where to next?

So the State Department’s Foreign Service is a strange animal. The first two tours for specialists like Ma are directed, which is to say they can voice a little preference, but basically they have to go where they’re told. Generally, though, it’s two two-year tours. Last year, while at orientation, everyone in her cohort, in her field of expertise, was handed a list that they sorted according to preference. Ma was a numpty and ranked Niger number 1. Sure, she had a plan and all. And I guess, it worked out in her favor even if she is here with just me, while Pa is back in the US, overseeing the aging menagerie and the kids, who are adults. But let’s face it — Ma and Pa just aren’t quite ready to cut the apron strings…

At any rate, Ma’s in Niger for 23 to 25 months, then heads back to the US for at least a month (for a Congressionally-mandated “home leave), after which she’ll head to her next assignment with Pa in the enviable position as “trailing spouse,” aka, “eligible family member.” I will go, but in the MOH (member of household) slot, which means I get absolutely no benefits, other than permission to live in Ma’s housing. But I digress.

When making the assignments for the second directed tour, the entry level career development officers allegedly look at our rankings with an eye on such things as “does your date of departure from post line up with the positions you want” and “how difficult is your current post” (those in hard to staff and high threat posts get coveted “equity” which bumps them up to the top of the pick-me list) and “do any of your family members have medical limitations that we need to consider.”

As with the first tour bidding process last year, in May, all of those in Ma’s cohort who arrived at post between May and October (so all but one of them) were handed a list of assignments to sort into a ranked list. They had three weeks to research, talk to friends and family, and submit. Unlike last time, the list was longer than there were people bidding, which made it much harder to game the system. Ma’s goal this time was to make sure that she and Pa would be together, so she ranked every unaccompanied post at the very bottom of the list (places like Kiev, Baghdad, and Rangoon). Since Pa will still have to go back to the US for work periodically and will be telecommuting, she ranked all the places with easy access to the US (western Europe and Central American) high on her list, and those far away with a large time difference (Fiji, Hong Kong, and Manila) low.

So, without further ado, I’m pleased to announce that Ma, Pa, and I will be heading next to …

This will be the last time that we’ll have so much notice ahead of our post assignment, from what I understand. I mean, we don’t leave here until the end of September 2025 which is 15 months from when we got the news! Crazy. That’s a long time to count down, you know.

Her new office is as different from her current office as the new country will be from the current one… The embassy here in Niamey is brand new, a marvel of green efficiency and design, apparently. It’s not without its issues, though it is really… interesting to look at. The embassy in Vienna, however, is of historical importance in that it was built in 1904 as the Consular Academy. The German Reich used it as a military college, and at the end of the war, it was occupied by the American military. You can read all about the building and our acquisition of it here.

We don’t have a whole lot of information, other than a projected arrival date, but that’s ok. It’s something to look forward to in the coming months (15 of them, but who’s counting?). The bidding seasons for the foreign service are Summer (those who arrive at post between the 1st of May and the 31st of October) and Winter (those who arrive at post between the 1st of November and the end of April). Ma is currently in the Summer bidding cycle. However, because she’s not needed in Vienna until November, that would move her into the Winter cycle. Word has it that there are generally fewer positions available in the winter. Because of that, she was extended the opportunity right off the bat to extend in Vienna for an additional six months, from November to June. After consulting with people here who have a lot more experience than she does, she ultimately accepted the offer. So looks like we’ll be there from November 2025 until June 2028. We’ll end up PCSing a whole year after her current cohort, which isn’t great, but three Christmases in Vienna? Don’t mind if we do!

New developments here? We’ve decided to bite the bullet and pay the exorbitant (extortionate?) rate for halfway decent internet. The only game in town for cable internet is Liptinfor, and they charge over $200 per month for 4mbps before 7pm, and 8mbps after 7 and on weekends. It’s more expensive than the alternative (using cellular wi-fi) to be sure, but way better than attempting to use the spotty 2G wireless for internet access. On most days, that 2G access felt like dial-up internet of old. An attempt was made to get Starlink, but we won’t talk about that. 🤐 The upshot, though, is now that I have fairly reliable internet, I may get more inspiration to post…

Meanwhile, I need to keep Ma’s spirits up. PCS (permanent change of station) season has started here and all her close friends are moving away. It’s the nature of the beast in the foreign service, as it was in the military, but getting older doesn’t make it any easier. Add to that another round of E. coli (she’s now collected all four in less than a year, go Ma!!), realizing it’s going to be another five months until we get to see Pa and Sissy again, and the fact that she’s suffering from serious travel envy… saying that she’s not really much of a happy camper right now is an understatement.

At least she’s got Vienna to look forward to!