A blog from FCDO's Consular team
4th December 2013 London, UK
Two weeks ago, Mike Taylor led a Foreign Office Rapid Deployment Team (RDTs– we love our jargon!) from London to help locate British nationals affected by Typhoon Yolanda – or Haiyan – in the Philippines. Our RDTs are always on call to help deal with crises affecting British nationals around the world. There are four […]
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6th March 2013 London, UK
In the lead up to International Women’s Day on Friday, we are featuring the stories of women who work for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as guest articles across the FCO bloggers’ network. Carole Johnson is a Team Leader in the FCO’s Global Response Centre (GRC). It operates around the clock, 365 days a year, […]
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21st December 2012 London, UK
The following is a guest post by Foreign Office Minister, Mark Simmonds. Over the last two weeks we’ve brought you a series of blogs from our consular staff from around the world. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about some of the work we do to support British nationals abroad, and gained some insight into what […]
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20th December 2012 London, UK
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year in Mexico. There are lights hanging everywhere, everyone is buying Christmas presents and arranging a family reunion with a fancy dinner. Our Mexican celebrations are the fusion of indigenous and Spanish traditions, seasoned with a bit of influence from the USA. The celebration starts with our […]
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19th December 2012 London, UK
The end of the year is a fun time to be in Goa. The festive season starts with the Hindu festivals of Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali, then you have the various church feasts that honour the patron saints of each village. In December, Roman Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint […]
Read more on Consular Christmas blogs: An alternative Christmas in Goa | Reply
18th December 2012 London, UK
Canada is a wonderful place for the holiday season, with many exciting diversions and snow going hand in hand. Many tourists travel to the west coast, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, to enjoy world class skiing. Others savour the festival of lights at Niagara Falls, or go skating on the world’s largest outdoor ice […]
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17th December 2012 London, UK
Thanks to Joanna Lumley’s wonderful documentary about her trip to Norway – and her frantic search for the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) – Norway has become a popular destination for British tourists all year round. For people searching for beautiful fjords, midnight sun, Northern Lights or rugged mountains, Norway has a lot to offer. But […]
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14th December 2012 London, UK
Ibiza is very different in winter. After the hectic, chaotic heat of the summer, winter is chill-out time under the weak winter Mediterranean sun. The clubbers and party-goers have left to recharge their batteries ready for next year and the Islanders do the same. Over the last 20 years the Spanish perception of Christmas has […]
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13th December 2012 London, UK
Christmas in South India comes in the middle of the Indian festive season. The songs of joy and sparkling decorations could be an extension of Deepavali (Diwali in the North) without the sound and fury; or perhaps it is the harbinger of another mega event – Sankranthi, the harvest festival. In the countryside, you might […]
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12th December 2012 London, UK
As the weather starts to turn cold in the UK, Atlanta starts to heat up for football, family, and twinkling lights. Christmas begins to show up early in the US, with decorations appearing in November, and family get-togethers kicking off as the college football season reaches fever pitch. The holiday season officially starts on Thanksgiving, […]
Read more on Consular Christmas blogs: Atlanta – Christmas lights in the South and the Pink Pig | Reply