The Foreign Service Journal, May 2014

36 MAY 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL importantly, our Afghan partners. During practices and on game day, I played small forward and in the final seconds, I made the last basket of the game—which to me symbolized the success that all women can achieve. In Kabul and other major cities in Afghanistan, enormous progress has been made in women’s rights since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion brought down the Taliban regime that banned girls from going to school and women fromworking. This event, which received worldwide news coverage fromCNN, Reuters and the New York Times , was a show of support for women throughout Afghanistan, and it was an honor to participate. I N D I A Heading to the Embassy in a Nice Suit and Tie By Justin Davis Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Returning to the office from a meeting in New Delhi, I hailed a taxi, jumped inside and asked the driver to take me to the Ameri- can embassy. Before putting the car in drive, he took another moment to watch me as I scrambled to fasten my seatbelt and catch my breath. He could tell I was somewhat disheveled and in a hurry. As he pulled away, amidst the cacophony of horns behind us, he asked where I was from. “The United States,” I told him. His eyes grew round in surprise. Seeming not to believe me, he asked, “Why are you heading to the embassy in such a nice suit and tie?” I told him I was a U.S. diplomat posted there. He seemed puzzled, and confessed that he had never seen or heard of a black American diplomat. I smiled, “We come in all colors.” After a hearty guffaw, he, too, smiled, and responded in broken English: “I see. I enjoy America’s diversity, happy to get you where you need to go.” He sped up the car and helped me get safely to my destination. It’s times like that when I am proud to call myself a U.S. diplo- mat. W A S H I N G T O N , D . C . A Hero’s Welcome By Vella G. Mbenna Hometown: Midway, Ga. As an information management specialist, I did a hometown diplomat stint at an elementary school in Midway in 2013. Ner- vous as heck, I was greeted with a hero’s welcome by adminis- trators, teachers and the nicest fifth-graders I have ever met. I had donned one of my African dresses and had set up a table filled with African and South American relics and fabrics on display. After my presentation, I spent another hour and a half speaking with the adults at the school about the Foreign Service and how to apply. I left the classroom extremely proud to be a part of this orga- nization that others in my small town were so interested in. M O N G O L I A The Land of Genghis Khan Revisited By Joseph E. Zadrozny Hometown: Houston, Texas Mongolia still has the ring of the remote and exotic, the land of Genghis Khan. It certainly did in 1992, when I first stepped off the plane, only five years after the United States and Mongolia had established diplomatic relations. I was part of the second group of Peace Corps Volunteers in the country, and the first group to be assigned outside of the capital. Twenty years later, I found myself back in Mongolia, this time as a diplomat. My proudest moment was meeting a former stu- dent, who is now a teacher herself, teaching English. Mongolia will always hold a special place in my heart. M A U R I T A N I A Sheltering Local Employees in a Crisis By Gregory McLerran Hometown: Alexandria, Va. It was 2 a.m. when the phone rang in my home on the compound of Embassy Nouakchott. One of the Foreign Service Rose Naputi