A passport to be proud of!!!!

I applied and had been issued my first DIPLOMATIC passport this week. For some reason, every time I think about it, I remember the scene at the end of Lethal Weapon 2, in which the official from the apartheid-era South African Consulate in L.A. claims diplomatic immunity after shooting Riggs (Mel Gibson), and is subsequently shot by Murtaugh (Danny Glover)?
Scene goes like this:


[Rudd shoots Riggs, then holds his ID in front of his face]
Ambassador Arjen 'Aryan' Rudd: Diplomatic immunity!
[Murtaugh shoots him through the ID/head]
Roger Murtaugh: It’s just been revoked!

Here’s the lesson that guy should have learned first: Diplomats don’t enjoy diplomatic immunity when they’re shooting at police officers.


The diplomatic immunity is a product of a practice between the Italian city-states in the Renaissance of exchanging permanent embassies. The idea is that diplomats serving in foreign countries are immune to the laws of their host countries. The idea rests on the principle of reciprocity: You protect my diplomats in your country, and I’ll protect yours serving in my country. And every state has an incentive to have ambassadors serve in other capitals to represent its interests, so each state should see to it that the principle of diplomatic immunity continues to thrive.

It also reminded me of bitter debate in the country I was born in, Romania. A very popular Romanian musician, Teo Peter, (I grew up listening to his music) was killed in a traffic accident in Bucharest in a very early morning of December 2004 when an U.S. Marine embassy guard, drove his Ford SUV through a red light and into a taxi carrying Peter. The American was drunk. He was given a breathalyzer test at the scene which confirmed his drunken state, but since he was a guard at the embassy, he had diplomatic immunity and was allowed to leave the scene. The Romanians requested that the U.S. government lift his immunity, but the U.S. refused to drop his immunity and lifted him out of Romania to Germany. To make things worse, the whole incident came only a year after the Iraq invasion, so we definitely didn’t need the story.


I also remember a similar incident years prior, one in which the U.S. found itself on the other side. On January 3, 1997, a Georgian diplomat, Makharadze, was driving home in DC after heavy drinking when he killied a 16-year-old girl. The Georgian Embassy reminded U.S. authorities of his diplomatic immunity, and he tried to flee the U.S., but under heavy U.S. pressure, Georgian President Shevardnadze waived Makharadze's diplomatic immunity in order to maintain good relations with the U.S. The judge at the trial called Shevardnadze’s decision "courageous." And it was.

Anyway, having my black American Diplomatic passport definitely fills my heart with joy and pride!!!!!

Why the name of the blog?

It's been almost seventeen years now since Cristina and I arrived on the Promised Land.
We can remember even now, very clearly, how scared we were. As time went by, we realized that on top of our wonderful family we had something very precious there. Friends! Despite the fact of being in a foreign country, having friends has provided us with the support network we needed to feel home. Now, why are we writing all these sentimental memories? Because, the news is, I have become a career diplomat and we are heading away, so this is a farewell letter!
Why diplomacy?
We have always been proud for achieving our dream to become Americans. I grew up with my grandfather pointing to the skies and reassuring me that one day the Americans will come. This was thirty plus years after the WWII was over and the poor old man had lost everything he had worked so hard for, but he kept his hope. Every week, granpa would pull out his worthless titles for the land that had been taken away from him and would read them again and again with tears in his eyes.
While there are many people who admire our nation, there are a vicious few who would see it destroyed. For some situations, military action may be the appropriate response. For many others, diplomacy is called for. That’s where we think we can make a difference. Because we have been so blessed to be a part of this nation, we feel it is time to give something back. We’ve had a lifelong interest in cultures and languages, creating in us a compelling desire to get to know many others. We’ve wondered if
there was a way to serve our adoptive country while satisfying our desire to get to know other people and cultures. Conditions may be rough, the assignments may not always be glamorous, and the welcome may not be warm for an American on foreign soil, which will deepen our appreciation for our homeland and challenge us to reach out and find common ground. Who could ask for a better opportunity?
Are we having a midlife crisis? Why would we give up this comfortable life here to take the unknown road?
We asked ourselves these questions: What do we care about? What ideals are we willing to commit to? We believe that every one of us has and will have unique opportunities to make a difference, if only in small and quiet ways. A successful life is about spotting those opportunities and acting on them. The only mistake one can make is to ignore the quest, to settle for an ordinary life, to just look out for Number One, to live and die without ever having made a difference. We’re not talking about becoming Mother Theresa, but just about merely trying to better the lives of others.
Poet Mary Oliver asked this question, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" This is the most important question any of us will ever ask ourselves. We decided to challenge ourselves to act, to be of service, to let our life become as meaningful as it is meant to be.
And like Dacia wrote in a school essay: "All we can hope for is that somewhere in a small village, in a foreign country, there is a small boy with his grandfather hoping and praying for our arrival"