The Day I met Jimmy Carter: Independence Day 2014

Waiting for Independence Day to begin (credit: US Embassy Oslo Public Affairs)

As a first or second our foreign service officer (known as ELO for entry level officer), you end up doing a lot of things that aren't necessarily in your "job description," to the extent that we have job descriptions.  Among the things that I have been able to work on that don't necessarily fall into the portfolio of an environment and science officer are drafting the annual trafficking in persons report (this year's was release on June 20) and coordinating the Embassy's annual Independence Day celebration.

The garden at the US Ambassador's Residence filling up (credit: US Embassy Oslo Public Affairs)

Planning the Independence Day party is a privilege bestowed upon one of the "fresher" officers in the Embassy each year, rotating between the different sections so as to spread the experience around.  As one of the newer arrivals but with still enough time in country to know a few things, I was the lucky one this year, so it was up to me to be the nominal figurehead for a party of 1600+ people.  In truth, the Embassy has this party every year, so all of the permanent staff are well practiced in making this happen, so my job was just to check-in to make sure we were on track and provide a point where all of the different pieces meet.  After months of planning and many detailed discussions on decorations, invitations, food orders, and bands, on June 19 we celebrated the American Independence Day at US Embassy Oslo. Yes, I realize that the traditional day that this takes place is of course the 4th of July, but with school and Parliament going on summer vacation on June 20, it's prudent to move our event up a bit so as to actually have guests.

The Marine Guards present the Colors (credit: US Embassy Oslo Public Affairs)

After all of the stress and planning, I was very happy when the party day arrived and I could enjoy a glass of wine with some of my good friends and colleagues. It was a great reminder how far I've come in this last year, with so many friendly faces this year. We had a mix of sunshine and rain, but that didn't keep people from enjoying the traditional burgers, hot dogs, french fries, and ice cream.

President Carter gives a signed copy of his most recent book to our Charge d'Affaires (source: ME! I was RIGHT THERE!)

Oh yes, and we had the most amazing special guest! Former President Jimmy Carter was in Oslo for some meetings and agreed to stop in to say hello. As one of the behind the scenes people at the party, I had the amazing good fortune of shaking his hand and getting a picture with him!!  There are not enough exclamation points that can express how excited I was. The thousand plus guests that stayed to hear him speak were similarly starstruck, listening in awe as 90-year old former President Carter delivered a passionate speech about the different challenges we are facing around the world, highlighting the work he is leading through the Carter Center. Speaking without notes for 15 minutes was impressive enough, but when he took some questions from the stunned crowd, I nearly fell over in admiration.  I know that there will be many days like this to come in this career, but this will surely be one I will remember.

President Carter, a great surprise for our guests (credit: US Embassy Oslo Public Affairs). 

After a long day of working and mingling, my colleague/friend and I chatted with Jimmy Carter.  

NOTE: More pictures can be found on the US Embassy Oslo Facebook Page. 

On the Hill

There are three branches of government - the executive, the judicial, and the legislative. This is something that you already knew unless you managed to sleep through all of elementary school civics. You have probably also heard that two out of three of these branches do not always get along (if this sentence were published on twitter, this is where I would insert the hashtag #understatement).  However, the living, breathing fact of these three bodies meant almost zero to me until I came to D.C. and now plays a major role in how I go about my work (and play).

As a dutiful civil servant of the executive branch, it is my job to show up, write documents, work with other agencies, and try to move ideas and policies forward that serve the mission of my department and the administration. Politics come into play, but no matter what party is residing in that fancy house over on Pennsylvania or has the most seats up on Capitol Hill, I get to do pretty much the same work.  Being able to do this is, of course, contingent on being paid, and this is where the legislative branch comes into play. I'm not going to get into the deal that was just reached on debt ceiling, mostly because my expertise is not in complex fiscal policy and I feel like all news establishments have those events fully covered. But, I will say that it has been harder than usual to focus on actual work here in the Capitol. Occasionally though, some other business continues to take place.

Last week I attended a Senate Commerce sub-committee meeting that had nothing to do with the debt, but instead focused on economic development in the Arctic. I suspect the hearing was nothing more than an interesting distraction for all three Senators in attendance, but it's always nice to see some government in action. While the outcomes of committee hearings are usually predetermined, I recommend visitors look up the schedule of hearings when coming to D.C., since these sessions offer a form of political theatre that is free and accessible to the public, complete with celebrity witnesses and questions from elected officials that range from ridiculously uniformed partisan grandstanding to surprisingly insightful demonstration of knowledge of an issue. Nothing is likely to come out of the hearing, but at least I know that sometimes representatives from both sides of aisle can sit at the same table and listen to experts from the executive branch, industry, and non-profit organizations in a polite and dignified manner. As we've seen, politics between the branches can be messy, but I just wanted to share that sometimes they also have manners.

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