One of the tasks of a US Foreign Service Officer is to help arrange and see through visits by VIPs. When a Senator or member of the House of Representatives visits, it's called a CODEL (COngressional DELegation). A lot of the work, frankly, is pretty tedious -- putting together meetings, arranging rides, etc. At least for the first few I've done, though, there are some redeeming elements, which include sitting in on meetings with the highest-level folks and waiting out on the airport tarmac for their fancy planes to arrive. I just hosted a group of seven House members and I got to meet the Prime Minister (for a second time, but this time I got my picture taken with him and I will post it as soon as they send it to me) and the person who is likely to be the next Israeli leader in about 4 weeks (Benjamin Netanyahu).
Another interesting thing is to go pick them up at the airport. Okay, it's really only interesting the first time you do it. Anyhow, you get to go on the tarmac at the airport as their military jet lands and they exit the plane straight into our awaiting vehicles. Here are a couple of pics (some El Al jets in the first, then the 737 my last CODEL flew in on).
Another interesting thing is to go pick them up at the airport. Okay, it's really only interesting the first time you do it. Anyhow, you get to go on the tarmac at the airport as their military jet lands and they exit the plane straight into our awaiting vehicles. Here are a couple of pics (some El Al jets in the first, then the 737 my last CODEL flew in on).
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