American diplomats shun "hardship posts" in third world countries
25 March 2012, 20:08
I just came from a middle east post this past month and just read this article which seems to have been posted several years ago. I am deeply saddened that there exists a perception that foreign service officers do not deserve the differential pays as a result of poor living conditions, life endangerment and overall hardship. I understand the point that I have chosen this life and way of living, but one must understand that there needs to be a balance between serving one’s country happily and maintaining that identify and sanity of one’s self.
I can understand the author’s sentiment and as I read deeper into his words and expressions, I can sense that he is in a position in which he feels belittled or taken for granted. Obviously, he has a great deal of experience working alongside foreign service personnel and feels that his challenges go unrecognized. I am empathetic of his situation. However, I believe he would have gained better benefit by writing a story about how to improve his condition rather than attack the credibility of those around him. With that being said, it does not surprise me one bit that he is where he is at...
I just came from a middle east post this past month and just read this article which seems to have been posted several years ago. I am deeply saddened that there exists a perception that foreign service officers do not deserve the differential pays as a result of poor living conditions, life endangerment and overall hardship. I understand the point that I have chosen this life and way of living, but one must understand that there needs to be a balance between serving one’s country happily and maintaining that identify and sanity of one’s self.
I can understand the author’s sentiment and as I read deeper into his words and expressions, I can sense that he is in a position in which he feels belittled or taken for granted. Obviously, he has a great deal of experience working alongside foreign service personnel and feels that his challenges go unrecognized. I am empathetic of his situation. However, I believe he would have gained better benefit by writing a story about how to improve his condition rather than attack the credibility of those around him. With that being said, it does not surprise me one bit that he is where he is at...