The Foreign Service Journal, March 2009

M A R C H 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 35 with a charity can be healing for both you and your children. Serv- ing those who are in situations even more difficult than your family’s can help put your own life in perspec- tive. However stressful your evac- uation becomes, at least you’ll probably never be sleeping in a Sal- vation Army shelter with a new- born, as was one young lady with whom I was involved during our evacuation. Getting Back to “Normal” You know how hard it is to readjust your family life after a spouse has been away for a few weeks or months on a temporary duty assignment? Well, regaining equi- librium as a family following the separation imposed by an evacuation is even more complicated. After all, TDYs are planned affairs that usually last a set amount of time. Evacuations come suddenly in the wake of a crisis and require an immediate, enormous, wrenching readjustment of life and perspective for all parties involved. Rejoining a family, both in the literal and the emotional senses, requires a tre- mendous amount of work and pa- tience. So be on the lookout for poten- tial new wrinkles in all levels of your family relation- ships. And if you do run into problems following an evacuation, see them for what they are, so that you and your spouse can deal with the issues appropriately. I fervently hope that no one reading this will ever be ordered to depart post. But the world being what it is, the chances of your family being faced with an evac- uation are better than ever, and increasing almost daily. Still, if you are evacuated, know that it’s not the end of the world — and with a bit of mental adjustment, it might even turn out to be a rewarding experience. F O C U S People will be sympathetic to your plight, or, if nothing else, they’ll be intrigued.