I am the Embassy Community Liaison Officer, otherwise known as the CLO. I work part time. My main role is to act as a liaison between the Embassy and the families and spouses of UK based officers. This can take many forms such as welcoming people on arrival and showing them around local amenities, contacting officers and their families before they arrive, helping with any welfare problems. Today I had an email from a family that is arriving in the summer wanting to know about schools for their children. Last week I visited our newest recruit, she is only 1 week old!

Our last posting was Kingston, Jamaica. There I was doing something completely different, I was the Prison Visits Officer looking after the interests of over 150 British Nationals who were detained at the Jamaican Governments pleasure! This shows that every post is different and the work varies accordingly. Thankfully we do not have anything like that here, I look after spouses instead! However believe it or not the two jobs can cross, particularly in having a listening ear and having a welfare role. In Kingston 99 % of the prisoners were in jail for drug smuggling either cocaine or ganja. The sentences are fairly short compared with the rest of the world but a year in a Jamaican jail is equivalent to 5 years in a UK one. I heard every excuse in the book for the reason that various people did a drugs run and it opened up a whole new world to me. I had to be fairly tough as I was dealing with very vulnerable people in very bad conditions. The one thing I did learn though is that the 'professional criminal' is totally charming and never gave me any trouble! The worst were the ones travelling with small children and we then had to find a way to get the children back to the UK. They were too young to travel on their own so we had to get a relative to fly out and escort them home. Not easy when most of these people have no money.

Going back to being the CLO the best bit about my job is that there is no routine, I simply do not know what is going to crop up next. There are obviously  (dare I say….!) boring tasks to do, such as the never ending returns. I am currently completing a cost of living questionnaire. Sounds good to go shopping in work time until you find out that you are being followed around the local supermarket by the uniformed security guard and the very obvious looking plain clothes store detective! It was the pen and long list that must have made me look like such a threat! I ended up making a hasty exit and will have to gather my courage only to return another day to finish my list.

I am currently preparing to go to judge an annual British and American Civilisation Language Competition which is held annually in Kaposvar. It involves around 38 children aged 13 - 15 spending all day speaking on their own in a room of around 200 people in a foreign language, rather them than me! Their confidence is amazing. If only my English was as good as theirs….I should point out I failed my English Language O' level twice! Talking of language I am sad to say at this point that having lived in Budapest for the last three and a half years my Hungarian is non existent, hence I really feel sometimes I live in a bubble. I have learnt the basic pleasantries but the rest is beyond me. I admire anyone who learns this unique language. I do get by with a lot of gestures and smiling. I just hope I smile at the right time!

I realise my position is not up there will the movers and shakers in the Embassy but I do feel that it is very important for new families arriving in a new city to see a friendly face. It can be very daunting arriving in a new city not knowing anyone. It is also important that certain jobs are carried out every year such as choosing and decorating the 5 meter Embassy Christmas tree! My main challenge there is that being only 4 ft 10 inches tall the bottom of the tree has far more decorations than the top! However with the help of colleagues every year we seem to conjure up a different plan to get the star on the top. I also relive my childhood by organising the Children's Christmas Party every year. Total chaos but great fun seems to be had by all.

My husband and I leave Budapest this summer to return to the UK. I shall really miss this beautiful City. There is so much to do, great restaurants, concerts, exhibitions, shopping and sporting opportunities. The only advantage I can see from returning back to London is that at least I shall understand what people are saying around me!

Kerry Goodwin

Community Liaison Officer
22 April 2008