We've been here for two months now, and until today I've been in relatively generic training (first training for all incoming officers, and now training for new political/economic officers). This afternoon I got a chance to have my first consultations with people who work on Lithuanian issues. I met the person who is called the desk officer (he works in DC and is post's main contact back at State), as well as the person who will be one of my bosses in Vilnius, and a whole bunch of other people. I got to sit in on a briefing from a neighboring country, which was also very cool. Everyone was helpful and made time to explain background information, and also answer my random questions about what I've learned so far. It turns out that during the second half of my time in Lithuania, their president will hold the rotating EU presidency for 6 months. That means lots of work for me, but it will be very exciting. I've got to read up on how the EU works. All I know now is that it's complicated! Today was one of those days where I can't believe that they actually hired me to do this job - it's gonna be awesome!!
I mentioned that I'm in the middle of training for new political/economic officers. I've had to reach back into my somewhat distant memory on macroeconomic topics: GDP, balance of payments, current account deficits... I'm actually expected to report on this stuff! I also practiced giving a "demarche," which is a fancy [French] word for a message from Washington to an official in the host government. I understand that we'll be delivering these messages on a fairly regular basis, and then reporting back on their answer (or lack thereof). For me, this is much easier than public speaking! Speaking of which, I practiced giving another speech today. The feedback was more positive this time, but I still have a bad habit of trailing off at the end of sentences (I do it because I can't seem to decide how to finish the sentence... hum...guess I should work on that).
Some of my classmates are getting ready to leave; several will leave as soon as next month. They are going all over the world with different "portfolios" of work, such as piracy in the Indian Ocean, cultural affairs in the Philippines, consular work in Europe or political/economic issues in Sudan. I'll start training for how to be a consular officer pretty soon - that includes all the regulations related to visas as well as helping American citizens abroad. If you're planning a trip overseas, be sure to check in with the Embassy in that country - in case something happens while you are there (i.e. earthquake in Japan), they will be able to help you get home safely, or alert you to options that are available. Just a plug. :)
No homework tonight, so I guess it's time to watch some Jonny (aka The Daily Show) and then get some rest. More Excel spreadsheets to come tomorrow!
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