Flag Day!

                            

Flag Day has come and gone and S and I are super excited that this foreign service adventure is taking us to Adana, Turkey!

To be honest, we were a bit shocked and surprised to get Adana because of some of the requirements for this post.  We put it as a high but didn't expect to be lucky enough to get it, and therefore didn't really talk about it, let alone think about it, after S turned in the final list.  So when they called out S's name, I was overwhelmed, excited and confused all at the same time.  In fact, I was so shocked that I forgot to stand up and take a picture of him going to accept his flag.  By the time it registered with my poor brain that this was it, they were calling his name, they were already announcing a new post.  So, ultimately I ended up with a blurry picture of S accepting a Turkish flag in front of a large, projected flag of D.C.  Not my finest moment.

But the ceremony itself was fun.  The energy in the room was palpable. I was sitting with S's sister and her husband, as well as another spouse whose husband was in the class with S.  We were both nervous with anticipation, so it helped to be able to freak-out with each other. Unfortunately for her, though, that freak out lasted through the entire ceremony because her husband was the LAST to be called.  S was called about half-way through so I was at least able to breathe a sigh of relief and relax a bit.  But my friend wasn't.  In the end they got their top choice, so they were extremely happy, but holy cow, what a wait!

After the ceremony I was forced to fight my way through a sea of people just to get to S and give him a big ol' hug.  He was grinning from ear to ear and his first words were, "Are you happy?"  My sweet husband, he just wanted to make sure I was happy.  Awww. 

But, like I said, I was happy!  It's an amazing country that neither one of us has ever traveled to, and we're looking forward to learning more about Turkish culture and customs.  Also, the post itself is rather tiny, so it will hopefully lend itself to a tight community atmosphere and give S the opportunity to really get elbow deep in management work that he might not have had the chance to do at a larger post.  And from what we've read online, there is a military base nearby with loads of American amenities, so if we're ever desperate for a little taste of home, we can drive 20 minutes down the road instead of hopping on the next flight out of town. 

The bottom line is we are thrilled to be going to Turkey!  S has a bit of training to look forward to, then we're off!  Adana Kabob, anyone?