In the Moment

Working in Afghanistan, there is a probability you are away from your family and that sucks.  While nothing can replace your family, what I've found is that the community can really pull together and you'll find that you create strong bonds with the colleagues and friends who serve with you.

Over the past couple of months, I'm now settling into the new position at post and enjoying learning things from a more managerial perspective.  Managing multiple American staff has been interesting and work assignments such as staffing, hiring, and more strategic planning has been definitely a change of pace.  But I still remain close to the programs and, while I hold a special fondness for the infrastructure work, I'm branching out to cover areas like agriculture, economic growth, and audits.

I've also started to adapt to the new social groove with all the new people that make up the Mission and the new routines I've established.  It'll be a good year.  Different, but definitely will be alright.

Afghanistan being typically only a one year tour and a less than ideal work/life location, it's easy to always be thinking about the next "thing".  Like the next posting after Afghanistan, the R&R away from post, or maybe even the next big crisis to tackle (there's always something new here!).  But it's also because the time spent in Afghanistan is so short and so the time being with some of the amazing people around is so brief that I must make continual efforts to really appreciate the unique experiences and the people here.

As the holidays quickly approach, I'll anxiously anticipate seeing my family but still look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving here with this amazing cast of characters who make up my other "family".  Happy Thanksgiving!

Carpet Lunch - A favorite Friday activity