Happy Birthday USA!

This is our first 4th of July in the Foreign Service, which was different than our previous ones. Instead of just being a day to celebrate the nation, living outside the country really makes one focus on how the US compares to your host country and how others perceive the US.

At many posts, there is an official 4th of July event with government officials, community leaders, etc., and a separate event for post's employees and their families. This year our post decided to not have a community event, since we are so small and the enticement of a full three day weekend off was so strong.

Our Consulate celebrated its official 4th of July on July 2nd, with a large event at a very nice hotel. All American employees, with FSNs and other local employees, worked the event. It was a great showcase of team work at the Consulate - employees from different sections working together to make sure that the event went well and that all guests were having a great time.

As the official 4th of July event is typically the biggest event of the year at US embassies and consulates, it will be interesting to compare this experience to July 4th events at future posts, which will have a high bar to cross in comparison.

Some tips we picked up for working the 4th of July event:

*Pick your shoes carefully, by the end of the night your feet are guaranteed to hurt. One officer had the brilliant idea to switch shoes several times during the night to minimize the aching.
*Eat a snack before the event. Since guests should come first for the food lines, having something in your stomach will prevent you from staring at some one's plate instead of them when chatting.
*Study the guest list ahead of time, so that you get an idea of who may be invited from other sections.
*People standing by themselves typically appreciate someone talking to them.
*Think of a few general questions to ask guests prior to the event.
*Enjoy yourself!

Image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Our Consumables Arrive!

Kolkata is a consumables post, we get up to 2,500 pounds (for a two year assignment) of things that get used up or eaten shipped to post. You have up to a year to send the shipment after you arrive, and we decided to wait until after we arrived to have a better understanding of what we needed.

If you are already at post, you can work with a company to buy the things you want, work with a friend or family member, or use your time on R&R in the States to shop and monitor the packing, which is what we did in April.

We made our list and checked it twice, but we still threw in impulse items when shopping – and aren’t those Trader Joe’s Salt and Vinegar Pita Chips awfully good?

When the crate was opened, the packing by the U.S. company wasn’t wonderful, and included discarded lunch packaging from the shippers, but at least the pita chips arrived intact!


We only used 800 pounds of our shipment, mainly since we love the local cuisine and do not have many American brands that we are dedicated to. Sometimes the commonly imported items for a post are listed on the post’s Post Info to Go page (there is one for Kolkata). If not, sometimes the Community Liaison Office (CLO) has one if you contact them. These lists describe what may be hard to find at post considering American preferences.

Our shipment included, which will tell you more than you wanted to know about our habits:

*Bay leaves – a similar spice is available but not as pungent
*Tomato paste – more expensive in Kolkata
*Canned tuna - more expensive in Kolkata
*Resealable bags – hard to find and more expensive, but perfect for keeping roti fresh
*Zatatain’s crab boil
*Vanilla extract, the good stuff – synthetic is easy to find in Kolkata
*Peppermint extract – because we love peppermint ice cream
*Pita chips and tortilla chips – arrived safely and now we wish we shipped more
*Children’s Tylenol and Motrin – even though similar medications are available for children, we feel more comfortable with the U.S. brands, since we know how exactly how to use these without seeing a doctor first
*Neosporin – found a much cheaper, just-as-good Indian alternative after we bought this
*Children’s party supplies – also available in Kolkata, unless you want a specific character like Sesame Street or Tellitubbies
*Hair dye – no wait, I don’t use hair dye
*Deodorant – yes, we use deodorant and for the types we like they are cheaper in the US
*Toilet bowl cleaner – widely available and much cheaper in Kolkata, but our housekeeper strongly prefers US brands, and we are happy when she is happy
*Toilet paper – because I am a Scott fanatic and they do have a softer version
*Diapers and wipes – Larger sizes are hard to find, since most kids are potty trained by 18 months, but Sicily is almost there. Also, we prefer the chemical-free wipes which haven’t caught on here yet, but other types of wipes are widely available.
*Paper towels – we didn’t use paper towels much in the US, but our cook loves a US brand, and we are happy when she is happy
*Dog food – we were able to get a discount by buying in super bulk
*Dog treats - more expensive in Kolkata
*Trader Joe’s toasted O’s - more expensive in Kolkata
*Goldfish – haven’t found in Kolkata yet
*Kid’s sunscreen – prefer the super screen, 50+ or more
*Olive oil - more expensive in Kolkata, higher quality oils are hard to find
*Balsamic vinegar - more expensive in Kolkata
*Sun-dried tomatoes - haven’t found in Kolkata yet
*Roasted peppers - haven’t found in Kolkata yet
*Whole-bean coffee – we heard of a vendor that sells whole-bean coffee in New Market after packing up our shipment
*Nutella - more expensive in Kolkata
*Cake mixes - more expensive in Kolkata
*Pre-made frosting - great for an instant toddler activity “making sprinkles”
*Jams and jellies – we prefer low sugar and natural, and it wasn’t until after our shipment that I found a whole bunch at 1/3 the price in Kolkata!
*Pasta, pasta, pasta - more expensive in Kolkata
*Chocolate chips and white chocolate chips - more expensive in Kolkata
*Powdered sugar - haven’t found in Kolkata
*Tapenade – another impulse buy but we ended up buying at least 10 jars
*Evaporated milk – haven’t had a need for it yet, but seemed like we might
*Condensed milk – ditto
*Brown sugar - ditto
*Marshmallows – rice crispy treats seemed like a great idea in the grocery store
*Rice Krispies – and the jumbo ones made it seem like genius
*Magic erasers – for our white walls
*Tabasco sauce
*Margarita mix – definitely an impulse buy, I think we had some later that day
*Pickles – have not found certain varieties in Kolkata and they are more expensive here
*Capers – more expensive in Kolkata

As you can see from our list, it is hard to find imported items in Kolkata, since we have such a small expat community here, and if you do the item can be very expensive. I remember finding a small package of Philadelphia cream cheese in a store once, looking a little sad and costing $9. The consequence of this is that it pushes you to find local alternatives and satisfy your cravings with new foods. Luckily, Kolkata is a wonderful place for experimenting with food.


Coco was not as excited as we were to get our consumables


Plenty of space for more food!

Calling all TDYers: The Arlington Rap

Can't help but laugh at this performance, especially after you experience the communities around FSI. Embarrassingly, Alan and I both have brown flip-flops.

Change to Post: I later tagged this post with "dog" and "resources" since Brooke asked a great question about dogs at post. Please see comments below, in full post:

Visiting Mighty Mumbai

We were in Mumbai recently for an Entry Level Officer (ELO) exchange. The State Department provides great training opportunities for new officers; one is the ability to exchange positions with an ELO at a different post. This allows you to see and compare how they do things elsewhere; side benefits includes exploring a new location and seeing the housing.

After our research during A-100, we listed Mumbai lower on our bid list than other cities in India, mainly because of our dog Coco. We believed it would be harder in Mumbai, with the possibility of living in a high-rise apartment and lack of green space. But after the exchange to Mumbai, we see it is no more challenging for large dogs than Kolkata. In Kolkata, you rarely see people walking their dogs. There are too many stray dogs and obstacles in the way. In Mumbai, walking a dog (yellow labrador retievers seem to be most common there) is a frequent sight in the neighborhoods where Consulate employees live.

View from the TDY apartment where we stayed


Interior of the TDY apartment where we stayed


Sicily gauges possible storage opportunities


New highway being built in Mumbai to solve traffic congestion

Specific Benefits for Same-Sex Domestic Partners of Foreign Service Employees Serving Overseas

A statement from Hillary Clinton yesterday revealed the specific benefits:

"The Department of State intends to provide the following additional benefits and allowances for declared same-sex domestic partners of eligible employees serving overseas:

* Diplomatic passports,
* Inclusion on employee travel orders to and from posts abroad,
* Shipment of household effects,
* Inclusion in family size calculations for the purpose of making housing allocations,
* Family member preference for employment at posts abroad,
* Use of medical facilities at posts abroad,
* Medical evacuation from posts abroad,
* Emergency travel for partners to visit gravely ill or injured employees and relatives,
* Inclusion as family members for emergency evacuation from posts abroad,
* Subsistence payments related to emergency evacuation from posts abroad,
* Inclusion in calculations of payments of overseas allowances (e.g., payment for quarters, cost of living, and other allowances),
* Representation expenses, and
* Training at the Foreign Service Institute.

The Department also will work with foreign governments to provide same-sex domestic partners, to the extent possible, with diplomatic visas, privileges and immunities, and authorization to work in the local economy."

Read the entire statement on state.gov.

Executive Order for Unmarried Partners Federal Benefits to be Signed Today

From 44: The Obama Presidency, a Washington Post blog:
Obama Intends to Extend Federal Benefits to Unmarried Partners
June 16, 2009 at 9:23 PM

President Obama will announce tomorrow that he is extending federal benefits to include unmarried domestic partners of federal workers, including same-sex partners, White House officials said tonight.

Obama will sign an executive order implementing the change in the Oval Office, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging the president's announcement.

The move would give partners of federal employees access to health care and financial benefits such as relocation fees for moves. The State Department announced a similar extension of benefits last month, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calling it "the right thing to do."

Read the full blog post.

Kolkata is State Magazine's Post of the Month

Download the issue.

From the website: "State Magazine is published to facilitate communication between management and employees at home and abroad and to acquaint employees with developments that may affect operations or personnel. The magazine is also available to persons interested in working for the Department of State and to the general public.

State Magazine is available by subscription through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, 866-512-1800 (toll free) or on the web at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.E-Mail Us."