last time bidding

In the same way that this is our last year in London and I'm savoring every wander around this toast-infused town, it is with equal parts "this again?" and "why can't this go on forever?" that we find ourselves bidding on our next post for the last time. 

Peter sent out his original application to work as a Nurse Practitioner with the State Department on 03/04/05. We arrived in Niger September, 2006. Eighteen years we've been doing this, living–as Camille at age nine named the blog–place to place. Hard to believe we've been doing both, the blog and the State Department life, for that long, but here we are.

Our first assignment was directed, meaning we were assigned without much choice, although we had some weird options and ended up going with where they suggested, Niamey, Niger. Two years later we were surprised to posted to Moscow. Moscow is a post that usually goes to people who had a higher rank and more experience than Peter had at the time. But we got lucky? After Moscow was Bucharest. Then Kiev. Muscat. London. One more mystery place to go! Weeeeeeeeee!

This time, as Peter could retire part-way through the tour, he must bid on posts designated as "Hard-to-Fill." That made a short list even shorter. We'll know by later in November. Stand by. 

Rabat, Morocco
Ankara, Turkey
Skopje, Macedonia
Beirut, Lebanon
Pretoria, South Africa
New Delhi, India