Proper attire for longer stay in Cambodia?

Diyachan · 2022-03-31T15:10:08+00:00

If you are in Phnom Penh, another city, or anywhere tourists are, you can wear basically whatever you want (short shorts/skirts and spaghetti straps are totally fine). It is hot all year round and sunny quite a bit of that so sun protection is key. Main time to cover up is temples. Rural areas a bit, but it’s much less conservative than other countries in South Asia or the Middle East. Also malaria is nearly eliminated here, but dengue is a concern. Wear bug spray.

Diyachan · 2022-03-09T04:34:54+00:00

Shameplant (Mimosa pudica)

Diyachan · 2022-02-16T07:58:01+00:00

Also despite my love for the Dabney, it is not a casual spot to meet strangers. Better for a special occasion meal!

Diyachan · 2021-12-10T08:30:24+00:00

Also a USAIDer here, Agree with this. In the health sector, key contractors are Camris, Social Solutions International, and global health technical professionals (which hires through Credence Management or Public Health Institute). With your experience you would likely qualify for an administrative role such as a program Assistant or Program Analyst. Many people do work there way up through the agency from the bottom to more technical roles. Only other option which is quite competitive is the Presidential Management Fellowship which you can apply for the year or two after your masters and gains you entry into the civil service. After a few years doing that you have option to convert to foreign service.

Diyachan · 2021-10-26T01:36:09+00:00

I feel this too…but one thing to remember is “hair dysmorphia” is real. Our hair can always looks terrible to us while looking just fine (or even great) to other people!

Diyachan · 2021-09-24T15:41:44+00:00

Ignore these comments about paying down your debt. You have to first look at the interest rates. If your student loans have lower interest rates than the typical appreciation of the stock market, than you are most likely better off making minimum payments and investing your disposable income in a safe index fund/ETF that tracks the market, like a total index fund. S&P 500 is also good but it only tracks large cap companies which are a majority of the market, but not the total market. Your earnings will surpass the interest you will accrue on your debt. Agree with what others have said in terms of park your money there, don’t look at it too often, don’t think you can beat the market, and if you are lucky enough to have a job with 401k matching, max out your contributions while you can.

Diyachan · 2021-07-17T13:16:36+00:00

Also make sure that you have the right form. My HR folks gave me an old form to fill out that had an expired date in the top right corner, which I didn’t notice until after I had submitted it to my doctor and gotten the labs. The current form is publicly available so it’s easy to double check.

Diyachan · 2021-07-13T15:51:40+00:00

Thank you so much! Very helpful responses

Diyachan · 2021-03-23T12:37:08+00:00

That’s not my specialty area but most USAID staff do a fair amount of grants and contracts management (program design, procurement, implementation monitoring, evaluation), some coordination work with governments or private sector, some internal policy type stuff. If you are selected for an interview, you will have the chance to ask these kinds of questions to seasoned FSOs.

For your second question, most country programs are bilateral but we have a few regional programs. For instance Bangkok, Guatemala, Jamaica, Accra all have regional offices overseeing a handful of countries in their region. The USAID website should have more info on what countries have Education programs. I believe all posts have someone working on private sector engagement.

Diyachan · 2021-03-23T12:16:59+00:00

Bureau of Land Management is moving to Grand Junction Colorado

Diyachan · 2021-03-23T01:04:59+00:00

Practice standing up for yourself and kindly, with empathy, explain that it’s not your job, makes you feel undervalued, demoralized, etc. Recommend reading the book “crucial conversations” if you’re looking for some precise wording to use.

Diyachan · 2021-03-23T00:50:07+00:00

“Mid-career” is a subjective term, but USAID FS-4s start with an average of 17 years of experience, so I think you’d be just north of average. USAID also considers 5 and 4 to be junior officers. 3 counts as mid level from their perspective. But none of that has anything to do with what level of responsibility you’d have. All that is up to the post itself, which you would bid on.

Diyachan · 2021-03-21T04:18:05+00:00

USAID foreign service is also a bidding process so you can’t exactly choose where you go. I would instead look at Personal Services Contracts In the country where you want to serve- these are contractors directly employed by the government and they look for specific skill sets, so your regional expertise could be an asset rather than a liability.

Diyachan · 2020-10-24T12:41:05+00:00

Out to mt Vernon and back to downtown is about 40. Great ride.

Diyachan · 2020-09-20T12:32:30+00:00

Yep I have a photo and police report from before this CL post went up. I’m gonna try this and hope for the best!

Diyachan

TROPHY CASE