This time of year is supposed to be bidding season for me, where I would be deciding where to go for my 3rd assignment, but after getting the kids settled back into the U.S., and really enjoying the work and country here in Myanmar, we decided to extend my time here an extra year.
This was not an easily made decision, but what it boiled down to was career stability, educational stability for the kids, and the work and overall environment in Myanmar being excellent. Had I gone to my original assignment in Peshawar, I would have never entertained an extra year there, mostly for my own sanity since it’s living in a 1 acre bunker with no freedom of movement. Although there are heavy security restrictions for us in Myanmar, I can walk to work, go to a nice pubs for a drink, and otherwise freely move about Yangon, absorbing all of its wonderful culture.
Perhaps the most important factor in the decision making process was school/education for the kids. By staying put an extra year, our eldest daughter gets through elementary school, and when we go to our 3rd post in 2026 she will start middle school fresh AND be able to complete all 3 years of middle school in the same place without having to move. Timing wise, it also gets us on a track that would allow her to likely complete high school at the same location, which is a pretty important bidding factor in Foreign Service circles. For our youngest, this decision gets her through to start kindergarten at our next assignment. I know it sounds like I am thinking way ahead of myself, but to be frank, their education and stability is my highest priority, and sticking it out in Rangoon gives them that.
Other benefits to riding it out another year here are my kids get to spend much more time with their friends and family. Both my parents live within 20 minutes of our Texas home and they have loved being near grandma and grandpa after 2 years away. Being in a high incentive post, I also am making a lot more money, so combined our financial situation is fantastic and helping us save a lot. Finally, it means we get to avoid unpacking and packing again in the span of a year. Getting all our stuff back to our Texas home was really overwhelming, so it’s nice we won’t have to do it all over again so soon. Below is a photo of some of the unpacking chaos.
Obviously, it’s incredibly difficult being away from family for so long, but we have so many trips planned over just the first year between all the trainings and R&R visits, that time is flying quickly. In a month I will be making my first trip back to spend a couple of weeks at home. 2 months after that I will spend a few weeks with them at Christmas. 2 Months after that they will fly out to this part of the world to spend spring break with me. 2 months later, I’ll be back in the U.S. where we will take a family cruise. As you can see, there is always something to look forward to. Plus, with facetime we speak multiple times a day, so I feel a lot more connected to them than I thought I would. It’s not the same as being able to hug them everyday, but I still feel like I know what’s going on and how they are doing.
At the end of the day, deciding to stay another year in Myanmar was the toughest decision of my life, but I ultimately think it is the right one. I guess time will tell, but I am nonetheless excited to be in this wonderful country an extra year working with the fantastic Embassy team here. -Nick
