The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2020

48 JULY-AUGUST 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL April 8 | Working Side by Side Prior to departing Angola, I had begun working as an office management assistant in our embassy’s pol-econ section. I continue to telework in that position, and Alex is finishing up the first grade online. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to strike the right balance, but what I do know is that working side by side helps us both stay connected. April 20 | Brain Break When we need a break from school and work, we draw a wooden stick from our Stuff-to-Do jar, and do whatever activity is written on it. On this day we drew “5-minute Dance Party,” so we turned on some silly music and broke out giggle-inducing dance moves. April 21 | Virtual High Five with the Ambassador Our CLO (community liaison office coordinator) organized a virtual Take Your Child to Work Day that took place over Microsoft Teams. It was a huge morale boost for the children to see their friends, as well as to ask Ambassador Nina Maria Fite some great questions. Alex took the opportunity to give the ambassador a virtual high five. April 28 | Building Memories, One Day at a Time My focus throughout this absence from post has been my love for this little guy. His happiness and well-being are what keep my spirits up and give me energy. I suspect that once we return to Luanda, we’ll miss all the unhurried qual- ity time we’ve had together. For now, we’ll continue to take it one day at a time, looking for opportunities to build on the memorable experiences we’ve made so far. n BRIANABURKEY