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The Joys and Perils of Serving Abroad: Memoirs of a U.S. Foreign Service Family
The Joys and Perils of Serving Abroad is Diego and Nancy Asencio’s account of their experiences over the course of Diego’s long career in the Foreign Service. From Diego’s initial posting in 1957 to his retirement in 1986, the Foreign Service offered the Asencios and their five children fascinating lessons about new cultures, people, and places. But the Asencios also had to contend with quotidian frustrations imposed by bean counters back home and with episodic life-threatening situations, including Diego’s kidnapping by a Colombian paramilitary terrorist group. Nancy and Diego tell their family’s story—all of it, the joys and the perils—with honesty and a great deal of humor.