you didn't know that you joined. Well, I certainly didn't know I had joined it. Not until many of us (FS spouses & employees) were informed on Friday afternoon in no uncertain terms that there is one and ONLY one Foreign Service. It runs perfectly, there are never any problems and everyone is happy as a clam. There is no need for feedback regarding improvements, and to give such is to whine and complain. Constructive criticism? What's that?
It was nothing more than a simple discussion. Questions had been asked and issues were raised. Then there came a backlash. Forget about changes, it's not the FS that needs to change, it's YOU. Not me alone, but many of us. We were wrong to think that change is good or necessary. The Foreign Service is fine the way it is and if you don't like it that way, it's best you (the collective group of whiners) leave. My jaw dropped. Seriously? Years of many people working for a more family-friendly FS and it's suddenly "like it or leave it"?
The perfect FS sounds a bit much like a fairy tale, right? No moves ever go awry, no HHE or UAB lost during a PCS. TDYs are just the right length, housing issues are non-existent and no one gets sick or worse during a move or tour overseas. Everyone is friendly, helpful and accomodating, no one has a bad day. Vouchers are always correct, schools are exceptional and life is perfect.
Who works for a company like that? I know there are great companies out there, but seriously, one where NO mistakes are made, employees are perfectly compensated, all items are created in fair-trade factories and everything runs like clockwork in every single respect every day of every week of every year. Raise your hand if you work for one. Not one hand? Hmm, thought so.
You see, I thought we worked for the other Foreign Service. It's not necessarily perfect, more like a work in progress. It's a combination of an incredible amount of talent and experience, brought together to share the U.S. with the world. There are issues just like with any company. People get sick, furniture gets moldy in storage, consumables are lost and things go awry at post. Do you know what happens then?
People in this Foreign Service, whether in the U.S. or overseas band together. They work with others to try and prevent the issue from happening again or to simply alleviate grief or unhappiness, whether in the local culture or the embassy community. They don't quit and they don't decide because things didn't go absolutely perfectly, that it's time to jump ship.
They ensure that employees get home when emergencies arise. They form alliances to help friends dealing with the unthinkable. They go out of their way to share information in any way they can. They have an indomitable spirit that makes the Foreign Service the incredible 'company' that it has become.
I know of one young mother who found herself a bit lost of few years back. Her husband was working in a position that was extremely demanding time and travel wise. She became a bit stressed over this and the part that hurt the most? Those who believed and stated many times that "it was his job" and that she should get over it. She didn't.
She also didn't quit. Instead of rolling into a ball and worrying about two more years of craziness, she met with friends in similar circumstances. She started a small group, an online group, so that anyone in the same position around the world could join. In the 8 years since the group's inception, the membership has grown to over 320 members. The (still somewhat young) woman who started the group would like to think that she took a trying experience and turned it into an opportunity. A chance to help others and create a supportive community for those who needed advice, support or just a chance to vent.
If she were a part of the other FS, she would have just quit and left well enough alone. She wouldn't have cared that others might like to learn from her experiences or that she could derive assistance from theirs. Why? Well, because if you don't like things in the first Foreign Service, you don't strive to make things better, you just leave.
Well, she didn't and I'm glad she didn't. If she had, she would not have had an incredible community to rally behind her last year through one of the most miserable experiences of her life. She would not have found out exactly how well the State Department works when getting an employee home ASAP from a dangerous location in a time of need. And, most importantly, she would not be looking forward to an incredible assignment overseas in August of 2013, where she hopes to do a bit more good.
So, tell me which Foreign Service do you prefer? The one that's perfect or the one that is rooted in reality? Frankly, I'll take the latter.
Like that or leave it.