system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do people "live" in an Embassy for extended periods of time? I've never visited an Embassy, are they like hotels or something or it just a very awkward situation?
gpt
It really depends on the countries involved and the situation. A lot of embassies are nothing more than office buildings with no living accommodations.

The U.S. Embassy in London is an office building and the U.S. amabssador lives in a huge mansion called Winfield House in Regents Park. Most of the staff are locals and live in the area surrounding the embassy. 

On the other hand, the U.S. embassy in Iraq is a fortress where everyone lives in the compound.