(More) Official Departure Date!

Well it's slightly more official! We're leaving on June 26th for India! Traveling to a new post is split up into six 'parts.' This is all detailed in the 3 FAH-1 H-3761.2 Travel Messages, but it all boils down to the following steps.

TMONE: “Assignment Notification.”
TMTWO: “Proposed Itinerary.”
TMTHREE: "Welcome to Post Letter."
TMFOUR: “Travel Authorization.”
TMFIVE: “Departure from Current Post.”
TMEIGHT: “Arrival at New Post.”

I submitted my TMTWO, and promptly received my TMFOUR from my HR Technician. This allows me to apply for my diplomatic passport, which will let me apply for my visas. One step closer to ship-out/TMFIVE day!

First Contact

Oh, different kind of first contact.

Aren't I the popular one? Less than two days after receiving my TM ONE (the official notification to me and my future post that I will be going there), I received an e-mail from the current head of Information Management (IM) at Chennai. She sent me a delightful e-mail welcoming me to "Incredible India."

A couple days later, the fun began with a bunch of e-mails from the Community Liaison Officer (CLO). It continued when I learned that shortly after arriving at post, both of the currently-filled IMS positions will be vacated, leaving me as the sole IM officer until my new boss arrives a month later. In fact, the timing is so tight, management at post is trying everything in their power to rearrange my training schedule so I can arrive two weeks earlier! Well, while the higher ups work on that, time for me to work on the the housing and social surveys the CLO sent me. My excitement is building by the day!