The Foreign Service Journal, June 2011

J U N E 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 57 A F S A N E W S AFSA Elections Votes for the 2011 AFSA Officer and Governing Board election are being tabulated on June 2, 2011, and results will appear in the next issue. AFSA WELCOMES NEW STAFF MEMBER AFSA welcomes Andrew Large to our labor management staff. Andrew is the new staff attorney in our State Department office, assisting our members with a variety of issues. He was born in Syracuse, N.Y. and spent most of his life in Richmond, Va. He has a law degree from Catholic University — class of 2010 — where he focused on labor, employment and administrative law. Most im- portantly, Andrew says, he has been a Washington Capitals fanatic since 1989. You may get in touch with Andrew at (202) 647-8160 or LargeA@state.gov. FOREIGN SERVICE YOUTH FOUNDATION’S ANNUAL WELCOME BACK PICNIC Please join us on Sept. 18, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., at Nottoway Park, 9601 Courthouse Rd., Vienna, Va., for a picnic in honor of all Foreign Service families who have recently returned to the D.C. area from an overseas assignment. This annual picnic of- fers food and fun for the entire family. This year, the picnic will feature a carnival theme complete with a magician, face painter and games. FSYF will provide hamburgers (including a vege- tarian option), hot dogs and drinks. Please bring a salad, side dish or dessert to share. All Foreign Service families are invited. Come make new friends, reconnect with old friends and wel- come home your colleagues. RSVP to fsyf@fsyf.org by Sept. 17. ANNOUNCING THE PUBLICATION OF AFSA’S INSIDE A U.S. EMBASSY: DIPLOMACY AT WORK We are delighted to announce the publication of Inside a U.S. Embassy: Diplomacy at Work , the third edition of AFSA’s popular in- troduction to the Foreign Service. This all-new volume rolled off the presses on April 8 and is now available. The new book includes pro- files, day-in-the-life chronicles and stories from 82 Foreign Service members serving at more than 50 U.S. posts around the world. It has been greatly expanded to include guides to the hiring process (State FSO and FSS, USAID, FCS, FAS and IBB) and sections on the country team and the Foreign Service career and life. AFSA is offering a significant discount on orders for 10 or more books placed by any American embassy, consulate or other U.S. mis- sion worldwide. The discount is 45 percent off the list price of $22.95. At 100 copies, discounts increase to 50 percent off, and any orders over 200 copies are 55 percent off. To obtain a discount, or- ders must be placed through AFSA’s distributor, Potomac Books: e-mail pbimail@presswarehouse.com or call (703) 661-1548 or (800) 775-2518. Inside a U.S. Embassy: Diplomacy at Work (ISBN 978-0-9649488- 46) is also available through the AFSA Web site, most online book- sellers and many book stores. Please visit www.afsa.org/inside for more information and to order. Questions? Contact embassybook@afsa.org. AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 50 airline had mistakenly sent them as accompanied baggage, not as cargo. The dogs were sent to quarantine, while I headed to a sleep- less night at the airport hotel. In themorning, the head of quar- antine at first insisted the dogs be returned to Kigali; but after much cajoling, he finally agreed to send them on to Maputo. TheAFSA pet survey revealed other concerns by FS pet own- ers. Many cited the difficulty in interpreting regulations from country to country, the paper-work and health certificates re- quired, airline rules and,most importantly, the health and safety of the animal while in transit. Unaccompanied tours present additional problems. The AFSA survey asked if there was interest in in-home pet foster care similar to what the military support network already pro- vides to its members. (Military personnel have NetPets, which has placed 13,000 pets in foster care in homes over the last 10 years.) Fifty-six percent of respondents said they were interested in such a service, and 26 percent indicated theymay be. Fully 75 percent of respondents expressed interest in a pet relocation pro- gram (paid for by the pet owner) that would provide transport for their pet or companion animal. Having pets in the Foreign Service can be complicated, but then a lot about the Foreign Service is complicated! The good news is that you don’t have to face these complications alone. Our survey showed that many people are unaware of FSPets, a Yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSPets, an d Foreign Affairs Friends of Animals Network on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=298021694910. Jo in both groups tomake your next transition/evacuation less stress- ful and more compassionate for your loving pets. Pets • Continued from page 55 TRANSITION CENTER SCHEDULE OF COURSES for June-July 2011 June 4 MQ802 Communicating Across Cultures June 7 MQ115 Explaining America June 8 MQ000 LGBT in the FS June 11 MQ116 Protocol June 13-15 MQ110 DCM Spouse Seminar June 16-17 MQ104 Regulations, Allowances, and Finances June 20 MQ250 Young Diplomats Day June 21 MQ914 Youth Security Overseas Seminar June 27 MQ250 Young Diplomats Day June 28 MQ914 Youth Security Overseas Seminar July 11 MQ250 Young Diplomats Day July 12 MQ914 Youth Security Overseas Seminar July 14 MQ703 Post Options for Employment/Training July 16 MQ116 Protocol July 18-20 MQ110 DCM Spouse Seminar July 25 MQ250 Young Diplomats Day July 26 MQ914 Youth Security Overseas Seminar To register or for further information, e-mail the FSI Transition Center at FSITCTraining@state.gov.