One of our Foreign Service friends has mentioned that one of his biggest pet peeves with his co-workers -- now former co-workers, as he returned to "normal" life -- was the obsession with what's next. It didn't seem like anyone was ever happy with what they had at the moment; everyone was always planning for their next post.
I think it's a trap we all fall into a lot. I think it's particularly bad for entry-level officers, whose tours generally are two years long. Two years isn't long, and the bidding process is structured in such a way that you generally find out midway through your first tour where you're going next. That means, for example, that by the time we get to Milan, we will have known for almost two years that's where we were going.
I found myself thinking about all this this morning as Owen and I hung out with some church friends who also live in our apartment complex. Most of them are preparing for their first post with the State Department, and they're going to Beijing; Bridgetown, Barbados; Istanbul; Dakar, Senegal; and Surabaya, Indonesia. Throw in Milan and another Beijing (our hostess, whose husband was in A-100 with Kevin) and it's a pretty diverse mix.
But even though I really, really wanted Milan, and don't want to go anywhere else anytime soon, and am more than ready to be there RIGHT NOW, I found myself wondering what it would be like to be going to one of those other places instead.
I guess I've fallen farther into the trap than I realized.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
This is a very interesting assessment of what seems unavoidable in FS life. Thank you for the analysis and insight. Good luck!
I was starting to get like that too because some friends of ours here are submitting their bid list this week. But then all the stuff happened in CJ and I was worried that it would negatively affect our post. Thankfully, it hasn't since CJ is 15 hours away from us, but I was worried we'd have to leave after only being here one month. I'm now going to savor every moment here because I know we might come close to losing it!
I submitted my bid list at the end of last month ... and have heard only crickets from Washington since then. Needless to say, the suspense is KILLING ME! And I seriously am not sure if I'm more excited for my baby to be born NEXT WEEK or to find out where I'm going hopefully within the month! Yeah, I'm definitely in the trap :)
I too find myself looking ahead to all the possibilities. We won't even make it to Malawi until August and we will be there 3 years (YAY!) but I still find myself looking at the post reports on talesmag every time i read something cool about another country. My husband says I am obsessed! I think it is an occupational hazard.
I think this is just what makes a State career so much fun and interesting - it's never dull, it's never boring, it's always very dynamic.
That's an interesting point of view. I guess I'll have to work to enjoy where we're going to be while we're there. It's completely like my personality to only look too far forward.
It's Friday, and that means that the Fifth Weekly State Department Blog Roundup is up - and you're on it!
Here is the link:
http://bit.ly/avMY9E
(If I quoted your text or used your photo(s) and you would rather I had not, please let me know. Please also be sure to check the link(s) that I put up to you, in order to verify that they work properly. If you would rather that I had not referenced you, and/or do not want me to reference you in the future, please also contact me.)
Thanks!
Growing up in the military, my mom often warned of "location cures" -- thinking that a change in location would be the "cure" for whatever was difficult at the moment. That has helped me over time, to accept where I am, the struggles and joys where we are. . . and be content (mostly) in the uncertainty of the next step.
On the other hand, "speculation" was one of the most fun dinner conversations we had growing up. . . Speculating where Dad would get his orders next. Daydreaming, planning, making wish lists, waiting for orders. . . Dad usually had a good idea by the time the actual orders came, but still. . . it was exciting and fun.
And it has been fun starting to re-live that with my own kids. *grin*
Post a Comment