Port Louis, Mauritius!!!!

Friday was Flag Day, and we got our first assignment in the Foreign Service to Port Louis, Mauritius!  Beginning in August, 2011, I will be the Political/Military Officer in the U. S. Embassy there. 
Shelly and I are thrilled with the assignment, and we look forward to getting there and starting work. I will spend the better part of this summer here in Arlington taking classes, including French, before we leave.  Shelly is hoping to take some French language classes as well. 
We hope you will find these resources to be helpful in learning about Mauritius, if you are interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritius
http://mauritius.usembassy.gov/

The island of Mauritius is renowned for having been the only known home of the dodo. This bird was an easy prey to settlers due to its weight and inability to fly, and became extinct less than eighty years after the initial European colonization.
Oh, yes, the Republic of Mauritius also has some nice beaches and water sports.  As you can see from the map above, it is located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and the southern tip of Africa. 
We also understand that the season from January to April is very wet, and the rest of the year is drier.



So, at this point, we don't yet have a definite departure date, but it appears we will be in the DC/VA/MD area until at least August. 
We look forward to hearing from you!

David and Shelly

Easter Sunday Report

Happy Easter, everyone. On this holiest of days in Christendom, we pause to remember our tradition's lessons of sacrifice, of redemption, and rebirth.

Shelly and I are thoroughly enjoying our rejuvenation and our new lives. Though we have not been thorough about chronicling our new adventure, we are committed to getting better at keeping this blog going.

It has been a month now since we arrived in Washington. My daily routine is to get on the shuttle bus each morning to the Foreign Service Institute, America's school for diplomats. My lessons each day are interesting and designed to prepare me to work somewhere in our country's diplomatic corps overseas.

The really compelling question for us is where our first post will be. The answer to this question will be revealed this Friday, when we participate in the time-honored "Flag Day" ceremony in which my classmates and I are each given flags indicating our new assignment. It could be anywhere on the planet. At the same time, the assignment will tell us when we are expected to report for duty, and how much additional training (language, area studies, etc.) will be required.

Shelly is getting her share of training too. She's become a regular yoga practitioner, and today will be taking class on how to teach English as a foreign language. She's also been a quick study on the mechanics and law of transporting pets overseas and learning more about geography than she ever thought possible.

So, in a couple days, we will post our new flag on this site, and you will know what we know about our destination for the next couple years. Wish us luck!!

David and Shelly