As we’ve mentioned before, we came to DC not knowing how long we would be here. At first we thought it might just be three months. Then it became 11 months. Then it became 15 months. For that whole time we’ve been thinking about where we’re going next.

When we were in France last month, before we’ve even left for our first post, I thought about why Paris would be a good second post for us. We’ll be able to speak French. We’ll probably be ready for a change of scenery from West Africa and it’s a big embassy, making it a perfect location for a tandem couple.

And that’s what I’ve noticed during our admittedly limited experience with the Foreign Service. We’ve spent the whole time looking ahead – to A100, to Flag Day, to Benin, to our second post. Will it always be this way, or is it just because everything is new to us? When you know you’ll be moving every couple of years, hopefully to someplace exciting, how do you focus on where you are? So that’s my question. What can we do to make sure we always appreciate where we are and aren’t always just waiting for the next big change?