Welcome to the third-annual installment of Mr. Coyne Goes to Washington, a weeklong blog chronicling Overseas Americans Week (OAW). OAW is organized by three organizations representing Americans living abroad – the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), American Citizens Abroad (ACA), and the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas (FAWCO). OAW 2010 is taking place from April 19 through April 23.
Leading up to this OAW, the other organizers and I were very excited to be bringing what would have been the largest-ever delegation. We were expecting to have approximately 25-30 people coming to DC from France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Then along came a volcano named Eyjafjallajoekull, which as you know has conspired against millions of well-laid plans. We don’t know what Eyjafjallajoekull has against us in particular, but we’re holding a grudge. Yes, anti-volcano legislation is in the works.
But that hasn’t stopped OAW from getting underway. We have important issues to tackle, most notably tax, banking services and voting. Despite the difficulties for people traveling from or through Europe, we have been able to get thirteen delegates from our organizations and affiliated groups to DC and kicked things off on Monday morning. Adjustments are being made on the fly, but the show must go on. Stay tuned.
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