As I'm sure y'all can understand, I've been a little too busy to do much blogging - when I get to Sudan things shou slow down a lot... everyone I talk to who has been down there points out the laid back approach to life all the non-europeans have down there. If it don't happen today, it may happpen tomorrow - unless it rains and we can't drive anywhere.
Monday was - apart from driving up here in the morning - more briefs and 'exchange of experience'. A fair bit of the later was very Afganistan spesifi, but still interesting to understand what is going o in that part of the world and to reaffirm my determination no to go there if I can at all avoid it.
Tuesday was a medical day - starting with a brief about the healthrisks in the area of operation (AO), and followng up with a brief on how to cope with stress caused by extreme situations irncluding, but not limited too, the after effects of decades of civil war in Sidan. The cliff notes of the former is "keep your hands clean" and "don't panic, most critters will rather run away", and of the later they read "it helps to talk about it, the sooner the better" as well as "call family daily". The last advice I'll have no trouble following - even less so since the options include the sat-phone (paid by the goverment, but don't abuse it), the UN phone system (cheap as dirt) as well as a - apperantly - well built out cell phone network.
Wedensday is meant to be a pretty 'hot' day - IEDs and mine awareness, complete with a medical excercise. I just hope the weather turns at least decent... tuesday was very wet.
The list of nice-to-bring item keeps growing, yet stays manageble by the simple fact that virtually anything can be bought in the capital before I am deployed to the teamsite. Of the things experienced voices suggests, the top items are a waterboiler, instant soup and oatmeal. Most teamsites offers decent - if somewhat pricey by the local standard - messhalls, which serves big, filling lunches... that means only breakfast and an evening snack needs to be prepared in the container if I don't feel like cooking.
Time to get cracking... only a few more days of training, and the intructors are making sure we dont waste time.
No comments:
Post a Comment