In May of 2021 the AAFSW Forum Committee sent out a survey to members of the foreign affairs community designed to determine what is important to members of the community we serve. The survey invited all active and retired members of the community plus adult family members and members of household from all agencies including military under Chief of Mission authority to respond. During the two weeks the survey was active, 402 completed responses were received. Over the summer Lara Center, President of AAFSW and Ann La Porta, Chair of the Forum Committee, read over 100 pages of written comments and distilled them into areas that AAFSW could work on… Read More
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More About 2020 CCE-EFM Award Winner Janet Heg
We wanted to hear more from our 2020 award recipients — what contributed to the actions that led them to receive the award, advice for others, and more. Read more about the 2020 CCE-EFM Award winner Janet Heg below. What inspired you? I used to be an EFM and it was through EFM employment that I learned about the wide range of opportunities available in the Foreign Service. Until then I hadn’t realized the potential to work in management or one of the specialist fields. I really enjoyed the feeling of a shared mission with my spouse; it felt fantastic to get in the car with him in the mornings… Read More
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Fun with AAFSW’s Foreign-Born Spouses Group
Despite the current pandemic situation, the Foreign-Born Spouses group continues to be very active and has adapted to new challenges by meeting on Zoom in order to be close to members and future members around the globe. For example, we were able to celebrate via Zoom Hispanic Heritage month last October, the Lunar New Year, we hosted a Taichi class, presented an EFM employment panel, and more. Stay tuned for future events! We are now hosting meet and greet sessions the first week of each month, either a coffee morning or an evening cocktail hour via Zoom. By meeting using Zoom, we’ve been able to have participants join us from… Read More
Continue ReadingWebinar: Mindful Eating, Mindful Living
An Interactive Webinar on Zoom organized by AAFSW Program Chair Sheila Switzer Thursday, May 20 9 am to 10:30 Washington DC time We eat every day. But are we really paying attention? So often, we hurry through meals and snacks without truly savoring them, and perhaps without nourishing our bodies as effectively as we could. In this interactive webinar on Zoom, we will learn and immediately practice mindful eating techniques that can help us: Enjoy our food even more Tune in to our body’s hunger and satiety signals Reduce guilt and anxiety around food Nourish our bodies more effectively and Learn to incorporate mindful eating as part of a stress-reducing mindfulness… Read More
Continue ReadingMartine’s Must-Reads for May 2021
1- Stronger: Courage, Hope, and Humor in My Life with John McCain by Cindy McCain Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain opens up about her beloved husband, their thirty-eight-year marriage, and the trials and triumphs of a singular American life. 2- A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnel In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: “She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.” The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed… Read More
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A Talk with Author Gina Wilkinson
Author of “When the Apricots Bloom,” former Diplomatic spouse in Iraq & foreign correspondent Thursday, June 3 at 6 p.m. Eastern Time RSVP to the office@aafsw.org for the Zoom Link. AAFSW cordially invites you to join us for a fascinating talk with Gina Wilkinson via Zoom from Australia about her book entitled “When the Apricots Bloom”. Gina will entertain us with stories of her mesmerizing life in Iraq, on Tuesday, June 3 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern standard Time. Inspired by her experiences while in Baghdad under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, “When the Apricots Bloom” is told through the eyes of three vastly different women in Iraq at the turn of the millennium.… Read More
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