fare thee well, friends

When we arrived in Chennai, there was a definite cohort of people who made up the core of the Chennai Consulate. Chris' position was a newly created one and his was the first of the new positions to be filled. Many of the old cohort had already left and many left soon after we arrived. By summer, all of the old guard were gone.

The only remaining people at post from the old days were the brave Transition Guards, Hilary and Franc. For a long time, they guided us in all things consular and shepherded us through the in's and out's (mostly out's) of Chennai. They were our mommy and daddy, so to speak, though I dare not say which one was which.

Now they are both gone - Hilary to Damascus and Franc to Taiwan. Chris is now, officially, the junior officer who has been at post the longest (the “Senior Junior”). The mantle has been passed.

They will be sorely missed. Very sorely.

We wish you both well and we'll see you soon, either roaming the halls of FSI or sleeping on our floor in Tokyo. You are welcome any time.

fellow travelers, on the move