The Foreign Service Journal, January 2013

28 JANUARY 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL As the movers work, I typically bring a stack of magazines and camp out on a couch in the living room, so they know where to find me if they have questions. (Of course, I get up and stretch my legs every hour or so to check in on everyone.) …And Hitting the Road As I approach the end of each assignment, I hang onto my car for as long as possible; usually, I don’t ship it until the day before I depart. Getting the car delivered to the new post one week earlier or later isn’t nearly as crucial as having the use of it to wrap everything up before departure—especially the visit to the vet to get health certificates. You never know if customs will wave you through without even glancing at the cats (Finland) or if they will examine each document and carefully inspect the carriers (Peru). So I make sure to follow the pet import rules exactly. In my air freight, I pack my bulky bathrobe, covered litter boxes and scoops, clothes, shoes, books, a body pillow, DVD folders, cat toys and laundry baskets. Overall, the joy of living with cats is well worth the hassle of transporting them around the world. But make no mistake: those freeloaders cost me a pretty penny! If only they would get jobs and help support the household… n Cordelia (above) and Chloe get acclimated to their carriers. HeatherPishko