SIX MONTHS AT-A-GLANCE

I am waaaaay behind on updates to our blog.  I have no real excuse, other than general busy-ness.  So this entry is going to be a Cliff Notes version of what we’ve been up to since we got back from our epic Colombia-Ecuador-Galapagos trip... six months ago!

Reality hit hard when we got back - in the form of me being put in charge of a visit from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  Embassy Jakarta has had a rotating door of high-level official visitors since I got here because Indonesia held the presidencies of the G20 last year and the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.  President Biden came last year, and Vice President Harris was here a couple months ago.  In between, I’ve ushered through delegations from the U.S. Department of Treasury, Health and Human Services, and various offices in the Department of State since I got here.  But when Secretary Blinken came for meetings with other regional Foreign Ministers in July, preparing for his visit became my full-time job for almost two months and was an all-hands effort for practically the entire embassy. 

Part of the preparations for these official visits involves scouting out locations for the visitors to do various events, make remarks, meet people, etc.  Sometimes it means we get to check out locations that are off the usual tourist path... like this visit to the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta.  

It's the ninth largest mosque in the world and can accommodate more than 100,000 people.  

As busy as we are in the lead-up to these visits and during them, we still manage to have fun... which is easy to do when you work with awesome people.

Got to make sure everything is just right - flags, lighting, EVERYTHING - when we're hosting the Chinese delegation for high-level talks.

My friend Julie from our days in Belize was traveling with the Secretary for this visit.  So fun to have a Belmopan reunion and do a dry-run of the flag set-up with her...

...before Secretary Blinken met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

No biggie.  Just me and my new BFF Tony having a couple laughs.

This was taken before he headed to the airport... and I headed to bed.  Longest 2 days (and 2 months before that) of my life!

But in the midst of the preparations, we did manage a long weekend trip to Singapore.  Even though I had to work throughout the weekend (I was able to use the WiFi on the hop-on-hop-off bus to check email!), it was a fantastic and much-needed change of scenery from Jakarta.  Clean air!  Blue sky!  Parks and open spaces!  It’s just a short flight from here too, so we have made a promise to ourselves to get back there again sometime in the next year so we can enjoy it again… hopefully without having to work while we’re there!

Loading up on some satay... and cooling off with some beer!

Checking out a "hawker stall" - basically a giant food court, but the most delicious food court ever!

Cool murals on display.

Blue sky!  Clouds!  Green space!  Looooved Singapore.  We will be back!

After the Secretary left, I headed back to the U.S. for a couple weeks of training in Washington DC and a couple weeks to catch my breath back in Portland.  I tried to maximize my time back in the States to not only catch up with friends and family but also catch up with all lots of various doctor and dentist appointments.  Indonesia definitely isn’t known for its medical care, so trips back to the U.S. are always multi-purpose!

And more business to take care of back in Portland... selling the ol' Mustang.  Bye Sally!

Portland could not have put on a better show while I was home this time.  Perfect weather!

And DC put on a pretty good show too.  I did a sunset tour on the Potomac one evening - a new tourist activity for me.  The Kennedy Center looked lovely from the water... 

...and the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial put on a good show too.

Clean teeth and bill of health in hand, I got back to Jakarta at the end of August.  And since Indonesia’s term as president of G20 and ASEAN has ended, I’ve gotten to do some parts of my job that have been neglected so far, like working with the Indonesian government on waste management and pollution issues.  Lest you think the life of a diplomat is full of cocktail attire and fancy parties, let me assure you I have been to more landfills than black-tie functions here.  It’s not just a job… it’s an adventure! 

Such glamour!