Author: Dom

I grew up in Natick, Mass, and was raised on everything Boston. I received a media production degree from Quinnipiac, which has gone under-utilized for years. Now, thanks to my wife, I'll be traveling the world alongside a member of the Unites States Foreign Service, beer in hand, while I finally put some of that college knowledge to use.

Autumn in the Land of Eternal Spring

After roughly six months of silence, I’m finally back with an update.  Between work, two nights dedicated to Spanish lessons, three nights booked for basketball, boxing, and tennis, and being the only one with the will or ability to cook real dinners in the house (sorry Misha), I’ve been finding it difficult to allocate time to write.  Luckily, the December slowdown and a few well-placed days off has allowed me some time to not only get a few posts written, but to actually do a few things worth writing about.

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Normality Returns

Antigua (not to be confused with the island) was the Spanish colonial capital until 1773, when an earthquake damaged many of the since-restored structures.   Before traveling to the country, I asked a friend about the draw of the town, considering it is the most visited destination for American embassy employees in Guatemala.  He said, “nothing really. You just hang out, eat and drink.”

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On a More Serious Note

We’re closing in on six months since our arrival in Guatemala.  Normally at this point in our tour we would have seen and done enough things around our new city and country to give us a few blogs worth of material.  Even with the pandemic, I still managed a blog a month during our early... Continue Reading →

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Home Leave

Home Leave is a State Department mandated vacation that occurs between tours. Our leave happened to be the maximum time allotted to us, or 30 days, plus a week of Annual Leave tacked on at the end. We used this time to travel around the country, visit with family, renew our licenses, attend medical appointments, and try to relax despite the near constant stream of activities we attempted to squeeze in. Here's a quick recap of our first home leave.

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Arlington Interlude

After what feels like only two shakes of a lambs' tail (to quote Mia Wallace), our time in the DC area is quickly coming to an end. While we don't depart for Guatemala until mid-October, we are already planning our exit from Virginia.

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The Israeli Craft Beer Scene

Before leaving for Israel, I was cautiously optimistic about their craft beer scene. I was told there was a small but dedicated industry that really started to blossom in the late 2010's. While there are dozens of breweries around the country, the retail scene can be boiled down to about 15 companies and 5 styles. It took me roughly one week to realize I set my expectations too high.

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Last Days in Israel

With our time in Israel now over, we're back stateside in between tours. Misha jumped immediately into Spanish before even getting over her jet lag, while I've taken the time to relax (because I just worked so hard before, right Misha?). The departure process included selling my car, sorting through our belongings (see below), getting... Continue Reading →

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A Quick Jaunt in Jordan

In what was perhaps our last excursion from Israel, Misha and I had an absolute blast in Jordan, Israel's eastern neighbor. The country is currently only allowing those with diplomatic visas to cross the border by car, so we took advantage of our status once again. This may also be our last road trip in my car before we sell it to a fellow diplomat, so it was a nice final drive for my Jetta. This trip didn't have the bewildering brush with border patrol that our Belgium trip had, but it wasn't complete devoid of anxiety all the same. Namely, as the trip wore on, I felt more and more certain that I was coming down with covid.

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Belgian Holiday

After our first attempt to visit Belgium was nixed back in August, Misha and I regrouped for a second attempt during the Christmas season. I can't believe I'm saying this after only two years away from Massachusetts, but the trip actually made me miss winter weather....It wasn't all a nostalgic return to holiday cheer, though. As a matter of fact, it started as poorly as an international trip can start.

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