The Foreign Service Journal, November 2009

journal. What sets this blog apart is that while it started during a tour in Australia, it is still going strong. Slices of Life Adventures in Good Countries (www.kakiser.blogspot.com ) – This blogger tells memorable stories: witty, direct and exaggerated to the point where absurdity meets credibility. Her posts are brief, sharp commen- taries on bridging (or failing to bridge) the gap between Arab and American culture and on dealing with the bi- zarre, maddening requests of Ameri- cans abroad. The Guatemala Holla (www.guate mallaholla.blogspot.com ) – This blog, which started out chronicling the ex- perience of “a low-level American diplomat living in Guatemala,” is now focussed on his new assignment in Riga. The stories center on the strange and unexpected beauties of Baltic and post-Soviet culture, relics and art. If you have never considered a trip to Latvia, this blog’s charming, romantic and often humorous tales, not to mention the beautiful photog- raphy, will provide some incentive to reconsider. Red Licorice and Jujubes (www. atexgal.blogspot.com) – Until recently, this blogger’s stories were meandering pieces of commentary on life abroad and comparative tales of the differ- ences between Honduras and Amer- ica — amusing, but not extraordinary. However, she has risen to the chal- lenge of reporting the buzz and tur- moil surrounding the fate of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and is now producing fascinating sto- ries illuminating developments in the Honduran political firmament. The Training Journal The rarest and most finite of all journals, these blogs are worth read- ing even when they have died (al- though none of the ones listed here have), as they tell a definite tale. Typ- ically a training journal begins with the blogger’s preparations to take the For- eign Service Oral Test and stretches all the way to the first tour. For the prospective or curious diplomat, these blogs provide invaluable details on the steps along the path to a career in the Foreign Service. Absentee Voter (www.absenteevot er.blogspot.com ) – This account spans the process from registration to con- sular training and contains an excep- tional level of detail. The personal angle and palpable emotion make it a far more engaging guide than most other available resources. The Warpiper (www.thewarpiper. blogspot.com ) – Warpiper (so named not out of belligerence, but a love of bagpipes) differs greatly from most other training journals. It provides the unique perspective of a second-career FSO, who describes himself as a “For- eign Service officer, former cop, gun and bible clinger, player of the Great Highland Bagpipe, Southerner with a capital S, malt whisky drinker, and Tater’s Dad.” Diplomatic Incidents (www.diplo maticincidents.blogspot.com ) – Al- though similar in many ways to Ab- sentee Voter, Diplomatic Incidents offers a little more attitude. Blogger William “Bill” Torrance, the son of a Marine aviator, is currently in training for an assignment to Mexico. N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 45 FS youth typically have the time and resources to contribute their insights, so their relative lack of participation in blogging is puzzling. CHANGE OF ADDRESS Moving? Take AFSA With You! Change your address online at: www.afsa.org/comment.cfm Or Send change of address to: AFSA Membership Department 2101 E Street NW Washington, DC 20037