The Foreign Service Journal, April 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2021 39 A s any Foreign Service family can tell you, moving to a new post is not easy. Even in the best of times, it can be tough to adjust to a new culture, figure out a new embassy community and make new friends. During a pandemic, the chal- lenges rise exponentially. In January 2020, my wife, Monica Smith, a Senior Foreign Service officer who has served for 20 years as a USAID attorney, delayed retirement to accept a one- year assignment to Bogotá to fill a staffing gap. It had long been a dream of ours to serve in South America, and we expected to move sometime that spring. Cameron Woodworth is associate editor for The Foreign Service Journal . He and his wife, Monica Smith—a Senior Foreign Service officer with USAID— have been posted to Budapest, Islamabad, Tel Aviv, Washington, D.C., and currently serve in Bogotá. CAMERONWOODWORTH Challenging in the best of times, FS transfers have become crucibles of resilience and determination during the pandemic. BY CAMERON WOODWORTH FOCUS DIPLOMACY IN AN AGE OF DISRUPTION A rooftop track was a handy escape from lockdown during the stay at a temporary hotel after landing in a city under quarantine. TRANSFERRING IN A TIME OF CHAOS