I learned this past month where I will be headed, and am so excited to announce I will be taking a solo assignment to Peshawar, Pakistan.

Choosing to do a solo post might seem like a strange decision, and a few months ago I would have never entertained it, but ultimately my wife and I decided it would be a good choice for our family and both Angeli’s and my career. “But Nick, how is spending two years apart a good choice for your family?” you might be asking. Well, a “Special Incentive Post” (SIP) is only a one year tour and it comes with several R&R’s during that 1 year period. Not to say a year apart is great, but better than 2 years. The three R&Rs in a one year tour that most tours pack into 2 or 3 years also means I can get home multiple times during that year, breaking up the time away.

Another advantage of going to Pakistan, is almost immediately after I arrive to post, I will be bidding for my 2025 assignment, and with my equity from both Nouakchott and Pakistan, I will be able to pick a great 3 year tour location, and potentially extend it to 4 years if we really like it. Short term chaos for long term stability was appealing to us, plus the 2025 bid list is full of incredible opportunities. There are literally over 25 countries on the 2025 list I would be elated to live. I think if my most recent bid list had more posts that we were really excited about, this would have never happened, but for the most part there wasn’t anything that stood out and I felt pretty lukewarm about spending two years in over half the list.

From a career standpoint, doing a SIP tour also accelerates me out of the entry level a year early, allowing me to bid with all other mid-level providers. It also checks off a career box that is a requirement to reach the high tiers of the promotion system, and it looks good to promotion boards in general.

For Angeli this means a year of getting to practice back in the U.S. and for our daughters, a year in the U.S. education system. For my parents, another year with their grandkids. The State Department also grants a separate maintenance allowance when one family member goes to an unaccompanied post, and this money will largely be saved as a result of the savings we are getting on living in our own home. Financially, it will be a lucrative year.

I mentioned in a previous post that we are really focusing on enjoying Mauritania and our final year at post, but it is also really nice to have some clarity in our future, and be able to plan around our next assignment. Visas, packouts, airfare. All of it needs to be planned for, thankfully this time around I have 11 months to get my ducks in a row and not 5 weeks. We are really going to savor our time here in Mauritania, but are thrilled with what the future holds. Here’s to a bright future! – Nick