Flag Day

The most exciting day of orientation is the last week when we are presented with the flag of our first post.

This was the first in person flag day that the Department of State has had in 3 years, and it was such a unique and fun experience.

During the ceremony a country flag is displayed on the large screen, along with the job opening, then a name would be announced, your photo appeared and you had to head to the podium to collect your flag. It was all very nerve wracking but exciting.

We are super thrilled with our first post, and happy to announce that we are officially going to…

Burundi!

Burundi is a small country located in east-central Africa. It’s land locked but the downtown area of the capitol sits on the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The official languages are Rundi (Kirundi) and French. It has a pretty moderate climate and seems to be around 65-85 year round.

Burundi is apparently known for their coffee, so I’m already imaging myself sipping my morning cup of joe as I stare out at my Lake view.

Lake Tanganyika

In all realness, It certainly won’t be all roses, sunshine and coffee. This is a high risk malaria post so our entire family will need to take malaria prophylaxis for the duration of our stay (which will be 2 years).

What’s next?

Now the mad dash begins! We will need to start getting things done before our estimated departure for the week of September 19th. Our to do list includes: vaccines, diplomatic passport applications, visa’s and purchase a new car.

General orientation is done, and next up is counter terrorism training for a week and then on to medical training. Now that we know exactly where we will be headed, I’m excited to learn the specifics of my job and to switch gears back to my area of expertise and to all things medical.