Wogworld Goes Private

And so the blog goes private. Something I should have done earlier, as recent events have made painfully clear. I also wasn't aware that Facebook’s default setting is "public;" I assumed, since one must log in to view anything and since Friend requests require confirmation, that only Friends could view my stuff.

But alas: my blog came to the attention of embassy management (either through a routine security sweep or a "Friend" tipping them off, though I really hope it's not the latter), and they didn't like what they saw.

They liked it so little that they are forcing me to resign. No warning, no reprimand or suspension, just straight to "resign, or be terminated." My last day is Friday. All this, despite a complete lack of guidance regarding family member blogs.

I admit that one particular entry was coarse. But the rest were relatively minor, anonymous gripes. No security violations. Even AFSA legal representatives agree that post management's judgment is unduly harsh. (All offending entries have been deleted from the blog, so don't bother searching for them. I might re-post them in this controlled-access environment some time.)

What upsets me most here is that the management is only focusing on *how* I said things, and has no interest in even considering the possibility that *why* I wrote what I did (abuse of power, etc.) may warrant investigating. I guess that's how bad/corrupt authorities keep their power.

You can be sure that I will do everything in my power to bring the matter(s) to the attention of the Office of the Inspector General, members of which will be coming to Beijing soon.

But for now, it's time to dust off the resumé and start looking for something outside the embassy. There's a resumé workshop coming up, being led by the person in HR whose position I was to take. That should be fun.

On the bright side, it gave us an excuse to fire the housekeeper and allow her to save face, and it got me out of that miserable Housing job (albeit not the ideal method for leaving). If I don't find a new job right away, at least I'll be able to travel when DiploWhat does without having to ask for leave. Plus, I'll have time to work on that book I've been piecing together in my brain -- and maybe even learn to cook a few things. I think D-What is actually looking forward to having a "personal assistant" again.