Eve said, that I had had this during the bidding stage! Thanks for the great idea and for the hard work that went into making it happen. Devonnaire is currently in Falls Church, but am anxious to arrive in Brussels, Belgium in less than a month! Brava!

[A Daring Adventure]

@ Sadie and @ Devon - You got it, ladies! Check your pins to make sure I got everything right, okay?

@ Bridget - :)

[Jan]

Super smart, as always. I'm in Recife, Brazil. Thanks!

[hannah]

All over it - awesome idea! Riyadh, KSA - former; Istanbul, Turkey - current.

[A Daring Adventure]

Hey @ hannah and @ Jan! I've got y'all up there! Just do me a favor and make sure everything is correct, okay? And thanks for letting me add you!

[Linsey]

We are currently in DC, but have been in Lima, Peru, and Caracas, Venezuela, and are headed to Beijing, China, in the summer of 2012. You can put any and all of those pins on your map if you'd like. What a great idea!

[Ashley Sherwood]

We'd be happy to join the map. We're in Cairo, and going to Baku in 2012. Thanks for setting this up!

[Kaitlinfso.wordpress.com]

I love the map!!! Will you place me in Hermosillo, MX? http://kaitlinfso.wordpress.com/

[Spectrummy Mummy]

Please can you add me to the map- currently blogging from Falls Church. Thanks!

[bryn]

You can put a current pin in London for me. :) This is a good idea...especially for bidding research. :)

[Lisa]

Love the map! Can you put a pin in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for me.

[Naoma]

Kolbi...you have AMAZING ideas! The State Dept. needs you to do something very cool for them. They don't know about you yet and all the great stuff you do. But when they do, you'll be getting some knocks on your door. This is something that the FLO should know you're doing. As a newbie, sitting in those family preparedness classes at FSI, it would have made a WORLD of difference to know about all of these connections. You are just a natural "connector" (the CLO position is the only one I can think of that would PAY you to do what you already do so well).

All of that to say, please put me on the map! =) Kenya, Uganda & Macedonia (you win the prize if you can find MK without referring to google maps...) were all blogged about at LeesOnTheGo.

Thumbs up to Kolbi!
NKL

[rk]

This is so great! Please add me - we're in Quito, Ecuador, and formerly in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Thanks!!

[Spectrummy Mummy]

Can you aqua me up in Johannesburg for summer 2010, please?

[Nathan]

this is cool! can you add Tripoli, Libya for me (Fawda Munathema)?

[Clare Orvis]

This is unbelievable! What a brilliant idea. I'm a new junior officer in Jakarta, Indonesia. (clorvis.wordpress.com)

[Justin]

You can list our blog under Nogales Mexico - headed to post in 2 weeks!

www.bythewhere.com

[Carla @ I Run, You Run]

Can you add me to the map? I have a running blog that's turning into a State Dept blog as well (Flag Day was on Monday -- we're off to Manila in April!)

[Sunny]

Sorry I haven't said anything earlier. We would love to be on the map. We were in the Philippines, now in Arlington, soon going to Brussels.

[Sarah Novak]

Gosh this is brilliant! You are such a phenom! :)

Can you kindly add www.novakistan.com?

In Manila through July 1, 2011
Then training in DC through June 1, 2012
Then Lima, Peru through June 1, 2014

[Sarah Novak]

I see now that you have Minnesotagal listed. It has moved permanently to Novakistan now. Can you update the link and add us to the map? I can't wait to meet you in person someday, you cool cat!

[Rebecca]

This is a great idea. Put a pin in Dakar, Senegal. www.smylie.wordpress.com.

[Judie]

What a great idea. Please add a pin for Prague and thank you for all you do to keep us straight.

[bfiles]

a little late, but would you add me to Santo Domingo, DR? Thank you Kolbi!

[Sarah]

Hi, can you put a pin in for Nogales, MX? Thanks! (www.bythewhere.com)

[3rd Culture Children]

This is really a great way to share information and track blogs on posts! Please add us: purple pin for Recife, PE, Brazil (2010-2012) and yellow to Maputo, Mozambique (2006-2008). thanks!

[Kate]

Kolbi, we are in DC now and headed to Brasilia, Brazil in July 2011. Thanks for doing this!

http://pullingstakes.blogspot.com/

[Michele]

Where's my pin? Hmph :)

[Jackie]

Hi, I'm currently writing from Vientiane, Laos. I love your map, and all the info you've provided in your blog :)! http://pryoradventures.blogspot.com/

[Lisa]

Dear Great and Powerful State Department Map Maintainer, please add a pin for What were we thinking? in Tijuana, Mexico. You are awesome. http://polillo-family.blogspot.com/

[James and Sarah Talalay]

great map, we'd be honored to be added as a current posting to chennai, india:

http://hellotalalay.blogspot.com/

thanks, sarah and james talalay

[Chelsea]

Hi! I just realized I've been in Shenyang for 3 months but never asked to be put on the map. So... could you please? :)

[Christopher]

Just arrived in Nepal for our 3rd tour, and just started a new blog...I don't see any purple pins in Kathmandu, so I'll represent! Thanks for doing this!!!

[Becky]

You are welcome to pop my pin in Nuevo Laredo now in case that will help someone down the road. Thanks Kolbi!

[lynne]

Can you put a "current" pin for St. Petersburg Russia and a "last post" pin for Malta? Thanks!

[k @ there is fun to be done]

Could you please add a pretty little current post pin for me in Guadalajara, Mexico. And a future post in Chengdu, China!
Cheers!

[Spectrummy Mummy]

Yay! We're here. Can you change my yellow South Africa flag to a pretty purple one, please?

[Caroline Wright]

Are you still doing this? Can you go ahead and add my blog? We've been in Manila, Philippines a while but don't know our next posting yet. Thanks so much. I've enjoyed reading yours. Caroline

[Heather Dray]

OkeeDokee, plop me down on Cairo, Egypt (current, of course!) and you can put me down on Ohio (yippee) for past. Awesome map!

[WeMeantWell]

Please add me to your bloggers' map. I am assigned by State as a forced teleworker, so put my pin on Falls Church, Virginia, 22046 for www.wemenatwell.com

[Sara Roy]

Can you put down Manila for future? We arrive there in July!!

[Colleen O]

Pin in my husband and I in purple for Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Love this feature. Do you mind if I link to it from my own blog?

thegreatmigration.wordpress.com

[Ana Gaby]

This is awesome! Please add the Big Durian, also known as Jakarta Indonesia!

[Heather]

Wow, thanks for doing this!! Can you pin me in Bangkok? We'll be there in June/July, or is it too soon? Thank you so much!

[A Facebook User]

I am so excited to find this (these blogs!!) I don't even know where to start reading!

[carrie]

Not sure how I haven't seen this before as I have been following for some time now. Great idea! Please add a pin for us to Sri Lanka. Haven't blogged much lately but do have some photos up that might be of interest to those thinking of bidding Colombo.
moppyseedpuffin.blogspot.com

[Loren and Walter Braunohler]

Hi! We are currently in Bangkok, Thailand. Would you please add us to the list? Many thanks!

[ClementineAM]

This is great!

[Bryn]

We are no longer in London. We are now in Accra, Ghana.

[ClementineAM]

We're headed to Manila in June, my blog is at http://morningclementine.com