2022 New Diplomat Welcome Guest Speaker: Birgit Salzmann

I am honored to speak to you as guest speaker today at the annual THIS new diplomat’s welcome event. As probably the longest serving accompanying diplomatic spouse in Washington DC right now. That’s probably why I was picked to speak, as if to show you: if she has survived it, you can too.

It is always difficult to start over in a new country especially for the spouses and family members of diplomats. Far away from family and friends, you embark on a completely new life, interesting, but sometimes lonely and difficult.

When I joined my husband, a diplomat at the Austrian Embassy, in Washington DC in 2017, the forecast was not too good. I had to give up my cherished job as interpreter in Vienna and convince a son who thought he should stay behind and start life as an independent at the age of 16. When we finally arrived in Washington DC as a family at the end of lengthy negotiations, I was exhausted and not too confident. Would this work out?

Well, it did – against all odds. One of the reasons for this was the warm welcome and wonderful hospitality by THIS “The Hospitality and Information Service for Diplomats,” an organization which is run and represented by a great group of remarkable ladies in the capital area whose relentless efforts make this organization an anchor for any diplomat in the area.

Not long after my arrival in DC, I received a call by long-term THIS member Beatrice Fitch, who paid me, a stranger, a visit and brought me a bag full of information she had collected about what to do and where to go. It included where to shop and detailed road maps of DC, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. I was deeply impressed and have ever since tried to work off all the roads and destinations she had described. I joined the THIS community and, immediately, had a program for the week.  Suddenly, I could look forward to seeing people. I could go out and get to know Americans, hear about their lives, see their homes, and meet diplomatic spouses of other countries. In short: to make friends.

I would like to thank you, all the volunteers of THIS, for having me as a member all these years. I enjoyed all the cultural exchange meetings in your homes in DC, Maryland and Virginia and your warm hospitality. I am thankful not only for the opportunity to learn about American customs and culture and have friends from different parts of the world, but also for giving me the opportunity to share my culture and tradition. Thanksgiving, Halloween, Mardi Gras, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day – all these holidays were celebrated and great fun.

I also want to mention and thank you for the excellent cultural program – visits to museums, cultural institutions, historical sites, and concerts in and around Washington DC, which I have enjoyed, especially in the first years of my stay, these led my husband to make the astonished remark: “Is there a place you have not been to in DC?”  He himself was far less fortunate in getting to know the culture and city life in the capital area.

When I speak of the downsides of a posting in America’s capital, I have good news for the newbies. Those two years of reduced life due to the pandemic are over. And you will probably not have to move out of your house twice during your posting either. That’s what I did, to make it more of a challenge. But you too will soon have your moments of doubt – especially when you have to call a service or utility company to have an appliance repaired or a service restored. Good luck. Then you will need a strong shoulder to lean on and that is when the community of THIS is of great value.

I would like to welcome all diplomats and family members who are new to Washington DC to our community. I strongly recommend joining a cultural exchange group. Maybe you will learn how to make Kimchi or watch a Korean or Chinese Tea ceremony. If you love reading, join the book discussion group, which is probably one of the best book groups in the area. You will listen to excellent spoken language and improve your English in no time, while discussing interesting topics of the time. Meeting members and other diplomats you will quickly make friends and find yourself in an atmosphere of hospitality, tolerance, and diversity.

I wish the new diplomatic colleagues a successful and pleasant time in Washington and hope that if you choose to join, THIS will enrich your lives as it has mine.