Friends, Colleagues

This wasn’t exactly what I envisioned when I took my oath with my entering class over six and a half years ago.

I have recently come to the conclusion, or rather, it has been concluded for me, that no viable pathway exists for me to remain as a Foreign Service Officer. I have thus decided to take control of my future and resign from the Foreign Service.

This marks a premature departure from a career I thought I would retire from. However, as I reflect on my brief years with the Department of State, I am proud of what I have achieved. Whether it was reporting on the precarity of China’s legions of migrant workers during “zero-COVID” and its efforts to spur rural development amidst rapid demographic changes, or making thousands of adjudications facilitating legitimate travel, or advocating for United States interests in the face of an increasingly assertive China in Colombia, I unapologetically stand by my decisions and reporting. My judgement was, and is, sound.

Of course, none of this could have been possible without the collaboration and support of you, my fellow colleagues. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to work with you and to be your advocate as an AFSA post representative. Your talent and dedication are unmatched, and losing your company is what I’ll regret most.

The doors have closed on this phase of my career, but I have not reached the end of the line. While I plan on remaining in Washington in the immediate term, I find myself drawn to a beautiful island across the Pacific. I want to try my hand at long-form writing, and I hope to post more than occasionally on Substack. Please don’t hesitate to send me a message at peng@pengaea.net, and I’d be happy to treat you to a tasty beverage, wherever our paths may cross.

Until we meet again