through this website, AAFSW receives a small percentage to help fund out activities and services. 
Foreign Service Blogs
If you are a member of the U.S. Foreign Service community, contact us at webmaster@aafsw.org to list your site on this page. The website may be a personal or professional home page, however, we do ask that the site contain some personal information--in other words, it must be more than just an advertisement. Please include your name and agency affiliation for verification purposes, along with a URL and a brief description of the site.
We'd appreciate it if you could include our new widget which helps your readers find more Foreign Service blogs. Get the code here.
We also encourage you to join AAFSW! Your membership fees help support services such as this website. Learn more and apply online here. Thank you for your support!
Personal/Family Home Pages and Blogs
Livelines members can access or add even more links at the Livelines Yahoo Groups page. If you would prefer to share your blog only with other members of the Foreign Service, please list your blog there.
Business/Professional Websites
For more business and professional home pages of Foreign Service spouses, visit Global Spouses, designed by an FS spouse to facilitate networking.
Personal/Family Home Pages and Blogs
At Post
http://www.at-post.blogspot.com/
A photo blog contributed by Foreign Service community members from around the world.
Avuncular American
http://avuncularamerican.typepad.com/blog/
An expatriate view from Europe from Gerald Loftus, retired Foreign Service Officer.
Brazzaville Days
http://brazzavilledays.blogspot.com
Blog of an American diplomatic spouse in the Congo.
Brent and Katie's World Blog
http://brentandkatie.wordpress.com/
A tandem couple documents their experiences.
The Briden Bunch
http://thebridenbunch.blogspot.com/
A new Foreign Service couple on their way to Kuwait.
Citizen Diplomats
http://citizendiplomats.com/
Dedicated to American's Foreign Service and the friendships it has created.
Craig's Travels
http://www.craigstravels.com/
A tandem couple posted to Cambodia.
The Dip Notes
http://thedipnotes.com/
A life life working abroad: describes the U.S. Foreign Service, and details the application and entry process. There is also a forum for visitors to ask specific questions about the Foreign Service.
DiploLife
http://diplolife.blogspot.com/
A family of four (a foreign service officer, a spouse, a one-year old and a 102-lb Labrador) adjusting to life in the U.S. Foreign Service. Our blogs starts at the acceptance email and continues through to our various posts.
Dead Men Working
http://deadmenworking.blogspot.com/
Blog by several high-level career Foreign Service Officers whose careers have been damaged or ended by unresolved cases regarding suspension or revocation of security clearances.
The Dinoia Family
http://www.dinoiafamily.typepad.com/
The tales of our lives as we travel around the globe.
DiploJournal
http://diplojournal.com/
Journal of a new FSO who is starting the 149th A-100 class in October, 2009. The blog currently describes the application process and will be updated as the career unfolds.
Diplopundit
http://diplopundit.blogspot.com/
Just one obsessive observer, diplomatic watcher, opinionator and noodle newsmaker monitoring the goings on at Foggy Bottom and the worldwide available universe.
Email from the Embassy
http://emailfromtheembassy.blogspot.com/
Personal blog of a freelance writer/DS spouse.
Facts are Strictly Optional
http://factsoptional.blogspot.com/
Life lessons and wisdom from a not-so-diplomatic diplomat.
Foreign Service Specialist
http://foreignservicespecialist.blogspot.com/
Personal blog of a Foreign Service Facilities Manager.
From the Back of Beyond
http://fromthebackofbeyond.wordpress.com/
I am the wife of a new Foreign Service Officer keeping family and friends informed about our lives and travels with the State Department.
FS Husband
http://www.livejournal.com/users/fshusband/
Brian Neely, an Eligible Family Member currently posted to Kazakhstan, maintains an online journal.
Gardening in the Woods
http://midurafamily.org/blog/
An FS spouse currently living in the Northern Virginia area tackles organic vegetable gardening and landscaping. Will include overseas adventures in gardening soon!
Great Diversions
http://greatdiversions.com/
Personal blog of an FSO currently posted to Ukraine.
Hick/Hitchhiker...Diplomat?
http://4brianhall.blogspot.com/
Following an onoing transition from hick to hitchhiker... and now diplomat.
Karla Thomas Solomon
http://www.ktsolomon.com/
After 10 years abroad, an "eligible family member" writes about returning to the U.S., establishing her own art career, the endless search for balance, and the stress of bidding and relocation.
The Kolodner Family
http://www.kolodner.com
Jen and Michael Kolodner's personal site, with the story and photos of their Foreign Service tour in Yemen and subsequent evacuation.
Lees on the Go
http://www.leesonthego.blogspot.com/
A USAID family's adventures in Uganda, DC, Macedonia and Kenya.
Life After Jerusalem
http://lifeafterjerusalem.blogspot.com/
Reflections on life in the Foreign Service from a second-tour officer.
LifePart2
http://home.earthlink.net/~garvelink/
Online journal of my life and times of the wife of U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo
Midlife Diplomatic Crisis
http://rkolker.com
Adventures as a third career (after broadcast news and software engineering) Foreign Service Officer, starting with applying and continuing through A-100, training, and a current first post in Cotonou, Benin as perhaps the world's oldest entry level officer.
Mobile Home
http://mobilehomefamily.blogspot.com/
The experiences of a new foreign service family as they travel from Florida to the world as told by Diane, a social worker, EFM, and devoted dog owner.
Los Morris
http://losmorris.livejournal.com/
Tale of travels and life in the Foreign Service, currently posting from Peru.
The Monestel Odyssey
http://monestelfamily.blogspot.com/
Journal of a new Regional Medical Officer and his family.
The Perlman Update
http://www.theperlmanupdate.blogspot.com/
Follow the chaos as we share our tales of life abroad.
PsyDip: Psychological Diplomacy
http://psydip.blogspot.com/
Where psychology and diplomacy meet.
Something Edited This Way Comes
http://www.somethingedited.blogspot.com/
Zoe Friloux, a former newspaper editor, writes about her family's life on their first tour in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Tasman's World
http://tasmansworld.com/
A Foreign Service family serving their first tour in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Tuk and Tam
http://tukytam.blogspot.com/
A Bulgarian-American wife of a new FSO writing about starting out in the Foreign Service with a kid and two cats in tow and working on becoming a tandem couple.
Tumbleweeds
http://editfish.blogspot.com/
An anonymous author's "collection of thoughts, experiences, insights, and epiphanies gathered along the way, as I make my slow ascent toward the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service." First-hand descriptions of the evaluation and hiring process.
Where in the World Am I?
http://whereintheworld-stephanie.blogspot.com/
Blog of a Foreign Service spouse previously posted to Bujumbura and moving on to Hyderabad.
Where in the World is Luca Galeno? http://whereintheworldislucagaleno.blogspot.com/
Writing to remember and share experiences as a new family in the Foreign Service.
Whirled View
http://www.whirledview.typepad.com/
Patricia Sharpe and Patricia Kushlis, both retired Foreign Service Officers, along with Cheryl Rofer, a retired chemist and specialist in nuclear energy, weapons, and cleanup, co-write this blog which focuses on public diplomacy, diplomacy and national security issues.
Wife-Mommy-Woman
http://wifemommywoman.blogspot.com/
A Foreign Service spouse with one child and one on the way. Currently preparing for their first post.
Wing Tips on the Ground
http://www.wingtipsontheground.com
Thoughts from an American diplomat serving at a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Iraq.
World Crafters
http://www.worldcrafters.com/
Concerned Foreign Service Officers is a group of current and former employees of the U.S. Department of State who are concerned about recent abuses of the security clearance process in the Department of State.
Business/Professional Websites
The Ausamerican
http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/
Jeff Porter, founder of the Trailing Spouse Network, blogs about the employment issues facing "trailing" spouses.
Baci Jewelry Designs
http://elizabethbaci.com/
Elizabeth Bacigalupo, State Department spouse, offers handcrafted and vintage jewelry for sale on her website.
BPS Photography
http://bpsphoto.com/
Brian Neely is a State Department spouse and professional photographer. His site showcases a growing body of reflective work, all of which is available for purchase.
Cynthia Farrell Johnson
http://www.cfjfinearts.com/index.html
A retired Foreign Service Officer offers an online gallery of original art featuring scenes depicting daily life from home and abroad (Africa and the Americas), still life, landscapes, and abstract designs. Many of these images are also available in note and greeting cards--some featuring poetry by FS spouse Ruth Obee--as well as posters and limited edition digital prints. Originals and reproductions are available for purchase.
David Greedy: Photojournalist
http://www.davidgreedy.com/
This freelance photojournalist and partner of an FSO has worked
extensively in Eastern Europe and South East Asia for major publications. He is available for editorial or feature stories and will be moving to South Asia in April 2006.
The Expert Expatriate
http://www.expatguide.info
Melissa Hess and Patricia Linderman, two State Department spouses, successfully collaborated via email to write The Expert Expatriate: Your Guide to Successful Relocation Abroad, published by Intercultural Press in 2002. Their website has information about both the book and its authors. The two also co-edited Realities of Foreign Service Life, published by AAFSW.
Hess Create!
http://www.writehess.com
Victoria Hess, State Department spouse, offers website design and editing services.
Henry "Duke" Ryan
http://www.henrydukeryan.com
Home page of Henry Ryan, retired Foreign Service Officer as well as a historian, novelist, and playwright.
Kate Goggin
http://www.kategoggin.com and http://www.kategoggin.com/blog
Kate Goggin is a Foreign Service spouse (FAS) and freelance writer. Currently located in Washington, DC, she covers international family matters and women's issues.
KWS Design
http://www.kwsdesign.com
Kelly Bembry Midura, State Department spouse and AAFSW Creative Director offers web and print media design services.
RNG Educational Consultants
http://www.rebeccagrappo.com
Rebecca Grappo is an educational consultant and Certified Educational Planner with 23 years of experience with Foreign Service life.
The Swimming Lizard
http://www.zazzle.com/wendyqzx*
Wendy Welsh, a Foreign Service spouse, has a gallery of original photography and designs featuring travel scenery, wildlife, flora, and more. Cards, gift items, apparel, and home and office accents are available for purchase. A percentage of the proceeds is donated to AAFSW!
Spy Thrillers
http://www.sigma-books.com/fritzgalt.html
Fritz Galt is a State Department spouse and author of various published
novels in the espionage/thriller genre. Visit his website to read excerpts
from novels written in Yugoslavia, Taiwan, Washington, Switzerland, India,
China, and elsewhere around the world.
Tania Teschke Photography
http://www.taniateschke.com/
This Foreign Service spouse specializes in family and children's portraits as well as travel photography.
For more commentary on Foreign Service life, please visit our Articles and Advice section. Visit the State Department's official blog at http://www.blogs.state.gov