Welcome to my newsletter

Books, children, career moves and the odds...

What’s this newsletter all about?

For those unfamiliar with me, my name is Jenny Abamu. I am a mother, journalist, writer, and, technically, a U.S. Diplomat (foreign service officer) until Monday. As a first-generation American, I have a bad habit of always trying to do the most.

We recently moved from Madrid, Spain, back to Bethesda, Maryland, after I decided— to put it lightly— that the State Department's culture was not a good fit for me.

In this newsletter, I want to be a bit more personal. I am working on multiple book projects and hope to discuss the books and their development process. Adjusting to life as a mother back in the United States, I plan to delve into parenting topics. I also want to be candid about my career journey. This is the first time I have left a job without something else poaching me, so it is an opportunity to explore options. Then I’ll also talk about what I am reading and listening to.

I’d also love to hear from you all. What do you want to hear more about?

Books, Books, Books

The working title for my book

One thing my experience at the State Department has given me is fodder for book ideas. But crafting the arch and narrative around a big idea and multiple experiences is complicated, even for a writer. Yesterday I met with a book proposal consultant, and she gave me some good advice. She said these days, books are also ways to help take your career in the direction you want it to go, so consider delivering information in your book in a way that allows you to do that.

For my primary book, I am looking to talk about the theme of power and gaslighting using my experience at the State Department. I have tested this idea by pitching columns on the topic to news outlets, and people are interested. I have a column I am working on now with a legacy publication on this. I will let you all know how it goes.

The other book I wrote is more of a pamphlet on the visa process. It is more of a guide for people navigating. I am hoping to self-publish this one. I also hope to do a few more guide-style books on travel for people. I haven’t fully mapped out my career through these like I am doing with the other book, but I hope it helps people.

Let me know what you all think about these topics?

Cost of Children

We recently went to visit a daycare here in Maryland. It is a Spanish immersion site since my children are both pretty bilingual, and we want to help them maintain that. But boy, is childcare in the USA expensive! In Spain, we paid about $1500 a month for two kids in a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. program Monday through Friday. The center we went to see here in Maryland would be about $4,647.50 for both kids for a 5-day 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. program. Basically, they are going to be home with me for a minute.

How to travel with lots of luggage and small children

One solution we are looking into is a halftime program, mixing time at a cooperative care place with time at the Spanish immersion center. There’s another option of hiring a full-time nanny, but we want them to interact with other kids as much as possible.

I do find that Facebook groups for moms in any area I move to are super sources of information that make it easier for families to adjust. It’s probably the only reason I still have a Facebook account.

Career Moves

Resigning from the State Department was a lot more encompassing than resigning from any other job I have had to leave. They provided my housing, I was in a different country because of them. My entire routine has been upended by this process.

Outside the U.S. Embassy in Madrid

I am working towards getting back into the world of journalism. The prospects, given all the recent layoffs, look bleak. But I work hard, so we will see. The journalism industry is dynamic and unstable, as usual, but it’s the kind of competition I look forward to being a part of.

Part of what this process has taught me is that you need a career where your personality matches the work. You need to be part of something where your strengths are assets, not liabilities.

I have a journalist instinct. I ask tough questions, and I’m not really deferential to titles, so hierarchical environments like the State Department are ill fits.

I also took a personality test to learn more about what fits me. I probably should have done it before. Here is the link:

Free Personality Test

What I am reading…

So, I am thinking about how to craft my book. And looking at big-idea non-fiction novels like Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point and James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time for structural ideas and inspiration. I’ll let you know how they are.

I recently read Nicole Walters’ memoir, Nothing Is Missing, which I thought was pretty good (though a bit preachy at points). It is a combination of memoir and prescriptive writing, something I am considering. One of the best pieces of advice she gives in the book is to psyche yourself into things.

We spend so much of our lives psyching ourselves out of things. Maybe instead of thinking about our odds of losing, we need to start thinking about our odds of succeeding. What are our chances of reaching the next level? I bet it’s pretty good. What are the chances of me getting this book published or the journalism job I want? If I crunch the numbers, and you crunch the numbers on your dreams, the odds are better than we think they are.

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I hope you found this first newsletter helpful and engaging. I ended up writing more than I intended. Please share with any friends or family you think would be interested and feel free to buy me a coffee by subscribing if you got some use out of it.

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