Where we must remember the sacrifices of others

It's an interesting Saturday night right now. There's a few tabs open on my browser, pages to my homework assignments that I should be working on for my graduate class. Today was a nice day off from the non-stop training that is A100. We had an off site event this week, 2 days/1 night at a location away from DC/Arlington where our group trained in leadership and team building activities. I don't want to give too much away but it was a great experience and many of us were sad it ended too quickly.

This weekend I've been babysitting a colleague's dog while he and his wife take a nice trip out of town for Memorial Day. Considering he (along with many others in our class) is a vet, I suppose it is quite fitting in hindsight. His dog is a well-mannered and welcomed temporary member of my humble abode and we have had fun exploring the nearby parks. 

Today I traveled into downtown to pick up my zipcar card. A car share program for many urban type areas, you can sign up with the AFSA union for a discounted rate and then pay for car rentals by the hour. The cars are conveniently stationed throughout both DC and Arlington and having the account set up means I'll be able to make Costco runs now. Plus, Coffee is coming to town soon, so it'll be nice to have a metro alternative. Uber has been great as well, I recommend it over using the local taxis, it's all paid through your phone and electronically so you don't have to deal with payment in the car. (You can get a nice $10 credit if you sign up with this code too: 1A9BY :) )

While in town, today was spent wandering through the multiple floors of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which also houses the National Portrait Gallery of the presidents. Very cool, very informative, highly recommended for visitors. I took a break in the afternoon and wandered to the nearby Chinatown for a boba milk green tea. It wasn't awful, but I would have laughed in the owner's face if they had tried to charge the same $4.50 for that quality in LA.

We have Monday off for Memorial Day, which is great because in training there is a zero leave policy. Unless you are deathly ill, you should not be taking off or early for any reason at all. We had a coworker get married at a Starbucks because he could not leave during the weekday to get to the courthouse. Hardcore, right? But it is important to not just enjoy a hot Washington D.C. pre-summer Monday off, as we are mingling with schools of lost tourist while taking in the wafting scent of overpriced food trucks while avoiding the sticky children. Memorial Day was established three years after the Civil War ended to honor the deceased soldiers, a war that claimed more lives than all the other conflicts the U.S. participated in up to the Vietnam war. The graves of war were decorated with flowers and the President visits Arlington Cemetery and honors the tomb of the unknowns- symbolically expressing our nation's thanks to those who have given their lives in the service. 

I hope to visit Arlington Cemetery this weekend if I can get in with the crowds. But as I was checking my news feeds earlier, I came across this article from BuzzFeed about the brave people who helped keep the Embassy in Yemen from turning in to what they called "another Benghazi." The group included not only Marines but Foreign Service Diplomatic Security, and brave locally engaged staff. We are often reminded that life as a diplomat means you are always the face of America, always a target in a job that you can't shed after 5PM Friday. So thank you- to the teams and soldiers, both abroad and domestic that pull together to keep these embassies and our country safe.