78 OCTOBER 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Please submit your favorite, 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 SUSAN JORGENSEN n VILNIUS, LITHUANIA Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, people around the world have joined in solidarity with the war-torn country. Everywhere, Ukrainian flags have appeared—hanging from windows, painted on signs, and printed on T-shirts. The display of the two colors—sky blue and sunny yellow—has come to represent support for Ukraine. In June 2023, I visited my husband, Mark, who was working in Vilnius, preparing for the upcoming NATO summit. While on a city bus tour, I spotted two shirts, one blue and one yellow, hanging from a window, their long sleeves tied together. These two shirts, waving in the wind, capture a moment in history and relay the message: “United with Ukraine.” n Susan Jorgensen is the spouse of a recently retired Foreign Service officer, now working in the reemployed annuitant (REA) program on temporary duty (TDY) assignments. The Jorgensens have been posted to the then Soviet Union, Malaysia, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Senegal, Moldova, and Belarus. They now reside in Minnesota, where Susan works remotely as an independent contractor with the State Department. They have a grown daughter, Janelle. Susan says she was born with a camera in hand. She took this photo using an iPhone 14.
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