Amman-April flew by and there were several activities which helped welcome the new season into Jordan. Although some of the activities I participated in and observed were maybe not strategic in their importance, they did increase my understanding of FAO roles and the military assistance program in the country and contributed to the big picture. As a collection point for information of all kinds pertaining to USG interests, the Embassy frequently hosts all kinds of visitors. Part of...read more

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We finished our two week tour of Saudi Arabia by driving from Al-Khobar in the East to Jeddah in the West then North to Medain Saleh and back to Amman. We first stopped in Ta’if, a small city on the east side of the Hijaz region and a gateway to the Mecca Province. Because of the cooler temperatures which comes with its elevation, its population swells as the summer heat intensifies in Riyadh. While we were driving through KSA in the early part of our trip, I expected most of the...read more

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The initial impression of Riyadh is a good one. We’re here at the right time of the year where a long sleeve shirt prevents a sunburn during the day and is plenty warm at night. I stumbled upon a newspaper article describing the cultural importance of the Riyadh International Book Fair and we walked around our largely commercial neighborhood last night and tried unsuccessfully to acquire directions. Fortunately, we ducked into a really good Indian restaurant before the evening...read more

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11 Mar, Riyadh. Leaving Jordan, we were extended extreme courtesy of coffee, tea, and small talk in the commanding officer’s office followed by an invitation to eat with his family while we waited to have our passports stamped and the vehicle clearance memo. While we expected much worse on the Saudi side, it was relatively painless, albeit with the process spread out amongst four steps and four different stations as well. About an hour later, we were on our way down a wide...read more

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Aqaba-sitting on the hotel balcony overlooking the Red Sea covered in a haze as the sun tries to burn through it before finally giving up for the night seems as inspiring place to write some observations as any. Over the past few days, I inserted myself into a multi-modal conference dealing with the initial use of Aqaba as such a port. Basically, stuff comes in by boat or plane, mostly from our war zones as we retrograde out of them, and leaves on a different mode. Nothing too complex until...read more

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Amman- This entry is focused on sharing information for other FAO still in their language training at DLI. I’ve been in Amman for almost two weeks and am close to finishing the embassy’s inprocessing. It’s similar to the Army’s in that your information has to be entered into several databases for tracking purposes and for expected services, but it’s not instant as some of the information has to go to the host nation for processing as well. The offices in...read more

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Monterey-One of my habits I’ve acquired comes from the Army’s program to develop leadership. The most important pillar of the program is the self-development one does after some introspection and identifies one’s shortcomings. Because of this, I read Dale Carnegie’s, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” and Elbert Hubbard’s, “A Message to Garcia,” before every new assignment and reflect upon my application of their lessons. I...read more

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Monterey-Now that Ihave finished the formal part of my language training, I intend to write more frequently in this forum. Although Arabic is a tough language to learn as an adult, I appreciate the opportunity to represent the U.S. and I appreciate the efforts of my instructors at the Defense Language Institute (DLI). 16 months of 8-10 hour days plus homework and I have the ability to understand most of the newspaper and maneuver around in an Arabic speaking country. The end came...read more

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This month is my 12 year service anniversary in the Army. Although I've criticized certain events and experiences with my family and friends, looking back at it all, I've been very fortunate and happy with the experiences. First Fort Richardson, Alaska then Fort Leonard-Wood, Missouri, Fort Riley, Kansas, a 15 month deployment to Iraq, recruiting duty in Olympia, WA, and now here in Monterey all provided opportunities to work with great people and see our country and world. I was...read more

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