Why God Created Malls

I ran some errands today, including trying to buy a wedding gift for the daughter of one of my staff. I wanted to get something nice, not something you can find in Thamel, but not go overboard. If I was in the States, I'd go online and check out their gift register, or head to the Topanga Mall and look for some nice candlesticks. But I'm not in the States.

It's not easy finding the middle ground between doo-dads made in China aimed at tourists and overpriced doo-dads aimed at ex-pats looking for memorable Nepali souvenirs. But my persistence (and my driver's willingness to drive all over Kathmandu) paid off and I found a nice tea set.

Now… where do I find a gift box and wrapping paper?

"F*** you, but thanks for your business."

I would estimate that the State Department has given millions of dollars in business to United Airlines over the years, much of that business it would not have gotten were it not for the absurd and grossly outdated Fly America Act. To say "thank you," United Airlines has rejected an AFSA-led campaign to extend the waiver of its new (and expensive) pet travel policy to Foreign Service Officers traveling on official orders. After United created the new policy, DoD flexed its muscle and United offered a waiver to uniformed service members. But they won't extend the same courtesy to FSOs.

So an Air Force mail clerk working at Ramstein can take his pooch without the extra cost and hassle, but a political officer going to the Sudan is out of luck.

http://diplopundit.net/2012/04/05/united-on-fs-pet-waiver-requests-emails-read-now-you-can-drop-dead/


Update (4/20/2012) - According to AFSA, United Airlines has relented and has extended the pet policy waiver to Foreign Service Officers!!!

The Nepalis Call Them Hills, I Call Them Mountains

This past week I travelled to Simikot in the remote northwestern corner of Nepal to give a presentation at a journalism training program the Embassy sponsored. To get there required a flight to and an overnight stay in Nepalgunj, which is Nepali for "Land of Many Mosquitoes." Early the next morning (exact flight times are rarely known in advance) I flew in a 12-person plane that was at least 50 years old, based on the upholstery of the seats. It had an open cockpit, which I hate because I don't want to see what's going on in there, especially when we're about to take off and the pilot - I kid you not - attaches a Garmin device to the plane's dashboard.

Simikot is an isolated village in Humla, one of the most remote districts in Nepal.

Nepal is a small country, but it's geography is extreme. Within 45 minutes we had travelled from the lowlands in the south (500 ft above sea level) and through the hills toward the Himalayas. We flew pretty close over the hilltops and I could see the imposing Himalayas ahead (through the stupid open cockpit). I kept wondering when the pilot was going to go higher, but just as I was about to panic, he banked left and I could see Simikot sitting on a small plateau at 10,000 feet above sea level.

One of many such towers built to scare off evil spirits

Simikot is very remote and isolated. About 90% of everything the people consume and use has to be flown in from the outside. There are no cars, motorcycles, or bicycles. Although most inhabitants are Buddhists, Simikot looks like any other Nepali Hindu village. Polyandry (one wife with multiple husbands) is still practiced in a handful of villages in Humla, but it's dying out. Lots of Indian tourists pass through Simikot on their way to Mt. Kailash in China, the supposed resting place of Lord Shiva. It seems odd to me that a Hindu god would head north to China to die, but there it is.

One of the most prevalent castes in Simikot is the Lamas; not only an ethnic group, it's also a vocation (as in the Dalai Lama). On my second morning a guide took me for a hike outside of Simikot. She explained that the people erect a series of rock towers at the edge of the villages to keep out the bad spirits. Stones with Tibetan scriptures written on them are added to the towers for extra luck.

During the hike, my guide invited me to her sister's house for some Tibetan tea. Preparing Tibetan tea is quite complicated and the end result tastes like cream of butter soup. 

Inside the kitchen of a Lama household

It was a wonderful and informative morning. I learned a lot about how people live in the hills (I wasn't technically in the Himalayas, even though we were surrounded by snow-capped peaks). While I truly enjoyed the visit, I think living there would be difficult and, frankly, tedious. I admire the people who live there and make it work.

The Pouch Trolls Strike Again

There are many things about living overseas that can be annoying. But a good FSO is prepared to handle life without a daily dose of Starbucks or first-run American sitcoms. Living in a developing country poses even more challenges, like bird flu and pollution. But this is the profession I chose and I have learned to live with the obstacles of living overseas.

What angers me the most is when the State Department, the United States government, lets us down. You would think after all these years of sending diplomats overseas, that the DOS would have it figured out by now. Think again.

Yes, the pouch trolls in Dulles have screwed me over again. I ordered some things for my bathroom to try to deflect attention from the tacky tile that covers the entire bathroom.* The towels and bath mat arrived just fine. But the soap dispenser and cup, shipped separately, were refused by Dulles. What part of the FAM did I violate by shipping small bathroom accessories? Which diplomatic security regulation did I jeopardize?

I've heard that Missions that still use the pouch in Dulles for personal mail (and don't have APO) will be converted to FPO. This change can't come soon enough. Down with Dulles!!! (The mail facility, not the town itself.)

*What is it about homes in foreign countries and their bathrooms with bold color schemes? Even if a home is tastefully done in soft tones and wood floors, but there is always one bathroom with garish mauve tile.