The Foreign Service, Journal Entry Morocco
By Susan Scharfman, Fri Dec 9th
The Foreign Service, Journal Entry Morocco By Susan Scharfman Ifyou're still wondering what foreign service people do for aliving, here are some snapshots from my Morocco journal. Asmentioned in my first article about the Foreign Service,overseas assignments come in various colors: black forhellholes, pink for paradise, off-white for dull. Each week embassy staffers take alternate turns at being dutyofficer. That means you're on call 24/7 to respond toemergencies--kind of like firemen. Usually nothing happens andit's an off-white night or weekend. When something hits the fan,the colors get more interesting. A phone call at two in the morning from the Marine SecurityGuard sends me scrambling down to the local jail, jeans andsweater hastily yanked on over nightclothes, hair a mess. TheMoroccan police are holding an eighteen-year-old American forhaving tried to sneak hashish onto an airplane. To make mattersworse he's lost his passport. Since the average traveler doesnot have diplomatic immunity, the unfortunate guy languishes inthe slimy place for months before we can get him released. Manypeople would love (kill) to have an American passport, so it'swise to keep it safe when traveling.
Jaren Stone is a newly arrived Junior Officer on duty when he'ssummoned, again after hours, to the Hilton Hotel. Inexperiencedbut creative, he calls in an embassy health officer and the twoare able to convince the panic-stricken hotel manager that theAmerican man lying on the floor in room 808 of the Rabat Hiltonhas died of a stroke, not the Black Death. Jaren's French andstumbling Arabic help quell the hysteria, but not before themanager quarantines the entire hotel including the dead man'sdistraught wife. The following day Jaren admits to me: "Back inWashington I hated my language instructor. Right now I'd kisshis ring." During normal work hours a consular officer handles Americancitizen affairs, the disposition of dead bodies as well asissuance of visas and passports. So what's the differencebetween an embassy and a consulate? Lesson 101 of the manual says embassies are in
capital citieswith ambassadors at the helm. Instead of CEOs, they're calledChiefs of Mission. They report to the Secretary of State andserve at the discretion of the President. Consulates General arein other major cities, headed by a Consul General. Ever noticethe classy French Consulate General on New York City's FifthAvenue, while their embassy sits in Washington, D.C? At thiswriting Patrick Duddy is the American Consul General in SaoPaolo, Brazil, one of the largest consulates in the world. ThePresident politically appoints some principal officers; Duddy isa career officer of the Senior Foreign Service. Depending on thecircumstances, some American embassies like Baghdad, Paris orLondon have hundreds to thousands of personnel, whereas smallerembassies the likes of Lithuania or Luxembourg have fewer staff.Once upon a time there existed an entity called a legation.Confused? Fahgetaboutit. Think: Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Spanish, French,Portuguese, Arabs; the likes of Paul Bowles and Henri Matisse.Tangier, Morocco was probably one of the last of the legationsbefore the American diplomatic presence in that Bohemian citywas moved out of the old walled quarter to the new town where itwas eventually closed. The relationship between Morocco and the United States is anenduring one. The old legation in the heart of Tangier's medinawas a gift to the United States from the Sultan of Morocco in1821 and we still own it. From its rooftop, the Strait ofGibraltar and the RIF Mountains. From the medieval cobblestonestreets below, the aroma of cuisine to die for. The originalstructure (restored) is an American museum and cultural center(http://www.maroc.net/legation/) amidst the clamor of merchants,donkeys, artists, writers and expatriates. With stunning Moorisharchitecture surrounding the inner courtyard, characteristicallyopen to the sky, the museum displays an impressive collection of17th to 20th century art--an American jewel in the crown of thisNorth African Kingdom. And skiing one hour from the oasis ofMarrakesh is no hardship either. One of the benefits of anassignment in paradise. About the author:Susan Scharfman is a former Foreign Service Officer, andwriter/editor at www.susanscharfman.com |
