First, apologies for not blogging in a while.  It's been a crazy, whirlwind couple of months. For starters, we moved!  Due to security concerns, we had to move from our lovely old house into a smaller but very modern apartment building in the heart of downtown Manama.  We're leaving Bahrain to return to Washington this summer.  We currently have HHE (House-Hold Effects) boxes piled in our spare room, just waiting for our orders to be cut so we can start sending our stuff home to DC.  By the time this tour of duty is over, we will have moved five times in three years, to the point that we have elevated moving to an art form!  Too many Foreign Service folks haul too much junk around the world.  Becoming a minimalist makes life a lot easier as one moves from post to post!  

 In January, we took a week of Annual Leave (AL) for a ski trip to our favorite resort in Europe, St. Johann in Tirol, Austria.  I swear we will retire there one day!  Mrs. Crab won't admit it, but Mr. Crab is a better skier than Mrs. Crab. :o)  We also spent a day in Munich, another one of my favorite destinations and one of my top 3 "Dream Posts" in the world.  A touristy but fun must-see attraction in Munich is the famous (infamous) Hofbrauhaus: 

The other announcement that I have forgotten to mention is that Mrs. Crab is now an official employee of the Department of State! She is assigned to Embassy Manama as an EFM (Eligible Family Member) employee, working as a CLO - or Community Liasion Officer.  CLOs are responsible for maintaining high morale at post by assisting newcomers in adjusting to Post, providing information and referrals, and planning and functions. As a professional party planner now, Mrs. Crab and her colleagues have organized such events as a Halloween and Christmas parties, a family day-trip to Saudi Arabia (photo below), and a Hawaii-themed Aloha backyard party (photo below)!  CLOs can also assist with finding work opportunities for EFMs.  In difficult situations, CLOs are also responsible for helping coordinate evacuation of employees and families. If the opportunity arises, we highly recommend pursuing a CLO position. 

HELP ME HELP YOU:  I'm looking for blog topic ideas. What would you like to know about Life in the Foreign Service? Post a comment and I'll try to spread our "institutional knowledge," as we say in the FS!  

 THIS is Saudi Arabia!  Taken at the ARAMCO complex in Dhahran, KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), about a 45 minute drive from Manama, Bahrain: