If our apartment didn't have five Armenian men teeming around in it, frantically wrapping and packing all of our worldly possessions into big brown and white boxes, I'd say, "It's hard to believe it's almost time for us to leave Armenia." But they're very real and we have plane tickets for a few days from now. Still, it seems like yesterday we were getting settled into this apartment and embarking on this adventure. Now it's time for another one.
For those who don't know, Nick's off to Kabul for a year starting this September. While he's there working on Afghan elections (and living in a suped-up trailer), I'll be kickin' it in DC for a few months. After practically tens years of having my eye on the prize, I'm ecstatic to finally say that I've been offered a job as a Public Diplomacy Officer with the United States Department of State's Foreign Service. I start training on September 10.
So until late August, Nick and I will be embarking on what the government calls "home leave." Many years ago, Congress mandated that all American diplomats must spend some time in the U.S. between tours so we don't forget what it is we're out there representing. It's a nice perk -- and doesn't count against regular vacation time either ;) Although I'm not sure I'd call it a vacation. Our itinerary is a bit daunting and involves many, many days in a rental car sitting in traffic on I-95. (But there's also a week on Martha's Vineyard to look forward to.)
We don't know where we'll be off to next -- that will be determined sometime in the early fall. Nick bids first in August, and then we'll hope and pray that some of his options appear on my list in September. With any luck, he'll leave Kabul and come join me on a beach some place warm and sunny.
But for the next few days anyway, we'll be enjoying our final moments in Armenia -- where we've made some amazing friends, had some unforgettable experiences (some good, some bad), and learned a lot not only about ourselves but this intriguing little country.
For those who don't know, Nick's off to Kabul for a year starting this September. While he's there working on Afghan elections (and living in a suped-up trailer), I'll be kickin' it in DC for a few months. After practically tens years of having my eye on the prize, I'm ecstatic to finally say that I've been offered a job as a Public Diplomacy Officer with the United States Department of State's Foreign Service. I start training on September 10.
So until late August, Nick and I will be embarking on what the government calls "home leave." Many years ago, Congress mandated that all American diplomats must spend some time in the U.S. between tours so we don't forget what it is we're out there representing. It's a nice perk -- and doesn't count against regular vacation time either ;) Although I'm not sure I'd call it a vacation. Our itinerary is a bit daunting and involves many, many days in a rental car sitting in traffic on I-95. (But there's also a week on Martha's Vineyard to look forward to.)
We don't know where we'll be off to next -- that will be determined sometime in the early fall. Nick bids first in August, and then we'll hope and pray that some of his options appear on my list in September. With any luck, he'll leave Kabul and come join me on a beach some place warm and sunny.
But for the next few days anyway, we'll be enjoying our final moments in Armenia -- where we've made some amazing friends, had some unforgettable experiences (some good, some bad), and learned a lot not only about ourselves but this intriguing little country.
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