Fridays at work

Fridays at work in the Embassy are a bit of a zoo. The official hours are 7:30-1:30, because we work an hour longer during the other 4 days. So all of the employees scamper around trying to get work done so by 1:30 on the dot they are running out the door to start their weekends. This is all fine and good for local employees, but Americans are work-a-holics. So, around 1:15 I get a few last minute calls from various folks (especially more senior to me) with requests that simply can't wait until Monday. Then Washington DC people start arriving at work and contacting us by phone and email, and can't understand that we may not complete their requests before the end of their work day, which has indeed just started. So, each week I type quickly, don't take lunch, try not to book to many appointments and try to keep up with the efficient efforts of my Botswana colleagues. And each Friday I pry myself away from the stack of work by 3:00 and finally call it quits. Fortunately this at least gives me a few extra hours of daylight to play with the kids!