The Foreign Service Journal, January 2007

C O V E R S T O R Y 24 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7 Accra is an easy city to live and work in. Lots of oppor- tunities to visit interesting historic, natural and cultural locations/events. Addis Ababa was my first post, but I’ve enthusiastically recommended it to others because it offers untenured offi- cers excellent opportunities to prove themselves. Senior officers at post, particularly in the beginning of my tour, were superior mentors. After only a few months, I am enjoying myself in Hong Kong more so than any of my previous assignments. The staff is competent enough that overtime is rarely needed, and things here generally work so well inside and outside the office that stress (for me) is quite low. All have been good, but Madrid is the best. Morale is high; the Spanish are wonderful; the mission is cohesive and professional; everything is available on the local mar- ket; cultural offerings are splendid; public transportation is first class; the weather is wonderful. Amman’s GSO is the best I have ever seen in the FS and housing there, even for singles, was very adequate. We had a great CLO and she planned events for singles and fami- lies. Ankara. Great front office, great FSNs, interesting work, great for traveling and shopping and easy to travel to other places in the region. Great food, too! Baku, because post management made an effort to help in housing (best GSO crew we’ve ever worked with) and morale issues. Schools were great for our kids, and the expat community was active and engaging. Bangkok — exotic yet with modern conveniences, excellent travel opportunities and infrastructure; good admin support. Bangui — very small, personal and focused on “team- work” to tackle challenges; excellent ambassadorial leader- ship. Beijing — excellently managed, great travel/cultural opportunities, good cost of living, fascinating work. Bishkek — fantastic morale and interesting work. Bombay, because of its great diversity in people, reli- gions, foods, music, art and travel possibilities. Both as a post and a place to live, Guadalajara is hard to beat. At the heart of Mexican culture, it is a great base for exploring the rest of the country. Brasilia — very well-run embassy, great weather, won- derful FSNs and a welcoming country. Also loved the food and the international community. Bratislava. I had a junior officer rotational tour with just enough time in both sections. The management at the time was supportive and produced great EERs. And as a bonus, I met my partner there. Bucharest. The country is poised to undergo a tremen- dous transformation. I feel that my contribution is noticed and appreciated. Romania is a fascinating country with a dynamic market. Budapest. Outstanding GSO, outstanding RSO, out- standing FSNs, travel, residences, commissary, internal embassy team cooperation, attitudes, actions. Support from upper management was amazing. Cairo — a great comraderie among all agency person- nel. Best balance of work, lifestyle and outside friends/interests. Great in-country travel opportunities. Very good living quarters. Canberra. The weather, geography, people, work — everything was wonderful. Chengdu. I had a very exciting job detailed to the Department of Commerce as that part of China was open- ing up. They were glad to have the interaction with me and the consulate. Chennai — strong sense of community, very friendly and approachable “locals,” much to see and do in the con- sular district and the country. Despite the difficulties of living in Dhaka, the embassy there is extremely well run and has experienced, motivated and highly knowledgeable FSNs that make work there very pleasant. For family, Munich: Great school, great city, interesting society. For work, Islamabad: Fascinating, vital issues. There was a palpable sense that your contributions made a difference. Excellent front-office leadership and support, especially from the DCM. For quality of life, South Africa — perfect climate, won- derful shops, great game parks, all reasonably priced. For professional life, definitely Mali — great challenges, great culture, great chance to make a difference. Geneva had everything, workwise and in every other way. BEST POSTS “Which post in your career do you consider to have been the best? And why (briefly)?” Continued on page 26