Former Australian ambassador to Greece Jenny Bloomfield was born in Greece on January 26 - Australia Day - and migrated with her family to Australia in 1981. She shares her inspiring story in a new memoir.

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It's June 2010 and I'm waiting in the coffee line at Brindabella Café, tucked inside the RG Casey Building, home to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.

The place is buzzing with chatter as public servants grab an afternoon coffee before heading back to their desks.

Just ahead of me is Chris, head of the Corporate Management Division and the central person for staff placements and overseas postings.

As we shuffle forward, Chris greets me with his easygoing smile and strikes up a chat.

He mentions that the latest list of vacancies for Heads of Mission - Australian ambassadors, high commissioners, consuls-general and other senior diplomatic roles abroad - has just been issued.

"Why don't you put your hand up for Athens?" he asks with an encouraging smile. "You speak the language, you know the culture - you'd be fantastic for the role."

His suggestion throws me. For most diplomats, overseas assignments are the ultimate dream, but applying for another posting, especially now, when we've only just settled back in Australia, hasn't crossed my mind. And ... Greece?

My first thought is my family. After six years of back-to-back stints in Argentina and Japan, we've finally returned and begun to re-establish ourselves in Canberra. The children are only just starting to remember what life here is like. For the youngest, Australia is a new and unfamiliar place.

Yet a single thought eclipses all these practical considerations: I am Greek.

I was born on Australia Day, January 26, in Thessaloniki, Greece's vibrant northern city and a sister city of Melbourne, where I grew up. To those around me, my Greek background is hardly apparent. I don't have a Greek name, accent or distinguishing features; in Canberra, I am just another Australian public servant. Still, my heritage is wholly Greek.

A rush of questions fills my mind. Could someone who is wholly Greek truly represent Australia as its ambassador to Greece? Am I "Australian enough"? How would Greeks see me - as........

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