We are finally back home in Texas!  Thank GOD, we made it to retirement and look forward to our “Sarap ng Buhay (zest of life)” with our family friends and loved ones.       I realize this is a blessing many people never get, but it isn’t the way I had imagined it would be.  […]

Almost Finished –      The movers packed up our possessions.  Fifteen years of living overseas went into six shipping crates that we won’t see for more than a month.  They even took away our car. Everything will be loaded on a ship bound for Texas. The apartment seems so empty now, with only the “furnished”

After working for 16 years with the State Department, I have a basic understanding of why we need and follow diplomatic protocols. We need these rules so our Diplomats can live and work in countries with different intentions, rules, and laws than we in the United States have. In countries that oppose us, these protocols

     Last night we attended an acrobatic show at the Chaoyang Theater in Beijing.  The hour-long variety show was like a circus, with beautiful costumes, thrilling acts of daring and amazing skills.  The performers began their training as young as six and endure a lot of pain to gain the strength and skill they need

     A familiar face was in the news today.  Not that I knew her personally, but I remember the intern who was murdered about the time I joined the Foreign Service. With my only daughter in college at the time I understood how devastating the loss must have been for the parents.  The hopes