The Foreign Service Journal, April 2023

66 APRIL 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Please submit your favor- ite, recent photograph to be considered for Local Lens. Images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi at 8” x 10”, or 1 MB or larger) and must not be in print elsewhere. Include a short description of the scene/ event, as well as your name, brief biodata, and the type of camera used. Send to locallens@afsa.org . LOCAL LENS BY MIKE REGAL n GRAND HARBOUR, MALTA S ince the 1950s, modern rowing races, or “regattas,” involving club rowers, aspiring and professional, have taken place in the Grand Harbour of Malta. Their heritage, however, dates back to the Middle Ages as part of the island’s strong rowing culture. Here a four-man crew in a tal-pass boat practices the traditional Maltese rowing technique at sunset, possibly in anticipation of the annual 8th September Regatta. On this day, also known as Victory Day, the public celebrates the end of three sieges that occurred on the Malta islands in 1565, 1800, and 1943, respectively. n Mike Regal is a State Department regional medical officer psychiatrist with 10 years in the Foreign Service. He is stationed in Bangkok, with previous tours in Mexico City, Cairo, and Nairobi. This photo was taken in April 2019 using a Nikon D5200 digital SLR camera with a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR Lens.