The Foreign Service Journal, June 2012

34 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 1 2 strangers, are now my friends and trust me. They are still the first persons I run to when I need ad- vice on exchange programs, alumni affairs, speaker programs — you name it. And thanks to the training pro- grams I benefited from, this net- work extends beyond African and American frontiers. Today, I can put a familiar face on an array of countries from Africa to Asia. If it so happens that I need urgent ad- vice from a fellow LES, I only need to calculate the time difference. It really works! Mission Port Louis is a small post with a talented, loyal and dedicated work force. Every time I attend a training course, I listen to my counterparts talking about how big their missions are. Some public affairs departments have more than 20 employees. I admit, that bemusedme at first, but slowly I realized that those of us in Mission Port Louis and other small posts ought to be proud of ourselves, as well. I view my colleagues and myself as trained acrobats. Give us any challenge and we shall meet it with panache. Yes, we are a small mission, a little ember in the Indian Ocean … but with a mighty flame. Priya Beegun serves as the senior Locally Engaged Staff adviser in the public affairs section of Embassy Port Louis. As a cultural affairs specialist, she is responsible for plan- ning, developing and administering cultural and educa- tional programs designed to provide better understanding of U.S. policies and cultural achievements among key au- diences in Mauritius and the Seychelles. T HE G AS T ANK I S H ALF F ULL By Paola Arozamena, Mexico City Mission Mexico is one of the biggest U.S. diplomatic missions anywhere in the world. Besides the embassy, it comprises nine consulates, 13 consular agencies and around 1,500 local employees. As such, we have a wide variety of agencies, ideas and beliefs. It is this mixture that makes the experience so rich and exasperating (some- times). I was once asked to describe what it felt like to work for the U.S. government. (At the time I was working in the non-im- migrant visa section.) My re- sponse was this: “Working for the U.S. is like having someone hand you the keys to a red Lamborgh- ini Diablo or a red Ferrari, but when you get inside you discover that you only have the reserve of the gas tank.” Almost seven years later, I now believe that we are up to about half a tank of gas. Themain reason I say this stems from the short rotation periods that the For- eign Service officers have. It is hard to have an officer (mainly from State) here for only two years, when it takes them about six months to learn the full scope of their activ- ities and a year to hit full production mode. Then, for the last six months of their tour, they are busy with all the prepa- rations for their departure. Sometimes it’s like being in a car with a student driver! Still, the fact is that we are the links to our respective countries’ relationship. The jobs we do are all important, no matter how small they seem to us. During my time with the embassy I have known ex- cellent officers (Scott Renner, John Boyle, Jessie and William Scheibner, Mike Garcia and Rima Sorges, to name just a few), and great Foreign Service Nationals from different consulates. And yes, there have been some not-so-nice officers and co-workers, too. But they are all part of this huge melting pot that makes up for- eign relations. I have been able to help people in extreme distress, cul- tural groups, artists and other special people. I have also had the pleasure to work for both State and Homeland Se- curity. Throughout my time, I have been challenged to work at the best of my abilities and under stress. But above all, I have had the pleasure of meeting amazing individu- als who also seek knowledge, growth and new experiences. I can say with conviction that while not everything is perfect, those of in Mission Mexico are proud of our work and contributing our two cents to the relationship between the United States and Mexico. Paola Arozamena has worked for Embassy Mexico City for 10 years, both for the Department of State and the De- partment of Homeland Security. She has been a member of the local FSN association for eight of those 10 years, the F OCUS The change in nomenclature from FSN to LES is the type of decision that often comes from Washington without any consultation with the persons most concerned.