FIRED!

As usual, my demands for a minimum standard of living and Logistics systems have NOT fallen on deaf ears.

In fact, rather than seek resolutions to problems the most effective move is to actually remove the OTHER problem. The outgoing PC of El Fashir, within two weeks of his end of mission, decided to leave a legacy. It was a surprise to all.

Clearly a unilateral decision and one blindly supported in the field. ACF headquarters in Paris have, at multiple levels and stages during the debriefings, have give me a "mia culpa" and offered other missions.

...ya right. maybe later! Doubt it...

This is a bit of a sad turnaround for me. I believe in the strength and the work of ACF. The successes we share in the field are overwhelmingly from the spirit and drive to do a good job by our expat teams.

Again my high expectations of performance and responsibility have cost me. Lessons learned: care less.

It is regretful, in my mind, that logistics systems are lacking and security philosophies are less than professional on a global level. I have come to believe that agencies depending on volunteers (vis-a-vis transient workers working only for the moment) lack what we in the west try to achieve with our teambuilding exercises. Since humanitarian staff are so transient there is little organizational incentive to train, support and maintain a solid workforce with a solid common goal in it for the long run. Too bad.

Those who know me understand that the list of things to do is long and always available. With this spirit I consider this decision to shorten my mission (by one month??) as a positive turn of events to provide me with a bit of time to accomplish a few more things.

To this end, I think I will live in Paris - how cool is that? Upgrade my capacity in french and poke around a bit. September has the Camino de Santiago lined up - a pilgrimage of over 800 kms across Spain for some 30 days of walking - which is just the thing to get back into form after 6 months of eating really bad and oily food and being prisoner behind the compound barbed-wire. Even prisoners get more chance to exercise...

Now how do I get my bike over the pond???