Day 10: US Embassy Visit

5/16/22

Now, this page is going to be a little bit sparse due to the fact we were not allowed to take our phones into the embassy. Some of the pictures are not my own.

When we arrived at the embassy (this time by taxi thank heavens no more crossing the city heels), my first impression was that this place looks like a prison or a fortress. Gone are the days of building beautiful embassies, I guess. This is especially true after some fringe loonies tried to burn the original US embassy.

Once through the entrance, we turned in our passports and were handed a badge. Then, we were let in one at a time through a heavy metal door by a guard, where we handed over all electronic devices of any kind along with my little lipgloss and perfume. Much like TSA, my purse went through a scanner and so did I.

We had a brief briefing about the excitements and challenges of careers in foreign service, and then had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Hill. What an interesting man! This is his fifth ambassadorship, and he helped create the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia, as well negotiations with North Korea. He gave us his thoughts on what it would take to finish negotiations on the Serbia-Kosovo issue. This may look like a long-awaited admission into the EU, and special rights for the Serb minority in Kosovo, Currently in negotiations, Serbia stands to lose everything, and Kosovo to gain everything. I will be talking more about Self Determination (and how it can be a can of worms).

Another interesting take which I agreed with is that we didn't do our homework before going into Iraq, and didn't understand the ramifications of flipping a country from Suni to Shia. This underscores the importance of seeking deep understanding of a place's history and identity like I am doing here in the Balkans.

After the briefing, we got to try Serbian McDonalds, and it was very impressive!

The menu was different, and there was an entire cafe portion of the store with cakes. I got to try some delicious, and I mean scrumptious, fried brie triangles. Mmmmm mmm!

The store had eight virtual kiosks to place orders, and they allowed for total customization. The burger my friend ordered was huge! Much larger, and more expensive than the ones in the US.

For the evening, I just took it easy in my hotel room. Down time is healthy and even key to continuing to enjoy such a busy schedule.

Ćao for now!