A Gap Year

I am still about two weeks about from learning my next post. This is not unusual, although this year's bidding season has been highly unorthodox.

You see, the State Department usually hands out posts at least partially on the basis of 'equity'. People who served in difficult, dangerous spots get nice spots on the next go-around as a form of compensation. Makes sense right?

Well, here's the catch. Consular Affairs is facing a huge staffing shortfall in the coming years as a result of having too much visa demand and too few entry level officers. They COULD hire more people, but that would require authorization from Congress, and....yeah.

So, in addition to a number of stopgap programs to allow non-FSOs to adjudicate visas, CA has decided to designate certain positions as 'high priority'. These will get filled before anything else does.

Those with low equity (the Parises and Torontos of the world) will not be affected, but those coming from danger spots who were hoping for something modern and cushy may be in for a nasty shock.

Heard (and Overheard) On the Visa Line

Officer: OK ma'am, where do...wait, your case was already refused today.

Applicant: Oh no, that must've been my twin sister!

Officer: Why do you want a visa?
Applicant: To cross the border

Officer: How are you going to pay for your trip?
Applicant: With dollars
Officer: OK, let's start over...

Officer:Where are you going to travel?
Applicant: To the United States.

Officer: What is your job?
Applicant: My job is to work.

Officer: sir, I see you were arrested 3 times for cocaine, domestic violence, and a hit and run.
Applicant: no....that wasn't me.
Officer: It's your fingerprints, and your photo, and your name.
Applicant: I don't remember that.

Officer: Sir, have you ever traveled to the United States?
Applicant: No.
Officer: It says here you were deported in 2004.
Applicant: Oh, does that count?

Officer: What is your job?
Applicant: I am a secretary.
Officer: And how much do you earn in a month?
Applicant: 50,000 pesos.
Officer: That's more than a doctor or lawyer would make.
Applicant: Yes, I'm very good at my job.

I could go on....

Where Next?

Our bid list is LIVE, folks!

Strange to think I've barely been here half a year and we're already deciding where to go next.

Unlike the first time, we won't have to bid on ever open post - just our Top 30. Stills seems pretty broad.

There are hundreds of jobs on this list, spanning every part of the world. Here goes nothin'...

Don't Thinko de Mayo

Every year on May 5, millions of Americans down margaritas and wear oversized sombreros. But do they have any idea why they do it?

Isn't it Mexican Independence Day?

Nope. That's September 16.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla, May 5 1862. Mexico's war of independence had incurred massive foreign debts, most notably to the major European powers. France, Spain and Britain formed an alliance and invaded when Mexico refused to follow the payment schedule.

The French army marched on Puebla, expecting an easy victory due to their greater numbers and superior weapons. The Mexican army drove them off, inspiring the nation and standing as a symbol of the country's resistance to foreign power.

It should be noted that the French did eventually win the war, forcing Juarez out of Mexico City  and einstalling Austrian-born Duke Maximilian as Emperor of Mexico.

What, you didn't know there was an Emperor of Mexico? We're going to be here for a while...

Guadalajara Guide: Parque Metropolitano

Any decent city will have a sizable amount of green space. Nothing quite so unpleasant as long, dusty walks in the heat without a tree for shade or pleasant lawn for picnicking.

Guadalajara, on the whole, does pretty well in this regard. Parks large and small dot the landscape. One of these is Parque Metropolitano.

I have to say - not what I was expecting. The park feels more reminiscent of the African Veldt than a lush greenscape. Large barren patches free of grass are broken up by large shade trees.

There's no denying the trees are impressive,  But there's just not enough verdure and shade for my taste.

Viajes Mexicanos: El Distrito Federal

Mexico City, until recently the Distrito Federal and now the State of the City of Mexico, is (by some measures) the largest city in the world, the total metropolitan area containing roughly 25 million inhabitants. 

The pollution is not so bad as it once was and I had the good fortune to visit when traffic was at its lightest.  Still, on the flight out you find yourself through a brown bubble, one of Sherlock Holmes' s classic pea-soupers.

On the whole the city has a very New York-y vibe. Huge, bustling, dirty, and teeming with culture. They even have a fake Empire State Building (the Torre Latino):

 

Others sites to see:

Chapultepec Park and Castle

Mexico is the home of the only Royal Palace on the American continent, Chapultepec Castle. Home to the ill-fated Emperor Maximilian, it sits atop a large hill in the middle of the city's central park.

Anthropology Museum

Mexico City is full of museums. The largest (probably) is the Anthropology Museum, which attempts to encapsulate all of Mexico's indigenous history. Of which there is a lot, and much of it is marvelously preserved:

 

 La Casa Azul

It really is blue.

 

Despite the plaque, Frida and Diego never lived there together. Their relationship was somewhat, ah, fraught. Probably for the best they lived apart.

Murals

The muralismo movement is justly famous, with Diego Rivera and Orozco as prominent examples.  This is is Man, Creator of the of the Universe. It depicts: 

 Alebrijes

Brightly colored fantastical folk-animals, these guys can range from larger than life:

 

 to small enough to fit in your hand. They were actually invented by an artist named Pedro Linares, who conceived of them during a hallucination brought about by illness.

 

There is, of course, much more.

The Ugly American

Just in case you were thinking of finding love abroad: