There’s a saying in the State Department that people who come to difficult posts such as Yemen will end up one of five ways – as a skunk, monk, drunk, chunk, or hunk. Those first two refer to losing the will to clean oneself (and probably wallowing in depression as well) and to not getting […]
Month: April 2013
A Rude Awakening
Mr.YemenEm woke me up out of a deep sleep Tuesday morning by telling me “There was a terrorist attack at the finish line of Boston Marathon.” First, I just heard “there was a terrorist attack” and assumed it was in Yemen, possibly near the U.S. Embassy, our place of work. Then I processed the second […]
What I Think of Yemen
“So, what do you think of Yemen?” is a question I’m commonly asked by Yemenis. My usual response is that I haven’t seen enough of the country to form a strong opinion. I live in a hotel, and I work at the embassy, and I see very little in between (not to mention, I pretty […]
Getting Schooled
One day in high school, it dawned on me that was time to apply for college. I walked down the guidance counselor’s office and waited in line for my assigned counselor, who was tasked with seeing students with last names L-Z, which equaled about 2,500 students at my particularly large suburban high school. I had […]
The Next Dinner Party 