American diplomats shun "hardship posts" in third world countries
2 March 2010, 13:12, by Patricia Linderman
Thank you for quoting from my online article, "Hardship Posts for Beginners." The article was aimed at preparing diplomatic families for some of the difficulties they might face abroad, since we do not live in isolated compounds in most places, and we really do face hardships, especially compared to our well-cushioned lives in the United States.
It is not true, however, that we tend to remain isolated from the local population and environment. Cuba is, in fact, a very unusual case, since Cubans faced trouble with their own government if they became too friendly with Americans. We were frustrated and saddened by this separation. I certainly did enjoy mojitos, the Malecon, Old Havana, José Marti’s poetry, and much more — in fact, my family extended our assignment there from two years to three, with no extra pay as you seem to imply. However, my article was focused especially on preparing people for hardships, not the many joys of living in another country, which I think are more obvious.
We definitely do "love foreigners and have a curiosity for other cultures," or we wouldn’t be doing this. I can understand why hardship differentials can seem offensive, but they are common practice among diplomatic services and international businesses from many countries, not just the United States. In fact, Washington D.C. is considered a hardship post by some (high crime rate, high cost of living, terribly hot summers).
I do agree that both the U.S. and the world would benefit from expanded language training and requirements for our diplomats. Being fluent in Spanish gave us much greater insight into the situation in Cuba and allowed us to make the most of our unfortunately limited contact with individual Cubans.
Thanks for reading this,
Patricia Linderman
currently in Guayaquil, Ecuador, a hardship post because of the high crime rate and hot climate ... but we love the friendly, family-oriented people; centuries-old indigenous cultures; fresh tropical fruits; fishing villages on unspoiled beaches; and much more.
Thank you for quoting from my online article, "Hardship Posts for Beginners." The article was aimed at preparing diplomatic families for some of the difficulties they might face abroad, since we do not live in isolated compounds in most places, and we really do face hardships, especially compared to our well-cushioned lives in the United States.
It is not true, however, that we tend to remain isolated from the local population and environment. Cuba is, in fact, a very unusual case, since Cubans faced trouble with their own government if they became too friendly with Americans. We were frustrated and saddened by this separation. I certainly did enjoy mojitos, the Malecon, Old Havana, José Marti’s poetry, and much more — in fact, my family extended our assignment there from two years to three, with no extra pay as you seem to imply. However, my article was focused especially on preparing people for hardships, not the many joys of living in another country, which I think are more obvious.
We definitely do "love foreigners and have a curiosity for other cultures," or we wouldn’t be doing this. I can understand why hardship differentials can seem offensive, but they are common practice among diplomatic services and international businesses from many countries, not just the United States. In fact, Washington D.C. is considered a hardship post by some (high crime rate, high cost of living, terribly hot summers).
I do agree that both the U.S. and the world would benefit from expanded language training and requirements for our diplomats. Being fluent in Spanish gave us much greater insight into the situation in Cuba and allowed us to make the most of our unfortunately limited contact with individual Cubans.
Thanks for reading this,
Patricia Linderman
currently in Guayaquil, Ecuador, a hardship post because of the high crime rate and hot climate ... but we love the friendly, family-oriented people; centuries-old indigenous cultures; fresh tropical fruits; fishing villages on unspoiled beaches; and much more.