Dominic the Diplomat

If you follow the Beer and Diplomacy Instagram, you may have been a bit confused about some of my recent content.  Didn’t you say you were going to Vietnam next?  What’s this about Flag Day?  I have purposely delayed writing this blog for a variety of reasons, including the uncertainty surrounding my own employment and the typical delay for security reasons.  Some answers to the above questions can also be found in my OMS post, but the main thing to know is: I finally accepted the offer!

This means a variety of things.  First off, rather than being a family member who works at the missions Misha is assigned to, I’ve joined the State Department in my own right.  This means we are now a “tandem couple” in department parlance, and each get our own assignments.  Unfortunately, it also means that, by accepting the offer, we ran the risk of Hanoi not being on my bid list.  While Misha is still scheduled to head to Vietnam later this year, it wasn’t on my list, and hence we will be split up for my first tour. 

We received my list on my first day of training back in mid-January.  These last five weeks have been the most stressful of our time with the State Department.  One of my first blogs covered Misha’s Flag Day ceremony.  Though mine was similar, my orientation class was nearly 4 times bigger.  Like Misha, nearly 80% of the class had their names called before I did.  The suspense was worth it yet again, and I’m elated to announce that I will be headed to Tokyo, Japan this spring. 

This was the best-case scenario.  Japan was geographically the closest post to Misha, and though there will be some complications getting Mochi into the country, Misha will be able to deliver her to me once all the entry paperwork has been cleared.  Due to the travel and nature of Misha’s portfolio in Hanoi, I will keep Mochi with me for this tour.  It was an incredibly tough decision, but we feel confident we’ll have an easier time finding dog care for Mochi in Japan.  Plus, my schedule will be much more consistent compared to Misha’s.  We expect Misha will be able to line her next job up with mine once I get my second assignment.  There are never any guarantees in this line of work, but ideally this will be the only tour we have to spend apart. 

It’s a big adjustment and will certainly be a strain on our marriage, but we have what it takes to make this work.  These are the sacrifices we and every other Foreign Service employee must make for our country and for the department.  It may not be the perfect situation, but we’re excited for what the future will bring.