The first Dhakanniversary

One of the most frequent questions I receive is how – really how – did you come up with the idea of joining the Foreign Service. What prompted the switch? Was this a last ditch attempt to avoid growing up? Was it to satiate my vagabonding dreams?

Until recently, I never contemplated a post explaining why I chose to quit my old job and lifestyle and take onto the unknown, dragging a wife and two kids along. As the one-year anniversary of our arrival in Dhaka rolls into view, more and more people have asked me what catalyzed the decision to take that first step. Most make the natural assumption that, weighted down by a boring-filled existence, I got burned out and looked for a way out.

When I was still in middle school, I became obsessed with traveling the world. I seriously dreamed of becoming a navy officer. That was the only trade that would guarantee an escape from a closed communist system. It took a very hard stance from my mom to squash those intentions. If the stubborn roots of this career switch can be traced to one thing in my life, those dreams are it.

And so here I am in Dhaka, one year into my first assignment. I am a happier and more relaxed person than I ever been, with thousands of stories and pictures from some of the most fascinating places on earth. I have come to love Asia more than I ever expected, from the street food to the people to the millions of small, quirky things that make each and every day a smile-inducing adventure. The overriding feeling is that all of this – the dirt, the many mountains to climb and people to meet and all the glorious food – just feels right. How lucky is that???