The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2022

36 JULY-AUGUST 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Wyokemia Joyner (left) is an educa- tion program specialist with the FSI Transition Center’s Foreign Affairs Life Skills Training team. Sarah Genton (right) is director of the FSI Transition Center’s Overseas Briefing Center. There is no one-size-fits-all in a Foreign Service transition. BY WYOKEM I A JOYNER AND SARAH GENTON N avigating the Foreign Service journey can be complex. Adjusting to a new home, a new city and a new country all at once brings with it many exciting new discoveries, along with unexpected challenges. For adults, arriving at post and adjusting to a new country often includes figuring out the lay of the land, both personally and professionally. Whether that is meeting new host country government counterparts and other officials, determining who the key points of contact are to get shipments sorted, or navigating what is and is not available in local grocery stores—the adjustment to life at post includes a full list of to-dos. While important and practical tasks can certainly fill up an arrival schedule, the well-being of children during a relocation is a primary concern for parents. Transitions in life take a lot of planning, resilience and FOCUS ON FS TRANSITIONS SUPPORTINGFAMILIES ANDTHIRD-CULTURE KIDS Through FS Transitions