The Countdown to Tel Aviv Is On

What a whirlwind the last year has been. It feels like only yesterday Misha got the call to join the Foreign Service. It’s crazy to think only a year ago Misha was going through A-100 in DC while I was planning my Massachusetts exit strategy. Misha will be the last of the 197th A-100s to ship off to post, out of a class of 68, when we board our plane in a few short weeks. One of the couples assigned to Tel Aviv has been sending us pictures ever since they arrived last month, and the FOMO is REAL.

Only a few months ago, when the weather was still warm and bright, it felt like we had all the time in the world to prep for our travels. As the clock creeps forward, the pre-move anxiety is building. Anyone who has worked internationally for the government probably knows the feeling: endless forms to fill out and submit, unhelpful and infuriating emails back and forth with various HR reps, language practice, the list goes on.

Misha and I each have our own mental pre-move checklists. She’s responsible for all the paperwork and passing Hebrew while I’m responsible for the dog, the car, downsizing, and assisting the movers. As for paperwork, our diplomatic passports are in and our dip visas should be ready any day now. There’s also the TMFour and JF-49, and several other letter-number combinations that I don’t really understand.

The Foreign Service life is a hectic and exciting one. A case-in point: we found out our housing assignment just before Christmas. That same day I was flying to Colorado to visit my family. I woke up early, made breakfast and went to the gym. I get out of the shower and Misha surprises me with the best Christmas present I could’ve hoped for: the long overdue news of our apartment! We received our top choice – a building near the beach and (unless we are being deceived by stock photos) a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Amazing.

I was on top of the world when I hopped aboard the Metro and headed to Ronald Reagan National Airport, or DCA. As I got off the train two hours before I was scheduled to leave, I realized I had made a critical mistake… I was flying out of IAD, Dulles Airport, and not DCA. So I went back a stop, and ordered a Lyft. After a 40 minute internal panic attack from this DC right of passage, I made it to the correct airport. By some miracle there was hardly a line for security the day before Christmas Eve, and I was able to get to my gate just as they started boarding. Deep breath. Back to drooling over our future apartment.