Saga continues...

As for activities on this side of the equator, well life continues to be one miserable mess after another. It turns out that the problem with that Monday MSF airplane out of Dubié was that the Air Force tried to sneak onboard somebody’s wife and was caught in the lie and deception. The lady was ejected and subsequently MSF declared a ‘no go zone’ of 20 meters around the airplane – to the military and Air Force.

Thus the hassle ensued the following day when I tried to get on the Concern airplane. It was known by the Arrienne the ‘no go zone’ (tho not to us at the time) so when we, ACF, approached the Concern airplane the Arrienne tried to keep us out without proper explanation. Thus JJL had a battle of words with the Air Force guy about approaching the airplane. JJL is right to say that these guys have no right to control or block our actions. However in the hassle, we received our ‘invitation’ to go and visit them. All is good, we settled that one.

I returned on the 23 Dec full of ACF promises and the actual potential to get things done – IF our new capital level log can pull a miracle out of his butt AND IF we can get the VSAT working, AND IF our guys can get our vehicles turned around in quick order. I did not get much chance to do any emailing as usual and I have never have a restful time in LBB so I am glad to be back at home in my bed. So as per my standard belief in the good and honourable in men I have taken the promises and potentials to heart and believe that things WILL get better. I am such a sucker in these things – a never fear, never quit attitude sprinkled with honour and expectation and trust. Causes no end of failures realized. Too bad.

I returned on the 23 in time to yak to my guys and then make it to the house for a bit of a snooze before the football match. The match went off at 16h and in the end it was a draw. That is really too bad. For me it was a bit disappointing – our guys continually complain and take issue with including ‘non staff’ on the opponents, but this time it was US who had a journalier playing for us. We were caught and just after half-time we had another while JJL beat up the ref (verbally that is) while our captain took the team off the field and decided to quit. Yes MSF had 2 guys not regular staff. Yak yak yak. Turns out later that the two MSF staff were contracted masons – so they are a marginal inclusion at best. However, after THAT shit (I took JJL off the field by force) the game continued. There was one punch thrown even.

Today I told my guys that that was the last football match for ACF in Dubié. Period. There were some efforts to explain a necessity to fight and bicker en terrain but since this is NOT the World Cup I only want happy fun. And I DON’T CARE if MSF are bad sports, have been bad sports and generally play as bad sports. WE ONLY play with bon esprit. Tant pis.

Well that and the tussle WAS our fault. It was us who had a ‘mercenary’ on our team who does not work for us (how did that happen, I demand, as it is Antoine who continues to declaim ‘pas mercenaries!’) It doesn’t work for me that we cannot put our money where our mouth is by conforming to our own rules and thus my team loses its opportunity to continue playing.

The fete at MSF was a good one – it appeared that ACF bodies were in the majority but maybe not. Certainly I was an ‘A’ rated celeb and I literally had to take photos between bites of a fine meal – the red carpet treatment did not stop all night. Everyone took multiple photos – it was politicking in the worst way as I even had pics taken with babies! Meanwhile, only several of the MSF girls had their photos taken once– well really it was H and E – and so I feel a bit badly now. Clearly MSF has not such good relations with their national staff (not really a big surprise) and it showed clearly that A is not a favourite as proven by the lack of photo ops with MSF expatriates.

As A, well she started this fine evening by complaining to me about JJL and his latest escapade and how it seems, for the second time in a month, that he is working for the military. She then cocked her head, smiled that very nazi smile with that very nazi burning eye thing, and told me, nay explained point by point, how I should manage JJL – all the while trying to present an image of a concerned and helpful friend, ‘ya?’. Sault, I say.

I tried to ask her about cultural differences and what things and behaviours we need to be sensitive to and there you have it – I was dismissed. Sault you again. MSF is clearly not interested in participative involvement.

So I danced to the native drummers and I danced with my guys and I drank beer and I congratulated the staff, and I welcomed everyone and generally made the rounds like usual. I thanked the cooks, I stole full plates to make sure they got some food and I became mister photo. Then at 21hrs I left and went to bed. Only MSF kill a party at 21hrs. Concern arrived to a empty foodless/beerless party at 22h. Now THAT is funny.

The 24th saw me sleeping most of the morning, and a large chunk of the afternoon. I read a great book. Same on the 25th except I spent 3ish hours in the office getting things prepared in the silence of the holiday, things that came up in the staff meeting in LBB. Then at about 21hrs I went over to the Concern Base 2 for another fete.

Te Concern fete went off a bit badly. Seems that every one was angry about some thing or other but mostly about the latest beerfinding trip to Kilwa – David the head driver was charged to arrange and manage the show and now is in the stew pot about badly arranging that trip AND bringing his sister along for the ride (non-staff in vehicle, pas bon). So the guys were mostly pissed drunk and so not so nice – they came by my house in the early afternoon looking for beer so, OF COURSE, I gave them the last 9 bottles of my beer. Well when the party started the 9 were gone (where? Already drunk? Likely) and only the two cases purchased in Kilwa were presented when the party started. You can imagine how fun that was - 24 beer for 40 pairs of eyes. The night was capped off at the Concern expat house where we spent an hour searching for the bottle of champagne. Gone. Never to be found. What’s up with that?

Damn I wish I had better grasp of the language. This morning there was a thing here at the office – I have a problem with Antoine (it’s his eyes) and so my dealings with him are always problematic. I gotta be careful. So today he wants to give two bicycles to the VAD guys who are going to live and work in Lukonzwola. It is a thing planned for a long time but today he finds that the bikes are in bad shape and what am I going to do about it? First I would like to say that it is HIS bad planning to find bikes the day he wants to give them out. 2 It bugs me when folks lance a problem and then walk away from it looking for others to provide solutions, 3 I hate it when programs fail to manage their affairs ie their bikes (I suggest taking one of his CNS bikes and replacing with one of the broken VAD bikes … to poor reception. Oh Antoine, let me wave my magic wand and solve your problems!!!) 4 I hate it when folks lack the respect to keep expensive things in good shape 5 It bothers me that I told Jose JUST three weeks ago was the LAST TIME we are going to pay someone to maintain and upgrade broken bikes and here we are again with a 12 000FC bill… Now if I can translate that and tell them the same...

I AM tired of having folks remind me that we are still waiting for deliveries – I have done all I can and have overstepped my good reception with the guys in LBB. If I had the means to fix the situation, surely everyone knows I would be the first one to do just that?

JJL is off to see the police today! Yesterday we had a fellow who did some private work for JJL at his house come to me to get some ACF money to pay him what he is due. I am so stupid that it took me an hour of questioning (and translating illongo because this guy does not speak French) to realize that all the work for JJL was PRIVATE work. So at that realization I sent the guy out of my office and demanded that JJL find a solution for his problems – do not have your problems come to my house and interrupt my lunch, I say. JJL refused to pay the guy – evidence by the screaming match in the courtyard of my office – and so the guy went to the police. Today Dec 27 at 14h JJL is off to see what he can do. They negotiated a deal whereby JJL paid 10 000 fc 'restitution'.

This is bad news. I of course cannot accompany him on this one – good luck to him on his private matter. I received visitors from AASF this very freekin morning with an interesting story about the very very same police. Yes it seems that the AASF guard who stole CONCERN oil in the PAM warehouse was finally fired. He was given his separation etter by LBB . This guy went back to AASF in Dubié and asked for his job back, some money for his 'preoccupations' and offered to hassle them. AASF a dit NON. This guy then went to the police. The secretary of AASF took all the documents to the police to exhibit their rightful position…and for his troubles was incarcerated. He sits there waiting for AASF to fork over 20 000 FC to be liberated. AASF cannot pay – will not pay. And there he sits.

And I just found out that my vehicles will take another week before they leave LBB. I am losing the faith again