It’s official: we’re moving to Banjul next year!
Where?! Banjul is the capital of The Gambia, and The Gambia is a tiny country inside Senegal, which is in West Africa.
There’s a general conception in the Foreign Service about what makes a good diplomatic posting: stable country, nice housing, prestigious international school, good air quality, decent work-life balance, great healthcare, safe roads, etc. But if you take this all together, what do you end up with? Finland. Okay, maybe not just Finland, probably most of West Europe and Australia, and a few other places beyond that. These are the posts that are most sought after by diplomats, and they’re really competitive.
It occurred to me that for me, what I consider an ideal post is quite different. I’ve been lucky enough to serve in Europe multiple times already but found it far from perfect. More generally, it’s a mantra among leadership that we, as Foreign Service Officers, should not just try to get posted in London or Paris, or even Dubai or Cape Town, because everyone has different needs and we shouldn’t discount other places just because they’re not as well known.
Still, it’s difficult to know how it’s going to be, especially in obscure places. How would you know if you’ll like the food in Kazachstan? Or how much you might enjoy Tanzanian culture? Unless you know yourself extremely well, or you’ve already traveled a lot, it’s hard to figure out in advance.
I frequently get the question which country or posting I enjoyed most so far. Through much trial and error, this is what I figured out: I like hot countries that are less or semi-developed and multi-cultural. I also like it when most (educated) people can comfortably speak English. I like countries with an interesting history and freedom of expression.
From my six foreign postings so far, only two fall into this category. Without understanding my personal criteria, it’s hard to explain why I liked Nigeria and India more than Uruguay or Armenia (mono culture, no English) or even The Netherlands or Germany (cold weather and cranky people).
In other words, The Gambia is the kind of place I can really see myself living! But there are some additional reasons we’re excited to go. First of all, this posting is a major promotion for my husband. He’ll serve in an executive leadership role as the deputy to the Ambassador. He worked really hard to get it, and I’m super proud of him already. The second reason is that my husband and I met in West Africa, we had a ton of fun there, and we haven’t been there in 15 years. Returning there, with our brood, feels unreal in the best way. Full circle!
I also have a new job… but that’s for the next blog post!
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