The Secretary was here!

We had the honor of welcoming Secretary Clinton about ten days ago to Santo Domingo. She came to participate in the Pathways to Prosperity Ministerial meeting, and if you're so inclined, you can read more about it here.  Our leadership asked for volunteers, and I was a bit nervous about throwing my hat in the ring, since I've been slightly overwhelmed by my consular role. But I figured this would likely be my only chance to work on an 'S' visit in the DR, so I volunteered for a small role.

Instead, I was assigned to be the site officer for the place where most activities were happening- the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! Over the next two weeks, I visited the site frequently with the Pol/Econ chiefs and other staff, and got to know key government personnel as well as the site itself. On the day of her visit, everything went smoothly, I am happy to say!

It was an incredible privilege to work on this visit, as well as an amazing professional experience. I feel like I grew in 2 weeks from a baby diplomat to maybe an adolescent diplomat- I learned so much! I am indebted to my colleagues who trusted me with this important job and took the time to explain my role and answer my questions. We have a wonderful team here in Santo Domingo and I am proud to be part of it.