Pre-Departure Orientation Day #2

Today has been a whirlwind of a day. We started the day with an introduction to all of the government programs available to me and how I can support those programs. Then, we switched into regional sessions to discuss roles and responsibilities. I actually was able to meet with all of my African counterparts and learn about the "reality" of my project. There are a ton of acronyms in this program, which I am used to in education. So, here is a list of some of the terms I have learned so far:

PAS - Public Affairs Section
PAO - Public Affairs Officer
GU - Georgetown University
RELO - Regional English Language Office (there are three in Africa)
RSO - Regional Security Officer
DS - Diplomatic Security

So, my job is to facilitate communication between Georgetown (who does all the payouts, logistics), the host institution (Uganda Christian University), and the PAO/RELO. The RELO and the host institution writes the description proposals and then the state department approves/denies the project. The project description might have been developed by a different RELO/PAO than who I will meet because they rotate every two years. So, I need to prepare for a possible different job description than what is on paper. There are certain "mission goals" that the embassy is trying to accomplish along with the host institution. I have primary and secondary duties. It seems to me like the most difficult part of my job is going to be balancing all that is asked of me because there are so many things to do. I also learned:

•  The ambassador of the country is like the president. There are protocols that I need to follow when meeting him/her.

• If there is an officer, he/she is American. Officers serve two year terms.

For lunch, I went with the African people to an awesome sushi place. It was $10 for my box lunch and it was delicious. I actually had soup and some kind of salad before this box. Who doesn't love tempora and dumplings?

After lunch,  we discussed the various programs including Peace Corp, State Alumni, American Spaces, and Voice of America. We have a lot of responsibilities with these groups and overall provide mentoring and guidance. We also talked about all of the resources available. There are a TON of resources. I had no idea of all of these organizations and materials were available for me to use - for free! I need to take a look at everything and download all of the stuff I need before leaving next week.

We concluded the sessions today with a security briefing. One of the most important things is our briefing with the RSO when we arrive in country. They apparently have the lowdown on the security and what is happening in the country. Even though I don't work at at the embassy, I have some type of special privileges that cover me as part of the embassy. The RSOs are there to protect and keep me safe. There is an entire team devoted just to keeping us safe. They reminded us of common sense things like keeping your money on your person, walking in well lit areas, watching for unusual circumstances, and varying your route.

Overall, I feel good about the day and all of the information I have learned. I feel prepared already for what is coming ahead, even though I have two more days of orientation. Tomorrow will be mostly about staying healthy while abroad and more stories from former fellows.