Embassy Bound

When you travel overseas, the State Department recommends some pretty specific actions for every American. One is that they register at the US Embassy in any country where they will stay. It's probably a good idea for government people to know who's there, in case there's some kind of security reason to get folks out. So, today, we are heading to the Embassy to register.

We've been informed that the Embassy personnel will want our local address and phone numbers. So we had to wait until we had our lease signed before going down to make this contact. The house we're leasing is new and they haven't assigned it a number or 'named it', so our current address is sketchy. I'm hoping it will be enough for them. It's not enough to get package delivery, that I already know.

We're also going to purchase tickets to the USMC Ball sponsored by the Marines working at the Embassy. It promises to be a fun night. The USMC Birthday Ball is always an event and you can count on the Marines to go all out regardless of how many personnel are stationed here. Some of DH's coworkers attended the Marine Corps Ball last year in Algiers and they all want to go with us as guests. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

I'm also looking forward to expanding my social network to include some English speakers who do not work for my husband's company. If you only socialize with work people, they think it's okay to talk about work when you're out to dinner. It's a bad habit to break. If you don't have that in common, you've got to find other things to talk about.

So, with copies of my passport in hand, I'm heading off to the US Embassy in Tunis. Maybe I'll make some friends. Maybe I'll just get to listen to English rolling off the tongues of my countrymen. Either way, I'll be happy.

--Sandee Wagner