I became a diplomat through the Foreign Service Exam process. Any US citizen can sign up for and take this exam, it is offered four times a year these days (although when I took it, it was offered world wide just one day a year.) I took the test, passed and was offered a job pending completion of a security clearance investigation. You can find out all about it by going to www.state.gov and looking at the career info.

In college I studied Japanese language and culture and graduated with a BA in Poli-sci and a minor in Anthro. The poli-sci background helped me past some parts of the written test, but it was my ability to speak and write the English language that I think helped me pass the test.

Diplomatic Immunity is usually used to stop host governments from singling out diplomats for harassment by the police. If you work at an embassy, this applies to all parts of your life (and your spouse and children if they are there on Diplomatic passports with you.) If your assignment is at a consulate, immunity usually only applies to you while you are on-the-job. The idea is that if you are on a negotiating team working with a host government, that host government can't use the cops to grab your son on some trumped up charge like crossing against a red light and hold him in jail to manipulate you while you do your job.

Of course, depending upon the situation, the US government might waive your immunity if you do something really bad like get drunk and crash your car into a sidewalk full of people. Most of us take our immunity pretty seriously and never pull it out at all. I have seen diplomats pay parking and traffic tickets etc rather than make a fuss - and depending upon the embassy, you might get in trouble with your superiors for not abiding by the local law anyhow. It's better to pay up and shut up most of the time.

Danger. I have friends who have been shot at in Iraq and Afghanistan - they are the real deal. My most dangerous moment is nothing like theirs. One time I went into a bad neighborhood to pick up a couple of American children who had been dumped by their parents. That was creepy, because the minute I pulled up, my car was surrounded by people who wanted to know why I was there and what was going on. Once they found out I was the real deal, they took me to the house and hung out while I spoke to the people. If there had been a problem, I am sure the mob would have happily rode my ass out of town on a rail but I wasn't a dick, I was there to help and everyone was very good natured about the whole thing. The people in town just wanted to ensure the right thing was done.

The sad thing is we repatriated the kids to the USA and turned them back over to the people who dumped them in the first place. I can only hope that social services got involved at some point.

great questions!