"Wear the Fox Hat"...Becky's life in the Foreign Service: July 2014

It has been awhile since I posted...wow....6 months has really flown by. A lot has happened in the last few months. Unfortunately, some health problems sidelined me for a bit. I have to say, when everything transpired in early April and I was sent back to the United States for a medical evacuation, I was extremely worried about what might happen and if I would be able to return to Greece to complete my tour of duty here (or if I wanted to at that point), but the State Department took good care of me (and the doctors I worked with in Phoenix were AMAZING) and I am very happy that everything worked out for the best. I have since recovered very well, and I am feeling blessed and extremely happy and thankful for every day of good health. Since returning, work has been great, I have not missed a day of my job, and things have been going splendidly. I couldn't be happier, actually. Life is definitely better and is very good.

I am including a few photos of trips from the past few months that I had taken...they are scattered of course, but hey! It's been awhile since I posted, so this way you can see what I had been up to a little. I'll definitely keep up with the blog posts better from now on. I've started to train for the Athens marathon that will take place in November of this coming year. My plan is to see as many of the Greek islands as possible this summer, and I also have some additional plans to travel around Europe before I depart post next July (2015). I found out recently I will be assigned to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for my next posting - to report in April 2016 (I will report to Washington DC first for Spanish language and Consular General training) and am very excited for this next part of my Foreign Service career. A lot more things coming up, so definitely stay tuned! :)

So without further delay, photos from the past few months.... :) Happy Summer to All!

The Red Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, February 2014

Interior of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, February 2014

A presentation of the "Whirling Dirvishes" also known as Sufi Islam. Rumi is the Father of this particular sect of Islam. It was mesmerizing to watch!

The view of the Hagia Sofia at night with the full moon. Simply beautiful :)

One of the floats at the Carnivale in Patras, Greece, in March 2014

One of the many groups of Carnivale participants in Patras, Greece, March 2014

Colorful houses along one of the canals on the island of Burano, Italy, close to Venice, March 2014

View from San Marco Cathedral, looking out across the water, Venice, Italy, March 2014

A beautiful horse created just for us by an Artisan glassblower on the island of Murano near Venice, Italy, famous for their incredible and beautiful hand-blown glass, March 2014