Sometimes things don't work out as you thought they would.
The last time I bid on a job in 2013, it took me 7 months to find a position. During that 7 months, I was a complete mess. Lovely Little Girl felt the tension and it caused more anxiety for her. Lovely English Lass was my support, but it was hard on her as well. (One of LLG's teachers said "It would help ease her anxiety if we could tell her where she'll live next year." LEL responded, "It would help ease mine too!") When we found Buenos Aires open, it looked like a life-line.
However, one of the more difficult things you have to do when you have a child with a CLASS 2 medical clearance is that you have to start your research into your next post very early. You have to find a school that can accept your child, has the proper therapies for them, and is a good fit. Added into this is that I am still rated as a fair-share bidder, meaning I have to bid on places that are rated as having a 15% hardship rating, or more. Most of those posts do not have sufficient schools or resources to help LLG, or Crazy Little Man for that matter. So we have to find the places that can. The problem is that MANY people in the same boat as us are bidding on those same jobs. Plus, the person in the job can extend, which many do. You see the problem?
Well, I looked at the proposed bid list for 2017, when we are scheduled to leave Buenos Aires, and saw numerous posts that fit with what we need for CLM and LLG. However, none of these are Hardship posts, and without doing a hardship post I probably wasn't going to get these jobs. I had to take a look at what I was going to do, and how it would affect my family.
One of the things I could do is curtail from my assignment here in Buenos Aires and take a one-year assignment in a hardship post by myself. This is what I've done. We will be leaving here next summer (2016) and I will go to Karachi for a year. As you can imagine, this was not an easy decision, as I certainly don't want to be away from my family for a year. Sadly, that's the new nature of the Department of State. You sometimes have to go places without your family. We told the kids that the Department had a job that they asked me to do, and I wanted to do it to serve my country. They've handled it well so far, but I'm sure it'll get more difficult as we get closer to the date. LEL and the kids will be in the States, so at least the children will get to live "at home" for a year before we head out again.
Before someone says it, yes, I know the Military has to deal with this all the time. I'm not comparing my situation to that at all for one simple reason: DoD is much better equipped to support something like this. DOS doesn't have the support system that DoD has to handle deployments away from dependents. (Base privileges, counselors, etc.) The Department has been trying to establish that sort of system since we've moved into "Expeditionary Diplomacy" and more and more officers have to do tours away from their families. Sadly it's still a work in progress.
Look, I'm not going to say woe is me on this. I chose this lifestyle and it's one that for the most part I enjoy. I meet new folks, see new places and get to experience the world with my family. Before my kids are 10, they will have lived or visited at least 8 countries. Know how many I got to see before I was 10? One. The one I was born in. I never got to go on an actual safari, or see the Andes Mountains or visit Scotland or England. Heck, I still haven't been to Boston yet. (Although LEL has, I might add.) My son speaks Spanish better than many High School students in the States, and has given flowers to a Secretary of State. Not a bad life, actually.
I want to thank all of my friends and family for their support on this. It's not going to be easy (probably easier for me than for LEL) but I know this is the right thing to do. I'll keep you updated on what happens next.
