by Bobbie Bergesen

by J.R. Bullington

by Bobbie Bergesen

by J. R. Bullington Storks and rains The annual rains, along with the migratory storks that always accompany them, arrived early this year,promising relief from food shortages and threatened famine. Substantial expanses of greenery now mark the orange-brown landscape; dry … Continued

by J.R. Bullington

by Rick Sherman The author, now retired in Washington, D.C., served as a career U. S. diplomat from 1966 to 1993. Among his six posts abroad, he was consul general at Auckland, New Zealand. See a previous contribution of his … Continued

A BRAZILIAN DIPLOMAT in Lisbon first mentioned Tróia to my husband and me soon after our arrival in the late 1960s. His enthusiastic description of the place sent us there on the next springlike Sunday. My husband, Alf, had been … Continued

Lauren Wilcox, a Brown University graduate, now studies creative writing in a Masters program at the University of Florida in Gainesville. In June 2000, she made her second visit to Cuba with a group sponsored by the Church of Reconciliation … Continued

When Jim Bullington, a former U.S. ambassador and regular contributor to these pages, decided he’d had enough of retirement, he applied for a Peace Corps position and soon found himself in West Africa. He promised to keep our readers posted … Continued

ENTERED ON ACTIVE DUTY with the Foreign Service in September 1968. Like most first-tour, single officers of that era, my initial assignment was in Vietnam with the joint civilian-military operation CORDS. After a year I was transferred to the embassy … Continued

As the author, a retired U. S. Foreign Service officer, observes, “For most of us, making history is not in the cards. But,for any of us a close brush with history can happen any time — perhaps without our knowing!” … Continued

The author lived in Havana as a Foreign Service spouse in the 1990s. Here she presents — in fictional form — an impression of Cuban life at that time. ~ Ed.   THE SEA STRETCHES OUT, LUMINOUS AND BLUE, to … Continued

The author served in the American embassy in Ottawa and as Canadian desk officer in the Department of State, 1947-1951. Ambassador Dale retired after thirty years in the Foreign Service in 1975.– Ed.   AT AN INFORMAL RECEPTION given by … Continued

  We agreed to finish out our tour in Ankara, Turkey, by filling an unexpected staffing gap at the Consulate in Istanbul. In exchange for camping out for five months with only 400 lbs of air freight trucked to us … Continued

by Edward L. Peck   Ambassador Peck, a thirty-two-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, now retired in the Washington, DC, area, recounts one of his less run-of-the-mill experiences as the principal officer of a small U.S. consulate.      ~ Ed. , … Continued

by Carl Fritz Our vision of China today is that of an emerging gigantic economic and military power, one with a huge trade surplus with the United States and a reputation sullied by violations of human rights, spying to obtain … Continued

Port-au-Prince (Haiti) – le vendredi 14 avril 1972 Une Visite au Foyer “Alice Garoute” à Cazeau By Jack L Nixon He also serves who only stands and waits, or who only visits USAID-supported rural schools and waits. The author made … Continued

Medical Encounters in Cuba, Late 1990’s Doctors for Dollars By Patricia Linderman The author, a U.S. Foreign Service spouse since 1990, describes diplomatic life in Castro’s Cuba during recent years. Mrs. Linderman is now serving with her husband at a … Continued

The author discusses the uncommon instance of a private banker conducting official bilateral talks potentially of considerable national and international importance. Dr. Kilgroe, who teaches U.S. History at North Carolina State University, earned a Ph.D. at the University of North … Continued

Beginning a Diplomatic Career: Embassy Panama, 1959-1961
by Peter Bridges