Welcome to my Summer 2020 SEAM blog!  As all of us know, this Summer’s travel was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore, I am “traveling around the world” by way of conversations with a series of Consul Generals from a variety of consulates located in the Atlanta area to discover how their consulates and services were impacted by this crisis.  I plan on interviewing between 5-8 Consul Generals to compare how each consulate reacted to the pandemic. 

How are things going so far?  Beginning this first week, I focused on sending out initial invitations to Consul Generals with Ireland, Mexico, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Israel, and Greece.  I was lucky to have introductions by colleagues from KSU for three of the consulates.  Additionally, I am documenting my sources as I research each Consul General in more detail.  Honestly, their backgrounds are fascinating! I cannot wait to begin speaking with them about what attracted them to public service, their consulate, and their views on the impact of the pandemic. 

Saying “YES!” to new adventures can be daunting!  What I learned this first week is that putting yourself “out there” by cold-calling (via email) another country’s diplomat was far more fun than I expected.  Especially when I immediately received two “yes” responses to my requests from the Consul Generals of Israel and Greece.  Two factors will be central to making the interviews a success: organizing interview appointments carefully and having a quiet setting to perform the interviews remotely over Zoom (one without distractions or my dog barking).  This week ends with me “scouting” quiet spaces and keeping my schedule as flexible as possible.

I am thrilled to be scheduling my first Consul General interviews, and I look forward to sharing more about my experience in my next blog!