Page 87 - IFAFA ebook v4

34.

Jarka Devine Mildorf

I was born and raised in Prague. My early years were spent on the

wrong side of the Iron Curtain and I was old enough to be conscious

of the monumental change that took place in 1989. My personal

memories of this time are the ribbon in national colours I wore to

school and my uncle leading the State Opera Orchestra in a

Christmas concert in Wenceslas Square. But like many others of my
generation, it was also a moment that reshaped my future, as I

benefited from the opening of new horizons, travelling and studying

abroad. For all that, though, I was – and remain – something of a

home-bird and it has never been my intention to move abroad for

good.

The events of 1989 also set the Czech Republic on a course towards

EU membership – and some 20 years later, its first EU Presidency.

It was in this context I was hired as additional support at the Irish
Embassy in Prague, where I met my now husband, Ian. Donal Hamill

was the ambassador at the time and I could not have wished for a

kinder or a more generous boss. In the numerous speeches I

witnessed during this time, it also struck me that he never omitted

to express gratitude to his wife, Bernadette.

At that time, I did not know (nor know that I needed to know!)

about IFAFA or the ups and downs of being a spouse of a diplomat.

Nearly a decade later, when I was grappling with my new roles in
life – being a mother, a spouse, a permanent migrant – I was happy

to find this network of people with similar experience and to lean

in. It was only then that I discovered that it was, in fact,

Bernadette Hamill, who first voiced the need to organise, join

forces and support each other, and who made the first step to found

IFAFA.

The more I learn about the brave, pioneering women founders and

those who kept IFAFA running over the decades, the more I can see
the parallel with the women’s liberation movement. Although the

first IFAFA priorities such as planned postings or school fees were

focused on children, there is also a clear and growing desire for

independence – economic, informational, social – on the side of

spouses and partners.

My own motivation to join IFAFA was driven in particular by
concerns over my financial independence. It became quickly clear

that, even as a highly skilled migrant, it might not always be easy
or even possible to secure a job when moving countries every few

years. Aside from concerns over my career development, I was

worried that this might have an impact on my pension entitlement.

The bad news was that my worries were very much justified. The

good news was that I was not alone.

Happily, as an expert in social science and gender studies, I was
able to make an active contribution in promoting a more research

and evidence-based discussion.

As a Czech, I enjoyed celebrating the 30th anniversary of the

velvet revolution this year (2019). At a personal level, it provided a

fitting moment to remind myself that I remain the fiercely

independent and politically engaged person I always have been.

This has not always sat comfortably with my experience as a

diplomatic spouse. But in IFAFA, I am delighted to have found an
outlet to invest a little of this spirit, along with many likeminded 78

friends and colleagues!