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Realities of Foreign Service Life Vol. 1

Realities of Foreign Service Life Vol. 2

Realities of Foreign Service Life, Volumes 1 and 2: Writers from the Foreign Service community share their first-hand experiences and insights through essays on Foreign Service life. A great gift for newcomers or veterans of the Foreign Service and especially useful for anyone considering a Foreign Service career! Read more about Realities of Foreign Service Life here and order your copy!

 

Washington DC Playgroup

The AAFSW Playgroup was founded in 1997 by a group of stay-at-home Foreign Service parents who had recently returned to the Washington, D.C. area. Since then, with the support of AAFSW, the playgroup has grown to include members from other foreign affairs agencies, in addition to the State Department.

The AAFSW Playgroup invites all moms and dads of preschoolers to join us when you're in the DC area.  We meet on Thursday mornings (prone to change) from 10am-noon at various parks or homes of members in the Falls Church/Vienna area.  Several parks nearby have toys just waiting there for your little one to discover, most are fenced, and all have swings, sand boxes and new equipment. 

Several recent members have found the group especially helpful because it put them in touch with other foreign service spouses who were just coming from or just going to a post they'd just come from or were going to.  As we all know, the small-world stories are alive and well in the foreign service and our playgroup has birthed a few of its own! 

Jennifer and Bridget enjoyed getting help from other members with their consumables lists and Celia and Lejla were both being stationed in Romania, while Molly had just returned from Tunisia where Erin was headed.  We understand the concerns of travelling with small children or having babies abroad and we help with the whole "wrapping your brain around it" so you don't feel so stressed.  We're here for whoever wants to meet a good friend who you can expect to cross paths with again.  As a matter of course, those of us who are posted to DC also help newbies get oriented.  Need a pediatrician, realtor, dentist or hairdresser?  Just ask! 

Molly Jung said it like this, "It's so nice to have the instant report and instant understanding of your life style".  That's what we offer you, as you pass through DC.

For more information about the AAFSW playgroup email playgroup@aafsw.org. For more information about starting a playgroup in Maryland or the District of Columbia, email the AAFSW Main Office at office@aafsw.org