Apologies for the delay in posting this. My site host went down last weekend and apparently never posted anything that was scheduled over the weekend.

July marks 4 years since I started writing this blog, which is sort of surreal to think about.

4 years ago I was working as a hospitalist in Southern New Mexico in the heart of the COVID pandemic, still 6 months away from getting an invite to join the Foreign Service. At the time, I started writing because there was basically nothing about joining this organization from the perspective of a medical professional, and I found it therapeutic to write about the ambiguity and uncertainty. Not much has changed today, and I still enjoy writing for the therapy it provides.

Fast forward to today, I have lived in West Africa for two years and am finishing my first year in Myanmar. Time really flies. I am not sure what I would have thought writing that very first blog post knowing what the future was to hold, but looking back, I am glad with how things have worked out.

Along this journey and the reason I continue to post is because many of my readers have become my colleagues. I continually get feedback about how helpful this blog was while someone was on the outside looking in. Interestingly enough, many non medical folks have been readers and also reached out to me to thank me for the perspectives I provide. Folks from the Defense Attaché Corp, diplomatic technology, and management has all told me when we have met in person that they learned a lot about a post or the joining process through this blog. So thank you.

This blog provides me with nothing other than warmth in my heart, and this feedback helps me keep it going, so thank you to all the readers that have made this journey that much sweeter. Here’s to year five!